Android hardware back button action never fires (Ionic)

I tried adding function to override current back button behaviour, which is exactly the same as pressing back button (left arrow) in browser. This often goes to the view that is forward instead of going back. I understand that this is how WebView would handle back button action if it is not override.

I was surprised that Android back button doesn't work the same as ion-nav-view standard back button, so I found the code that is responsible in ionic.bundle.js:

  // Triggered when devices with a hardware back button (Android) is clicked by the user
  // This is a Cordova/Phonegap platform specifc method
  function onHardwareBackButton(e) {
    console.log('check'); //this never fires
    var backView = $ionicHistory.backView();
    if (backView) {
      // there is a back view, go to it
      backView.go();
    } else {
      // there is no back view, so close the app instead
      ionic.Platform.exitApp();
    }
    e.preventDefault();
    return false;
  }
  console.log('check2'); //this fires
  $ionicPlatform.registerBackButtonAction(
    onHardwareBackButton,
    IONIC_BACK_PRIORITY.view
  );

I tested it on Galaxy S5.

Any hints how to make this work?