The Problem With Mobile Sites Nowadays

[nouveau-apple]

The thing is. Half of the time, requesting Desktop site on Safari doesn't do anything. It doesn't work. And now we have complied a list of some of the worst mobile sites on the net.

WWW.SOUNDCLOUD.COM
Probably the worst of this list. Once you are brought to the site, you can't sign in. Many of the basic functions of the website are gone. Without a sign in, there's no profile to update. You can't edit any of your tracks, or see any of the songs on your playlist. Forget about uploading anything to Soundcloud, you won't be able to do that here either. The app itself doesn't help perform these tasks. All that is left to really do on Soundcloud is stream random music.

WWW.TIME.COM
Why is it that none of these websites allow you to open a desktop mode? I understand Time is a magazine but I think everyone knows how websites draw you in on website clicks, then proceed to show you slideshows with little text of information. Some of these websites don't even have a Reader mode. The Safari app can't do it. It wasn't always like this.

Among some other bad sites are

WWW.EATER.COM

WWW.THEATLANTIC.COM

More to come.

 

[eclipse01]

I couldn't even figure out how to request the desktop site the other day.

 

[Eau Rouge]

Likely an issue of User Agent vs Responsive design/viewport size. "Request Desktop Site" works on the former but not the latter since there is no "desktop site."

 

[sunking101]

Phones have grown much more powerful and are capable of rendering desktop sites perfectly but many websites seem to have taken a massive step backwards. It seems the more powerful smartphones have become, the less powerful websites think they are. So we now have these 'mobile sites' which are mainly rubbish.

 

[Merkie]

This is because the trend is to develop websites using a responsive design (different layout for different viewport sizes). This means that the layout of the website is adjusted according to the size of the viewport. So there is no "desktop" or "mobile" site, there is just one site. Try resizing your browser window on your desktop (or laptop) and suddenly you'll be facing the mobile website.

 

[samauden]

I feel mobile apps are doing better than mobile sites as far as rendering is concerned on mobiles. More advanced phones are coming out in the market, which is an uphill task for a website developer to ensure that it is displayed without a problem. The better is to develop mobile app rather than mobile friendly website

 

[nouveau-apple]

Some websites have gone through the effort to make sure the website has less functionality. But even the apps don't do everything a desktop version could do.

So we end up having to use workarounds to do the things we know these phones can already do.

 

[cambookpro]

I hate 99% of mobile sites - scratch that, I can't even think of one I like.

I don't get it: Steve Jobs touted how you could have the full web experience at the first iPhone's introduction, and then mobile sites came along and watered everything down. Even Apple's site now has an annoying hamburger menu on mobile.