iOS - Tapping the back button navigates the user to the Inbox after moving the expense

[nlemma]

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Version Number: v9.4.51-1
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack: https://github.com/Expensify/Expensify/issues/504535
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): -
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Bug source: Regression TC Execution
Device used: iPhone 13 - iOS 26.5

Action Performed:

Precondition:
Create a new workspace if your account doesn't have any workspace

1. Open the app
2. Go to Self DM chat
3. Submit any track expense
4. Tap the "Submit it to someone" button of the whisper action
5. Search for workspaces
6. Select any workspace and Create expense
7. After redirected to Workspace chat, tap back button

Expected Result:

User is redirected to Self Chat

Actual Result:

Tapping the Back button navigates the user to the Inbox after moving the expense to the workspace chat.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screenshots/Videos

Bug7211428_1784381536161.ScreenRecording_07-18-2026_08-14-36_1.mp4

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Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022086544859815465151
• Upwork Job ID: 2086544859815465151
• Last Price Increase: 2026-08-09

[MelvinBot]

Proposal

Root Cause (high confidence): When the track expense is moved to a workspace, the confirmation step "pre-mounts"/reveals the destination workspace report using the REPLACE_FULLSCREEN_UNDER_RHP navigation action. Because a report's outermost fullscreen route is the TAB_NAVIGATOR wrapper, this action takes the tab-switch branch, which rebuilds the Reports split-navigator stack as [Sidebar, WorkspaceReport] and prepends only the sidebar as the back target — dropping the previously-focused Self DM report from the stack. After the RHP dismisses, pressing back on the workspace report pops to the sidebar (Inbox) instead of the Self DM.

What is the root cause of that problem?

The tab-switch branch of handleReplaceFullscreenUnderRHP rebuilds the Reports split navigator and keeps only the sidebar beneath the incoming report, so any report that was open before (the Self DM) is discarded from the back stack.

Evidence & data flow

Flow:

1. Viewing Self DM → root stack is TAB_NAVIGATOR[REPORTS_SPLIT_NAVIGATOR[Sidebar, SelfDM]].
2. Tap "Submit it to someone" → ChatActionableButtons.tsx (prepareTrackExpenseButton('submit')) → ReportUtils.ts:12001 navigates to the participant selector RHP.
3. Select workspace → confirmation RHP pre-inserts ROUTES.REPORT_WITH_ID(workspace) via getSubmitExpensePreMountDestinationRoute.ts:66-92.
4. Tap Create expense → SubmitExpenseOrchestrator.tsx reveal/pre-insert handler → Navigation.ts revealRouteBeforeDismissingModal dispatches REPLACE_FULLSCREEN_UNDER_RHP.
5. Root cause: GetStateForActionHandlers.ts tab-switch branch (handleReplaceFullscreenUnderRHP) + getTargetTabRoute rebuild the split navigator as [Sidebar, WorkspaceReport], prepending only the sidebar and dropping Self DM.
6. RHP dismisses → TAB_NAVIGATOR[REPORTS_SPLIT_NAVIGATOR[Sidebar, WorkspaceReport]] → back pops to Sidebar = Inbox. 🐛

Why iOS/narrow-layout only: The bug is on the fast pre-insert/reveal path. The non-pre-inserted path (submitDismissStrategies.ts → dismissModalWithReport) PUSHes the report onto the existing split navigator, producing [Sidebar, SelfDM, WorkspaceReport] — where back correctly returns to Self DM.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

In the tab-switch branch of handleReplaceFullscreenUnderRHP / getTargetTabRoute (GetStateForActionHandlers.ts:207-254), when the focused tab is the Reports split navigator and a different report is already open in the central pane, preserve that previously-focused report beneath the incoming destination report (prepend the existing central-pane report, not just the sidebar). Alternatively, gate the report pre-insert/reveal so that when a different report is topmost in the Reports split navigator, the destination is PUSHed onto the existing split navigator (matching the dismiss/navigate path) instead of doing a full tab rebuild.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Since the correct behavior already exists on the non-pre-insert dismiss path, an alternative is to skip the pre-insert/reveal optimization when the topmost split navigator already holds a different report, falling back to dismissModalWithReport.

Related issues

• [$250] Expense - user don't navigate back to main chat after merge the expenses #96347 (closed) — "user don't navigate back to main chat after merge the expenses" — same class of post-expense-move back-navigation problem; worth checking whether its fix regressed or is adjacent to this path.

Note on verification: This is a code-based analysis. Because the defect is specific to the narrow-layout pre-insert/reveal fast path, the highest-signal confirmation is an on-device iOS repro dumping navigationRef.getRootState() immediately before and after "Create expense" to confirm the REPORT_PRE_INSERT handler fires (vs DISMISS_MODAL).

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Next Steps for Contributor+ team:
To accept: @MelvinBot implement [this](https://github.com/Expensify/App/issues/98106) to create a draft PR.
To refine: @MelvinBot <your feedback>
To reject: Explain why you are rejecting Melvin's proposal.

[j3ffffff]

VERDICT: POST
ROOT_CAUSE_ONELINER: After moving a track expense to a workspace, dismissModalWithReport calls navigate(workspaceChatRoute) after dismissing the RHP — but since the Inbox tab's stack already contains SCREENS.REPORT (Self DM), React Navigation's navigate action updates that entry's params instead of pushing a new route, so the iOS back stack becomes [INBOX → workspace chat] with Self DM erased from history.
PROPOSAL_TYPE: FIRST
AUTOPOST_SAFE: YES

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @ikevin127 (External)

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022086544859815465151

[Uzaifm127]

@ikevin127 I have investigated this issue locally and I found:

1. I'm also able to reproduce this issue on Android native so it isn't iOS specific:

   android-repro.mov

   The pre-insert navigation flow is used on narrow layouts and doesn't have separate iOS or Android logic. The pre-insert flow checks getIsNarrowLayout(), not the platform. So the same behavior can occur on Android native, iOS native, and any other narrow layout using this navigation path.

2. I have an accurate root cause than Melvin. Basically this is the problematic part in the code:

   App/src/libs/Navigation/AppNavigator/createRootStackNavigator/GetStateForActionHandlers.ts

   Line 216 in c3f72ff

   const existingFirstRoute = existingNestedRoutes?.at(0);

   Here, when the existing routes are Inbox > Self DM, the code takes only the first route, which is Inbox, and combines it with the incoming Workspace chat route. Therefore, it creates Inbox > Workspace chat and drops the Self DM before the user presses Back.

   I also found these two commits related to this:

   • commit 1: This commit added getTargetTabRoute().
     Basically it was to rebuild a tab’s navigation state when a new screen is opened lazily. It tried to keep a simple back destination, usually Inbox. It is intentionally discarding the Self DM and keeping the Inbox.
   • commit 2: This commit connected the expense submission to usePreMountDestination. That means while the user is still filling the expense details, the app starts preparing the destination report behind the confirmation modal

   After reviewing the commits, I found that getTargetTabRoute intentionally remove the Self DM and keeps the Inbox as main page as a better fallback for enable the lazy navigation.

3. I have two potential solutions for this:

   • Ignore the pre-insertion for moving track expenses (but this could prevent getting the advantage of lazy navigation or preparing the next screen earlier before modal closes in expense confirmation). So this solution comes with a tradeoff which also could be seen clearly in the following solution video:

     solution.mov

   • Keep pre-insertion, but preserve the current report when pre-inserting a different report in the Reports tab.

     better-solution.mov