Want to use mobile browser

[aplatypus]

I want to use riot from my browser on my Android tablet and phone.

Every time I attempt this I am directed to install an app. I have the app. I want to login from a browser tab.

Describe the solution you'd like
A clear and concise description of what you want to happen.

If i open the IM page URL on my device shoild open the SAME web page on my phone and tablet as I used on my desktop Firefox and Chrome browsers.

Describe alternatives you've considered
A clear and concise description of any alternative solutions or features you've considered.

There are reasons to use the beowser. Alternatives are not going to matter when the browser is what is required.

Additional context
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Why deliberately reduce choice like that? The start page is clear Browser Desktop iPhone Android.

When I click on my Linux browser I'm not told to install a 3rd client. It is inconsistent.

[akuckartz]

See also #9329

[jryans]

As mentioned in #9329, we would need to very consciously choose to support mobile web and invest in making it work for there to be any chance of it working well as each new feature lands over time. At the moment, we're focusing on the Riot apps for mobile, and the team doesn't currently have enough bandwidth to support mobile web as well.

With my community member hat on, I would also like to see mobile web clients exist. Riot itself just isn't in a position to offer that today.

[daleharvey]

Also interested in this, I will start taking a look making pull requests to improve the mobile support (obvious riot does work on mobile, just only as a the desktop UI)

Happy for any guidance or pointers

[jryans]

Thanks for your interest in this! I would recommend joining #riot-dev:matrix.org and discussing this with the team a bit first.

Broadly speaking, I think the Riot core team is open to some tweaks that make things more responsive etc. on a mobile device as long as it does not complicate development and maintenance for desktop.

[ara4n]

originally, as per #82, we were aiming for Riot/Web to be basically usable on Mobile Web. However, we simply ran out of bandwidth to do so, as @jryans says - and instead focused all our energy on desktop web (and the native mobile clients).

PRs that improve the behaviour on mobile web (without increasing maintenance burden or development complexity on desktop) would be massively appreciated.

[MyWay]

Wouldn't be better to focus on mobile web, considering that most of the traffic nowdays is mobile and that people are adding only a few apps per year on their mobile devices?

[xloem]

Is there a workaround to provide trying mobile web, without forwarding to an app, even if it is not stable yet?

[paboum]

Testing on 1.11.47 on Firefox and Chrome for Android, I can't say it is broken on mobile browser. It does suggest using an app, but the link "go to Desktop site" is present, I can click it, log in, see the rooms and if I switch to "desktop mode" (smaller dpi), I can even read some messages, chat or even browse room directory.

So now I guess some effort is only required to make it easier to use on mobile browser:

1. Perhaps allow server admin to use a setting that will not at all discourage users from using mobile browser version and just behave the same as on desktop.
2. Have themobile_guide template to extend choice of using iOS/Android Google Play/Android F-Droid app with another big button "use mobile browser", possibly explaining the drawbacks. Btw, it should detect the user agent and only offer the app that matches the phone OS.
3. Improve UX on mobile browser, e.g. make the letters smaller, or stack up elements vertically if they don't fit - e.g. by using https://www.w3schools.com/css/css3_flexbox_responsive.asp
4. After the user logs in via mobile browser, a popup could then encourage them to install a mobile app. This could be some day replaced with PWA.