Does Exit Intent Work on Mobile? Privy

Do Exit-Intent Popups Work on Mobile?

The Short Answer

They can, but not the way they work on desktop. Because mobile lacks mouse movement, true “exit detection” is limited. Instead, mobile exit-intent is mostly heuristic or behavior-based — and it must be done with care.

Why It’s Harder on Mobile

• No cursor to track. Exit-intent on desktop triggers when a user moves toward the close/tab bar. You don’t have that on a phone, so mobile tools must approximate intent (scroll behavior, inactivity, back-button taps, etc.).
• Small screen / UI constraints. A full-screen popup is more disruptive on mobile, making it easier to frustrate users or push them away entirely.
• Browser constraints and UX expectations. Mobile users expect smoother, leaner interactions. A poorly timed popup feels more jarring.

Because of these differences, many marketers believe desktop exit-intent is more precise and dependable than mobile.

What the Data Says

• A study of mobile and desktop popups found mobile click-through rates of ~10%, compared to ~7.09% on desktop — mobile popups in general can outperform desktop if optimized.
• Wisepops’ 2025 data shows mobile-only popup campaigns delivering a 3.75% conversion rate vs. 2.67% for desktop-only ones.
• But those are general popups, not necessarily exit-intent. Some providers (OptinMonster, etc.) support “scroll + back button tracking” as mobile triggers.
• Best practices for mobile exit-intent include responsive design, triggering by behavior (scrolling, pause, back button), strong offers, and non-intrusive design.So — mobile popups can work well, but exit-intent ones require more nuance and care.