Checking if a UIViewController is about to get Popped from a navigation stack?

Override the viewWillDisappear method in the presented VC, then check the isMovingFromParentViewController flag within the override and do specific logic. In my case I'm hiding the navigation controllers toolbar. Still requires that your presented VC understand that it was pushed though so not perfect.

Fortunately, by the time the viewWillDisappear method is called, the viewController has already been removed from the stack, so we know the viewController is popping because it's no longer in the self.navigationController.viewControllers

Swift 4

override func viewWillDisappear(_ animated: Bool) {
    super.viewWillDisappear(animated)

    if let nav = self.navigationController {
        let isPopping = !nav.viewControllers.contains(self)
        if isPopping {
            // popping off nav
        } else {
            // on nav, not popping off (pushing past, being presented over, etc.)
        }
    } else {
        // not on nav at all
    }
}

Original Code

- (void)viewWillDisappear:(BOOL)animated {
    [super viewWillDisappear:animated];
    if ((self.navigationController) && 
        (![self.navigationController.viewControllers containsObject:self])) {
        NSLog(@"I've been popped!");
    }
}