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Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

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Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

#151

Post by spians »

keepingscore wrote: post #123
searchableguy wrote: post #40

Use an RSS reader. You will like the lack of feeling of being forced to comment on things you don't care much about in retrospection. No tracking or ads, only content. You can filter shady sites or posts from appearing. Here are some readers. 0] https://github.com/GetStream/Winds 1] https://github.com/FreshRSS/FreshRSS 2] https://github.com/feedbin/feedbin 3] https://github.com/yang991178/fluent-reader If you like so…

I built a better rss feed for reddit to use with Feedly. Notable features: * Links to the content rather than the comments * Embeds a summary of the content * Supports images, gifs and videos * Extra query params (nsfw block, up vote limits) * Open source https://github.com/trashhalo/reddit-rss https://www.reddit.com/r/rss/comments/fvg3ed/i_built_a_bette... https://www.reddit.com/r/rss/comments/galitc/my_improved_red…

Yes, I have been using your feed and it's amazing. Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

#152

Post by chromedev »

FreakyT wrote: post #74
julianwachholz wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet all of this could also be easily done with a PWA that could present with a much less intrusive "add to homescreen" bar.

Not on iOS! PWAs can't send push notifications on that platform, ever.

Fortunately Apple can't prevent PWAs from telling users that Apple is the reason they can't have good things. I'm disappointed however in Apple also blocking PWA's from the App Store.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

#153

Post by YPCrumble »

robinduckett wrote: post #118
spians wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. RSS is the way to go for browsing Reddit without all the dark patterns. Self plug - you can try my app Plenary on Android (no ads/trackers) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spians.ple... that has Reddit as one of the RSS Assistant option. It basically creates RSS feed for subreddits, users, search terms etc for you.

A feature of the app that you can't use without buying a monthly subscription or paying £10.49, to whom it may concern.

Interestingly parent’s plug is a dark pattern to avoid dark patterns!

It’s also surprising that even on HN, a place where many people write software for a living, people are avoidant of advertising paid features.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

#154

Post by gniv »

m0guz wrote: post #130
jamil7 wrote: post #5

Yeah ads. If you're on iOS check out Apollo, made by a solo developer and does not display ads. I'm not sure what the equivalent on Android would be (someone chime in if you know).

Ads only one of the reasons. Reddit also updated Reddit Coins [0] with their new design. With this new "in-app" economy, you can use real money to buy reddit coins and give an award to post. Another revenue stream for reddit. [0] https://www.reddit.com/coins

I think that's the real answer to OP's question. Reducing the friction to buying stuff is a big deal.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

#156

Post by spiderfarmer »

whalesalad wrote: post #41
jamil7 wrote: post #5

Yeah ads. If you're on iOS check out Apollo, made by a solo developer and does not display ads. I'm not sure what the equivalent on Android would be (someone chime in if you know).

+1 for Apollo. Lots of great features and it follows Apple HIG (Human interface guidelines) unlike the bizarre UI direction of everything Reddit is doing these days.

I’m afraid and won't be surprised if Reddit goes the Twitter route and kills (or somehow cripples) third party apps like Apollo. If Reddit is this adamant on destroying the user experience of their platform, killing off great apps like Apollo seems to fit that strategy.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

#157

Post by danjac »

johnyzee wrote: post #127
whywhywhywhy wrote: post #85

That and the layout of their "new" redesign where you go to a post and it'll show the post, 2 comments (out of 500), not even the full threads of those comments either and then just some unrelated posts and you have to click on more links just to read the actual comments and you can feel your browser choke under the weight of whatever framework they use trying to render a few bits of text. Noticed Twitter switching t…

It seems web developers these days have forgotten the virtue of keeping things simple. Everything has to be smothered in javascript, and asynchronous requests, and fluid UI that changes on the slightest interaction. I'm guessing it is a case of having a hammer, in the form of the heavy javascript frameworks, a la mode, and using it to treat every simple implementation task as a nail. HN is a great example of how play…

It's easy to blame web developers. All too often they are using overengineered hacks to implement bizarre requirements from UX and product managers who don't and won't understand the web but absolutely must see their vision take form (reminds me of the Mad Men quote: "we employ more frustrated artists than the Third Reich").

Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?

#159

Post by GekkePrutser »

FreakyT wrote: post #74
julianwachholz wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yet all of this could also be easily done with a PWA that could present with a much less intrusive "add to homescreen" bar.

Not on iOS! PWAs can't send push notifications on that platform, ever.

Well, good. Being spammed with notifications is the primary reason I refuse to install many apps. Sure, you can turn it off but they really make you hunt around for it.
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