How to Turn off OzBargain "App" Mode in Chrome on Android?

matt_will_fix_it on 05/02/2016 - 09:39

I've got a bit of a strange issue with the Ozbargain site on my Android phone.

I use Google Chrome on Android. Here are some screenshots of what I'm doing.

  • Visit the ozbargain.com.au website
  • Click the settings menu http://i.imgur.com/7Rn5uLh.png
  • Click "Add to home screen" http://i.imgur.com/XDKCyNx.png
  • Name the shortcut http://i.imgur.com/7tVNNa6.png
  • Open the newly created shortcut from the home screen
  • It doesn't launch like other shortcuts do in Chrome. Instead it opens in an "app" mode http://i.imgur.com/AoyYcOh.png
  • The issue in App mode is there are no back or forward navigation buttons, and if I launch the shortcut from the home screen again, it doesn't take my to ozbargain.com.au. Instead it returns me to the last page I had navigated to in that app (either a deal description page or the actual link to the deal). Here is a screenshot with no navigation buttons http://i.imgur.com/kUJh7l9.png. Its quite annoying as I want to go to the home page when I launch the shortcut, not resume from where I was.

Any idea how to revert to the standard Chrome for Android behaviour of doing a link to the site, and remove this "app" mode?

Site Discussion

Comments

  • cDNA on 05/02/2016 - 10:09

    When i click "Full site" at the bottom of the page, the page still remains in app mode.

  • Moderatorneil on 05/02/2016 - 10:16

    OzBargain sets the flag in the header to display in app mode (when people add it to the home screen). The user can't turn it off.

    We can turn it off if people don't like it.

    • matt_will_fix_it on 05/02/2016 - 11:02
      +5

      Thanks Neil. One vote from that that I don't like it :)

    • the-mal on 05/02/2016 - 11:27
      +3

      Another vote to switch it off - the site doesn't really lend itself to being a webapp because a lot of the browser functions (multiple tabs, navigation to outside links) are pretty integral to the site experience and are diminished or lost in app mode on Android.

      • matt_will_fix_it on 05/02/2016 - 11:31

        Also you usually want to go to the home page to see the latest deals, rather than an old page for a deal which may well now be expired.

    • akd on 05/02/2016 - 12:55
      +2

      Please add my vote to switch it off also

  • the-mal on 05/02/2016 - 10:17

    It's probably because the site has the:

    <meta name="application-name" content="OzBargain"/>

    tag. This tag isn't meant to be used unless the site is classified as an application. It's not implicetly meant to tell the browser that the page is an application (that would be the meta name="mobile-web-app-capable" tag) but it's probably the reason that Chrome is assuming it's an application.

    • scotty on 05/02/2016 - 13:29

      Err no. application-name is used mainly for Windows 8/10 tiles. It's apple-mobile-web-app-capable and mobile-web-app-capable meta tag that we sent in the mobile template to tell iOS & Android that OzBargain should be added as a full screen app.

      They will be removed in the next update.

      • the-mal on 05/02/2016 - 13:37

        Ahh, cool, thanks for the info! I was looking at the source from my laptop, that's why I didn't see the web-app tag.

        The more you know! :)

  • Moderatorscotty on 05/02/2016 - 22:56

    apple-mobile-web-app-capable and mobile-web-app-capable are now removed from mobile site so adding OzBargain to home won't make it an app.

    • matt_will_fix_it on 05/02/2016 - 23:09

      Excellent :) I just tested and it works perfectly. Thanks for doing it so quickly!

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