Turning off mobile theme on iPhone?

[BrianK]

Great job on the forum update, thanks!

Is there any way to switch from the mobile theme to the desktop/PC theme when I'm using the forum with my iPhone? On some sites and forums I prefer to use the desktop version and turn off the mobile version but I don't see any way of doing that on my iPhone at present.

 

[webbie]

The new version is the same - or should be - for all types of devices.

In other words, it doesn't detect your phone and serve a difference version - it just, instead, fits to the smaller screen.

I will check into it, but i believe this is the case...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsive_web_design

 

[BrianK]

OK thanks. My iPhone now displays the username and their avatar at the top of each post, and there is no signature under the posts. I just assumed that was a mobile theme. The display doesn't appear to be an abbreviated version of my PC and laptop views, it looks more like a mobile theme.

 

[jeff_t]

OK thanks. My iPhone now displays the username and their avatar at the top of each post, and there is no signature under the posts. I just assumed that was a mobile theme. The display doesn't appear to be an abbreviated version of my PC and laptop views, it looks more like a mobile theme.

See what it looks like when you rotate your phone. In portrait, I see what you do. In landscape, I get the sig line and normal looking avatar.

The problem I am seeing is that the page doesn't fit my screen anymore. The advertising banners seem to fit right, but nothing else does.

Android phone, by the way.

 

[BrianK]

See what it looks like when you rotate your phone. In portrait, I see what you do. In landscape, I get the sig line and normal looking avatar.

Mine looks the same in both portrait and landscape. No sig line, avatar and name at top of post instead of left hand side.

 

[webby3650]

Mine looks the same in both portrait and landscape. No sig line, avatar and name at top of post instead of left hand side.

I see I'm not the only one with this issue. It doesn't show any signatures, how many posts someone has, or who the last person to post in a thread was. Mine doesn't fit the screen either. What's up?

 

[jeff_t]

Mine looks the same in both portrait and landscape. No sig line, avatar and name at top of post instead of left hand side.

I'm thinking it depends more on the size of the screen. I'm using a small phone right now, with a 3.2" screen, and I get what you do. My phone has a 4.7" screen, and I get the full avatar.

Neither fits the screen properly. Definitely annoying.

 

[DexterDay]

My S4 has a large screen, but in only n landscape, do I see Sigs.

My iPad on the other hand? I see them all the time. I like Sigs, and my phone is large enough to hold in portrait all the time. So I never see them, unless at home on the iPad.

Some love them, some hate them. (I love them) let's you know what people have, why they are here (pellet, firewood, boiler, etc) and the equipment they have to process/haul it with.

 

[webbie]

It would make sense that a responsive theme (which responds to fit mobile) would do away with avatars and signatures. More and more people are using mobile devices and having too much screen to scroll through it not user-friendly. This is one reason we will be limiting signatures also.

The web and the world changes. Mobile and tablets are actually a PITA for webmasters as they mean less revenue (ads don't work as well) and lots of time and money spent trying to make things look decent on them.

We will tune this thing up as we go - deciding exactly what size screens get delivered certain content, but right now we are running fairly stock and have to prepare for the masses!

 

[jeff_t]

Everthing worked great with my phone before the update.

Lack of sigs is part of the reason I don't use tapatalk much for this forum. I don't usually like mobile themes, either.

I wish I could take a computer everywhere, but leaving a $1500 MacBook in the truck while I'm working in some pretty sketchy parts of Cleveland, isn't going to happen.

It would be interesting to know how much mobile usage you see on this forum.

 

[webbie]

Mobile web is about up to 1/4 of the visitors.
However, that includes tablets of course.....

I know my $149. Nexus 7 does a decent job without tapatalk.

Looking at a breakdown of the mobiles, only about 8% of visits are from low-res screens. Everything else is at least 1000 pixels in one direction, meaning it could easily display the theme.

The whole mobile and tablet thing is somewhat of a nightmare for web developers and even for the biggies like google. They are just now starting to serve ads which are responsive and it's a beta. But I think a lot of it will sort itself out over the next year or so.

Just as an FYI, mobile was predicted to go big and take over in about 2003-4. We're now 10 years later and I think it's finally here.

 

[webbie]

On my iphone 4s, the forum looks better than before - other than the ads and headers, etc. which extend off the screen. The forum list fits on the phone screen (when phone is sideways) and the menu items collapse into a drop-down as in this pic.

The sig issue is always a question. I belong to some very good forums which don't allow any sigs at all and others which restrict them to two lines, etc.
Some are free-for-alls.
We run a "conservative" shop here - in general our forums are heavily moderated and set up purposely to provide as much information as possible and a bit less fluff than some. I go to many forums where there is a long page of signatures and ads and two lines of information somewhere in-between...if I can find them!

 

[jeff_t]

With my LG Optimus G, the ads fit, but not the forum. The account, inbox, alerts, etc buttons aren't hidden by the search box anymore, though.

I don't get any word prediction as I type anymore, either. That happened sometimes with my old phone, but it's all the time now. IIRC, that started when the return-to-top button appeared.