Snider afc03418eb docs: add changelog entries for Jan 2026

- Core package extraction plan (Flux Pro/Free, FontAwesome fallbacks)
- Event-driven module loading task doc (complete)
- In-app browser detection documentation

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-01-27 16:27:42 +00:00

4.5 KiB

Raw Permalink Blame History

In-App Browser Detection

Detects when users visit from social media in-app browsers (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) rather than standard browsers.

Why this exists

Creators sharing links on social platforms need to know when traffic comes from in-app browsers because:

Content policies differ - Some platforms deplatform users who link to adult content without warnings
User experience varies - In-app browsers have limitations (no extensions, different cookie handling)
Traffic routing - Creators may want to redirect certain platform traffic or show platform-specific messaging

Location

app/Services/Shared/DeviceDetectionService.php

Basic usage

use App\Services\Shared\DeviceDetectionService;

$dd = app(DeviceDetectionService::class);
$ua = request()->userAgent();

// Check for specific platforms
$dd->isInstagram($ua)     // true if Instagram in-app browser
$dd->isFacebook($ua)      // true if Facebook in-app browser
$dd->isTikTok($ua)        // true if TikTok in-app browser
$dd->isTwitter($ua)       // true if Twitter/X in-app browser
$dd->isSnapchat($ua)      // true if Snapchat in-app browser
$dd->isLinkedIn($ua)      // true if LinkedIn in-app browser
$dd->isThreads($ua)       // true if Threads in-app browser
$dd->isPinterest($ua)     // true if Pinterest in-app browser
$dd->isReddit($ua)        // true if Reddit in-app browser

// General checks
$dd->isInAppBrowser($ua)  // true if ANY in-app browser
$dd->isMetaPlatform($ua)  // true if Instagram, Facebook, or Threads

Grouped platform checks

Strict content platforms

Platforms known to enforce content policies that may result in account action:

$dd->isStrictContentPlatform($ua)
// Returns true for: Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn

Meta platforms

All Meta-owned apps (useful for consistent policy application):

$dd->isMetaPlatform($ua)
// Returns true for: Instagram, Facebook, Threads

Example: BioHost 18+ warning

Show a content warning when adult content is accessed from strict platforms:

// In PublicBioPageController or Livewire component
$deviceDetection = app(DeviceDetectionService::class);

$showAdultWarning = $biolink->is_adult_content
    && $deviceDetection->isStrictContentPlatform(request()->userAgent());

// Or target a specific platform
$showInstagramWarning = $biolink->is_adult_content
    && $deviceDetection->isInstagram(request()->userAgent());

Full device info

The parse() method returns all detection data at once:

$dd->parse($ua);

// Returns:
[
    'device_type' => 'mobile',
    'os_name' => 'iOS',
    'browser_name' => null,       // In-app browsers often lack browser identification
    'in_app_browser' => 'instagram',
    'is_in_app' => true,
]

Display names

Get human-readable platform names for UI display:

$dd->getPlatformDisplayName($ua);

// Returns: "Instagram", "TikTok", "X (Twitter)", "LinkedIn", etc.
// Returns null if not an in-app browser

Supported platforms

Platform	Method	In strict list
Instagram	`isInstagram()`	Yes
Facebook	`isFacebook()`	Yes
Threads	`isThreads()`	Yes
TikTok	`isTikTok()`	Yes
Twitter/X	`isTwitter()`	Yes
Snapchat	`isSnapchat()`	Yes
LinkedIn	`isLinkedIn()`	Yes
Pinterest	`isPinterest()`	No
Reddit	`isReddit()`	No
WeChat	via `detectInAppBrowser()`	No
LINE	via `detectInAppBrowser()`	No
Telegram	via `detectInAppBrowser()`	No
Discord	via `detectInAppBrowser()`	No
WhatsApp	via `detectInAppBrowser()`	No
Generic WebView	`isInAppBrowser()`	No

How detection works

Each platform adds identifiable strings to their in-app browser User-Agent:

Instagram: "Instagram" in UA
Facebook:  "FBAN", "FBAV", "FB_IAB", "FBIOS", or "FBSS"
TikTok:    "BytedanceWebview", "musical_ly", or "TikTok"
Twitter:   "Twitter" in UA
LinkedIn:  "LinkedInApp"
Snapchat:  "Snapchat"
Threads:   "Barcelona" (Meta's internal codename)

Generic WebView detection catches unknown in-app browsers via patterns like wv (Android WebView marker).

This service is part of the shared services extracted for use across the platform:

DeviceDetectionService - Device type, OS, browser, bot detection, in-app browser detection
GeoIpService - IP geolocation from CDN headers or MaxMind
PrivacyHelper - IP anonymisation and hashing
UtmHelper - UTM parameter extraction

See also: doc/dev-feat-docs/traffic-detections/ for other detection features.

4.5 KiB Raw Permalink Blame History