HTML links in iOS Ebay App description not working - "Please enable Javascript"

[stephenstephens]

I put HTML links in some item descriptions to help buyers find similar items in my store. The links work just fine on the computer browsers, but for some reason on the iPhone app the links give a popup error over the page, "Please enable Javascript."

It seems the app opens an additional captive browser to display the listing description, and then the link has to be loaded there, which is where the issue arises.

Here's an example of one of my listings if you can test it out: https://www.ebay.com/itm/284444541896

Is there anything I can do with the HTML code to solve this issue? @shipscript 

[shipscript]

@stephenstephens 

Your first link has target="_blank" but the second does not have that attribute. Do they perform differently?

On the desktop, eBay runs a script in the description iframe to force links to jump out of eBay's sandboxed listing frame (after first testing whether to scrub the link entirely).  Sorry, I don't have a mobile App to test.

In the Mobile App, links have been a long-standing issue with videos. Buyers had to be instructed to copy the YouTube URL and paste into a browser window, as the link would not open in the App.  I assumed the failure was because YouTube runs a script to determine which video version to load, and that script could not run in the protection mode of the App's captive page.  Around that same time (4-5 years ago), I seem to recall that all links began to fail, although, at the time, I had thought it would be temporary. It's not clear why you get a Javascript error for your links, unless that is a generic response to eBay's sandboxing of links in the App.

[stephenstephens]

@shipscript 

@mobile_feedback  - Tagging if you can pass this issue along to developers.

Thanks for the response. So the target="_blank" attribute didn't make a difference, both links perform the same. I did some additional testing & discovered that the issue arises ONLY when linking a specific search on the user's other items. For example, if I link my other items with a search for "wax," the page WILL load and is actually scrollable, but nothing is clickable as there is this Javascript prompt on top. I attached a picture. And to be certain, Javascript is actually enabled on my phone. 

Upon testing, links to DIRECT item/listing pages work just fine in the iOS app. They lead directly to that listing. This must have to do with the fact that on the iOS app, the item description has to be opened in a separate captive browser, and for some reason that browser has issues with Javascript, which is what the user's search page runs on.

 

[shipscript]

Based on the X-Description above the search, it looks like your link is opening within the App's captive description window.  If that is the case, then eBay probably sandboxed that window by turning off scripting. The search page, of course, requires scripts to function, so would throw an error.

If there were some way to "right-click launch in new browser window" as we have available on desktop, that could be one way to break out of the app to show other pages. But as we have seen with YouTube videos, the user must copy the link from the App, open a browser, and paste the link.

[stephenstephens]

Actually, there is a way to press and hold the link and open it in the native phone browser, OR copy the link and open it yourself. I guess for now instructions will have to be put for customers to do that if they have issues. I hope they resolve this in the future.