Detect iPad users using jQuery?

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iPad Detection

You should be able to detect an iPad user by taking a look at the userAgent property:

var is_iPad = navigator.userAgent.match(/iPad/i) != null;

iPhone/iPod Detection

Similarly, the platform property to check for devices like iPhones or iPods:

function is_iPhone_or_iPod(){
     return navigator.platform.match(/i(Phone|Pod))/i)
}

Notes

While it works, you should generally avoid performing browser-specific detection as it can often be unreliable (and can be spoofed). It’s preferred to use actual feature-detection in most cases, which can be done through a library like Modernizr.

As pointed out in Brennen’s answer, issues can arise when performing this detection within the Facebook app. Please see his answer for handling this scenario.

Related Resources

  • jQuery HowTo: Detect iPad users using JavaScript
  • jQuery HowTo: Detecting & Redirecting iPad / iPhone Users
  • David Walsh’s Blog : Detecting iPad use
  • Detecting iPad use via PHP

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