Device type detection and exclusion
Tracking device type and excluding participants using certain devices from the survey.
A step-by-step interactive tutorial on device type detection and exclusion in SurveyEngine. Preview the live tutorial, then download and upload it to your account to examine the construction.
Ben White, 08.07.2026
What this tutorial covers
Tracking device type and excluding participants using certain devices from the survey.
Each page of the tutorial demonstrates a specific technique. Work through it as a respondent first, then open the editor to see how it was built.
What you will learn
After completing this tutorial you will be able to implement device type detection and exclusion in your own SurveyEngine surveys.
Download the tutorial ZIP and upload it to your account to use it as a starting point or template for your own work.
TLDR Quick links
Step-by-step walkthrough
Step 1: Detect device type. Use navigator.userAgent parsing or the screen.width property to determine whether the respondent is on desktop, tablet, or mobile.
Step 2: Store device type. Save the detected device type to a hidden survey variable.
Step 3: Redirect mobile respondents. If the survey requires desktop, redirect mobile respondents to a screen out page.
Step 4: Display device-specific content. Use the device variable in display conditions to show mobile-optimised content on small screens.
Step 5: Export device data. Include device type in data quality checks and report it in the methods section of your study.
Try the live tutorial
The live tutorial is a working SurveyEngine survey. Click through it as a respondent to see the finished result.
Then download the tutorial ZIP file and upload it to your SurveyEngine account to examine how it was built.
Preview the live tutorial or download the ZIP file to load it into your account.
References
Ready to try it? Open a free SurveyEngine account, download the tutorial ZIP and upload it to your account.
Or Contact us at support@surveyengine.com — we're glad to help.