Mobile browsers are a type of software for viewing websites on mobile devices. Some mobile browsers are duplicates of regular desktop browsers that take into account the peculiarities of mobile phones. Others are designed specifically for the mobile phone format.

The main task of mobile browsers is fast and high-quality work, ease of use, and an intuitive interface. There are several mobile browsers available. Generally, the mobile browsers are grouped into four browser categories, depending on the platform of the mobile device:

  • Android
  • IOS
  • Windows Phone
  • Generic.

Monitor websites in mobile browsers with Desktop-Monitor

The share of mobile Internet will only grow over time and the usage of mobile devices will become even more common. Thus, it is obvious that the websites should be served for mobile devices with the same level of performance as for desktop browsers. When creating a website or blog, it is necessary to select a responsive web design so that the content of the resource looks good on the screen of any device. herewith, we can’t but mention the necessity of web performance monitoring of websites for compatibility with different mobile browsers.

As the wave of global web traffic accessed by mobile devices is surging, Dotcom-Monitor has added mobile browser-emulation support for mobile products to the BrowserView platform.

With Dotcom-Monitor the process of testing your website in various mobile browsers is no longer a problem. You don’t need to purchase a lot of devices with different screen sizes to test a mobile interface. What you should do is simply create a Dotcom-Monitor BrowserView device, select a browser device type you need to test your website on. While monitoring the system will emulate the device you have picked in the same way that desktop browser’s built-in tools do. Page loading occurs in landscape mode in the browser window.

We use the Chromium engine to emulate the behavior of the mobile browsers. Since Chromium is a fork from WebKit, there is a lot of commonalities between Chromium and Safari WebKit. To achieve a high-level emulation accuracy for Safari, we also use multiple settings in the Chromium engine. However, note that Safari and Chromium are different browsers and there may be some discrepancy in emulation and real browser behavior.

You can set up the monitoring frequency, screenshots and video recording options, specify monitoring locations to monitor how your website works for users from all over the globe. Moreover, in the case of any errors detected while monitoring the system will generate alerts and send the alert notifications to provided addresses.

Creating a BrowserView Device remains essentially the same for Mobile configuration. Simply select the needed mobile model from the Browser Type menu during device configuration.

Among devices that can be emulated with the Dotcom-Monitor BrowserView platform are the following:

Device Model

User Agent

iPhone 4 Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5
iPhone 5 Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/537.51.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11A465 Safari/9537.53
iPhone 6 Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 8_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/600.1.3 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/8.0 Mobile/12A4345d Safari/600.1.4
iPhone 6 plus Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 8_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/600.1.3 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/8.0 Mobile/12A4345d Safari/600.1.4
iPod Touch 4 Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5
iPod Touch 5 Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_0 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/537.51.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11A465 Safari/9537.53
iPad Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5
iPad 2 Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 5_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B176 Safari/7534.48.3
iPad 3 (The New iPad) Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 7_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11A465 Safari/9537.53
iPad 4 (4th generation iPad) Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 7_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11A465 Safari/9537.53
iPad Mini Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; CPU OS 6_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/536.26 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0 Mobile/10A406 Safari/8536.25
Google Nexus 4 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.2.1; en-us; Nexus 4 Build/JOP40D) AppleWebKit/535.19 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/18.0.1025.166 Mobile Safari/535.19
Google Nexus 5 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.2.1; en-us; Nexus 5 Build/JOP40D) AppleWebKit/535.19 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/18.0.1025.166 Mobile Safari/535.19
Google Nexus 10 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.3; Nexus 10 Build/JSS15Q) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/29.0.1547.72 Safari/537.36
Google Nexus 7 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.3; Nexus 7 Build/JSS15Q) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/29.0.1547.72 Safari/537.36
Google Nexus 7 2 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.3; Nexus 7 Build/JSS15Q) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/29.0.1547.72 Safari/537.36
Samsung Galaxy Note Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3; en-us; SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 Build/GINGERBREAD) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.1; en-us; GT-N7100 Build/JRO03C) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.3; en-us; SM-N900T Build/JSS15J) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30
Samsung Galaxy S Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.1; en-us; GT-I9000 Build/ECLAIR) AppleWebKit/525.10+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0.4 Mobile Safari/523.12.2
Samsung Galaxy S3 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0; en-us; GT-I9300 Build/IMM76D) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.2.2; GT-I9505 Build/JDQ39) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/31.0.1650.59 Mobile Safari/537.36
Samsung Galaxy Tab Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2; en-us; SCH-I800 Build/FROYO) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2; en-us; SCH-I800 Build/FROYO) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1
HTC Evo Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2; en-us; Sprint APA9292KT Build/FRF91) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1
HTC One X Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 4.0.3; HTC One X Build/IML74K) AppleWebKit/535.19 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/18.0.1025.133 Mobile Safari/535.19
HTC Sensation Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0.3; en-us; HTC Sensation Build/IML74K) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30
Motorola Defy Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.0; en-us; Milestone Build/ SHOLS_U2_01.03.1) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17
Motorola Droid 3 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.2; en-us; Droid Build/FRG22D) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1
Motorola Xoom Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 3.0; en-us; Xoom Build/HRI39) AppleWebKit/525.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.0.4 Mobile Safari/523.12.2
Sony Xperia S Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.0; en-us; LT28at Build/6.1.C.1.111) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30
Sony Xperia Z Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 4.2; en-us; SonyC6903 Build/14.1.G.1.518) AppleWebKit/534.30 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/534.30
Amazon Kindle Fire Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.4; en-us; Kindle Fire Build/GINGERBREAD) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; en-us; KFTHWI Build/JDQ39) AppleWebKit/535.19 (KHTML, like Gecko) Silk/3.13 Safari/535.19 Silk-Accelerated=true
Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8 Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; en-us; KFAPWI Build/JDQ39) AppleWebKit/535.19 (KHTML, like Gecko) Silk/3.13 Safari/535.19 Silk-Accelerated=true
Nokia Lumia 8XX Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 10.0; Windows Phone 8.0; Trident/6.0; IEMobile/10.0; ARM; Touch; NOKIA; Lumia 820)
BlackBerry Z10 Mozilla/5.0 (BB10; Touch) AppleWebKit/537.10+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/10.0.9.2372 Mobile Safari/537.10+
BlackBerry Z30 Mozilla/5.0 (BB10; Touch) AppleWebKit/537.10+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/10.0.9.2372 Mobile Safari/537.10+
BlackBerry PlayBook Mozilla/5.0 (PlayBook; U; RIM Tablet OS 2.1.0; en-US) AppleWebKit/536.2+ (KHTML like Gecko) Version/7.2.1.0 Safari/536.2+
  • Understanding Mobile Browsers Emulation

    What the User Agent String Actually Means

    The User Agent is a string that is passed by a desktop or mobile browser along with an HTTP(S) request for any web page on the Internet. The string contains specific information about the software and hardware of the device that makes the request, the specific technology used to access a website, webpage, or other online content. The user agent string is unique to each web user. This information usually includes details about the browser name, web rendering engine, native platform (e.g. for mobile browsers, iOS, Android, Amazon KFTHWI, Windows Phone 8, BB10, RIM Tablet OS, etc.), and the device the browser is running on.

    Using the user agent string, you can determine a lot of parameters, for example, in addition to the name of the operating system, its version, and processor type. You can also identify the device running the browser – it can be a tablet, PC, iPad, iPhone, or another mobile device. In addition, the user agent string can contain information about features a web browser supports (such as JavaScript, Cookie, Java Applet, ActiveX, etc.).

    You can check the User Agent string that indicates your browser in the Chrome browser by entering:

    about:

    Once a user entered an URL of a website in a browser, the browser sends its user agent string to the website it tries to connect to. After the user agent is identified on a web server, the server returns suitable content (files, JavaScript, media files) that matches the browser parameters. This way different versions of the same webpage based on the user agent header can be provided to the browser.

    However, the main challenge about understanding the user agent string is that the majority of browsers indicate not only actual information about what they are build of but also add what they are compatible with to the user agent string. For example, almost every modern browser reports Mozila/5.0 as a part of its user agent string.

    How to read the User Agent string

    Since there is no standard format for a user agent string, it can be difficult to read it. However, you can find plenty of guidelines on how to parse and analyze the content of user agent strings on the Internet. Also, you can use online analytical tools (such as whatismybrowser.com) to deal with this challenge.

    In this article, we will cover only the basics of the user agent string terminology. Let’s analyze the user agent string with the following content:

    Mozilla / 5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 8_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit / 600.1.3 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version / 8.0 Mobile / 12A4345d Safari / 600.1.4

    The example string contains some commonly used tokens. Let’s have a closer look at what each of the names actually stands for:

    • Mozilla/ 5.0, as was mentioned above, is used by modern browsers to let web servers know that a browser is Mozilla compatible. Mozilla is a codename used by Netscape and populated by other browsers in their user-agent strings to be served with the same content as Netscape.
    • AppleWebKit is a web rendering engine identifier used on Apple devices and supported by some other types of devices such as BlackBerry.
    • KHTML is an engine used by Safari and Chrome.
    • Gecko is the engine used in the latest versions of Firefox. The “like Gecko” token is used to be compatible with the websites that serve their content to Geko-based browsers.
    • Safari is the token that indicates an actual browser name.

    How to Emulate a Mobile Device in a Desktop Browser (Google Chrome)

    To view and test a mobile version of you your website, you can use built-in tools that are provided by all modern web browsers. As an example, we will walk you through the mobile browser mode emulation in Google Chrome.

    First, start Chrome. In Google Chrome, open a mobile website you need to test. Then click the Customize and manage Google Chrome button (three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the browser window). In the menu, select More Tools < Developer Tools. Or you can use CTRL + Shift + I for Windows, Unix and Cmd+Opt+I for Mac OS.

    Then click the Toggle Device Toolbar icon. The browser emulator will be started and device simulation will be activated. As a result, the mobile view of the page will be loaded.

    By default, the device toolbar uses a responsive mode for the loaded page. You can select the mobile device you want to emulate for your test: Samsung Galaxy S5, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, iPhone (from version 5 to iPhone X), iPad and iPad Pro. The mobile device page reloads as if you were using the smartphone or tablet that you have selected from the list.

    When you’re done, simply close the Google Chrome developer tools to return to the standard desktop view.