Help Chrome and Dolphin : why has desktop mode stopped working?

[cdl]

I notice that both Chrome and Dolphin have stopped showing the desktop version of many (not all) websites. An example is www.theguardian.com
Could it be that certain websites now recognise I'm accessing them from a browser and therefore redirect me to their mobile version?
I ask because with other websites the desktop version works. So, yes, it is enabled, and, yes, I have already tried the usual IT approach: delete cache, uninstall and reinstall, etc.

Does this happen to you, too?

I have verified this happening on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and on a Motorola Moto G 2nd generation.

Thanks!

 

[EarlyMon]

Yep, welcome to the future of the Web where you no longer get a choice for a desktop view.

Our site does this now as well.

Moving forward, sites that don't do this are going to be given a lower search rank by Google.

I think it sucks but there it is.

 

[cdl]

Yep, welcome to the future of the Web where you no longer get a choice for a desktop view.

Our site does this now as well.

Moving forward, sites that don't do this are going to be given a lower search rank by Google.

I think it sucks but there it is.

So there is no way whatsoever?
Do you have any link / documentation on Google's policy?

Technically, how do websites identify a mobile browser? Isn't there a way to 'disguise' as a dekstop browser, at least on rooted phones?

 

[EarlyMon]

The guidelines are buried in a pages long document that they keep updating. It's not trivial.

If I come across the bookmark, I'll post back. That's the best I can do right now.

Our software seems to sense dpi or dots per window. You can jimmy your pc browser to make it happen by reducing the window size and zooming (in or out, I forgot which).

You can get to every dot and window css override in Android Firefox - I've tried changing parameters until blue in the face and can't get our site to act normally.

On WordPress sites it's a plug-in, although I haven't looked to see exactly how it works.

Not sure how others are doing it but this started small a year or so ago and there's no end in sight.

 

[EarlyMon]

Here's the mini version of what I was talking about.

The link to the blog post just takes you through the outer layer of the onion.

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

 

[Unforgiven]

Our software seems to sense dpi or dots per window. You can jimmy your pc browser to make it happen by reducing the window size and zooming (in or out, I forgot which).

It's zoom. I get the exact mobile view at ~250% though I'd imagine it's differs depending on your screen resolution.

 

[cdl]

It's zoom. I get the exact mobile view at ~250% though I'd imagine it's differs depending on your screen resolution.

That's the case for www.theguardian.com : if you open it on a PC and reduce the window size enough, you get the same formatting as on a mobile.
The point is, if you zoom on your mobile you do NOT get the same formatting as on a PC

 

[Unforgiven]

That's the case for www.theguardian.com : if you open it on a PC and reduce the window size enough, you get the same formatting as on a mobile.
The point is, if you zoom on your mobile you do NOT get the same formatting as on a PC

I know.

 

[EarlyMon]

Exactly why I went after style sheet overrides.

Unsuccessfully.