Has anyone had success with some of these iPhone centric web sites by changing their user agent on the Windows Mobile devices?
Specifically I want to use Opera Mobile, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to change the User Agent string. I have the iPhone user agent string:
Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1A543a Safari/419.3
But I have tried a couple suggestions that I found by searching this site to change the opera.ini file in the applications folder, but no success it still reports as Opera at www.whatismyuseragent.com???
anyone figure this out yet. i've got IE, opera, and netfront and can't get it to work in any of them. i'm convinced im just not doing it right tho
Is that a smart thing to do anyway? I tried to select iPhone mode on a mobile site that let's you choose which version you want and the result was not pretty.
View Iphone sites on your WM (windows mobile)
I got it work with pocket IE + PIE Plus software
Just install PIE plus , open PIE -> tools -> option Plus -> User Agent , then fill in the blanks like the one in the photo by using this string
Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/4A102
Have fun !
pb4ugoout said:
anyone figure this out yet. i've got IE, opera, and netfront and can't get it to work in any of them. i'm convinced im just not doing it right tho
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out: http://www.1800pocketpc.com/2008/06/28/change-user-agent-on-opera-mobile-95.html
Basically, if you type opera:config in your address bar, it's all customizable. I don't have time to try it now, but it looks like in User Prefs, there is a custom user agent option.
I agree that there are a lot of sites that are being customized for the iPhone and they look pretty good on the Diamond as well! (eg www.calgaryherald.com/iphone)
Dan
For PIE it's a registry key tweak.
http://wiki.modaco.com/index.php/Windows_Mobile_5_Registry_Tweaks#Pocket_IE_.28PIE.29
Change user agent in Opera mobile
There is an option in opera:config that allow to enter any custum user agent.
To have it either search custum or check "show all" option (top right)
Then you will be able to give the user agent of the iphone which is
Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1A543 Safari/419.3
I'm not sure that it actually mask Opera, it's just identify as iphone browser, which is enough to enjoy some nice website on touchscreen wm phone.
Enjoy!
with these settings on my hd2 (none branded) it comes up as a LG9600
i'll just stick with the config for a hd me thinks untill the hd2 is supported on iplayer over wifi
limpit said:
i'll just stick with the config for a hd me thinks untill the hd2 is supported on iplayer over wifi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A preferable solution in just about every conceivable way is to use the myplayer app.
Help please....
I have a WM device, however AT&T thinks I have a Sony Ericsson C905a. (I actually do but I bought a new phone recently).
Anyhow, because they have me down for the C905a I can get unlimited data for 15 a month. I would like to be able to change the User-agent string in my WM 6.5 phone to report that I still have the C905a. Is this possible? I see that I can change it in opera etc.. but I dont think that will matter to AT&T from the data logging they keep. I think they would see that I'm not on my C905a while using data. (If I were to be audited)
Where can I modify the user-agent string in my phones registry?
Thanks!!!
Shawn
sblees said:
I have a WM device, however AT&T thinks I have a Sony Ericsson C905a. (I actually do but I bought a new phone recently).
Anyhow, because they have me down for the C905a I can get unlimited data for 15 a month. I would like to be able to change the User-agent string in my WM 6.5 phone to report that I still have the C905a. Is this possible? I see that I can change it in opera etc.. but I dont think that will matter to AT&T from the data logging they keep. I think they would see that I'm not on my C905a while using data. (If I were to be audited)
Where can I modify the user-agent string in my phones registry?
Thanks!!!
Shawn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they know what phone you have by imei not by user agent string.
You just have to modify the Registry key. You can find it at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Opera\Prefs\User Prefs\Custom User-Agent
punch in what-ever user agent string you'd like and you should be good to go.
Paladin27 said:
Has anyone had success with some of these iPhone centric web sites by changing their user agent on the Windows Mobile devices?
Specifically I want to use Opera Mobile, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to change the User Agent string. I have the iPhone user agent string:
Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU like Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/420+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0 Mobile/1A543a Safari/419.3
But I have tried a couple suggestions that I found by searching this site to change the opera.ini file in the applications folder, but no success it still reports as Opera at www.whatismyuseragent.com???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sblees said:
I have a WM device, however AT&T thinks I have a Sony Ericsson C905a. (I actually do but I bought a new phone recently).
Anyhow, because they have me down for the C905a I can get unlimited data for 15 a month. I would like to be able to change the User-agent string in my WM 6.5 phone to report that I still have the C905a. Is this possible? I see that I can change it in opera etc.. but I dont think that will matter to AT&T from the data logging they keep. I think they would see that I'm not on my C905a while using data. (If I were to be audited)
Where can I modify the user-agent string in my phones registry?
Thanks!!!
Shawn
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you sort it out?
Im trying to change my user agent string also.
Pls let me know.
Hi Guys ... maybe someone can help me
I tried the Hero Rom and it installed just fine and worked like a charm. My problem is now that my mobile provider renderes its "mobile portal" based on parts of the user agent string and for a not compatible one (actually one that is not in their portfolio) it shows an error ... so I would need a switch of the hero user agent which is:
Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.5; de-de; HTC Hero ... and so on to:
Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 1.5; de-de; HTC Magic Build/CUPCAKE) AppleWebKit/528.5+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.2 Mobile Safari/525.20.1
which is the original Magic one.
Does anyone know how to manage this? -> maybe it could be just a small .apk file which when installed changes the user agent or just an entry in some config file?
Thanks Chris
If your operator supports the iPhone the following might help you :
Type: "about:debug" in the browser's adress bar.
It seems that nothing happened but when you go to the browser settings and scroll all the way down, you will see that the last option is "UAString".
There you can set the user-agent to iPhone.
or... install the Steel browser (can be found in Market) and has settings to change to iPhone or 'normal' web browser user agent.
... unfortunately not
thanks guys ... but my provider neither supports the iPhone nor a standard web browser string will do.
i need to set a completely different one
Hi
i've got a question for you :
on any android device, when you want to view a website in "desktop mode", all you have to do, is to change the "user agent" and, et voila, it works. All website are now in "desktop mode".
I would like to do the same on my surface, but, permanently ! I don't want to, everytime, go to "f12" menu and change the user agent to chrome or firefox.
On other forums, peoples told me : "oh you cant, it is a server side problems, all website are not "well coded". and blablabla...."
but i know it's wrong, because i do it, time to time, with the "f12" option. and i know it is possible on android device. (so the problem comes from the surface, which identificate itself as a mobile or "arm" device...)
so my question is : how do I do to change the user agent on the surface, and permanently. i know i have to deal with the "gpedit.msc" and change it here....but for some websites, it is still recognise as a tablet device and then, a mobile website. Which user agent I must use ? (when i do it from time to time with the "f12" option, I use the "chrome or firefox" string, and it works well).
ps : sorry for my english, not my mother tongue.
I've used Surface RT for months without ever being redirected to a mobile website... not sure what's up with your experience. A few sites have recognized the RT/ARM portion, but the page was not notably different; certainly it looked nothing like what I get on my phone's Mobile mode.
You can use Compatibility mode to send the IE7 user-agent string to a given site. Hardly a perfect fix, especially if the site would like to use HTML5, but I don't know a better option.
GoodDayToDie said:
I've used Surface RT for months without ever being redirected to a mobile website... not sure what's up with your experience. A few sites have recognized the RT/ARM portion, but the page was not notably different; certainly it looked nothing like what I get on my phone's Mobile mode.
You can use Compatibility mode to send the IE7 user-agent string to a given site. Hardly a perfect fix, especially if the site would like to use HTML5, but I don't know a better option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi
thks for your answer
What i don't understand, is that we can manually change the user agent (and then view the website in a "normal mode") by pressing f12, and choose another browser, and it works perfectly. All websites are in 'desktop mode". So why can't we do that automatically? i don't want to do that each time i visit a website. I want it done once for all !
The surface identificate itself to a RT/arm device and that's why websites redirect automatically to a mobile version.
Is there anyway to remove this identification, and make sure the surface is always recognize as a "desktop" computer ?
There used to be a registry hack that would override the default user-agent string, though I don't know if it still works with IE10. Browser plugins can do it, but those aren't going to be available on RT.
As for what string to change it to, I'd suggest just the default UA string for Win8/IE10 on x86 or x64. You can find this using sites like useragentstring.com. For the record, mine is
Code:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 10.0; Windows NT 6.2; WOW64; Trident/6.0)
and if you drop the "WOW64; " part, it's identical to the x86 one.
Same here...
It would be great a solution for IE reconize always as "Desktop mode" without need F12 changing procedure.
I use www.bet365.com and it´s always reconigzed as mobile
I recognize that this issue is really with Chrome and not specific to my Nexus 5, so if this should have been posted elsewhere instead, my apologies in advance.
The problem -
I am finding that increasingly Chrome's "request desktop version" option is unable to get me out of mobile site versions. When the site doesn't have its own mechanism for changing between the two, this glitch can become annoying.
I know that site designers probably have a role in breaking this functionality, but at the same time, it seems to me that all browsers must be able to appear as a desktop if they really want to, because browsers determine what header information / system specs to communicate to the site. So why are there an increasing number of sites where I can't escape the mobile version using this menu item in Chrome?
In the past, I've solved this by using Dolphin, set permanently to desktop mode. However, a couple problems with this work-around exist:
- I've now run into sites that even Dolphin can't force to go desktop version.
- I don't particularly like Dolphin, and it's a pain to switch to it for one-off uses.
Any thoughts?
It seems like a great idea to make a browser whose sole selling point is that it returns the exact system / browser info that a vanilla desktop browser would, and provides no indication to the website that it's a mobile device. There are just so many sites with horrible mobile versions
rhd-android said:
I recognize that this issue is really with Chrome and not specific to my Nexus 5, so if this should have been posted elsewhere instead, my apologies in advance.
The problem -
I am finding that increasingly Chrome's "request desktop version" option is unable to get me out of mobile site versions. When the site doesn't have its own mechanism for changing between the two, this glitch can become annoying.
I know that site designers probably have a role in breaking this functionality, but at the same time, it seems to me that all browsers must be able to appear as a desktop if they really want to, because browsers determine what header information / system specs to communicate to the site. So why are there an increasing number of sites where I can't escape the mobile version using this menu item in Chrome?
In the past, I've solved this by using Dolphin, set permanently to desktop mode. However, a couple problems with this work-around exist:
- I've now run into sites that even Dolphin can't force to go desktop version.
- I don't particularly like Dolphin, and it's a pain to switch to it for one-off uses.
Any thoughts?
It seems like a great idea to make a browser whose sole selling point is that it returns the exact system / browser info that a vanilla desktop browser would, and provides no indication to the website that it's a mobile device. There are just so many sites with horrible mobile versions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my experience, this is because sites are basing which site to display on the resolution of the device rather than the user agent. In the case of the N5, whether you have Desktop mode or Phone mode enabled, you're still reporting a 1080x1920 resolution (note the order). No desktop computer will have a screen width of 1080px (desktop monitor in portrait notwithstanding) thus it concludes you're on a 1080p mobile, therefore mobile website for you!
it is utterly infuriating and I share your pain...
Is there a site we can test that on? Flip to landscape...
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
rootSU said:
Is there a site we can test that on? Flip to landscape...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Engadget is an example, and flipping to landscape doesn't solve it.
So it must be detecting something other than screen resolution and user agent.
rhd-android said:
Engadget is an example, and flipping to landscape doesn't solve it.
So it must be detecting something other than screen resolution and user agent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably detecting the OS and forcing it that way.
rhd-android said:
Engadget is an example, and flipping to landscape doesn't solve it.
So it must be detecting something other than screen resolution and user agent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I found engadget and npr.org in another thread and landscape didn't fix it. Maybe as @Zepius says
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
rootSU said:
Yeah I found engadget and npr.org in another thread and landscape didn't fix it. Maybe as @Zepius says
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looking at engadget's source, they use the service optimizely. which looks to be a website optimizer for mobile. i bet it checks the OS to determine how to display the webpage.
Zepius said:
looking at engadget's source, they use the service optimizely. which looks to be a website optimizer for mobile. i bet it checks the OS to determine how to display the webpage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe this is a silly question, but why can't the browser lie about that too?
rhd-android said:
Maybe this is a silly question, but why can't the browser lie about that too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because its querying the system every time there is a request for the OS.
Zepius said:
because its querying the system every time there is a request for the OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I should have phrased that differently, my response wasn't very clear -
If Chrome actually wanted to "request desktop version" feature to works, wouldn't they want to tell websites that the OS was Windows? In other words, if "request desktop version" spoofs in a user agent from a desktop browser, why wouldn't that feature also spoof the OS when asked by the website?
rhd-android said:
Sorry, I should have phrased that differently, my response wasn't very clear -
If Chrome actually wanted to "request desktop version" feature to works, wouldn't they want to tell websites that the OS was Windows? In other words, if "request desktop version" spoofs in a user agent from a desktop browser, why wouldn't that feature also spoof the OS when asked by the website?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because thats not the way the app is coded. the websites are hard coded to ignore user agents (i believe) and to go based on the OS to tell if its mobile or desktop. you would need a browser or a mod to fake the OS name/version.
Well. In reality, websites can't really determine that you're using Android as chrome removes this information when you're using the "desktop version" checkbox. Here's an exemple of the useragent sent by chrome with/out the checkbox :
Without the "show desktop version" : Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.4.2; Nexus 5 Build/KOT49H) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/35.0.1916.117 Mobile Safari/537.36
With the "show desktop version" : Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/35.0.1916.117 Safari/537.36
On a real chrome desktop (windows) : Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/35.0.1916.114 Safari/537.36
So, there's not really any information (just the Windows NT 6.1) that could say to the website is they need to show a mobile version of their website.
Maybe the website is coded to adjust itselft automaticaly to the screen resolution (responsive design) or, maybe they just put a cookie when you go on the website without the "show desktop version" and, when you enable it, cookie is still present, and they continue to display the mobile version ? (So, try to clean cookies, etc, before checking the box )
Charlus97 said:
Well. In reality, websites can't really determine that you're using Android as chrome removes this information when you're using the "desktop version" checkbox. Here's an exemple of the useragent sent by chrome with/out the checkbox :
Without the "show desktop version" : Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.4.2; Nexus 5 Build/KOT49H) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/35.0.1916.117 Mobile Safari/537.36
With the "show desktop version" : Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/35.0.1916.117 Safari/537.36
On a real chrome desktop (windows) : Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/35.0.1916.114 Safari/537.36
So, there's not really any information (just the Windows NT 6.1) that could say to the website is they need to show a mobile version of their website.
Maybe the website is coded to adjust itselft automaticaly to the screen resolution (responsive design) or, maybe they just put a cookie when you go on the website without the "show desktop version" and, when you enable it, cookie is still present, and they continue to display the mobile version ? (So, try to clean cookies, etc, before checking the box )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I cleared cookies - that didn't help.
In fact, I also just tried an app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appo2.ua
It launches an instance of Chrome with the user-agent already changed (no clicking "request desktop version" required). I launched an instance as IE 10. I went to a user agent site to confirm that the UA was changed (in fact, I already felt pretty confident because the google search results were full desktop size/scale). UA was confirmed. Cleared all cookies, cache. Set my phone to landscape. Visited engadged by typing the ULR fresh (not a bookmark or anything). Boom, still goes to the mobile version
Doing some googling, I ran into some techniques for detecting mobile browsers. I'm betting that Engadget (and others where this occurs are using a CSS based technique similar to #5 or #6 here:
http://designm.ag/resources/8-techniques-for-mobile-retina-devices-detection/
rhd-android said:
I cleared cookies - that didn't help.
In fact, I also just tried an app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appo2.ua
It launches an instance of Chrome with the user-agent already changed (no clicking "request desktop version" required). I launched an instance as IE 10. I went to a user agent site to confirm that the UA was changed (in fact, I already felt pretty confident because the google search results were full desktop size/scale). UA was confirmed. Cleared all cookies, cache. Set my phone to landscape. Visited engadged by typing the ULR fresh (not a bookmark or anything). Boom, still goes to the mobile version
Doing some googling, I ran into some techniques for detecting mobile browsers. I'm betting that Engadget (and others where this occurs are using a CSS based technique similar to #5 or #6 here:
http://designm.ag/resources/8-techniques-for-mobile-retina-devices-detection/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm.. What's the exact URL of the mobile version of the site you're redirected to ?
Charlus97 said:
Hm.. What's the exact URL of the mobile version of the site you're redirected to ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The URL just stays at the engaget root URL (www.engadget.com).
I've observed something interesting though. When I visit this site in Chrome on Android:
http://www.whatismybrowser.com/
... it actually lists a very low screen resolution (376 x 557)
On that basis, I can see why sites (engadget, etc) show the mobile version. The question is why Chrome would report a lower screen resolution.
rhd-android said:
The URL just stays at the engaget root URL (www.engadget.com).
I've observed something interesting though. When I visit this site in Chrome on Android:
http://www.whatismybrowser.com/
... it actually lists a very low screen resolution (376 x 557)
On that basis, I can see why sites (engadget, etc) show the mobile version. The question is why Chrome would report a lower screen resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, chrome doesn't seems to send the information itself. Maybe a JS script detect it. 'Gonna check that
---------- Post added at 09:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 PM ----------
Yep, whatismybrowser.com detects screen size with a bit of JS
Not sure that we can change it even on a real desktop browser..
---------- Post added at 09:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------
So, of course, engadget.com too.
It detects screen resolution changes and adapt his style to the resolution. You can check it easily pen the page on a real desktop browser and resize the windows of the browser : same style as mobile version.
And there's nothing we can do about that :/
can't even do a *about:debug* in the addy bar anymore..
when pressing go, chrome hits the web, with the addy bar reading chrome://debug/ -
check this out -
Brandon Arnold 4 months ago
With mobile first design you don’t need a site switcher, because it’s the same site. There’s nothing on the desktop layout that you don’t see on your mobile, but its better formatted for its screen. The Chrome option you're mentioning is a legacy thing, thats taking actual mobile sites (non-responsive) and requesting to remove the M-dot from the domain. This is necessary because most mobile sites offered a limited amount of content that differed from the desktop. Even the Google Chrome Responsive website, when viewed in the chrome mobile browser has that option to switch grayed out.
With that said, you can try some javascript solutions that change the viewport, like this one*
http://https://github.com/chrismorata/Responsive-View-Full-Site
*Note: This has not been tested with F5
in response to:
I know it's been asked before in the forum but he thread is closed so I can't add anything. I'm aware of Foundation's mobile first principle but it's not mobile ONLY.
Is there an elegant way to give people an option to view a desktop version?
Both Android's default browser and Google Chrome mobile has options in the menu so I don't think it's a minor feature.
...it stalemates there, with an added;
Thanks for your replies. I'll checkout the javascript solution posted above.
It's just that some users really prefer seeing what they're used to on a desktop. I know it's the same content but the truth is some visitors just want to see what they're used to.
.. looks like for now, android chrome has gotten a gnome d.e. thingy effect..