How do you block your website from Android phones?

bonskovsky · 10:08 PM

I have a website that I'm making, but I only want it to work on iPhones, specifically the iPhone 5. I want an error message to show whenever someone tries to use an Android phone or computer to view the website.

What kind of code can I use to make this happen?

maxosx · Jan 17, 2013, 03:58 PM

Give it a rest, or look in the mirror. There's something very wrong with this picture.

Squilly · Jan 17, 2013, 03:59 PM

Java? Enable a pop-up that prevents anything but 6,1 (iPhone code name) from accessing the site.

Jman13 · Jan 17, 2013, 04:01 PM

Why? To intentionally restrict your audience? That's like Apple coming out with a great product that can only be purchased in New York by women aged 23-30.

Interstella5555 · Jan 17, 2013, 04:01 PM

No sure why you would want to do this, but there should be a way to identify the browser/device and throw up an error message.

bonskovsky · Jan 17, 2013, 04:06 PM

I'm testing this new game, it can only work on iPhones. There's a reason to do this.

Just to see if it works, I feel like I'd need to edit the code that it uses to detect whether or not it's a mobile phone to begin with.

Interstella5555 · Jan 17, 2013, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonskovsky

I'm testing this new game, it can only work on iPhones. There's a reason to do this.

Just to see if it works, I feel like I'd need to edit the code that it uses to detect whether or not it's a mobile phone to begin with.

Just remember you'll need to block out desktop versions off all browsers as well as the associated OSs as well.

bonskovsky · Jan 17, 2013, 04:11 PM

somehow, the code that i'm using automatically goes to mobile if on a mobile. so i just have to edit a little bit more code to make it more direct

Brian Y · Jan 17, 2013, 04:13 PM

Just do a quick check of the referrer, and possibly the screen resolution too.

But remember these can all be faked - there's no known way to restrict to certain browsers/platforms that can't be circumvented.

Plutonius · Jan 17, 2013, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonskovsky

I'm testing this new game, it can only work on iPhones. There's a reason to do this.

Just to see if it works, I feel like I'd need to edit the code that it uses to detect whether or not it's a mobile phone to begin with.

Let everyone into the site but mention on the site that Android users are out of luck if they want to play the game. They should upgrade their Android phone to an iPhone

.

fireshot91 · Jan 17, 2013, 04:53 PM

You could just have a separate page be redirected to based on the OS.

Mrbobb · Jan 17, 2013, 06:55 PM

The browser making request to ur page customarily sends that information to u.

bonskovsky · Jan 17, 2013, 07:09 PM

I'm going to try it.

macsrcool1234 · Jan 17, 2013, 07:19 PM

I'm not aware of what web feature would work on iPhone 5's and nothing else but the easiest way to do this is to check the user agent string and only accept the iPhone 5's. This is relatively easy to bypass but gets the job done.

tom71441 · Jan 17, 2013, 07:31 PM

Use the 'User-Agent' property from the request header.

Look for ipad or iphone in the string.
Like
Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7A341 Safari/528.16

I use regex just to match against iphone, so i don't have to worry about all the other version stuff

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Y

Just do a quick check of the referrer, and possibly the screen resolution too.

But remember these can all be faked - there's no known way to restrict to certain browsers/platforms that can't be circumvented.

w00t951 · Jan 17, 2013, 07:41 PM

Well, Apple uses this method for iCloud.com. On my Galaxy Nexus, it tells me that "Android Browsers are not supported."

throAU · Jan 17, 2013, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonskovsky

I have a website that I'm making, but I only want it to work on iPhones, specifically the iPhone 5. I want an error message to show whenever someone tries to use an Android phone or computer to view the website.

What kind of code can I use to make this happen?

Don't be an idiot.

Writing non-standards compliant websites is bad when it is for IE, and also bad when it is for apple gear.

Yes, you CAN do it with the user-agent string. Doing so is still bad.

edit:
If the game does not support android, put a disclaimer on the site. Don't just block access entirely.

thehustleman · Jan 17, 2013, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plutonius

Let everyone into the site but mention on the site that Android users are out of luck if they want to play the game. They should downgrade their Android phone to an iPhone

.

Fixed that for you

Zac7 · Jan 17, 2013, 08:18 PM

Didn't think this guys threads could get better and he keeps proving me wrong.

bonskovsky · Jan 17, 2013, 10:02 PM

Yeah and someone got rid of the iPhone-stupor thread. I guess they didn't think it was a real issue, which it is, I think.

I don't care about anyone bypassing it. The website just won't show up correctly. There are apps that only work with the 5, like the little panoramic vibration app.

Zac7 · Jan 17, 2013, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonskovsky

Yeah and someone got rid of the iPhone-stupor thread. I guess they didn't think it was a real issue, which it is, I think.

I don't care about anyone bypassing it. The website just won't show up correctly. There are apps that only work with the 5, like the little panoramic vibration app.

So you thought it was a necessary issue to discuss why you sometimes forget why you went on your iPhone?

bjm2660 · Jan 17, 2013, 11:40 PM

sounds like technic cleansing

vastoholic · Jan 18, 2013, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonskovsky

Yeah and someone got rid of the iPhone-stupor thread. I guess they didn't think it was a real issue, which it is, I think.

I don't care about anyone bypassing it. The website just won't show up correctly. There are apps that only work with the 5, like the little panoramic vibration app.

I just read that thread. That is not an iPhone issue. That's a brain fart issue. User error. People experience it. Phones and inanimate objects do not experience that issue and it was not necessary to create a thread about it.

bonskovsky · Jan 18, 2013, 04:06 AM

I still wanted to know why that happens to so many people. Because I think it's because of the way iOS is, is just a big long list of apps and they all look the same I just forget what I'm going to do.

Stuntman06 · Jan 18, 2013, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonskovsky

somehow, the code that i'm using automatically goes to mobile if on a mobile. so i just have to edit a little bit more code to make it more direct

Android browsers allow users to change the agent to make it appear to not be a mobile device.

Jan 17, 2013, 03:56 PM	#1
bonskovsky Banned Join Date: Dec 2012	How do you block your website from Android phones? I have a website that I'm making, but I only want it to work on iPhones, specifically the iPhone 5. I want an error message to show whenever someone tries to use an Android phone or computer to view the website. What kind of code can I use to make this happen? Last edited by bonskovsky; Jan 17, 2013 at 10:08 PM.
	2

Jan 17, 2013, 04:53 PM	#11
fireshot91 macrumors 601 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Northern VA	You could just have a separate page be redirected to based on the OS. __________________ MacRumors Scavenger Hunt score: 3
	0

Jan 17, 2013, 07:41 PM	#16
w00t951 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Seoul/Pittsburgh	Well, Apple uses this method for iCloud.com. On my Galaxy Nexus, it tells me that "Android Browsers are not supported." __________________ MacBook Pro (Mac OS 10.8.3), Galaxy Nexus (Android 4.2.2), iPhone 5 (iOS 6.1.4)
	0

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Jan 17, 2013, 03:58 PM	#2
maxosx macrumors 68000 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Southern California	Give it a rest, or look in the mirror. There's something very wrong with this picture.
	5

Jan 17, 2013, 03:59 PM	#3
Squilly In Time-Out Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: PA	Java? Enable a pop-up that prevents anything but 6,1 (iPhone code name) from accessing the site.
	0

Jan 17, 2013, 04:01 PM	#4
Jman13 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Columbus, OH	Why? To intentionally restrict your audience? That's like Apple coming out with a great product that can only be purchased in New York by women aged 23-30.
	5

Jan 17, 2013, 04:01 PM	#5
Interstella5555 macrumors 601 Join Date: Jun 2008	No sure why you would want to do this, but there should be a way to identify the browser/device and throw up an error message.
	0

Jan 17, 2013, 04:06 PM	#6
bonskovsky Thread Starter Banned Join Date: Dec 2012	I'm testing this new game, it can only work on iPhones. There's a reason to do this. Just to see if it works, I feel like I'd need to edit the code that it uses to detect whether or not it's a mobile phone to begin with.
	2

Jan 17, 2013, 04:11 PM	#8
bonskovsky Thread Starter Banned Join Date: Dec 2012	somehow, the code that i'm using automatically goes to mobile if on a mobile. so i just have to edit a little bit more code to make it more direct
	1

Jan 17, 2013, 04:13 PM	#9
Brian Y macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2012	Just do a quick check of the referrer, and possibly the screen resolution too. But remember these can all be faked - there's no known way to restrict to certain browsers/platforms that can't be circumvented.
	1

Jan 17, 2013, 06:55 PM	#12
Mrbobb macrumors 68020 Join Date: Aug 2012	The browser making request to ur page customarily sends that information to u.
	0

Jan 17, 2013, 07:09 PM	#13
bonskovsky Thread Starter Banned Join Date: Dec 2012	I'm going to try it.
	1

Jan 17, 2013, 07:19 PM	#14
macsrcool1234 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Oct 2010	I'm not aware of what web feature would work on iPhone 5's and nothing else but the easiest way to do this is to check the user agent string and only accept the iPhone 5's. This is relatively easy to bypass but gets the job done.
	0

Jan 17, 2013, 08:18 PM	#19
Zac7 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2011	Didn't think this guys threads could get better and he keeps proving me wrong.
	4

Jan 17, 2013, 10:02 PM	#20
bonskovsky Thread Starter Banned Join Date: Dec 2012	Yeah and someone got rid of the iPhone-stupor thread. I guess they didn't think it was a real issue, which it is, I think. I don't care about anyone bypassing it. The website just won't show up correctly. There are apps that only work with the 5, like the little panoramic vibration app.
	0

Jan 17, 2013, 11:40 PM	#22
bjm2660 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Virginia	sounds like technic cleansing
	1

Jan 18, 2013, 04:06 AM	#24
bonskovsky Thread Starter Banned Join Date: Dec 2012	I still wanted to know why that happens to so many people. Because I think it's because of the way iOS is, is just a big long list of apps and they all look the same I just forget what I'm going to do.
	0