Back button only return in Windows Phone application

Question

Is it allowed by Windows Phone application certification rules, to only have users be able to return to a previous screen with the use of a hardware back button?

In my scenario, a user clicks on a setting button and lands at a settings page. He changes settings if he decides to, and all the changes get saved automatically, like in iOS.

But currently, the only way for the user to get out of the settings screen, is to press a hardware Back button on the phone.

Will such implementation of navigation functionality pass the Windows Phone certification?

Answer 1

As far as I understand the terms of the navigation guideline is your usage the right way to go.

Back button

• Pressing the back button from the first screen of an application must exit the application.
• Pressing the back button must return the application to the previous page.
• If the current page displays a context menu or a dialog, the pressing the Back button must close the menu or dialog and cancel the backward navigation to the previous page.
• You should only implement back button behaviors that navigate back or dismiss context menus or modal dialog boxes. All other implementations are prohibited.

See this cheat sheet for more informations on the design guidelines.

Answer 2

Yes - leave the back button as the navigation method to get back to your main page after visiting the settings page. Not only is this allowed, but it is the desired method of back navigation, and it is what Windows Phone users expect. Here is a great article on the subject: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ptorr/archive/2011/10/06/back-means-back-not-forwards-not-sideways-but-back.aspx