How to detect Facebook in-app browser?

Question

Have you had any experience in Facebook in-app browser detection? What's the core difference in user agent?

I don't want to know if it is a only mobile/ios/chrome. I need to know whether user agent is specific from Facebook in-app browser

score 79 · Accepted Answer · edited May 28 '21 at 19:10

79

You can check for FBAN / FBAV in the user agent.

Check this link: Facebook user agent

edited May 28 '21 at 19:10

Machavity

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answered Sep 02 '15 at 08:53

Jan Swart

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What does ua.indexOf("FBAN") > -1 and ua.indexOf("FBAV") > -1 mean? Force out user to use web browser instead of in-apps browser? – Robbi Nespu Dec 08 '16 at 20:18
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@RobbNesp `var us = navigator.userAgent` gives you a string value. `.indexOf()` checks for the position of a sub-string in a string. If it is not found a value of -1 is returned. It is simply checking if it is the Facebook browser, by checking if the browser's user agent contains either of the given sub strings. – Jan Swart Dec 11 '16 at 07:27
8

Thanks! Sharing snippet for Instagram also: `(ua.indexOf('Instagram') > -1)` – jeff_drumgod Oct 02 '18 at 23:43
I added the snippet to the answer, thanks @jeff_drumgod – svelandiag Mar 02 '20 at 17:29
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Can you explain the `|| window.opera` bit? I don't think it would cast to the user agent string. – DrLightman Oct 15 '20 at 07:27
Thanks a zillion. – Jagruti May 20 '21 at 15:12

Sascha · Answer 2 · 2016-01-17T00:26:49.437

30

To complete worker11811's answer on using the user agent, here's a code snippet to make it work:

function isFacebookApp() {
    var ua = navigator.userAgent || navigator.vendor || window.opera;
    return (ua.indexOf("FBAN") > -1) || (ua.indexOf("FBAV") > -1);
}

edited Jan 17 '16 at 00:26

answered Nov 30 '15 at 11:00

Sascha

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score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Jul 22 '20 at 11:27

1

You can use https://www.npmjs.com/package/detect-inapp and check if inapp.isInApp() is true

answered Jul 22 '20 at 11:27

DonnaTelloo

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score -16 · Answer 4 · answered Aug 14 '15 at 16:49

this javascript works well

var standalone = window.navigator.standalone,
    userAgent = window.navigator.userAgent.toLowerCase(),
    safari = /safari/.test( userAgent ),
    ios = /iphone|ipod|ipad/.test( userAgent );

if( ios ) {
    if ( !standalone && safari ) {
        //browser
    } else if ( standalone && !safari ) {
        //standalone
    } else if ( !standalone && !safari ) {
        //uiwebview (Facebook in-app browser)

    };
} else {
    //not iOS
};

OP asks: "need to know whether user agent is specific from Facebook in-app browser". — Jan Swart, Sep 02 '15 at 08:26

How to detect Facebook in-app browser?

4 Answers4

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