Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Safari pages move side to side when scrolling up or down

Hello, when I scroll up and down in safari on some sites the pages move side to side partially off screen. It doesn’t happen on all websites. The page will move side to side when scrolling up and down so I have to constantly pull it back to center with my finger. Seems to have started around 6 months ago when I updated to version 15, I currently have 15.5


One site this happens on is talkbass.com. I’ve seen it on some other sites too. It’s only happening in safari


Is there a setting that will stop this?

iPad, iPadOS 15

Posted on Jul 25, 2022 3:07 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 26, 2022 12:07 PM

Most webpages have moved to a "responsive" framework for rendering pages to adapt to multiple screen sizes. This uses a client-side stylesheet that dynamically changes the layout based simply on what fits on the screen, where before, the server would have to conduct a browser detect and push the correct "mobile" website content. It's a lightweight and simple sloution but not perfect. You can demonstrate this for yourself in any browser by scaling the browser down and watching the layout change as different visual components scale and snap into a different layouts to accomodate the available space.


Unfortunately, advertising blocks don't always scale well with some responsive page templates, causing content to flow in unexpected ways, which is what I observed on the website you referenced. You'll definitely notice different results from different websites based on the templates they are using and even the advertising services they partner with. Some do not strictly enforce industry-standard advertising size recommendations, so when you get pushed an advertising block that is larger than the space allowed, it can overflow and cause the responsive layout to change the layout of the entire page to accomodate it. This causes a terrible user experience and can be a nightmare if different size ads are refreshed and the page reflows again and again into different layouts as you are trying to view the content.

Similar questions

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 26, 2022 12:07 PM in response to brstma

Most webpages have moved to a "responsive" framework for rendering pages to adapt to multiple screen sizes. This uses a client-side stylesheet that dynamically changes the layout based simply on what fits on the screen, where before, the server would have to conduct a browser detect and push the correct "mobile" website content. It's a lightweight and simple sloution but not perfect. You can demonstrate this for yourself in any browser by scaling the browser down and watching the layout change as different visual components scale and snap into a different layouts to accomodate the available space.


Unfortunately, advertising blocks don't always scale well with some responsive page templates, causing content to flow in unexpected ways, which is what I observed on the website you referenced. You'll definitely notice different results from different websites based on the templates they are using and even the advertising services they partner with. Some do not strictly enforce industry-standard advertising size recommendations, so when you get pushed an advertising block that is larger than the space allowed, it can overflow and cause the responsive layout to change the layout of the entire page to accomodate it. This causes a terrible user experience and can be a nightmare if different size ads are refreshed and the page reflows again and again into different layouts as you are trying to view the content.

Jul 26, 2022 10:48 AM in response to brstma

Greetings brstma,


Ensuring websites load as expected is important and you've come to a great place for help! It sounds like the websites are loading, but the webpage may be larger and allows for scrolling left or right on the display. Since having this issue have you completed the steps in the article below? If not, complete the steps outlined there. Although the title of the article outlines a different issue, these steps can still be helpful.


If Safari isn't loading websites or quits on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch


You may also find the steps outlined in the article below helpful. While the article references the app quitting or being unresponsive, these are app specific steps that can resolve many issues.


If an app on your iPhone or iPad stops responding, closes unexpectedly, or won’t open


Let us know how that goes!

Safari pages move side to side when scrolling up or down

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.