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Can you explain why this is a dark pattern? How does slack benefit from you using the native app vs. the web app?

jackson1442 5y ago
I mean I personally keep Slack on my Dock since it's open pretty frequently. This integrates it even more into my workflow since I can quickly check and see if I have any unreads/etc. making it more grating to switch to another chat app. Maybe it's not a "dark pattern" but it certainly is a method to increase adoption.
- lima 5y ago
  You can do this with a browser like Chrome by creating a shortcut with "Open As Window".
wolpoli 5y ago
One major benefit of native app over web app is their ability to send notifications to get the user's attention.
- lima 5y ago
  Web apps can send notifications just fine, even in the background.
  - ericwood 5y ago
    This is not the case on iOS: https://caniuse.com/notifications https://caniuse.com/notifications
cma 5y ago
I don't know that they do, but they could potentially read your local files as part of telemetry, gps, nearby wifi network ssids and MAC addresses, etc.
rapnie 5y ago
Slack app has 4 trackers, requests 21 permissions on Android. Harder to block trackers, while their more tech-oriented audience probably uses browser adblockers more often. https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.Slack/latest/ https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.Slack/l...
- chestervonwinch 5y ago
  Aha! This makes sense. So basically, on native, there's lessened ability to leverage browser extension ecosystems to block ads and tracker scripts?
milofeynman 5y ago
As an engineering manager in an unrelated field... this could also be a way to not have to support a feature on X platform because I don't have the resources to make it work on every possible mobile browser. Or the mobile browsers don't support X feature and I don't want to (or can't) spend the resources to make it work there, QA it there etc. It's not something likely to be able to curb with regulations.
- chestervonwinch 5y ago
  I do not think this is a dark pattern. I don't see any exploitation or misrepresentation. I think we should be careful to distinguish between exploitation / malicious intent vs. airing of grievances of about UI/UX feature completeness.

I mean I personally keep Slack on my Dock since it's open pretty frequently. This integrates it even more into my workflow since I can quickly check and see if I have any unreads/etc. making it more grating to switch to another chat app. Maybe it's not a "dark pattern" but it certainly is a method to increase adoption.

lima 5y ago
You can do this with a browser like Chrome by creating a shortcut with "Open As Window".

wolpoli 5y ago

One major benefit of native app over web app is their ability to send notifications to get the user's attention.

lima 5y ago
Web apps can send notifications just fine, even in the background.
- ericwood 5y ago
  This is not the case on iOS: https://caniuse.com/notifications https://caniuse.com/notifications

cma 5y ago

I don't know that they do, but they could potentially read your local files as part of telemetry, gps, nearby wifi network ssids and MAC addresses, etc.

rapnie 5y ago

Slack app has 4 trackers, requests 21 permissions on Android. Harder to block trackers, while their more tech-oriented audience probably uses browser adblockers more often. https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.Slack/latest/ https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.Slack/l...

chestervonwinch 5y ago
Aha! This makes sense. So basically, on native, there's lessened ability to leverage browser extension ecosystems to block ads and tracker scripts?

milofeynman 5y ago

As an engineering manager in an unrelated field... this could also be a way to not have to support a feature on X platform because I don't have the resources to make it work on every possible mobile browser. Or the mobile browsers don't support X feature and I don't want to (or can't) spend the resources to make it work there, QA it there etc. It's not something likely to be able to curb with regulations.

chestervonwinch 5y ago
I do not think this is a dark pattern. I don't see any exploitation or misrepresentation. I think we should be careful to distinguish between exploitation / malicious intent vs. airing of grievances of about UI/UX feature completeness.