Fewer people are sitting in front of a desktop computer to shop online these days. So why don’t coupon browser extensions work when you’re using your favorite retailer’s app on a mobile device? Shopping on your phone or tablet can end up costing you, if it means missing out on coupons and deals that are available to desktop users.

So one coupon code provider is working to change that.

Rakuten has described a way to apply coupon codes to purchases made in third-party mobile apps, in a recently-published patent application. “A number of browser extensions are able to detect coupon code fields and test coupon codes on webpages,” the patent documentation reads. “However, this functionality does not yet exist in mobile applications… As many transactions occur on the go by means of mobile applications, there is a need for a system and method for detecting and filling coupon codes in a mobile domain.”

Rakuten is one of several coupon code aggregators offering a browser extension to automatically inject available coupon codes into the checkout page of a retailer’s desktop website. If you’re shopping on a mobile device, these aggregators also offer their own apps where you can activate offers before shopping on a retailer’s mobile website. Here’s the entire (short) article from Coupons in the News.