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'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

theguardian.com

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Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#431

Post by gs17 »

Kwpolska wrote: post #255
ryandrake wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t people just print their boarding passes at home before they leave for the airport? Or worst case, use the kiosks at the airports which print passes? Very few of the passengers in line ahead of me are using their phones.

People still have printers at home? Low-cost airlines charge a fee for printing boarding passes at the airport.

At a certain point, low-cost airlines become high-cost, at least in time and annoyance. I have a cousin who insists that Sprit saves him money, and every family holiday his plane is delayed or cancelled, and he had to fly to a different city and drive to where we are.

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#432

Post by ajolly »

adrian_b wrote: post #198
JeanMarcS wrote: post #10

My brother doesn't have à smartphone (by choice). For example, he cannot access his bank account via his desktop anymore. He have to go to his agency in person. Well we all did that for years so it's just annoying, because he still have the possibility to do it and it's his choice. But what will happen if all the brick and mortar close ? When will it be mandatory to get a smartphone for his bank app, just to have acc…

While I have a smartphone, I choose to not have a Google account. One of the banks that I am using has terminated its on-line banking service, which I had been using for almost 20 years, replacing it with an app. That would not have been a problem if they would have provided the app themselves on their Web site, but they refuse to do this and they provide the app only in the Google on-line store, which I cannot use b…

Can you use Aurora store? https://auroraoss.com/ (That's what I use when I don't want to put a Google account on an Android phone)

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#433

Post by rex_gallorum2 »

deeg wrote: post #148

To play somewhat of a devils advocate, 30 years ago this article could have been titled the tyranny of the internet. Is this much different from that.

30 years ago, the internet was a novelty, nothing more, and it remained so easily for another ten years after that. It wasn't until the widespread adoption of smartphones that permanent connectivity came to be taken for granted.

It was actually very easy to get by without any of it until quite recently, when legacy options for all kinds of things began being phased out.

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#434

Post by scarface_74 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #168
pqtyw wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Parking apps are worse than parking meters. I certainly don't agree with that one. I really don't miss having to pay for a fixed number of hours and then having to figure out what to do if I'm running late (or wasting money if I get back early). > 4. Airline apps that are worse than just printing a boarding pass. Unless the app is exceptionally horrible you can just export it to Apple/Android wallet which is muc…

> Unless the app is exceptionally horrible you can just export it to Apple/Android wallet which is much more convenient than having to find a printer. Why do iOS and Android phones have a "wallet", and why a boarding pass would have anything to do with it? There's an electronic solution strictly better than the app, for when you have no printer handy: just give the user the goddamned PDF ! Works everywhere, works off…

Can a PDF automatically update with gate changes and delays?

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#435

Post by mrweasel »

SilasX wrote: post #134
JeanMarcS wrote: post #10

My brother doesn't have à smartphone (by choice). For example, he cannot access his bank account via his desktop anymore. He have to go to his agency in person. Well we all did that for years so it's just annoying, because he still have the possibility to do it and it's his choice. But what will happen if all the brick and mortar close ? When will it be mandatory to get a smartphone for his bank app, just to have acc…

Related issue: how every website seems to migrate to some smartphone-optimized version that looks like a mobile app blown up to a bigger screen that works much worse on desktop. Hall of Shame: Twitter, Facebook, even Vanguard. What's even more confusing/frustrating is that, despite being developed with very elaborate, mature frameworks, they still lack basic UI accommodations, like making clickable elements detectabl…

My bank is developing a new version of their online banking solution. They've decided to model in on their app, which I refuse to use because it's absolutely garbage. So now I have a online banking platform that can't do copy/paste on, hides much of the relevant information and is generally much harder to use than the old version.

I've provide feedback on multiple occasions, but I don't have high hopes for them to fix anything. If I where running a business and to use the site every day I'd be pissed and threatening to move my business else where.

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#436

Post by ponector »

42772827 wrote: post #288
reaperman wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I often can no longer ask for a menu at restaurants that expect me to scan a QR code. Well…I can ask, but they don’t have any to provide.

I ask the waiter what’s good, and usually end up going back forth a few times. It’s not as efficient, but it keeps me from reaching for my phone, which is covered in germs.

And in case of paper menu? It is also covered in germs. Do you read it or refuse and ask a waiter?

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#437

Post by drdaeman »

kQq9oHeAz6wLLS wrote: post #176
TeMPOraL wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do a little reverse engineering/analysis on the app, to parallel-construct the claims of 'fifticon (as to not require them to leak internal info or become a whistleblower). If it's as bad as it sounds, go to press. Or just dump an expose on Twitter/X to maximize public awareness. > who is even "the user" here? The doctors and their patients. If it's as bad as it sounds, it actively degrades the ability of doctors to…

People should instead just vote with you feet and dollars. That'll be inconvenient, but if it bothers you enough, you'll make the effort. A crucial part of this approach is to let your doctor know exactly why you're leaving. If they're losing business over it, they'll look for alternatives. And if the EHR company loses money, they'll look to make changes, too.

Surely it's not a well-functioning market, when the client (the medical organization) had accepted and paid for a clearly dysfunctional software that harms their operations. Yet, they somehow survive and continue to function despite it.

And thus it's questionable whenever voting with wallet would work. It works in healthy, free and competitive markets with rational actors, and we probably aren't looking at one.

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#438

Post by scarface_74 »

ryandrake wrote: post #163
pqtyw wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 1. Parking apps are worse than parking meters. I certainly don't agree with that one. I really don't miss having to pay for a fixed number of hours and then having to figure out what to do if I'm running late (or wasting money if I get back early). > 4. Airline apps that are worse than just printing a boarding pass. Unless the app is exceptionally horrible you can just export it to Apple/Android wallet which is muc…

Don’t people just print their boarding passes at home before they leave for the airport? Or worst case, use the kiosks at the airports which print passes? Very few of the passengers in line ahead of me are using their phones.

What airline are you flying and in what country?

And who has printers at home anymore?

My wife and I fly quite often and mostly Delta - over a dozen times a year. Very few people still use paper tickets.

Re: 'The tyranny of apps': those without smartphones are unfairly penalised

#440

Post by cesarb »

invalidname wrote: post #13
rwmj wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the app is required - which has happened already (eg. bank apps, car charging) or could happen in the future - then I think it's reasonable to call this bad. Maybe not a "tyranny", we'd probably want to reserve that for the government doing it, but not good news.

Why? It's a tool. Do you complain when the bank requires you to sign something with a pen? We require computers today for many things. Why not force websites to provide phone service with exactly the same pricing. Guess what the effect will be? Higher prices. The same is true with apps, some things make no financial sense without them.

> It's a tool. Do you complain when the bank requires you to sign something with a pen?

Every single time my bank requires me to sign something with a pen, they also provide the pen.

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