4 ms·

The only way to put an end to this is if more people stop installing apps that are just website skins, and just use the open web instead.

xelamonster 2y ago
Yeah, though the problem with this is that from my experience with Android, the web version of Patreon is practically unusable. Not that the app is much better, they seem determined to come up with the most horrific UX anyone could imagine across all platforms, but it at least can somewhat consistently handle playing the podcasts I subscribe to without cutting out every five minutes.
- Bwass 2y ago
  What do you mean, unusable? It's simple and straightforward.
  - rchaud 2y ago
    It's slow with tons of loading spinners.
kjkjadksj 2y ago
Apps are now forcing you to use their website skin even though its damn easy to offer a mobile web alternative that doesn't squander ever precious local storage.
- giancarlostoro 2y ago
  Reddit is probably the worst at this, really annoying.
  - johnnyanmac 2y ago
    absolutely dreadful. It is quite literally unusable to use the mobile site. I don't even know why they bother hosting it. Only site where I simply toggle desktop. And now FF mobile can even install RES so that helps mitigate the otherwise clunky navigation (though, I have been unable to enable cloud backup. I can restore local copies though).
    - VertanaNinjai 2y ago
      There is also Sink-It for Reddit. It’s an open source Safari extension to make the website more usable if you need it.
- josephg 2y ago
  Which apps? The only one I know about is Reddit, where the web version is crippled compared to the app. (You can’t read all the comments). But old.reddit.com works fine on mobile - even if you have to constantly zoom in and out.
  - socksy 2y ago
    ultimate-guitar.com is a big offender. The mobile site jams lots of things in your face to and get you to download the app (including an entire fake tab page that you can't interact with but can scroll past on iOS devices). Then on the mobile site you can't tap on any of the chords to see the fingerings (very important!). You can if you choose to request the desktop site, but then you get an obnoxious bar going across the middle of the page blocking some of the tab. If you fold and finally download the app, you're greeted with a 10+ page unskippable questionnaire that after you're done ends with a paid subscription call to action. If you then force close the app, and open a tab link from the browser into the app, you are finally allowed to view a tab.
  - koyote 2y ago
    Tiktok and Instagram don't force you to, but remind you that you really should be using the App. There was an Australian low-cost airline (Bonza) that only allowed bookings via their app. It went under very quickly (I wonder why...).
    - rswail 2y ago
      Bonza went under because Qantas/Virgin maintain a lock on airport "slots" in the primary markets of Melbourne and Sydney. That's why every day, there are flights from both airlines that are "cancelled" and everyone moved to the next flight. Qantas got so outrageous that they were selling tickets for "flights" that they knew were never going to fly. Australia's airport and airline "markets" are monopolies (airports) combined with oligarchies (Qantas/Virgin). Like most consumer industries in Australia, there is a natural oligarchy or regulated market size, thing supermarkets (Coles/Woolworths + Aldi/IGA), banks (the "big 4"), Fuel, Hotels/Pubs, etc.
  - kjkjadksj 2y ago
imzadi 2y ago
I don't think this is up to the consumer. The companies should just pull their apps from the Apple marketplace. If something can be a website, just be a website. Why even mess with an app at all? It's not like consumers are clamoring for these apps. Everyone I know hates that you have to have an app for everything these days.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  >The companies should just pull their apps from the Apple marketplace. If something can be a website, just be a website. Why even mess with an app at all? the sad reality is that mobile pretty much "solved" an issue corporations struggle with on web to this day. A closed down (i.e. no adblock), centralized (i.e. you can pay to game the platform to highlight your product), scalable system that can be easily and conveniently monetized. They don't like it, but those corps would 99/100 times take that 30% toll from Apple/Google to gatekeep the adblockers if it means they get more consistent ways to serve ads and subscriptions. That's why being open didn't change most company's decision to serve on Google Play vs an alternative store, nor on the web.
  - freedomben 2y ago
    Yep, and don't forget the deep analytics that they gather as well. That's a huge motivator

xelamonster 2y ago

Yeah, though the problem with this is that from my experience with Android, the web version of Patreon is practically unusable. Not that the app is much better, they seem determined to come up with the most horrific UX anyone could imagine across all platforms, but it at least can somewhat consistently handle playing the podcasts I subscribe to without cutting out every five minutes.

Bwass 2y ago
What do you mean, unusable? It's simple and straightforward.
- rchaud 2y ago
  It's slow with tons of loading spinners.

kjkjadksj 2y ago

Apps are now forcing you to use their website skin even though its damn easy to offer a mobile web alternative that doesn't squander ever precious local storage.

giancarlostoro 2y ago
Reddit is probably the worst at this, really annoying.
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  absolutely dreadful. It is quite literally unusable to use the mobile site. I don't even know why they bother hosting it. Only site where I simply toggle desktop. And now FF mobile can even install RES so that helps mitigate the otherwise clunky navigation (though, I have been unable to enable cloud backup. I can restore local copies though).
  - VertanaNinjai 2y ago
    There is also Sink-It for Reddit. It’s an open source Safari extension to make the website more usable if you need it.
josephg 2y ago
Which apps? The only one I know about is Reddit, where the web version is crippled compared to the app. (You can’t read all the comments). But old.reddit.com works fine on mobile - even if you have to constantly zoom in and out.
- socksy 2y ago
  ultimate-guitar.com is a big offender. The mobile site jams lots of things in your face to and get you to download the app (including an entire fake tab page that you can't interact with but can scroll past on iOS devices). Then on the mobile site you can't tap on any of the chords to see the fingerings (very important!). You can if you choose to request the desktop site, but then you get an obnoxious bar going across the middle of the page blocking some of the tab. If you fold and finally download the app, you're greeted with a 10+ page unskippable questionnaire that after you're done ends with a paid subscription call to action. If you then force close the app, and open a tab link from the browser into the app, you are finally allowed to view a tab.
- koyote 2y ago
  Tiktok and Instagram don't force you to, but remind you that you really should be using the App. There was an Australian low-cost airline (Bonza) that only allowed bookings via their app. It went under very quickly (I wonder why...).
  - rswail 2y ago
    Bonza went under because Qantas/Virgin maintain a lock on airport "slots" in the primary markets of Melbourne and Sydney. That's why every day, there are flights from both airlines that are "cancelled" and everyone moved to the next flight. Qantas got so outrageous that they were selling tickets for "flights" that they knew were never going to fly. Australia's airport and airline "markets" are monopolies (airports) combined with oligarchies (Qantas/Virgin). Like most consumer industries in Australia, there is a natural oligarchy or regulated market size, thing supermarkets (Coles/Woolworths + Aldi/IGA), banks (the "big 4"), Fuel, Hotels/Pubs, etc.
- kjkjadksj 2y ago

imzadi 2y ago

I don't think this is up to the consumer. The companies should just pull their apps from the Apple marketplace. If something can be a website, just be a website. Why even mess with an app at all? It's not like consumers are clamoring for these apps. Everyone I know hates that you have to have an app for everything these days.

johnnyanmac 2y ago
>The companies should just pull their apps from the Apple marketplace. If something can be a website, just be a website. Why even mess with an app at all? the sad reality is that mobile pretty much "solved" an issue corporations struggle with on web to this day. A closed down (i.e. no adblock), centralized (i.e. you can pay to game the platform to highlight your product), scalable system that can be easily and conveniently monetized. They don't like it, but those corps would 99/100 times take that 30% toll from Apple/Google to gatekeep the adblockers if it means they get more consistent ways to serve ads and subscriptions. That's why being open didn't change most company's decision to serve on Google Play vs an alternative store, nor on the web.
- freedomben 2y ago
  Yep, and don't forget the deep analytics that they gather as well. That's a huge motivator