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Troubleshooting Popup Maker Mobile Issues: Why Popups Don't Work on Phones

13 threads Sep 9, 2025

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If your Popup Maker popups work perfectly on desktop but fail on mobile devices, you're not alone. This is one of the most common issues reported by users of the popular WordPress popup plugin. Based on community support threads, we've compiled the most effective solutions to get your mobile popups working again.

Why Do Popup Maker Mobile Issues Occur?

Mobile compatibility problems typically stem from several key areas: caching plugins, theme conflicts, incorrect trigger settings, or specific mobile menu behaviors. Unlike desktop browsers, mobile devices have different touch event handling and viewport considerations that can interfere with popup functionality.

Common Solutions for Mobile Popup Problems

1. Clear All Caches

This is the most frequent fix for mobile-specific issues. Caching plugins like Autoptimize or WPRocket may serve outdated JavaScript files to mobile devices.

  • Clear your caching plugin's cache
  • Resave your popup settings in Popup Maker
  • Clear your mobile browser's cache and history, or test using a private/incognito window

2. Check Your Trigger Settings on Mobile Menus

Popup triggers that work in desktop menus often fail in mobile menus due to different HTML structure.

  • Ensure the popup CSS class (e.g., popmake-123) is present on the mobile menu item
  • Remove actual links from menu items and replace with a hashtag (#)
  • Verify that both desktop and mobile menu items have the same trigger classes

3. Address JavaScript Conflicts

Some optimization plugins delay JavaScript execution, which can break popup functionality on mobile.

  • Check if JavaScript delay features are enabled in plugins like WPRocket
  • Temporarily disable optimization features to test if they're causing the issue
  • Examine browser console for errors that might indicate plugin conflicts

4. Test With a Default Theme

Theme conflicts are a common source of mobile popup problems. Many themes include their own mobile menu scripts that can interfere with Popup Maker.

  • Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (Twenty Twenty series)
  • Check if the popup works with the default theme
  • If it works, contact your theme developer about compatibility issues

5. Verify Mobile Display Settings

Sometimes the issue is simply incorrect configuration in the popup settings.

  • Ensure you haven't accidentally checked "Disable on mobile devices"
  • For mobile-specific popups, consider creating separate popups for desktop and mobile
  • Check that your popup size settings are appropriate for mobile viewports

6. Apply Mobile-Specific CSS Fixes

In some cases, adding custom CSS can resolve mobile display issues, particularly with overlay problems.

@media (max-width: 768px) {
    .pum-overlay.pum-active,
    .pum-overlay.pum-active .popmake.active {
        opacity: 1 !important;
        display: block !important;
    }
}

When All Else Fails: Systematic Troubleshooting

If none of the above solutions work, perform a systematic conflict test:

  1. Disable all plugins except Popup Maker
  2. Test if mobile popups work
  3. If they work, reactivate plugins one by one to identify the conflict
  4. Switch to a default theme to rule out theme conflicts

Most mobile issues with Popup Maker can be resolved through methodical troubleshooting. Start with the simplest solutions (clearing caches) before moving to more complex diagnostics. The community has found these approaches successful for restoring mobile functionality in most cases.

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