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Most quality apps are native apps, they are not just web app under the hood. Then you are either using uncommon or niche apps, or you perhaps you are on Android

by sgt 3y ago

Most quality apps are native apps, they are not just web app under the hood. Then you are either using uncommon or niche apps, or you perhaps you are on Android (Play Store is a nightmare these days). The App Store (iOS) may not be perfect but there are truly quality apps and the developers have a real incentive to maintain these, seeing that the willingness to pay for apps is high in the Apple ecosystem.

Woeps 3y ago
But outside of messaging, music and browsing the web. how many native apps do you/people actually use? Because I'm personally under the impression that this is what most people use their phone for (maybe play a game or two as well). tough this might also depend on the countries where I lived (and when). And some people also take pictures of course
- sgt 3y ago
  Some people are big app users, but very few have a variety of niche apps installed. Those same people probably don't use computers for more than the 1% they are capable of doing. I think a vast majority still uses apps outside of messaging and music though, because social media exists. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok, SnapChat are all apps and it's absolutely the case that they are better off being true native apps, which they are.
  - hnlmorg 3y ago
    > If you’re wondering “Is Instagram a native app?” or “Is Facebook a native app?”, the answer to both is no. They are both hybrid apps with numerous “native” features. https://www.mobileapps.com/blog/what-is-a-native-app https://www.mobileapps.com/blog/what-is-a-native-app
hnlmorg 3y ago
iOS and while I don’t go round decompiling packages all that often, from what I’ve seen most companies write a custom UI online and use iOSs additional web features to mimic a native experience. To the end user it doesn’t look any different, but to the developers it is quicker to build and easier to update (ie every UI tweak doesn’t require going through Apples approval process). This obviously doesn’t apply to games. But even there, there’s a surprising amount you can do with HTML5 et al on iOS if you wanted. When you also factor in Electron on the desktop, a surprise number of “native” applications these days are really just websites in a container.
freedomben 3y ago
> or you perhaps you are on Android This is a ridiculous thing to say. there are plenty of wonderful native apps on Android

by sgt 3y ago

Woeps 3y ago

But outside of messaging, music and browsing the web. how many native apps do you/people actually use? Because I'm personally under the impression that this is what most people use their phone for (maybe play a game or two as well). tough this might also depend on the countries where I lived (and when). And some people also take pictures of course

sgt 3y ago
Some people are big app users, but very few have a variety of niche apps installed. Those same people probably don't use computers for more than the 1% they are capable of doing. I think a vast majority still uses apps outside of messaging and music though, because social media exists. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, TikTok, SnapChat are all apps and it's absolutely the case that they are better off being true native apps, which they are.
- hnlmorg 3y ago
  > If you’re wondering “Is Instagram a native app?” or “Is Facebook a native app?”, the answer to both is no. They are both hybrid apps with numerous “native” features. https://www.mobileapps.com/blog/what-is-a-native-app https://www.mobileapps.com/blog/what-is-a-native-app

hnlmorg 3y ago

iOS and while I don’t go round decompiling packages all that often, from what I’ve seen most companies write a custom UI online and use iOSs additional web features to mimic a native experience. To the end user it doesn’t look any different, but to the developers it is quicker to build and easier to update (ie every UI tweak doesn’t require going through Apples approval process). This obviously doesn’t apply to games. But even there, there’s a surprising amount you can do with HTML5 et al on iOS if you wanted. When you also factor in Electron on the desktop, a surprise number of “native” applications these days are really just websites in a container.

freedomben 3y ago

> or you perhaps you are on Android This is a ridiculous thing to say. there are plenty of wonderful native apps on Android