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Tell HN: Reddit started asking logged-in users to use the app
The "new" Reddit mobile web interface got worse (again). I'm logged in and now every time I open the webpage I'm asked if I want to "continue in browser" or "open in app (recommended)". I don't have the app installed and I don't want such dark patterns force me to install it. Previously that happened only to unregistered users.
- more_corn 4y agoJust delete your account and add them to your pihole blacklist. Your life will improve dramatically.
- egberts1 4y agobye Reddit.
- thanatos519 4y agoI don't have that problem on https://i.reddit.com/ https://i.reddit.com/
- pier25 4y agoIt's amazing that this old and ugly app feels better than the React SPA monstrosity they have as the official mobile site.
- nicbou 4y agoIn 1984 (bear with me), the protagonist has a feeling that things were better before, but can't tell for sure because the past was erased. He stumbles upon artefacts that were not destroyed, and that confirms he's not mad. I have this vague feeling that the web got worse, but it's hard to tell just how much worse. I rediscovered i.reddit.com this month, and it's one of those artefacts. Compare this to old.reddit.com, then to reddit.com, then to reddit.com without an ad blocker. Multiply that by the entire internet, and the loss is staggering.
- robswc 4y agoI think its true. I know its cliche to miss the “good old days” but I think you’re spot on. I would only suggest a bit of de-clutter and padding to i Reddit but other than that, its perfect for functionality.
- quickthrower2 4y agoAlways has! Well for a few years anyway
- agluszak 4y agoFor logged in users? I started having this problem now. For not logged in - yup, it's been there since the redesign
- more_corn 4y agoUntil yesterday there was a setting to disable the mobile app nag.
- quickthrower2 4y agoAlas I didn’t know that. Why they didn’t go for the more obvious “don’t ask again” on the nag I don’t know.
- alpentmil 4y agofor android use RedReader - opensource - lightweight (in PlayStore)
- napolux 4y agofor iOS Apollo is the answer.
- criticas 4y agoI love Apollo, but it's not a complete answer. If you attempt to visit an 18+ reddit on mobile, it will redirect you to either HOME or Reddit's official client. Not the "iOS App you've selected for Reddit", the official Reddit App.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- ThePowerOfFuet 4y agoYou have it misconfigured; check the NSFW option in reddit web's preferences.
- mynameisvlad 4y agoThat’s on Reddit. They just don’t acknowledge other apps exist.
- julianlam 4y agoBetter than rif is fun?
- greazy 4y agoVery frustrating they removed the setting to turn off that annoying notification. But I'm not surprised. Reddit is trash
- rchaud 4y agoNo different from any other social media site that needs to track logged-in users to show them ads. Reddit is great, the business model around it is trash.
- iwillbenice 4y ago> Reddit is great By what standard? Every non-technology subreddit (and a few tech ones) have turned into absolute echo-chamber dumpster fires. There is absolutely no conversation occurring in those echo-chambers. The level of control and removal of dissenting opinions is ridiculous. Just look at any thread and note all the [REMOVED] posts.
- rchaud 4y agoBy the standard of entertainment value. Reddit is a big site with a diverse age distribution and an Eternal September cycle of user churn. I have no interest in YouTuber drama, or discussing the finer points of communism v fascism because I've already gone through that phase of my life (freshman year). Maybe that's why I don't see all the [removed] comments; I'm just not on those boards.
- iwillbenice 4y agoI'm not sure what you mean by "those boards", but the mass redaction and removal of comments is a site-wide thing at this point. It isn't unique to a certain type of community, demographic, or interest.
- rchaud 4y agoIt absolutely is not. Maybe on a thread about The Little Mermaid and whatever other culture war nonsense topic grown adults bicker about, but I don't see anything like that on r/webdev, r/android, r/buttcoin or other popular subs.
- sam0x17 4y agoIt's done this for like 5 years AFAIK, at least for me
- ridgered4 4y agoMe as well. It has steadily gotten more aggressive though, recently becoming so bad I finally switched to using teddit.
- smileysteve 4y agoIt had a setting to turn this off until this week.
- more_corn 4y agoGreat reason for everyone to delete their accounts and bam Reddit from your home network.
- sam0x17 4y agoIt's never really bothered me. I can't imagine being in a situation where it would make sense to consume reddit or HN or anything like that on my phone. The few times I have I noticed this prompt and it's annoying but easily dismissible.
- marcusverus 4y agoHow would you go about banning a site on your home network? Pi-hole?
- hallway_monitor 4y agoI gave up and installed the app. Still holding out on Facebook even though the web version on mobile is pretty bad.
- 1_1xdev 4y agoEven if you have the app installed, the link to open in app just opens the app store. What a dumpster fire of a mobile web experience.
- 1_1xdev 4y agoThanks, reddit team, for fixing this. Both the new OPEN button anchored to the top, and the new bottom sheet work as desired now. My comment above was about a previous version of the "open in app" bottom sheet from a previous version of the mobile website. Both mobile safari on iOS.
- danielfoster 4y agoI had this issue for the longest time and was very frustrated. I learned you can hold the link and then click "Open in Reddit" in Safari to get around this.
- perryizgr8 4y agoThis works fine in android. You can associate your favorite app with the reddit links. There is surprising depth in the settings regarding this feature.
- luuuzeta 4y agoAside from niche subs or subs that aren't easily politicized due to their nature, Reddit is trash. https://teddit.net/ https://teddit.net/ is a must if you want to browse Reddit on mobile. Also https://old.reddit.com/ https://old.reddit.com/ although it doesn't work as well on mobile.
- squeaky-clean 4y agoIt's been a while since I've used it, but https://i.reddit.com/ https://i.reddit.com/ still seems to work. This one is the lightest mobile interface.
- easrng 4y agohttps://farside.link/libreddit https://farside.link/libreddit is closer to the new reddit layout if you like that (it's better for browsing image/video heavy subreddits imo)
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- gorgabal 4y agoI never figured out how to login on teddit. Do you need to host your own instance or something?
- MisterSandman 4y agoPretty sure you just don't login, it's not near to be a full replacement, just a way to access Reddit posts and discussions.
- nluken 4y agoI always laugh when I see the huge "USE NEW REDDIT" header when I'm not logged into old reddit. I will stop using reddit if they ever force me onto the new interface.
- Brendinooo 4y agoApollo is an excellent iOS app.
- dartharva 4y agoUse third party FOSS Reddit apps that don't have original Reddit's garbage gimmicks - Boost, Infinity, Dawn, RedReader, Slide, Diode, Stealth, etc.
- shostack 4y agoWhat's the favored Android client? Any good comparisons?
- hacym 4y agoI’ve had this pop up for like a year.
- theknocker 4y ago
- sidcool 4y agoReddit has been trying to make me login and install app since years. Everytime it asks more than once, I close the webpage. It's helping my Reddit addiction and I have been avoiding it for years now.
- FunnyBadger 4y ago
- _tom_ 4y agoHow much more money is an app user worth, compared to a web user? It must be substantial, as sites like yelp are actually unusable on mobile web, as they constantly try to install the app. It seems like it's better to lose a customer than to have them on web.
- jasec57322 4y agoInstalled apps have lots more stable monetisation options (e.g: getting paid to load an sdk which runs a proxy), and not to mention they can more easily scoop-up alot more data. Most of the claims companies like Reddit make about security/anti-spam benefits is simply not true. Once you require user to create an account/login it makes no real difference. Everything you need for the frontend can be done with JS, HTML & CSS, and the apps themselves on ios/android are nearly-always just that. As for losing customers, I need to use Reddit to make Google effective - and Reddit knows this. They have a massive amount of power to force mobile users to use an app if they wish to. Given it comes with massive revenue-potential, why wouldn't they?
- squeaky-clean 4y agoIt's also much more difficult to get an adblocker working to block apps. I'd bet the majority of Reddit's users have an adblocker extension installed on their browser, but a very small percentage have system-wide or network-wide adblockers.
- spinlock 4y agoBeing on the homescreen increases DAU/MAU by about 50%. Push notifications increase DAU/MAU by multiples. Those are the killer features for social media. I'd also assume that the walled garden of the app store cuts down on a lot of bots/other shenanigans going on.
- dewey 4y agoI have had that for a year at least. The only way to use Reddit for me is Apollo on iOS.
- themadturk 4y agoMost of my Redditing is on Narwhal on iOS. Never could learn to enjoy Apollo.
- nikau 4y agoJust install a reddit app. Redditisfun is great for android, and only a few bucks to get lifetime ad free.
- wyldfire 4y agoI use old reddit but I could not bear the loud ads on mobile. Someone on HN mentioned i.reddit.com and I've been using it since. Reddit is bearable again.
- deanmoriarty 4y agoGenuinely curious: what’s the problem with installing the app? I generally get good value out of Reddit, so didn’t mind installing the app and it works ok, have been using it for years and I find the push notifications (with the phone permanently in do not disturb) useful as well.
- dougmwne 4y agoBecause it works perfectly fine in the browser? Because I don’t want all the notifications and OS integration an app brings for a simple website? Because I know they are using the app to further track me and steal more of my time? Because I choose not to.
- nullfield 4y agoBecause their app is and isn’t Apollo. They bought out a prior app which was okay, crippled it, and made it ugly and invasive.
- nicbou 4y agoI don't use the app. The mobile website is bad enough to limit my sessions to a few minutes. I no longer reply unless I'm on desktop. Less engagement means fewer notifications, and thus fewer reasons to return.
- hulitu 4y ago> Tell HN: Reddit started asking logged-in users to use the app So does Qatar. The future is now.
- dekatron 4y agoReddit's infuriating mobile website made me switch from Android Chrome to Kiwi Browser, because it lets me use the Old Reddit Redirect extension [1] to redirect all Reddit links to old.reddit.com links. While old Reddit is not a great interface for browsing on mobile, it lets me get the information I'm looking for quickly (usually when following a Reddit link from a Google search). [1] https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/old-reddit-redirect/dneaehbmnbhcippjikoajpoabadpodje https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/old-reddit-redirec...