Want to highlight a helpful answer? Upvote!

Did someone help you, or did an answer or User Tip resolve your issue? Upvote by selecting the upvote arrow. Your feedback helps others! Learn more about when to upvote >

Newsroom Update

Apple and Google deliver support for unwanted tracking alerts in iOS and Android. Learn more >

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

jenhi Author

Level 1

6 points

iPad browser: forced to mobile version of websites

Is this a common annoyance with others? Websites forcing the iPad to a mobile (and sometimes malfunctioning) version of the site?

It has always been an mild annoyance for me, but it seems that just recently something changed with a lot of websites in the past few weeks. Browsing with the iPad is forced to a mobile version, and refuses to go back to desktop version even if that link is available at the bottom of the page. And some websites like Yahoo mail even come up completely blank, even though they show up fine on a PC or even the iPhone browser! Only the iPad browser shows the site blank.

This makes me think that some common update to web server software may be the culprit?(Apache?) Maybe it was updated to "help" by making iPad browser go to mobile site by default, but is actually causing problems instead.
Is there a way to change the default browser from identifying itself as iPad or mobile browser?

iPad

Posted on Mar 4, 2011 7:49 AM

83 replies

Mar 23, 2011 11:08 PM in response to jenhi

This is a major issue for me.
One reason for me to use an iPad is the capability to ZOOM and SCROLL on any webpage so I don't have to squint my eyes to read content. This is not possible any more on pages like news.google.com or yahoo.com. These pages worked fine until recently. Now I only get the mobile version that won't allow zooming. APPLE needs to fix this. Have iPad Safari report as regular PC/Mac browser. I don't want to use another browser. FIX IT. PLEASE!

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,239 points

Mar 23, 2011 11:12 PM in response to Hans Walitzki

There's the rub; the iPad technically is a mobile browser, but is designed to be able to handle regular website content. 😟

Mar 24, 2011 12:51 AM in response to Hans Walitzki

Hans Walitzki wrote:
APPLE needs to fix this. Have iPad Safari report as regular PC/Mac browser. I don't want to use another browser. FIX IT. PLEASE!

There is no point in ranting about it here. We are all just users trying to help each other.
The only thing you can do is leave feedback for Apple http://www.apple.com/feedback/iPad.html
You also know what the solution to your problem is, but like William, you choose not to use other (better than Safari) browsers like Atomic or iCab.

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,239 points

Mar 24, 2011 7:31 AM in response to igmackenzie

Please stop saying Atomic or iCab are "better" than Safari; I get that's your opinion but it's no different than getting into a discussion of whether Firefox or Opera are "better" than Safari on Mac OS X.

Mar 24, 2011 7:56 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

From now on, I'll preface any comment I make with 'in my opinion'. However, I will state categorically that Atomic and iCab have much more functionality on iOS devices than Safari.

Mar 26, 2011 11:47 PM in response to igmackenzie

I did not want to rant, just voice my frustration that things that worked fine suddenly change to the worse. I think Apple should offer the option to get the full html version instead of the mobile version of a webpage by disguising the browser as a regulat Mac OS x browser on sophisticated devices like iPad and iPhone 4. I tested the iPad2 and it (still) works like the iPad1 used to work - zooming and scrolling are just fine on news.google and yahoo.com to name a few. Changing to a different browser is only a partial solution. I don't care if other browsers are better, I want Safari to work as advertised. I don't want Google or Yahoo to force a different behavior just because some webmasters decide a smart phone is not so smart after all. On the iPhone4 and the iPad1 the display is good enough to pass as a regular PC browser. In fact for people like me with poor eyesight the iPad way of zooming in and out is actually better - much better to read than the small default small font used in the mobile version of the same webpage.

Mar 27, 2011 1:09 AM in response to Hans Walitzki

Not sure what you mean about the iPad 2. It still goes to the tablet version of yahoo.com just like iPad 1. No zooming available.

Aug 27, 2011 4:06 PM in response to igmackenzie

Think that I want to use Firefox but still the version for iPad doesn't exist! Btw we should not be obliged to buy another browser to have it properly working, Safari should work-full stop.

I'm thinking about returning my iPad in the next few days.

Aug 28, 2011 2:13 AM in response to Superanna incazzata

Superanna incazzata wrote:

Safari should work-full stop.

It does work, just maybe not exactly how you want it to!

So, your choice is to use another browser (iCab, Atomic) that does what you want, or return your iPad.

Hmmm... you can't really want your iPad much if you choose the latter.

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,239 points

Aug 30, 2011 12:33 AM in response to igmackenzie

igmackenzie wrote:

Hmmm... you can't really want your iPad much if you choose the latter.

That's not really true; you can really, really like the device but if it won't allow you to do what you bought it for, then you have to return it or sell it.

A great example are the uninformed consumers who purchase an iPad 2, then find out it doesn't run Flash. If you have a Flash-embedded site you just have to visit regularly, you have no choice.

One example of this is Jenn-Air's website; if you're a kitchen designer who wants to use an iPad 2 in your work, you can't, as Jenn-Air stupidly just puts up a "You must install Flash" window on any system without it.

I wonder how many sales they've lost to under brands that way?

Aug 30, 2011 12:40 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

I'm talking about features that have a simple workaround. In this case using a different browser to Safari. If a user is not prepared to accept a simple solution then, clearly, they can't want there iPad much at all!

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,239 points

Aug 30, 2011 12:43 AM in response to igmackenzie

It all depends.

I've gone over before why having to download a different browser is silly, and many corporate users are not even allowed to.

Aug 30, 2011 5:51 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

William, you're right on both counts, but, nevertheless, changing browser is an easy solution for a lot of people. Some just try to be awkward, that's all!

DonnaLN

Level 1

0 points

Nov 30, 2011 5:47 PM in response to jenhi

Over 9k people have viewed this topic. Hopefully Safari gets the message that they need to make an update so that we can have the option to specify desktop version of the browsing experience. And yes, I'm going to look into other browser. But, then again, why should I have to do this? Come on Safari, make the change.

deggie

Level 10

167,195 points

Nov 30, 2011 5:52 PM in response to DonnaLN

Doesn't matter how many people reviewed it, Safari is complying with the "rules" of the web, the other browsers are using kludges that are anathema to most website administrators so it is extremely doubtful Apple will add a hack to work around this fact. It is up to the website to either consider mobile safari as a regular browser or make the option available to go to the regular website.

iPad browser: forced to mobile version of websites