[cydonian_monk]

I really, really, really wish the Google+ Desktop site worked on my iPad like /most every other non-Flash site on the 'net./ It's so bloated with heaven know's what (JavaScript?) that all I get is a tantalizing preview of G+ before Safari crashes. Even regular Google crashes Safari if I'm logged in on my iPad (thanks to the new Google Bar?). G+ is the last 'Desktop Only' website I use. (Outside of work, at least.) This makes it considerably less useful for me.

I'd even be happy with a native iPad app, as long as it supported some of the 'desktop only' features like Shared Circles.

[nullymcnull]

Not sure why this should be downvoted; G+ really is an atrocious mess when one tries to view it in most mobile browsers. This all applies to Android too, amazingly enough. If Google wants people to use G+, then they really do need to get it on a javascript diet -- or at least start seriously testing it, starting with their own devices.

I got the Galaxy Nexus on release day. Upon trying to visit a G+ post that was linked here (the one about Goog making some guy's daughter cry), it consistently crashed the browser. Every time. Within seconds of load, clearly while doing js gymnastics. A friend with the same phone reproduced. Previously I had seen occasional G+ page crashes or hangups on a 3.0 tablet (TF101), and had a pretty dismal experience with G+ pages on 2.x, but this was outright killing the browser on every single attempt to load it. Whatever the problem was, it didn't go away until several days ago. And while it may no longer crash, G+ is still stupidly sluggish in the browser.

All of this on Google's new flagship ICS phone. Why would I put time into engaging with G+, when it seems like they're drunk on javascript bloat and have no one minding the shop on actual end-user experience? If people will have a terrible experience or need to download a dedicated app to view my posts, that's a critical fail. Nevermind these "big improvements'. Get the basics done right first, goog.

[rwolf]

I'm curious if you were redirected to the mobile version of the website. When I visit plus.google.com on that same phone, it redirects to m.google.com/app/plus, which looks like a iphone-ified version of my stream.

[freehunter]

Really sucks on Windows Phone, where there is no app. The desktop site doesn't crash MIE9, but it is fairly unusable overall. Their mobile site is worse, though, it has to be designed for feature phones with WAP browsers and limited screen space.

[laconian]

If you're on Android, then why not use the Android app?

[nullymcnull]

Because I'm not interested in downloading an app for every site or social network. If viewing a G+ post without having a dismal experience is going to require a dedicated app, then I'm simply not going to use G+ at all. That represents a really lame barrier to entry for alot of prospective G+ friends, so why bother? Particularly in the case of a social network, I expect the user experience on the plain old web, mobile included, to be a first-class concern.

For all the UI's clean, minimalistic pretenses, it's ultimately a hog underneath. If there is no adult supervision on the G+ team to prevent this mess happening, because after all people should just download the app or something, then again, I'm inclined to steer well clear of it.

[rhizome]

Apps sometimes appear to be reinventing bookmarks.

[laconian]

Not the case with the G+ Android application: instant photo upload, background polling, offline content caching, video Hangouts. It's certainly not a browser page facade.

[notatoad]

i didn't downvote it, but G+ works perfectly fine on my iPad. my only complaint is that no matter how many times i try to force the desktop version, it keeps going back to the mobile version.

[cydonian_monk]

The 'force desktop' parameter appears to have been disabled or overridden as of late. Likely because loons like me were forcing something that didn't completely work. (And even when it did 'work,' certain important things didn't. Like text input.)

Regardless, there are simple features (shared circles for one) that only work on 'desktop' that need support on mobile.