diff --git a/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/core/location.js b/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/core/location.js
index 8a801d89..7f416270 100644
--- a/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/core/location.js
+++ b/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/core/location.js
@@ -178,17 +178,17 @@ modulejs.define('core/location', ['_', 'modernizr', 'core/event', 'core/notify',
         }
     }
 
+    function onPopState(ev) {
 
-    if (history) {
-        window.onpopstate = function (ev) {
-
-            if (ev.state && ev.state.absHref) {
-                setLocation(ev.state.absHref, true);
-            }
-        };
+        if (ev.state && ev.state.absHref) {
+            setLocation(ev.state.absHref, true);
+        }
     }
 
 
+    window.onpopstate = history ? onPopState : null;
+
+
     return {
         forceEncoding: forceEncoding,
         getDomain: getDomain,
diff --git a/test/tests/unit/core/location.js b/test/tests/unit/core/location.js
index 3d0ddb7f..a44f5b65 100644
--- a/test/tests/unit/core/location.js
+++ b/test/tests/unit/core/location.js
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ describe('module \'' + ID + '\'', function () {
             assert.lengthOfKeys(instance, 7);
         });
 
-        it('sets window.onpopstate when history and fastBrowsing', function () {
+        it('sets window.onpopstate function when history and fastBrowsing', function () {
 
             this.xModernizr.history = true;
             this.xSettings.view.fastBrowsing = true;
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ describe('module \'' + ID + '\'', function () {
             assert.isFunction(window.onpopstate);
         });
 
-        it('does not set window.onpopstate when not history and fastBrowsing', function () {
+        it('sets window.onpopstate to null when not history and fastBrowsing', function () {
 
             this.xModernizr.history = false;
             this.xSettings.view.fastBrowsing = true;
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ describe('module \'' + ID + '\'', function () {
             assert.isNull(window.onpopstate);
         });
 
-        it('does not set window.onpopstate when history and not fastBrowsing', function () {
+        it('sets window.onpopstate to null when history and not fastBrowsing', function () {
 
             this.xModernizr.history = true;
             this.xSettings.view.fastBrowsing = false;
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ describe('module \'' + ID + '\'', function () {
             assert.isNull(window.onpopstate);
         });
 
-        it('does not set window.onpopstate when not history and not fastBrowsing', function () {
+        it('sets window.onpopstate to null when not history and not fastBrowsing', function () {
 
             this.xModernizr.history = false;
             this.xSettings.view.fastBrowsing = false;