Pinterest forced mobile view- whats happening?

Question

Had this issue in 2021, came back to edge its still here- posted on the community with no solutions

(topic 1) https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftedge/forum/all/pinterest-forced-mobile-view-on-edge/44b8df57-7ec1-4332-8919-85dd74745869

(topic 2)https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftedge/forum/msedge_issue-msedge_win10/pinterest-forced-mobile-view-still/6e253276-927d-41bb-8025-39fc06cf33e3?tm=1679601146554 - where someone direct-me here

The issue: soon after login, after any reload of front page or second visit, pinterests site becomes a specific kind of mobile view (and pretty much unusable to me). I think i recall that not happening on edge when i first tried it, so i suspect an update that brought 'integration' with pinterest is when the problem was created- btw, this particular 'mobile view' (entirely on users end, url doesnt change to mobile pinterest) is exactly like the installable 'web app' (installing pinterest site as app via edge, or installing pinterest in the microsoft store).

I have used 5 other chromium based browsers recently, that doesnt happen in any of them.

With some trial and error i figured out a cookie is saved on first load with the login thats causing it. On edge, inspecting cookies, deleting one by one i isolated it- its under 'br.pinterest.com' (pinterest opens with the br before in my region), under service worker, called br.pinterest.com. Deleting it fixes everything- the view is back to proper desktop view, nothing else is affected, no log-out, all of the sites functions work as expected (...1 time only, as any reload/new link will make it all happen again).

I suspect the cookie is doing just one thing, wich is forcing the app/mobile view- why its there in the first place is beyond me. Feels like some dev overlooked things, wanting to have a consistent look in the app and normal browsing, without even testing, since the mobile view is abysmal for desktop usage.

First time around i was hoping it would be fixed soon, but sending feedback, 2 community posts and 2 years laters thats clearly not happening anytime soon it seems... so how could i work around it? I just finished migrating to edge, i always have a browser running with important sites (work etc), i dont want to have a 2nd browser open (and eating on my limited ram) just to use 1 site.

Via edge settings i couldnt find anything to prevent that one cookie- either i prevent all of then or none. With none i cant login so thats out of the table.
Tried some chrome extensions that can manage cookies, 2 i think that could block cookies- but neither can see that particular cookie or block it. I did some searching around and found that aparently extensions cant access service workers (or its cookies), or at least none not set by then (maybe for security reasons? idk) - but if thats trully the case then extensions would be a no go

I also figured out some javascript on the page is what creating the cookie, and blocking javascript via a extension did prevent the cookie from being created... but it also prevented the site from working. I tried the extension 'noscript', blocking different types, but none of the extension options could prevent just that without preventing the entire site from working.

What can i do, right now? Is there some flag or hidden setting im missing? Some alternative user agent that would trick whatever microsoft did into not injecting said cookie on my machine? I may know a thing or two more then the average user but im no coder, not really tech savvy, so im just brainstorming here.

I just want to use a popular site thats been around for over a decade now, as it was intended and how it works everywhere else...

PS: ive also reached to pinterest directly, they told me to use another browser essentially, as in not on their end.

Answer 1

Hi @Victor Alves ,

Could you please share the information below?

1. Which OS and which version of the MS Edge browser you are using?
2. Try to visit the Pinterest site using the New InPrivate window. See if it makes any difference.
3. Could you share the screenshot of the page how it looks at your end?

It looks like br in br.pinterest.com represents country.

When I login to Pinterest on MS Edge Version 111.0.1661.44. it redirect to in.pinterest.com. I tested it for some time by refreshing the page many times but the site works fine on my side.

Below is the result, I am seeing in the Edge browser.

Below is the screenshot of Cookies from Dev tools.

Best Regards,

Deepak

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Answer 2

Im windows 10 (updated), microsoft edge 111.0.1661.51

Just tried the private window and the bug didnt happen- it rendered as expected, even after reloading.

Here is how the page insists in rendering, on non private windows (its happening on 2 different profiles the same way):

the correct way is like your screenshot- user avatar and site options small on the top. Besides that change all functions from hovering over pictures dont work in this 'mobile view'

Heres a screenshot of the devtools:

Answer 3

Update: since the site worked on a private window i started troubleshooting (disabling/enabling) extensions 1 by 1.

I kinda found a culprit, but theres some inconsistencies.

There were 2 extensions that upon being disabled made the site work (including reloads)- but afterwhile the issue came back. Later enabling/disabling then made no change.

Somewhere along enabling/disabling extensions it appears i reached a stable condition- one where a single extension disabled have fixed the site - sadly its one i somewhat often use with pinterst - Eagle, for the eagle app (eagle.cool)

I will try leaving it disabled (on click access) for a few days, but my gut feeling says it will work.

That was unexpected for me given Edge is now chromium based- just tested 3 other chromium browsers (still installed, i was testing browsers to migrate to), and all consistently work as intended even with the extension, and that has been my experience so far (consistent behaviour from extensions across chromium browsers).

Whatever it is isnt solely related to this one extension tough. Besides the strange inconsistent behaviour when i started disabling/enabling extensions i had this bug 2 years ago when i first tried edge- and at the time i had barely any extensions on and Eagle wasnt amongst then (i just migrated to Edge, that i never unninstalled, and still had the previous setup- i installed Eagle just a few days ago)

PS: and just as i was typing this the issue came back, tested enabling/disabling some extensions again and now its working with eagle but not with another one... Im clueless. I guess i may eventually figure out what extensions or combinations trigger it- but it may be hard since theres a cookie involved, perhaps caching... (only things i can imagine could make any 'fix' be temporary)