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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?

#501

Post by sfblah »

My reply will probably get drowned out, but part of what's going on here (for me at least) is Google Amp. I browse reddit as a registered user, and I set the flag for them to stop directing me to the app on mobile. The problem is, if a Google search sends me to a reddit page, because that page is generally served via Amp, it doesn't have my user details, so I get hassled about this.

As a test, I switched to Bing. Problem went away. I'm assuming there's some way to disable Amp on Google as well for my account, but I haven't gone any further in researching this.

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

#503

Post by asaramis »

This has been the most infuriating thing, and as someone who works in media - can trace it directly back to the hire of the former Time Inc COO: https://www.ozy.com/the-new-and-the-next/can-she-make-brands...

They turned Time Inc into a spammy content factory - did huge deals with Taboola/Outbrain, along with creating stuff like a short FB video show about brunch foods. Came over to Reddit and keeps spouting off these huge proclamations about billions of users. They came over right after the huge raise so it's clear that the clear mandate is to commercialize at every possibly touchpoint.

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

#504

Post by TheRealDunkirk »

I desperately wish I could still use the old Google feature to block certain sites from appearing in results. Reddit threads frequently get into the top 5 of my searches on gaming or programming questions, and clicking through gives me the question, and the first line of the answer, and then I have to deal with all the garbage the site now stuffs down your throat. To top it off, Reddit NEVER has usable answers to what I want to know. 99% of the time, that first answer is something unrelated, and that's the extent of the thread. The bottom line is that they're royally screwing up search results, and I often add `-reddit -site:reddit.com` to my searches now.

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

#505

Post by chromedev »

briandear wrote: post #347
chromedev wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Despite what many might think, everything doesn’t need to be an “app,” PWA or otherwise. Reddit is literally a message board, one of the earliest types of website. It doesn’t need my location — ever. Email works just fine as a notification, if I want it as a “push” notification, I could VIP-enable the notification email address in Mail. Does Reddit need my accelerometer? Or direct access to my camera or microphone? O…

A PWA is a web page and uses the browser engine. You don't have to enable notifications and still get prompted just like the browser.

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

#506

Post by ccheney »

moksly wrote: post #21
nottorp wrote: post #13

Funny, they make me not read reddit on mobile with their insistence on using the app. But the real reason is tracking and spamming you with notifications to get "engagement".

I still use old.reddit.com. Such an improved experience, even on mobile where the format doesn’t fit. So maybe that’s why they want you in the app? They know their website is terrible?

A big reason is likely so they can place ads in your feeds while using the app and avoid ad blocking extensions, push notifications, etc.

For mobile usage I use the third party app, Apollo[1], highly recommended.

For desktop I use a couple of third party extensions to improve the experience & normalize the UI, Old Reddit Redirect [2], RES [3]. I then disable subreddit css and enable dark mode. Any subreddit I visit looks exactly the same as any other, it really allows you to focus on reading content.

- https://apolloapp.io/ [1]

- https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/old-reddit-redirec... [2]

- https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/reddit-enhancement... [3]

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

#507

Post by zamalek »

sixo wrote: post #331

It is pretty offensive that they say "reddit works better on the app" when the only reason for that is that they broke everything on mobile (on purpose?) in a series of badly-implemented redesigns. I'm never going to install it, and I have all but stopped reading it because these prompts are so obnoxious. That's probably +$ for Reddit though. I don't understand why companies constantly do stuff that serves only _them…

> I'm never going to install it

There are third-party apps. I have been using Sync (Android) for years, and it's bloody fantastic.

I wonder when they will cut third-party apps off.

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

#509

Post by intsunny »

ShorsHammer wrote: post #369
sixo wrote: post #331

It is pretty offensive that they say "reddit works better on the app" when the only reason for that is that they broke everything on mobile (on purpose?) in a series of badly-implemented redesigns. I'm never going to install it, and I have all but stopped reading it because these prompts are so obnoxious. That's probably +$ for Reddit though. I don't understand why companies constantly do stuff that serves only _them…

I use Redreader on android. The experience is magnitudes better than the "real" app It's free and opensource, available on f-droid or if you are so inclined google playstore. https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.quantumbadger.redreader/

Redreader is awesome.

The interface is a little clumsy, it is open source and verifiably not making unrequested connections to the Internet is amazing.

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

#510

Post by philsnow »

maxk42 wrote: post #464
boring_twenties wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone actually installed a LinkedIn mobile app? May I ask why?

LinkedIn actually disables some features, including certain types of messaging on their mobile site when not accessing it via the mobile app. Infuriating.

Yelp doesn't let you see more than a few photos in mobile web; if you switch to desktop view you can see all the photos but of course all the dimensions are janky.
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