Why your tracking works on desktop but not mobile
When desktop conversions look healthy and mobile looks almost dead, the tracking is not half-broken, it is being blocked or mistimed specifically on mobile. A handful of mobile-only factors cause nearly all of it.
The usual mobile-only culprits
- In-app browsers: taps from Instagram, Facebook or TikTok open an in-app browser that restricts cookies and scripts.
- Consent timing on mobile: a banner that covers the screen and loads slowly means more mobile users leave before tags fire, or the banner breaks tracking on mobile specifically.
- Safari and iOS limits: ITP and App Tracking Transparency hit the mobile-heavy Apple audience hardest.
- Script weight: heavy tags time out on slower mobile connections before they report.
How to diagnose it
Use GA4's device breakdown to confirm the gap is real and not seasonal. Then test on a real phone with DebugView, and specifically test opening your site from inside Instagram or Facebook to reproduce the in-app browser case.
How to close the gap
Lighten and speed up the consent script, make sure tags fire reliably on mobile viewports, and add server-side tracking so blocked mobile browsers still report conversions from your server. Mobile is usually most of your traffic, so a mobile tracking gap is rarely small.
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