Reading articles on a mobile device in the 2020s can be a frustrating experience as mobile designers often obscure the desired content with persistent banners and interruptions.
The top banner, which trails you as you scroll, is compounded by a bottom banner featuring ads, newsletter sign-up forms, and prompts to use the app. Navigating through the text becomes challenging amidst these interruptions.
There is, however, a workaround – requesting the desktop version of the site. In the early days of smartphones, websites were primarily designed for desktop use, and while browsing on mobile devices has evolved, many mobile pages remain cumbersome. Responsive design has improved desktop sites’ adaptability, making them scale seamlessly based on the screen width.
The key distinction between the mobile and desktop versions lies in the persistent annoyances during scrolling. By opting for the desktop version, you can often eliminate these mobile-specific nuisances, making the reading experience more enjoyable.
Requesting the desktop site is a straightforward process. In Safari on iPhone and iPad, tap the “aA” icon in the bottom-right corner, then select “Request Desktop Website.” This can be set to automatically request the desktop version in the website settings. On Android devices with the Chrome browser, tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and enable “Desktop Site.”
While requesting the desktop version alleviates some annoyances, an even better solution is using Reader Mode. This feature, available on major smartphones, extracts the article text from any website, displaying only the relevant content. In Safari, tap the “aA” button in the address bar and select “Show Reader.” Unfortunately, Android lacks a built-in reading mode, but you can install the official Google tool, Reading Mode, from the Play Store. This tool adds a systemwide button for extracting and displaying text alone.
As the web becomes more cluttered, having the right tools, such as requesting the desktop site or utilizing Reader Mode, empowers users to reclaim a more streamlined and focused reading experience.
