Stop Double-Click Navigation Bugs with Smart Throttling

Have you ever tapped a button twice—just once too fast—and suddenly found yourself staring at two identical screens? You tap Back, only to land on the same screen again. Annoying, right?

This common issue, known as double-click navigation, plagues mobile apps where users can trigger navigation events rapidly. The result? Duplicate screens, confusing back stacks, and a jarring user experience.

The good news? With a little smart throttling, you can eliminate this problem entirely—without overcomplicating your code or sacrificing responsiveness.

In this post, we’ll walk through a clean, scalable solution to prevent double navigation in React Native apps using Expo Router. Whether you're building a new feature or improving an existing app, these patterns will help you create smoother, more predictable navigation behavior.

The Problem: Accidental Double Navigation

Imagine this: a user taps "View Item" twice in quick succession—maybe they’re impatient or just tapping faster than intended. Behind the scenes, both taps trigger router.push('/item/123').

Even if the calls happen milliseconds apart, the navigation system treats them as two separate actions. The result?

• Two identical screens are pushed onto the stack.
• The user must press Back twice to return.
• Confusion sets in. Is something broken?

This isn’t just an edge case—it’s a frequent source of UX friction, especially on touch interfaces where double-touches are easy.

The Solution: Throttle Navigation Actions

The fix is simple in concept: prevent rapid, duplicate navigation by temporarily blocking repeated triggers.

This is done through throttling—a technique that limits how often a function can be called within a time window. Once a navigation event starts, any additional attempts during that window are ignored.

We recommend a 500ms throttle for navigation—long enough to catch accidental double-taps, yet short enough that it feels instantaneous to the user.

Here’s how it works in practice:

// Replace standard TouchableOpacity with a throttled version
<ThrottledTouchableOpacity onPress={() => router.push('/item/123')}>
  <Text>View Item</Text>
</ThrottledTouchableOpacity>

That’s it. No extra hooks, no complex logic—just drop-in protection.

Two Approaches, One Goal

To fit different use cases, we offer two primary methods for implementing throttling:

1. ThrottledTouchableOpacity — Component-Level Control

Use this when building reusable UI components like cards, banners, or list items.

It wraps React Native’s TouchableOpacity with built-in throttling, so every press is automatically protected.

✅ Best for:

• Reusable components (e.g., ItemCard, BannerCard)
• Buttons with external links
• Isolated navigation actions

Example:

<ThrottledTouchableOpacity 
  throttleMs={500}
  onPress={() => router.push('/item/123')}
>
  <Text>Open Item</Text>
</ThrottledTouchableOpacity>

You can even customize the throttle duration. For external links that open in a browser, we recommend 1000ms to avoid multiple tabs.

2. useThrottledRouter() — Global Navigation Protection

Need to protect multiple navigation actions within a single screen? This custom hook wraps all common expo-router navigation methods (push, replace, navigate, etc.) with automatic throttling.

Instead of wrapping each button, you swap in one enhanced router instance for the whole screen.

Example:

import { useThrottledRouter } from 'your-hooks-library';

export default function ProfileScreen() {
  const router = useThrottledRouter(); // All navigation methods now throttled

  return (
    <>
      <ThrottledTouchableOpacity onPress={() => router.push('/settings')}>
        <Text>Settings</Text>
      </ThrottledTouchableOpacity>
      <ThrottledTouchableOpacity onPress={() => router.push('/orders')}>
        <Text>Order History</Text>
      </ThrottledTouchableOpacity>
    </>
  );
}

This ensures consistent protection across all navigations on the screen, without repeating the same logic everywhere.

Why This Approach Works

Preventing double navigation isn’t just about fixing bugs—it’s about designing for real human behavior. People tap fast. Touch screens aren’t perfect. Our job is to make apps feel seamless despite that.

Here’s what makes this solution effective:

When Not to Throttle

While throttling is great for navigation, it shouldn’t be applied universally.

For non-navigation actions that require rapid input—like volume controls, sliders, or game buttons—you want immediate response. Applying a delay here would hurt usability.

In those cases:

• Stick with regular TouchableOpacity
• Or use disableThrottle={true} if using the throttled component

Example:

<ThrottledTouchableOpacity 
  onPress={increaseVolume}
  disableThrottle
>
  <Text>+ Volume</Text>
</ThrottledTouchableOpacity>

Use throttling strategically—not everywhere.

Best Practices: Choosing the Right Tool

Here’s how to pick the right approach based on your context:

And default guidelines:

• Navigation actions: 500ms throttle
• External links: 1000ms throttle (prevents multiple browser tabs)

Wrapping Up: Smoother UX, One Tap at a Time

Double-tap navigation bugs might seem small, but they chip away at user trust. A smooth, predictable app feels polished—even when users interact quickly or unpredictably.

By integrating smart throttling at the component or router level, you protect your app from accidental duplicates while keeping your code clean and maintainable.

Key Takeaways:

• Use `ThrottledTouchableOpacity` for individual buttons and reusable components.
• Use `useThrottledRouter()` when protecting multiple navigation actions on a single screen.
• Set longer delays (1000ms) for external links.
• Avoid throttling for actions that need fast, repeated responses.

With these tools, you’re not just fixing a bug—you’re building a more resilient, human-friendly interface. And that’s a tap in the right direction.