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Google Maps Thinks I have an iPhone

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I am using a galaxy 3s but google and google maps think I have an iphone. If I am in google and my search results include a google map link, the link will not work. If I use the "more" drop down button to switch to google maps, I get a message saying my iphone does not support google maps. This is unique to firefox because when I do the same thing in the installed browser, I am asked whether I want to complete the action in the browser or in the google maps app. The google apps map works fine. So firefox is sending a message that I have an iphone. Please help me correct this. Thanks, Scott

I am using a galaxy 3s but google and google maps think I have an iphone. If I am in google and my search results include a google map link, the link will not work. If I use the "more" drop down button to switch to google maps, I get a message saying my iphone does not support google maps. This is unique to firefox because when I do the same thing in the installed browser, I am asked whether I want to complete the action in the browser or in the google maps app. The google apps map works fine. So firefox is sending a message that I have an iphone. Please help me correct this. Thanks, Scott

All Replies (5)

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I get that on the More > Maps link an HTC phone as well (still running Fx Mobile 14.0.1). My user agent string is definitely being sent as Android, not iOS. Google must have something up its sleeve...

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If the google maps links work on the native browser but not on the firefox app then it's a firefox issue. There's no "up to something".

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Hi,

Thanks for reporting this, and jscher2000 thanks for responding with additional info.

I also get the iPhone message on the Google maps page, but when I tap the Visit Now link, it works fine for me on android 2.3 and 4.0. Let me know if the Visit Now link doesn't work for you with some details I'll get it reported to Quality engineering.

Regards, Michelle

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Hi Michelle,

The Visit Now link did take me into a general google maps page, thanks, but that is far from the functionality I had on my iPhone 3Gs. On my iPhone, if a google map showed in the browser search result, I could click on it and the google map application would open showing that map. That linking doesn't work at all (touching the map in the search result or the "maps.google.com" link does nothing). Instead I have to click more, click maps, click visit now, and then re-enter my search term in the google maps page to get into a usable map showing my initial search result. There's no integration at all between the browser search results and the map app.

I have a galaxy s3 with Android 4.0.4.

Thanks, Scott

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mluna wrote:

when I tap the Visit Now link, it works fine for me on android 2.3 and 4.0.

Yes, I see that now. My Android version is 2.3.4.

The displays between Firefox Mobile and the stock Android browser are almost identical (the toolbar icons look a bit different). There do seem to be some functional issues with the toolbar and zoom controls for the map. They seem to ignore me quite often...


ScottScott wrote:

If the google maps links work on the native browser but not on the firefox app then it's a firefox issue. There's no "up to something".

I don't know why Google makes you tap an extra link to navigate to maps on Firefox mobile.

When I look at search results for safeway menlo park, there are differences in the two results pages.

  • In the stock browser the places results include a main link, and then phone call, directions, and website buttons. On Firefox Mobile, there is the main link and then only a phone call button.
  • The main links lead to slightly different places pages. In the stock browser, I again get the 3 buttons, then reviews, then a map, then photos. This is an overlay on the results page, not a separate page. Tapping the map leads to a maps page. In Firefox Mobile, there's no overlay; I immediately get a new (places) page with a much larger map above the reviews and photos.

It appears to me that Google is serving different content to the two browsers, or has designed its scripts to work one way on one and another way on the other. You can devise your own tests and draw your own conclusions.

When I click a link to a maps.google.com URL on a website, I get essentially the same page in each browser, although as noted above, some of the controls do not seem responsive to my touch in Firefox Mobile.