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matthewhudson/current-device

📱 The easiest way to write conditional CSS and/or JavaScript based on device operating system (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Firefox OS, MeeGo), orientation (Portrait vs. Landscape), and type (Tablet vs. Mobile).

matthewhudson/current-device.json
{
"createdAt": "2012-09-19T18:50:42Z",
"defaultBranch": "master",
"description": "📱 The easiest way to write conditional CSS and/or JavaScript based on device operating system (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Firefox OS, MeeGo), orientation (Portrait vs. Landscape), and type (Tablet vs. Mobile).",
"fullName": "matthewhudson/current-device",
"homepage": "https://matthewhudson.github.io/current-device/",
"language": "JavaScript",
"name": "current-device",
"pushedAt": "2025-11-19T00:39:11Z",
"stargazersCount": 3938,
"topics": [
"device-detection",
"javascript",
"mobile"
],
"updatedAt": "2025-10-26T17:40:46Z",
"url": "https://github.com/matthewhudson/current-device"
}

[All Contributors]!(#contributors) Build Status Bundle size Coverage Status NPM version NPM downloads

This module makes it easy to write conditional CSS and/or JavaScript based on device operating system (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, macOS, Firefox OS, MeeGo, AppleTV, etc), orientation (Portrait vs. Landscape), and type (Tablet vs. Mobile).

View the Demo →

This module inserts CSS classes into the <html> element.

  • iOS: iPhone, iPod, iPad
  • macOS
  • Android: Phones & Tablets
  • Blackberry: Phones & Tablets
  • Windows: Phones, Tablets, Desktops
  • Firefox OS: Phones & Tablets

Just include the script. The script then updates the <html> section with the appropriate classes based on the device’s characteristics.

Terminal window
npm install current-device

And then import it:

common.js
// using es modules
import device from "current-device";
const device = require("current-device").default;

Or use script tags and globals.

<script src="https://unpkg.com/current-device/umd/current-device.min.js"></script>

And then access it off the global like so:

console.log("device.mobile() === %s", device.mobile());

The following tables map which CSS classes are added based on device and orientation.

Device CSS Classes
iPad ios ipad tablet
iPhone ios iphone mobile
iPod ios ipod mobile
Mac macos desktop
Android Phone android mobile
Android Tablet android tablet
BlackBerry Phone blackberry mobile
BlackBerry Tablet blackberry tablet
Windows Phone windows mobile
Windows Tablet windows tablet
Windows Desktop windows desktop
Firefox OS Phone fxos mobile
Firefox OS Tablet fxos tablet
MeeGo meego
Desktop desktop
Television television
Orientation CSS Classes
Landscape landscape
Portrait portrait

This module also includes support for conditional JavaScript, allowing you to write checks on the following device characteristics:

Device JavaScript Method
Mobile device.mobile()
Tablet device.tablet()
Desktop device.desktop()
iOS device.ios()
iPad device.ipad()
iPhone device.iphone()
iPod device.ipod()
Mac device.macos()
Android device.android()
Android Phone device.androidPhone()
Android Tablet device.androidTablet()
BlackBerry device.blackberry()
BlackBerry Phone device.blackberryPhone()
BlackBerry Tablet device.blackberryTablet()
Windows device.windows()
Windows Phone device.windowsPhone()
Windows Tablet device.windowsTablet()
Firefox OS device.fxos()
Firefox OS Phone device.fxosPhone()
Firefox OS Tablet device.fxosTablet()
MeeGo device.meego()
Television device.television()
Orientation JavaScript Method
Landscape device.landscape()
Portrait device.portrait()
device.onChangeOrientation(newOrientation => {
console.log(`New orientation is ${newOrientation}`);
});

Run current-device in noConflict mode, returning the device variable to its previous owner. Returns a reference to the device object.

const currentDevice = device.noConflict();

Access these properties on the device object to get the first match on that attribute without looping through all of its getter methods.

JS Property Returns
device.type 'mobile', 'tablet', 'desktop', or 'unknown'
device.orientation 'landscape', 'portrait', or 'unknown'
device.os 'ios', 'iphone', 'ipad', 'ipod', 'android', 'blackberry', 'windows', 'macos', 'fxos', 'meego', 'television', or 'unknown'

Environment detection has a high rate of misuse. Often times, folks will attempt to work around browser feature support problems by checking for the affected browser and doing something different in response. The preferred solution for those kinds of problems, of course, is to check for the feature, not the browser (ala Modernizr).

However, that common misuse of device detection doesn’t mean it should never be done. For example, current-device could be employed to change the interface of your web app such that it uses interaction patterns and UI elements common to the device it’s being presented on. Android devices might get a slightly different treatment than Windows or iOS, for instance. Another valid use-case is guiding users to different app stores depending on the device they’re using.

In short, check for features when you need features, and check for the browser when you need the browser.

Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):


Matthew Hudson

💻 🚧

Rafael Terán

💻

Allan

👀

martinwepner

💻

This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!