Do you use mobile when browsing forums? What about your users?

During lockdown in 2020 I was working a lot (had a job at the time that was deemed "critical", so continued working a lot) and so a lot of my forum browsing was done via mobile. At this time though, I wasn't very active on forums myself, in fact I was a real lurker and there was only one forum at the time that I was making any sort of contributions to.

 

Since rekindling my love of forums and rejoining a few communities a few months ago, I've browsed exclusively on my laptop. I haven't even actually visited Administrata on my mobile yet, so I'll make a point of doing that at some point soon to see how mobile-friendly it is. If you'd have said to me 12 years ago or so during the height of my forums that in 10 years close to 50% of forum traffic would be via mobile devices, I'd have laughed at you tbh. I always saw that mobile-friendly websites were the future, but if I'm honest, expected forums mainly to remain desktop sites. That clearly has been proven very wrong over the previous five years or so. :)

I browse forums most of the time on my mobile phone. According to my traffic stats from Cloudflare, about 40% of my forum users also browse on their mobile phones, while the other 60% use their desktops.

I’m habitually an iPad user. I find phones an inconveniently sized device to do much of anything on. But I’m very aware of the folks that are mobile users - even to the point of those who write 500+ word posts on mobile.

I think it’s safe to say that 50% of online users browse through their phone.

I am sure everyone does at some point.

I use both mobile and desktop. I mainly use my mobile for browsing and my desktop for posting and doing projects.

 

When I did use Cloudflare Web Analytics I supposedly had more PC viewers than mobile viewers.

I use both mobile and desktop. I mainly use my mobile for browsing and my desktop for posting and doing projects.

 

When I did use Cloudflare Web Analytics I supposedly had more PC viewers than mobile viewers.

Yeah my google analytics tells me the same thing with my users which makes me wonder if more people are using laptops and desktops over mobile these days

which makes me wonder if more people are using laptops and desktops over mobile these days

Possibly for forums due to greater accessibility. A lot of people use apps on their smartphones for a variety of other services.

Possibly for forums due to greater accessibility. A lot of people use apps on their smartphones for a variety of other services.

That is true i use my desktop for all of my forum work. i think i use my forum once to post on a mobile device lol.

When I am really in the mood to do some posting I have to be on a computer with a keyboard. I have good typing skills and can churn out posts WAY faster with a keyboard than tapping on a phone screen. I'll get on a forum with my phone but I am probably just going to keep my posts short, hi/bye type of posts.

I do when I'm on the go - and I browse and make quick posts there, but any long-form posts wait until I'm on my PC.

 

I don't know the exact number - but a fairly significant percentage of my forum's members use mobile at least some of the time.

but a fairly significant percentage of my forum's members use mobile at least some of the time.

Did you make your themes mobile-friendly? I've heard by default MyBB has terrible mobile-friendly support.