# Automatic redirect on mobilr **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 26, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534 "2015-06-26T14:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/21 "2015-07-07T15:31:51Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I haven’t heard anything and didn’t receive any response to my e-mail. Since I’m not involved in the ads here I don’t know if they would bother to tell me if they change anything. > > If I hear anything I will let you know. I assume that mobile users are still experiencing this problem? I appreciate you looking into the issue for us, and passing our concerns along. Yes, it’s still happening to me. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/22 "2015-07-07T15:34:16Z")
As a side note, anybody on iOS can test what I’m saying for themselves. Click the URLs I’ve provided, and they’ll demonstrate the redirect I’m talking about. I assume the first one will work on Android or Windows Phone, too. The difference is, I don’t click anything for that behavior to automatically redirect me; the ad activates itself upon loading. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/23 "2015-07-08T02:56:51Z")
The redirect ads are really in full force tonight. Now they redirect to other Safari pages that you can’t click out of or back from and have to close the whole browser. This board is the only place this happens. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2015, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/24 "2015-07-08T11:55:01Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > Happening to me too, nearly every time I try to open Cafe Society or IMHO on my iPhone (5c), I’m getting dragged out of Safari, my App store is opening, and I have to close and re-start Safari to keep the hijack from repeating - I can’t hit the back button fast enough to get past the three or four pages of hijack shit to get back to the Dope. > > Thankfully not happening on the iPad mini, or I’d be really upset. > > Still, REALLY annoying. Yep, this is pissing me off something fierce. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/25 "2015-07-09T16:10:41Z")
Is anyone experiencing the problem with an Android device? Windows? Linux? If the problem is only occurring with iOS, perhaps the problem is with Apple itself and not SDMB or anywhere else. FWIW, I just tested this with my Android phone and did not experience any hijacking issues. Whatever ads do appear (I did not log in with this test) are embedded within the SDMB pages as per normal. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/26 "2015-07-09T16:30:21Z")
I see it only on iOS devices. And I have seen it on a couple other sites besides the SD. Unfortunately I wasn’t really paying attention at the time so I don’t remember which sites, but I’ll see if I can find them. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/27 "2015-07-09T16:32:19Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Is anyone experiencing the problem with an Android device? Windows? Linux? If the problem is only occurring with iOS, perhaps the problem is with Apple itself and not SDMB or anywhere else. > > FWIW, I just tested this with my Android phone and did not experience any hijacking issues. Whatever ads do appear (I did not log in with this test) are embedded within the SDMB pages as per normal. websites and ads can easily figure out if you’re using Safari on iOS and re-direct you to the app store. this isn’t Apple’s “fault.” ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/28 "2015-07-09T17:39:43Z")
This was happening to me a while. It went away when I turned off javascript, but that’s not really a solution since there’s things I’d like the browser on my phone to do that require javascript. Like opening spoilers on this message board. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/29 "2015-07-09T17:39:54Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > websites and ads can easily figure out if you’re using Safari on iOS and re-direct you to the app store. this isn’t Apple’s “fault.” Apple said they had fixed the problem in iOS 8.2, but many sites report it still happens. Here’s a [detailed analysis](http://sentrant.com/2015/03/12/safari-to-app-store-redirect-from-ad-on-ios-8-2/) on how it happens. Here’s [another article](http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/18/safari-app-store-redirect/) on the problem. You can argue that’s the unscrupulous advertisers’ fault for adding the malicious redirect code, but that argument goes nowhere. There are always going to be people looking to game the system, and no matter how thorough the ad providers’ review processes are, some will slip through. That’s why people are saying the fix needs to come from Apple to prevent this in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/30 "2015-07-09T18:15:48Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > websites and ads can easily figure out if you’re using Safari on iOS and re-direct you to the app store. this isn’t Apple’s “fault.” If this is a Safari-specific issue, then it is Apple’s fault. Safari is only available for iOS; Apple dropped creating Safari for other operating systems a while back. Yes, advertisers may be gaming the system. Big whoop. Welcome to the real world. If you cannot install a different browser on an IOS system, you have my sympathies because empirical testing reveals Safari is the second worst browser among the Tier 1 web browsers (IE sucks the most). ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/31 "2015-07-09T20:30:26Z")
You can search google for similar issues relating to Android, [like I just did.](https://www.google.com/search?q=auto+redirects+to+google+store+android&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari) This is an advertising problem, not an Apple-specific problem. I find your post particularly unhelpful, Duckster. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/32 "2015-07-09T20:44:00Z")
Considering that the issue on the SDMB appears to affect only iOS devices, I’m not sure your post is helpful either. If it affected Android devices, I’d advocate that Google should fix the Android OS. Just because Android has its own vulnerabilities doesn’t absolve Apple of responsibility to fix this one. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/33 "2015-07-09T21:53:07Z")
I’d argue that we don’t know Android users aren’t affected, because it’s likely that only a few posters check ATMB wth any regularity to chime in. My link suggests Android users are affected by the exact same issue with ads on other websites, so there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t be affected by similar ads on this website, even if none have posted here about it yet. Regardless, it’s an issue with ads on this website, and it’s something the powers-that-be could possibly do something about. “Big whoop, your phone sucks, deal with it” isn’t a useful response. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/34 "2015-07-09T22:03:28Z")
I use my Android device to browse this site more than my iOS device, and I’ve never seen it on Android. I’m sure Android has plenty of issues, but they aren’t currently affecting _this_ site. You are absolutely correct it is an issue with the ads. But that’s a dead end. The problem has affected sites like Reddit and Slate, who have a lot more money and a lot more incentive to provide well-behaved ads, and they aren’t able to stop it. Pretending the SD owners are going to stop providing ads or somehow do a better job keeping out the bad ones is ridiculous. Pretending the advertisers will stop looking for loopholes is ridiculous. Apple is the only one who can do something in this case, and they are obviously willing - they attempted to do exactly that with iOS 8.2, so hopefully they are more successful in their next attempt. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/35 "2015-07-09T23:02:44Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > You can search google for similar issues relating to Android, [like I just did.](https://www.google.com/search?q=auto+redirects+to+google+store+android&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari) This is an advertising problem, not an Apple-specific problem. I find your post particularly unhelpful, Duckster. The Google list you provided shows almost all 2014 news stories. And practically all of the 2014/2015 news stories related to this originate from Mac-based news. While the evidence indicates this ad redirect problem is affecting iOS and Android, the persistence appears be be just with Apple. Also, with Apple, the problem appears to be an exploitation of the Safari web browser (no user involvement), while the Android problem is with specific apps (installed by users) causing the redirect. Without spending the time to do a detailed analysis, it appears Google has greatly reduced the problem with Android by eliminating the problem apps while Apple continues to experience it with iOS because the problem is inherent in the Safari browser (i.e., Apple’s fault). ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/36 "2015-07-09T23:48:47Z")
I forgot to click “this month” before copying and pasting my link, which indicated the problem was ongoing with android. Regardless, if you guys are saying there’s nothing to be done about this issue, I guess I’ll let it go. It’s just a shame, since I enjoy this message board and often can’t access it due to the problematic ads. Maybe in the next iOS update! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/37 "2015-07-10T03:44:15Z")
**Astral** , I just downloaded a new iOS browser Mercury to use the SDMB and so far it’s been great! No ads and the pages load wayyyyyyyy faster than Safari. If TPTB won’t take care of it, this is a good workaround to browse this site. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/38 "2015-07-10T14:16:13Z")
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll check it out. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/39 "2015-07-17T12:44:56Z")
I received a response to my e-mail last week. This isn’t proper behavior and the folks involved are going to fix it. Since I don’t directly talk to the folks involved with the ads I just gave them some time to get everything changed, so hopefully they’ve changed it by now. If not, it should be soon. If anyone continues to have trouble with this, please let us know. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2015, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534/40 "2015-07-17T16:35:22Z")
Hope it gets fixed soon. I just checked in to see if anyone else is having this problem. Just logging in right now to write this post I got ejected out of Safari on my iPad into the App Store. I believe this only happens if I’m not logged in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automatic-redirect-on-mobilr/723534.md?page=3)