No I don't want to install your app

March 19, 2013 5:40 AM

I just got a new iOS device and web browsing is a bit different than browsing on my desktop. When I click on a link, I expect to be taken straight to a webpage, but instead I often get an advertisement to download an app for that websites' homepage. Example: Contra Costa times Is this just the way web browsing works in the mobile era? What are my options if I decide that I always don't want to install an app?
posted by cnanderson to Technology (10 answers total)

Just say no. For the time being, they will keep serving you that ad every time you arrive on the site, and virtually all of those sites, there is no way to say, "No, and don't ask again." So you just have to put up with those and other interstitial ads.
posted by beagle at 5:43 AM on March 19, 2013

It's an irritating thing that's happening on more and more sites. But there is usually a link (in the case of the page you cited, at the top of the app download offer page) that says "No thanks, take me to my page."

For Contra Costa Times, when I did not click anything it took me to a mobile version of the site.
posted by The Deej at 5:45 AM on March 19, 2013

Yes and this is so annoying. Lately I've seen more "download our stupid app" banners at the top of the page rather than full page click through things, and that's marginally less annoying. Forums seem to prefer giving you a pop up.

This is just the way it is. :(
posted by phunniemee at 5:47 AM on March 19, 2013

I don't think there's a way to do what you want. It's annoying.
posted by gauche at 5:50 AM on March 19, 2013 [3 favorites]

I can't remember, can you install a third party browser in iOS?

What I do on my Android device is run a third party browser (mine is Boat Browser) and set the user agent to "Desktop". Then the websites don't know that I am on mobile. Of course, this means that you don't get the mobile version of the site, but I've found that half the time the mobile version is missing vital functionality anyway.
posted by selfnoise at 6:01 AM on March 19, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I can't remember, can you install a third party browser in iOS?

Yes, though they all run off of Apple's Webkit engine. But other browsers do have expanded features. There's Chrome, Photon, Opera and Atomic Web, among others.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 6:07 AM on March 19, 2013

Best answer: See also my earlier question on this.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 6:16 AM on March 19, 2013

In the Aromic Web browser, you can choose from several non mobile identifiers or enter a custom string.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:45 AM on March 19, 2013

In chrome, if you choose "request desktop site", it'll remember that choice on a per-site basis.
posted by Oktober at 8:16 AM on March 19, 2013 [2 favorites]

Mobile Safari now implements "Smart App Banners" that sites can enable, which as phunniemee mentions are marginally less annoying. So, it's not what you're hoping for, but one option is to reach out to the owners of the Web sites you use and tell them to switch to the banners instead of the interstitials.
posted by nicwolff at 5:16 PM on March 20, 2013