Reddit constantly hassles me to use their app on mobile.
Why do they care so much?
I really don’t want to use their app. I just wish they’d give up and let me use the browser in peace.
Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
1–10 of 657 posts
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#2Ads
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#3I'd wager it's because the average user only blocks ads in the browser.
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#4Ads
Explained in three sad letters.
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#5Yeah 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).
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#6Install lockdown on iOS. It’ll block ads anywhere i assume. It’s such an hostile approach, like medium, I will never install their app or open an account.
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#7Yeah 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).
I have been using RedReader[1] on Android which doesn't display ads and it's also open source software.
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#8Short term: you can’t block the ads like you can in the browser.
Long term: to turn it into a chat app and somehow cash out.
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#9I worked on user tracking all my life. You can track user activities, interest etc, much better on an app. This data is valuable for in-house use and to sell it to the highest bidder.
Re: Ask HN: Why is Reddit on mobile so obsessed with making me use their app?
#10Other people are saying "ads," but the story is probably more expansive. Mobile apps have better hooks for pulling people back into the app, like popup notifications. Reddit has natural lifecycle points where they can do this: when people respond to your comments or comment on your posts. They could also notify users of events like their yearly Secret Santa. I wouldn't be surprised if their engagement numbers were much better on mobile: since they can draw users back into the app with notifications, they have better ad views, more people buy Reddit Gold, more people comment (which leads to other people having content to read), etc.