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I don’t know about your last point. Their devs can’t seem to get their website to be usable on mobile at all. Safari/latest iOS and the site has issues with zoo

I don’t know about your last point. Their devs can’t seem to get their website to be usable on mobile at all. Safari/latest iOS and the site has issues with zoom (it’s not desktop level of zoom but it’s way too small but only after you log in and make a comment or a post). Images and videos load about half the time. The site cannot for the life of it remember that I don’t want to download the app. Half the user settings are still tied to the old desktop site. Reddit chat does not work on mobile. DM inbox is a mess. Search UI is clunky as hell. I understand their focus is on users downloading the app, but this is just sloppy poor craftsmanship.

n6h6 3y ago
This is almost certainly intentional. It's been a trend for a while for companies to make their websites as shitty as possible so you're basically forced to use their app.
- avgDev 3y ago
  Facebook is doing this on mobile, they want users to install the app. I refuse to, and I will abandon reddit when 3rd party apps stop working.
  - dymk 3y ago
    Facebook moweb works really well, in my experience
  - the_duke 3y ago
    Interestingly, Instagram web has been going in the opposite direction - it is getting more features previously only available in the apps. Still buggy as hell, but they are improving it.
    - wkat4242 3y ago
      And full of unwanted 'reels' Only when that crap can be turned off it will be as good or better than a year ago.
- niij 3y ago
  Facebook is doing this. Their website is not only lacking features but it's also glitchy to the point of being dysfunctional. The scrolling jumps multiple posts at a time with no user input, posts missing like/comment buttons, CSS messed up where some posts are cut in half. I'll delete my account before installing their Spyware app though. Firefox on Android with no extensions.
- meowzero 3y ago
  It is. I've worked at a huge website that relies on ads. Ads trump any good UX.
thesuitonym 3y ago
Reddit has had a mobile website that worked very well for years (Since the beginning?) They disabled it about a month ago to funnel everybody to the "new" mobile site, which barely works and serves only to funnel users into the app. It's not sloppy or poor craftsmanship, it's intentional.
- IgorPartola 3y ago
  I have noticed no change for years and for years now it’s been broken for me. Different devices, all standard configuration, all up to date OSes. Once you log in and interact with it, it goes wonky. I’m effect, I guess what you and others are saying is that it doesn’t matter if Reddit has good devs or bad, they are going to put out a terrible product.
  - ShroudedNight 3y ago
    Were you using i.reddit / compact mode, or the default mobile layout?
    - IgorPartola 3y ago
      Default. This is what it looks like for me when I load the page: https://i.imgur.com/ed1ETWK.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ed1ETWK.jpg This is what it looks like when I click on a post: https://i.imgur.com/wqNAofO.png https://i.imgur.com/wqNAofO.png This is on an iPhone 14, iOS 16.
      - ShroudedNight 3y ago
        It's my understanding that the website that worked fairly well was i.reddit.com (which was disabled recently) Side-by-side comparison (i.reddit.com on the right): https://old.reddit.com/r/redditmobile/comments/7kaqgb/could_we_have_a_proper_compact_mode_reddit_mobile/ https://old.reddit.com/r/redditmobile/comments/7kaqgb/could_...
  - thesuitonym 3y ago
    Exactly so. I mean look at it this way: You and I both know that the frontend of Reddit isn't exactly a complex machine. Even poor developers could make it work. Everything that happens is a choice made at a project management level or higher.
robotnikman 3y ago
iirc there was a post from a former reddit developer over a year ago who said this was intentional. The changes made to the site increased certain metrics, and that's all that mattered despite being slower.

n6h6 3y ago

This is almost certainly intentional. It's been a trend for a while for companies to make their websites as shitty as possible so you're basically forced to use their app.

avgDev 3y ago
Facebook is doing this on mobile, they want users to install the app. I refuse to, and I will abandon reddit when 3rd party apps stop working.
- dymk 3y ago
  Facebook moweb works really well, in my experience
- the_duke 3y ago
  Interestingly, Instagram web has been going in the opposite direction - it is getting more features previously only available in the apps. Still buggy as hell, but they are improving it.
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    And full of unwanted 'reels' Only when that crap can be turned off it will be as good or better than a year ago.
niij 3y ago
Facebook is doing this. Their website is not only lacking features but it's also glitchy to the point of being dysfunctional. The scrolling jumps multiple posts at a time with no user input, posts missing like/comment buttons, CSS messed up where some posts are cut in half. I'll delete my account before installing their Spyware app though. Firefox on Android with no extensions.
meowzero 3y ago
It is. I've worked at a huge website that relies on ads. Ads trump any good UX.

thesuitonym 3y ago

Reddit has had a mobile website that worked very well for years (Since the beginning?) They disabled it about a month ago to funnel everybody to the "new" mobile site, which barely works and serves only to funnel users into the app. It's not sloppy or poor craftsmanship, it's intentional.

IgorPartola 3y ago
I have noticed no change for years and for years now it’s been broken for me. Different devices, all standard configuration, all up to date OSes. Once you log in and interact with it, it goes wonky. I’m effect, I guess what you and others are saying is that it doesn’t matter if Reddit has good devs or bad, they are going to put out a terrible product.
- ShroudedNight 3y ago
  Were you using i.reddit / compact mode, or the default mobile layout?
  - IgorPartola 3y ago
    Default. This is what it looks like for me when I load the page: https://i.imgur.com/ed1ETWK.jpg https://i.imgur.com/ed1ETWK.jpg This is what it looks like when I click on a post: https://i.imgur.com/wqNAofO.png https://i.imgur.com/wqNAofO.png This is on an iPhone 14, iOS 16.
    - ShroudedNight 3y ago
      It's my understanding that the website that worked fairly well was i.reddit.com (which was disabled recently) Side-by-side comparison (i.reddit.com on the right): https://old.reddit.com/r/redditmobile/comments/7kaqgb/could_we_have_a_proper_compact_mode_reddit_mobile/ https://old.reddit.com/r/redditmobile/comments/7kaqgb/could_...
- thesuitonym 3y ago
  Exactly so. I mean look at it this way: You and I both know that the frontend of Reddit isn't exactly a complex machine. Even poor developers could make it work. Everything that happens is a choice made at a project management level or higher.

robotnikman 3y ago

iirc there was a post from a former reddit developer over a year ago who said this was intentional. The changes made to the site increased certain metrics, and that's all that mattered despite being slower.