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Writer's pictureBrent D. Payne

The viewport <meta> tag has a minimum-scale set

When analyzing a particular URL, it's observed that the URL incorporates a viewport <meta> tag configured with a minimum-scale.


Why is this important?

The viewport refers to the visible area that web content occupies on the screen, which is subject to variation across devices. A viewport <meta> tag provides instructions on managing page dimensions and scaling techniques for the browser.


Minimum-scale represents an optional parameter within the viewport, specifying the lower limit of user scaling. Imposing a limit on this attribute could hinder adequate scaling, restricting zoom functionality on portable devices and potentially causing accessibility obstacles.


What does the Optimization check?

The Optimization activates for any internal URL incorporating a viewport <meta> tag that enforces a minimum-scale constraint.


Examples that trigger this Optimization:

This Optimization is activated by a URL that contains a viewport <meta> tag in its <head> area with the minimum-scale attribute defined:

<!doctype html><html lang="en"><head> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, minimum-scale=1.0"> </head><body></body></html>


How do you resolve this issue?

While minimum-scale is meant to avert over-zooming out, improper configuration might entirely limit user zooming, thus it's often discouraged. Consequently, since iOS 10, Apple has begun to disregard user-scalable, minimum-scale, and maximum-scale declarations.


Suggested 'safe' viewport configuration for universal compatibility is:

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">


Further Reading

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