diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button.js
index 50c3bf11f..a562ef9b9 100644
--- a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button.js
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button.js
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ export default class ColumnBackButton extends React.PureComponent {
 
   handleClick = () => {
     // if history is exhausted, or we would leave mastodon, just go to root.
-    if (window.history && (window.history.length === 1 || window.history.length === window._mastoInitialHistoryLen)) {
-      this.context.router.history.push('/');
-    } else {
+    if (window.history.state) {
       this.context.router.history.goBack();
+    } else {
+      this.context.router.history.push('/');
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button_slim.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button_slim.js
index 2cdf1b25b..c99c202af 100644
--- a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button_slim.js
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_back_button_slim.js
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ export default class ColumnBackButtonSlim extends React.PureComponent {
 
   handleClick = () => {
     // if history is exhausted, or we would leave mastodon, just go to root.
-    if (window.history && (window.history.length === 1 || window.history.length === window._mastoInitialHistoryLen)) {
-      this.context.router.history.push('/');
-    } else {
+    if (window.history.state) {
       this.context.router.history.goBack();
+    } else {
+      this.context.router.history.push('/');
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_header.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_header.js
index bfad6467d..72207637d 100644
--- a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_header.js
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/components/column_header.js
@@ -66,10 +66,10 @@ export default class ColumnHeader extends React.PureComponent {
 
   handleBackClick = () => {
     // if history is exhausted, or we would leave mastodon, just go to root.
-    if (window.history && (window.history.length === 1 || window.history.length === window._mastoInitialHistoryLen)) {
-      this.context.router.history.push('/');
-    } else {
+    if (window.history.state) {
       this.context.router.history.goBack();
+    } else {
+      this.context.router.history.push('/');
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/features/ui/index.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/features/ui/index.js
index 756a24a76..4a7a7d0f4 100644
--- a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/features/ui/index.js
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/features/ui/index.js
@@ -302,10 +302,11 @@ export default class UI extends React.Component {
   }
 
   handleHotkeyBack = () => {
-    if (window.history && window.history.length === 1) {
-      this.props.router.history.push('/');
+    // if history is exhausted, or we would leave mastodon, just go to root.
+    if (window.history.state) {
+      this.context.router.history.goBack();
     } else {
-      this.props.router.history.goBack();
+      this.context.router.history.push('/');
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/util/main.js b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/util/main.js
index c00210677..b76826481 100644
--- a/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/util/main.js
+++ b/app/javascript/flavours/glitch/util/main.js
@@ -28,11 +28,6 @@ function main() {
       store.dispatch(registerPushNotifications.register());
     }
     perf.stop('main()');
-
-    // remember the initial URL
-    if (window.history && typeof window._mastoInitialHistoryLen === 'undefined') {
-      window._mastoInitialHistoryLen = window.history.length;
-    }
   });
 }