8 ms·
It is a breach of trust. I give apps access to my immediate attention so they can notify me of things that need my attention. Not for telling me about their new
by alexanderchr 3y ago
It is a breach of trust. I give apps access to my immediate attention so they can notify me of things that need my attention. Not for telling me about their new features or some crappy partner deal.
For this reason I have a one strike policy for apps. One marketing notification and permissions are revoked. Missing out on surprisingly little although it has made me stop using some services entirely.
- ekidd 3y ago> For this reason I have a one strike policy for apps. One marketing notification and permissions are revoked. Yup, this is very easy to do on Android. Long-press any notification, and you can change the notification preferences for that app. The first time I see a marketing notification, I gag that app permanently. Takes less than 3 seconds. If this also prevents that app from being useful, oh well, time to uninstall. In theory, Android apps can also categorize their notifications, so I could selectively gag them. But this takes me at least 30 seconds to figure out, and it doesn't prevent that app developer from abusing their categories. So I almost never attempt fine-grained control, unless it's an essential app. Normally I just block all notifications permanently on the first offense.
- grotorea 3y agoI really wish Google would enforce proper categorization. Risking missing something on any (somewhat) important app because of the occasional marketing notification seems not worth it to me.
- dataflow 3y agoStarbucks is like this. They deliberately bundle together "Promotions & Order Status" to make sure you receive their junk.
- matt-attack 3y agoWhy order using the phone anyway? Why give them that sweet sweet data? I use Apple Pay exclusively at Starbucks. They haven’t a clue who I am.
- unixhero 3y agoPUMPKIN SPICE LATTE ON SALE NOWWW
- sa-code 3y agoSounds like a good reason to give your business to someone else
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 3y agoThis is the answer. Money talks, so give your money to businesses that earn it. "But it's not as convenient!" I hear some yell. Then it's obviously not enough of a bother to you, so just suck it up and deal with their bad behavior. Because until you take your money elsewhere, nothing will change. And why should it? They obviously haven't crossed a line for enough people. Which means it'll just get worse.
- revscat 3y agoThis path doesn’t seem to work very well.
- c0pium 3y agoSociety’s stated preference is things like healthy food, paying as opposed to ads (not being the product), and no notifications. Society’s revealed preference is McDonald’s, watching YouTube ads, and letting apps send whatever notifications they want to. In general people care about the trade offs between cost and convenience, between cost and style, and not at all about anything so mundane as value, privacy, or peace of mind.
- araes 3y agoIt's a common issue in America. The Game book basically already discussed this with dating. That stated preferences are total junk for significant portions of humanity. They say they want "idea" but really want, "pretend to believe in 'idea', while acting the horrible way you actually respond to." Most of America is a "bait and switch" or a "rug pull." This article basically talks about those issues with workers. [1] America sayssss "work hard, be loyal, be honest, be virtuous" how America acts is "Reward lazy humans, reward dishonesty / backstabbing, reward vice (pride, lust, greed are pretty much America)." [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103122001615?via%3Dihub https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00221... Stanley, Matthew L., Christopher B. Neck, and Christopher P. Neck. "Loyal workers are selectively and ironically targeted for exploitation." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 106 (2023): 104442.
- FridgeSeal 3y agoSo does Uber (+ eats); I don’t want deals or vouchers, I don’t want to sign up to your subscription service, I only want to know when the car is arriving. Instagram I had to disable from notifications entirely, so now I miss messages from friends frequently, because the app bombards you with so much unrelated junk. I suspect these companies know this, they know we don’t want spurious notifications, but they abuse whatever notification policies the OS provides in order to deliver you them anyways.
- matt-attack 3y agoI use Uber all the time and having notifications disabled is fine.
- neilparikh 3y agoFor Uber and UberEats, turns out you actually can disable marketing notifications, under the communication settings, it's just hidden away.
- bravetraveler 3y agoFunny, I had turned off notifications for UberEats exactly due to this. You can't actually manage these notifications until re-opening the door, re-enabling them. There are currently six categories in here. Who wants to take bets until these shift, nullifying the point?
- PopePompus 3y agoYes, and websites know that we don't want video advertisements playing everywhere on the screen, but it doesn't matter because we're the product, not the customer.
- this_steve_j 3y agoI use a screenshot of the payment barcode from the Starbucks app when I’m in the store to pay. I do not want it on my phone. It seems to be constantly bombarding my wife’s phone with trivial prompts and notifications.
- s3p 3y agoYes!! Same here. ONE annoying advertisement or waste of my time and the app's privileges get revoked.
- prepend 3y agoI have something similar. I have one strike and I check for an app specific notification. Then I call them a jerk, turn off all nonessential notifications and give them one more strike. Interestingly, this works half the time. I’m waiting for Apple to eventually fix this and expect this is how they’ll implement local AI with having really nice notification filters of “block messages like this.” Of course google could do this, but I don’t think they’re interested in reducing notifications and popups based on the number of times google asks if I want to sign in or use my local to improve results. I’ve clicked “no” thousands of times yet they persist in asking.
- donmcronald 3y agoThat's exactly what I do! Google and Apple could instantly fix the problem (of co-mingling essential and marketing notifications) if they wanted to. The current situation is like getting opted in to "street signs and flashing billboards". It's stupid.
- dvngnt_ 3y agoon android this is a solved problem via notification categories.
- grotorea 3y agoIt's a solved problem if the app developer wants it to be. Else it can just throw everything into the same category.
- bqmjjx0kac 3y agoI recall some apps seemed to keep inventing new categories that I hadn't blocked yet.
- Nursie 3y agoThese exist on ios too, but apps don't always respect them and will occasionally push 'important' marketing messages alongside the functional stuff. In general this is a fast way off my handset.
- FridgeSeal 3y agoI have an iOS device, so can’t speak for Google, but I suspect that’s what Apple has been _trying_ to do. The problem is that these apps are essentially adversarial in their notifications. If you have a mechanism for “only the most essential notifications”, then they simply mark all their notifications as “essential” (looking at you Uber). Try to limit their notifications using “only is summary” or disabling them and the app will gleefully deny you all notifications, rendering it basically useless. Uber is particular is guilty for this - the app is conspicuously free of meaningful notification controls.
- 3y ago
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- raverbashing 3y agoUber Uber is one egregious example of abuse of notifications + SMS spam
- HlessClaudesman 3y agoI have a zero strike policy: no social media, no games, no notifications. My phone is a tool, not a boss.
- weikju 3y agoThis. It’s not even worth playing the one strike game anymore, waste of time.
- technothrasher 3y agoYep, I've mostly given up on the one strike rule and gone to a "don't install any phone app unless absolutely necessary" rule. Much of the time I can avoid the app by either using their web site, or just forgoing whatever functionality the app provides. Airline apps, which can be useful during a trip, get installed when the trip begins and uninstalled as soon as the trip is over.
- bluecheese452 3y agoI am even more of a luddite. I just use the kiosk at the airport and get a physical ticket printed.
- matt-attack 3y agoI agree with that. I avoid most apps. Airline apps haven’t been problematic though. I give location only while using the app. And I’ve never received advertising notifications. It’s quite nice to pull down an eticket into Apple Wallet and have it on my watch.
- j-bos 3y agoI have the habit of force stopping any questionable application (uber) as soon as I stop using it. That and limiting permissions to when the app is actually open.
- tsukikage 3y agoThe entire purpose of getting you to install a mobile phone app is to push marketing notifications at you in a way that forces you to interact with them, if only to individually dismiss them. Whatever it is /you/ want to do with the app is incidental to this, and only of any concern to the extent that it helps convince you to install the app. Where it's possible to do the thing you want to do with a web browser (also with minimal permissions, natch), never install the app.
- technothrasher 3y ago> The entire purpose of getting you to install a mobile phone app is to push marketing notifications at you Come on, now. You're being unfair. It is also serves the purpose of being better able to collect data on you for sale to other entities which want to push marketing notifications at you.
- delfinom 3y agoI think Shell, the gas station chain, has a notification category on android as "Pump updates" which gives silly pump statuses, but they started sending credit card offers under Pump updates. Jackasses. I like to use the apps to activate pumps to avoid card skimming but lol I'll just use the other gas station chains not run by disrespectful corporate (even though I could just block the notifications in Android)
- Zambyte 3y ago> One marketing notification and permissions are revoked. That is more forgiving than my policy. Under the same condition, that app gets removed from my phone.
- aendruk 3y agoMy policy is first one round of complaint to close the feedback loop and return the burden of hunting down the opt-out that should have been an -in. Then, yes, the next step is just to remove the app and leave an appropriate review. A demonstrably adversarial app has no place in my life.