jQuery .on() and .delegate() doesn't work on iPad

Asked 15/4, 2012 at 19:9 Answered 6/10, 2016 at 8:54

Solved javascript jquery ipad delegation

If you try this snippet on desktop, everything works.
Whenever you try it on iPad, it won't do anything.

$('body').on('click', '#click', function() {
    alert("This alert won't work on iPad");
});

div { 
  font-size: 24px; 
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div id="click">Click here</div>

Simple .click() handler works, but it isn't what I want. The same applies for .delegate(); and .live()

Is it a bug or something?

Olfe answered 15/4, 2012 at 19:9 Comment(4)

Are you using jquery mobile? on was added to jquery 1.7.2 in November 2011 and hasn't made it to jquery mobile yet. – Pennsylvanian 15/4, 2012 at 19:22

@joeframbach, you mean it was added to jQuery 1.7 – Gourde 15/4, 2012 at 19:27

@joeframbach, I also don't understand your point. jQuery Mobile is not standalone... it requires jQuery; so if you're using jQuery 1.7, you have on(). – Gourde 15/4, 2012 at 19:42

Martin, is it possible that using the word click as the name of your id is the root problem? (I have no way to test it) Maybe it's not a reserved word, but personally, I'd stay away from naming things in this fashion. – Gourde 15/4, 2012 at 19:50

It's a Safari mobile bug/feature : click events won't bubble all the way up to body.

Adding onclick="" is a known workaround, but IMHO it's easier to attach your listener on a first child of <body>.

See: http://www.quirksmode.org/blog/archives/2010/09/click_event_del.html

Quinte answered 15/4, 2012 at 19:55 Comment(6)

ah, this is also a good answer! Yes, this may be a global workaround! – Olfe 15/4, 2012 at 20:0

Moreover, the less the event has to bubble up, the better. Attaching .on() to body is often (not always) counter-productive. Here, your element is an unique #id, so direct-bound would be enough, providing it's not injected with Ajax. – Quinte 15/4, 2012 at 20:5

@mdi I'm not getting what do you mean. If you're getting #id from ajax request, you need to use delegation or .on() – Olfe 15/4, 2012 at 21:38

That's exactly what I meant... direct bound on #id, unless Ajax. – Quinte 15/4, 2012 at 22:21

Good research, your test examples prove the behaviour. But the simplest workaround is to add cursor:poiner - it will make the clicks bubble up. Look up Simon Arnold's answer here. – Bunche 24/9, 2015 at 14:54

If anyone is having this problem even on non-body elements, problem could be other hover events attached to your elements, like bootstrap tooltips. I noticed I had to touch twice for my event delegate to fire, but when I disabled tooltips the event fired on first touch, as expected. – Acierate 18/1, 2016 at 16:36

Change the cursor style of the body on iOS to "pointer" and everything will work perfectly. You won't have to add onclick="" on every element you want clickable...

<script type="text/javascript">
    $(function() {
        // The trick
        if (/ip(hone|od)|ipad/i.test(navigator.userAgent)) {
           $("body").css ("cursor", "pointer");
        }
        // The test
        $("body").on("click", "#click", function() {
            alert("This also works on iOS !");
        });
    });
</script>
<div id="click">Click here</div>

I know what you're thinking right now: "WTF!".

Rondeau answered 29/8, 2012 at 13:33 Comment(3)

best explanation I've found for this bizarre behaviour is here (swsharinginfo.blogspot.in/2013/03/…). In summary, the first touch on an IPad/pod/phone is treated as hover. In order to tell the browser that the element is clickable you need to add cursor:pointer to the element. Note 1. add add cursor:pointer to the underlying element $('#myElement') not just $('myElement:hover'). Note 2. You can simply add cursor:pointer to your css. It worked for me! – Ayo 16/10, 2013 at 21:30

That is indeed what I am thinking. – Tannen 9/5, 2014 at 18:44

Best explanation I've found for this behaviour: Apple can't code for s**t. This brokenness still persists on Safari on iOS 9. – Manly 28/4, 2016 at 12:51

I'm not sure why doesn't it work, it's probably a bug, but there's a nice workaround. Simply put onclick="" to the div you're delegating and it will work perfectly

<div id="click" onclick="">Click here</div>
<script>
$("body").on("click", "#click", function() {
    alert("This works on iPad");
});
</script>

fiddle

Olfe answered 15/4, 2012 at 19:9 Comment(1)

It's entirely OK to ask a question and answer it immediately. Even I've done it before. If you have any objections, feel free to raise it on meta; don't hijack an answer's comment thread. Thanks. – Lora 15/4, 2012 at 19:58

On iOS there is no event bubbling without a cursor style.
So in your CSS you need to add cursor: pointer; to the element.

$('body').on('click', '#click', function() {
    alert("This alert won't work on iPad");
});

#click { 
  font-size: 24px; 
  cursor: pointer;
}

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div id="click">Click here</div>

I know it been asked a long time ago, but I thought a simple CSS solution might help.

Cohesion answered 13/11, 2014 at 20:57 Comment(1)

Simon, you rock! This is both simple explanation for this behaviour and quick workaround. You saved my day. – Bunche 24/9, 2015 at 14:51

i found a solution on http://www.danwellman.co.uk/fixing-jquery-click-events-for-the-ipad/

do the following approach:

var isIPad = function() {
    return (/ipad/i).test(navigator.userAgent);
};
var isIPhone = function() {
    return (/iphone/i).test(navigator.userAgent);
};
var isIPod = function() {
    return (/ipod/i).test(navigator.userAgent);
};

and where you bind the click-event-handler do so:

var eventName = (isIPod() || isIPad() || isIPhone()) ? "touchstart" : "click";
// if you are using jquery-mobile
eventName = (isIPod() || isIPad() || isIPhone()) ? "touchstart" : "vclick";

$(".selector").bind(eventName, function(e) {
    //do something here
});
// or
$(document).on(eventName, ".selector", function(e) {
    //do something here
});

that's it.

Loki answered 5/10, 2012 at 14:38 Comment(2)

This makes sense with no hack! – Killion 20/8, 2014 at 14:25

Can't you declare two events in the same on()? So why not just do $(document).on("click touchstart,".class",function) – Sedimentary 15/1, 2015 at 22:14

I was facing this issue on iPhone 5C and below.
This worked for me:

body {
  cursor:pointer;
}

Qualify answered 16/2, 2016 at 12:45 Comment(0)

I had an issue with a message that I prepend to the html body. I found this issue on [jQuery 'click' event doesn't work on iOS Safari?

I used this

$('body').on('click touchstart', 'someselect', function(){})

And it worked on iPhone 4S and iPhone 5S

Phlegmy answered 6/10, 2016 at 8:54 Comment(0)

Hot tags

Godot Unity Godot Help Programming Godot 4.X GUI GDScript 3D 2D Physics CSharp Godot 3.X VR XR Projects C++

Recommended topics

Hot tags