Universal I've Finally Had it with Apps

[Sheepish-Lord]

Anyone else feel like lots companies are pushing you towards apps instead of websites? My recent experience with the Amazon app has me evaluating this as I went to open it a couple days ago and was greeted with a full screen video/audio ad for Lord of the Rings. Here's a few more:

YouTube - mobile browser only auto plays 360p (720p if selected) so you need the app
Netgear - reduced functionality on some features using web browser
Reddit - website may eventually stop scrolling regardless of browser

On a similar note, a lot of apps simply have decreased functionality vs their browser counterparts. On my phone I've effectively reduced the amount of apps to just things my phone would need (e.g. navigation, banking). I was never a heavy app user but I feel like companies are doing this in an effort to track/control the user experience and it feels slimy. Lastly, there's very few apps that can replace a website UI or stand alone OS software.

 

[russell_314]

It depends on what I'm doing. I watch a whole lot of YouTube videos but prefer looking at them in Firefox. The app just seemed terrible. I use Google Maps or Apple Maps apps as I would think this would not work so well in a webpage. Banking I use the app just because it's faster. Of course it would depend on how bad or good your bank app is. Many terrible apps are just glorified web browsers. One of my banking apps opens thing and sometimes it will mention about the app like I'm not looking at this in an app. Also capcha will sometimes pop up but I can only see 3/4 of the squares because it's not showing the whole webpage in the app.

 

[headlessmike]

I often have the opposite feeling: I get frustrated with services that don't offer a good native app option. The web browser is better than a app wrapper around a web page, but I always prefer a good app over a web page. I guess I just don't like the typical mobile web structure.

 

[usagora]

99.9% of the time I prefer the desktop web browsing experience to a mobile web browsing experience OR mobile web app experience, even if the mobile website or app is great.

It depends on what I'm doing. I watch a whole lot of YouTube videos but prefer looking at them in Firefox. The app just seemed terrible.

I mean, as I said above, I almost always prefer the desktop browser experience, but I don't know how anyone could call the YouTube app "terrible" 🤨 I use it daily and really have very few complaints (there's really no such thing as a perfect app). Why do you think it's terrible?

 

[Benlurks1010]

It can be very frustrating when websites make the mobile webpage such a nightmare to use that you’re basically forced to get the app. I know WHY they do it…they want you on the version of the site that you can’t run adblockers on, but it’s frustrating when you have problems with the app and you’re left without a good alternative.

And yes, it’s always funny when the app leaves out basic features of the website so you’re forced to use the latter anyway. I tried using the Walmart app to upload a product protection plan from my receipt the other day, only to get “Uh yeah you’re just gonna have to safari this, sorry. Give 5 stars plz!”

That said there are a couple rare apps that I do enjoy using over the web counterparts. Gmail and Hoopla Digital are the first that come to mind.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

99.9% of the time I prefer the desktop web browsing experience to a mobile web browsing experience OR mobile web app experience, even if the mobile website or app is great.



I mean, as I said above, I almost always prefer the desktop browser experience, but I don't know how anyone could call the YouTube app "terrible" 🤨 I use it daily and really have very few complaints (I mean, there's really no such thing as a perfect app). Why do you think it's terrible?

My issue with the YouTube app is the ads that start at the begin of a video usually take up the whole screen or apps that have the app store link/button built inside which are easy to accidentally click. I don't mind ads to an extent but the aggressive nature feels like malware.

 

[MisterSavage]

I often have the opposite feeling: I get frustrated with services that don't offer a good native app option. The web browser is better than a app wrapper around a web page, but I always prefer a good app over a web page. I guess I just don't like the typical mobile web structure.

THIS right here. I know there's a package coming to me via Fedex. Go to the website, log in, and I can't find where to determine what packages are headed my way. Launch the app and my incoming packages are front and center.

 

[usagora]

My issue with the YouTube app is the ads that start at the begin of a video usually take up the whole screen or apps that have the app store link/button built inside which are easy to accidentally click. I don't mind ads to an extent but the aggressive nature feels like malware.

YouTube Premium. Totally worth it (and not just for ad-free).

 

[sracer]

Anyone else feel like lots companies are pushing you towards apps instead of websites? My recent experience with the Amazon app has me evaluating this as I went to open it a couple days ago and was greeted with a full screen video/audio ad for Lord of the Rings. Here's a few more:

YouTube - mobile browser only auto plays 360p (720p if selected) so you need the app
Netgear - reduced functionality on some features using web browser
Reddit - website may eventually stop scrolling regardless of browser

On a similar note, a lot of apps simply have decreased functionality vs their browser counterparts. On my phone I've effectively reduced the amount of apps to just things my phone would need (e.g. navigation, banking). I was never a heavy app user but I feel like companies are doing this in an effort to track/control the user experience and it feels slimy. Lastly, there's very few apps that can replace a website UI or stand alone OS software.

That's always been the case but yes, things appear to be getting worse in that regard.

This is one of the reasons why I find myself using my Chrome OS-based Lenovo Duet tablet (and ThinkPad Chromebook in tablet mode) for those things:

• No need to install separate apps.
• No wave of app updates.
• The shortcuts are just a few bytes compared to the MB size of apps. (launching the shortcut is quick)
• Launch the shortcuts as windows and they can be tiled or overlapped.

This obviously isn't for everyone, but if you have the opportunity to give something like that a try, I recommend it.

 

[sorgo †]

This won’t completely (or maybe at all) help with the crux of the issue, and perhaps you’ve already heard of it, but I can’t recommend Banish for Safari enough. Gets rid of all those pushy, annoying “Open in App” banners across websites.

‎Banish - Block 'Open in App'

‎BANISH. The #1 Safari Extension to block annoying 'Open in App' popups & other dark patterns on the web. “Banish does one thing and does it well: it nukes dickpanels in Safari on iPhone and iPad” — John Gruber, Daring Fireball "The app proved incredibly useful. For instance, when on Quora...

apps.apple.com

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

This won’t completely (or maybe at all) help with the crux of the issue, and perhaps you’ve already heard of it, but I can’t recommend Banish for Safari enough. Gets rid of all those pushy, annoying “Open in App” banners across websites.

‎Banish - Block 'Open in App'

‎BANISH. The #1 Safari Extension to block annoying 'Open in App' popups & other dark patterns on the web. “Banish does one thing and does it well: it nukes dickpanels in Safari on iPhone and iPad” — John Gruber, Daring Fireball "The app proved incredibly useful. For instance, when on Quora...

apps.apple.com

Sorry, not paying $3 for something a free adblocker can do roughly the same.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

YouTube Premium. Totally worth it (and not just for ad-free).

I wouldn’t mind it if the creators got a piece of the money but I can almost guarantee they don’t. Additionally, Google takes my data and makes profit off that so no way I’m giving them my money in addition.

*Edit* - I stand corrected, post #14 outlines various criteria for receiving YouTube premium funds. Personally I would still rather support my favorite creators directly.

 

[orionquest]

I believe what is happening is a development issue. They are streamlining workflows to create 1 app for Desktop and Mobile. This transition probably is generating a lot of rough edges. From a business standpoint it makes sense to have 1 app do both. My preferred bank is doing this and I dislike the way the interface works on desktop.
With Mobile first approach now, and more so with the next generation of users probably not having desktops or laptops this situation most likely won't go away or be a priority for non Mobile interfaces.

 

[usagora]

I wouldn’t mind it if the creators got a piece of the money but I can almost guarantee they don’t. Additionally, Google takes my data and makes profit off that so no way I’m giving them my money in addition.

Well obviously they profit off it. They're sort of a business, you know. As for creator revenue, you are incorrect:

Your content & YouTube Premium - YouTube Help

YouTube Premium is available in several countries/regions. Learn more about YouTube Premium available locations. YouTube Premium FAQ for YouTube partners & creators For years, YouT

support.google.com

 

[Ashbash75]

I’ve always used the browser if I can, my argument is no apps running the background draining my battery, no notifications, it’s feature rich, cross platform, etc.

But iOS & pados, the browsing experience is so painful

 

[headlessmike]

I wouldn’t mind it if the creators got a piece of the money but I can almost guarantee they don’t.

From what I've heard (on podcasts with YouTubers), the creator makes a greater share on the Premium revenue than they do that from adds per view. If that is correct, then Premium would be the way to go if you if you want to support your favorite creators (excluding more direct support like Patreon).

 

[Jeven Stobs]

You can use the desktop website for YouTube.

 

[Beatrix Kiddo]

Anyone else feel like lots companies are pushing you towards apps instead of websites? My recent experience with the Amazon app has me evaluating this as I went to open it a couple days ago and was greeted with a full screen video/audio ad for Lord of the Rings. Here's a few more:

YouTube - mobile browser only auto plays 360p (720p if selected) so you need the app
Netgear - reduced functionality on some features using web browser
Reddit - website may eventually stop scrolling regardless of browser

On a similar note, a lot of apps simply have decreased functionality vs their browser counterparts. On my phone I've effectively reduced the amount of apps to just things my phone would need (e.g. navigation, banking). I was never a heavy app user but I feel like companies are doing this in an effort to track/control the user experience and it feels slimy. Lastly, there's very few apps that can replace a website UI or stand alone OS software.

I can totally relate.

 

[klasma]

Anyone else feel like lots companies are pushing you towards apps instead of websites? My recent experience with the Amazon app has me evaluating this as I went to open it a couple days ago and was greeted with a full screen video/audio ad for Lord of the Rings. Here's a few more:

YouTube - mobile browser only auto plays 360p (720p if selected) so you need the app
Netgear - reduced functionality on some features using web browser
Reddit - website may eventually stop scrolling regardless of browser

On a similar note, a lot of apps simply have decreased functionality vs their browser counterparts. On my phone I've effectively reduced the amount of apps to just things my phone would need (e.g. navigation, banking). I was never a heavy app user but I feel like companies are doing this in an effort to track/control the user experience and it feels slimy. Lastly, there's very few apps that can replace a website UI or stand alone OS software.

They do that because they can track and “engage” you better in the app, and they have to care less about content blockers.

 

[klasma]

I wouldn’t mind it if the creators got a piece of the money but I can almost guarantee they don’t. Additionally, Google takes my data and makes profit off that so no way I’m giving them my money in addition.

I subscribed to YouTube Premium in order to have audio when the display is off or the app in the background. However I registered using VPN with a $NON_FIRST_WORLD_COUNTRY address, so they only get around $1.50 per month from me. As a bonus, you get weird “local” suggestions for the first week or so.

 

[cateye]

From what I've heard (on podcasts with YouTubers), the creator makes a greater share on the Premium revenue than they do that from adds per view.

Can confirm. Views from Premium subscribers are far more valuable to content creators than free/ad-supported viewers in terms of guaranteed revenue. Direct support (e.g. Patreon, BuyMeACoffee, etc.) is always better, of course, but Google's revenue sharing setup is surprisingly generous, particularly if your videos have high engagement—meaning, many people watch all the way through.

YouTube Premium is a no-brainer if the goal is to flip the narrative that the only way to support content creation is through advertising. Advertising is a cancer on the content industry and can die in a fire.

Lastly, there's very few apps that can replace a website UI or stand alone OS software.

In general, I think apps are wildly overrated, and not just for the reasons you state. Apple unrelentingly pushes them (and strongly pushes developers to attach recurring revenue streams, like subscriptions, to their apps) because it benefits Apple financially, not because it's something end users want or need—that the App Store has tens of millions of apps that constantly duplicate function is not a sign of a healthy ecosystem, it's a sign that Apple is chasing revenue through shovelware and churn.

I have a handful of apps on my iPhone. Few financial apps, two word games, few media apps (e.g. YouTube, Spotify, Plex, etc.) where the in-app experience genuinely improves upon the web version, plus a handful of utilities with no web equivalent (like the app to control my Eero units). Otherwise, I have zero interest in playing Apple's games or supporting their manipulative App Store walled garden. A web browser offers so much more, and more efficiently, than most apps.

 

[usagora]

However I registered using VPN with a $NON_FIRST_WORLD_COUNTRY address, so they only get around $1.50 per month from me.

That's not right, dude. Don't try to cheat the system. If you found a "hack" at a self checkout machine that made it give you twice the change you were owed, would you condone that and show other people how to do that? I sure hope not. Not sure how this is any different. I also find it hard to believe how this would be possible since surely your credit card is not issued by that country nor is your billing address there.

 

[ndouglas]

I agree apps’ proliferation are annoying, and there’s no limit to the day to day life situations where one is required or semi-required to download an app, just for one random thing or task.

However, trying to avoid apps reminds me of myself in early iPhone 1 days thinking things like “I don’t like touchscreens they’re too unreliable, I need a button / tactile interface” but here we are 15+ years later and I can’t still use my old Nokia 6010 anymore. 🤗

Back to apps, yes I avoid them as a few others posted and prefer the web sites / browser versions. But there are good points made above also why apps can be better to use.

At the end of the day, I just try to keep my installed apps to a minimum, since there are so frequently articles about “these 5-10 apps were just caught secretly misusing or sharing user data…” sigh!

 

[Mega ST]

I especially dislike the permanent updates that try to use my bandwidth and data volume when on the road in slow networks or bad reception areas. An airline website or similar to handle my booking is okay. But I always stored other interesting websites mostly as bookmarks only on my Home Screen for shortcut access. For me there is no need for too many apps. And they spy on you and all together leave some sort of fingerprint to profile you.
It is easy to get an app whenever you need it. And it is as easy to delete it when not needed.

 

[klasma]

I also find it hard to believe how this would be possible since surely your credit card is not issued by that country nor is your billing address there.

I was surprised as well, but apparently they don’t check the credit card provenance and don’t verify that the specified billing address matches the credit card. I used Google Maps to pick a random address.