Detecting Device Type in a web application

Question

We have a Java based application where in we want to detect the device type(mobile or desktop) for the device that is sending the request.

How is it possible?

Answer 1

You'll have to read the User-Agent header from the request and decide on that.

In vanilla servlet apps, a crude way of doing it is:

public void doGet(HttpServletRequest request,
                HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
  if(request.getHeader("User-Agent").contains("Mobi")) {
    //you're in mobile land
  } else {
    //nope, this is probably a desktop
  }
}

Answer 2

You can try this lib I think, yauaa can detect a user agent string is which device/software

https://github.com/nielsbasjes/yauaa

Answer 3

You can check the User-Agent HTTP header on the HttpServletRequest object.

Ref: http://www.w3.org/Protocols/HTTP/HTRQ_Headers.html#user-agent

Answer 4

You could get a 3rd party software solution. There are plenty of Open Source ones out there. I've used 51Degrees.mobi's Java solution before now (and have also worked on their open source C solution). Follow that link and hit the download button. It's relatively easy to get up and running.

Answer 5

You can try to use Spring Mobile. There are convenient classes to solve that.

Device currentDevice = DeviceUtils.getCurrentDevice(servletRequest);
if(currentDevice.isMobile()) { /* Mobile */ }
if(currentDevice.isTablet()) { /* Tablet */ }
if(currentDevice.isNormal()) { /* Desktop */ }

Answer 6

There's also http://openddr.mobi/, Open Source Device Detection for

• Java
• C#
• VB.net

based on the W3C Device Description Repository.

OpenDDR is comparable to device repositories by 51Degrees, DeviceAtlas or ScientiaMobile/WURFL, but unlike those proprietary, closed source product, it's poen source and free to use.