Apple testing new App Store design that blurs the line between ads and results

Post by cdrnsf » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 1:53 AM UTC

drnick1 wrote: post #198

cdrnsf wrote: post #41

Not only are Apple's services bad, they've becoming inescapable. It's rumored that they'll add ads to maps as soon as next year. Music.app is simply an ad for Apple Music, Books.app is like reading in a Barnes and Noble while someone from marketing looks over your shoulder and their TV app features their own shows to an overbearing degree — everything else is becoming more of an afterthought.

> Not only are Apple's services bad, they've becoming inescapable. As long as you decide to stay in Apple's jail. Next time you need or want a new phone, buy a Pixel 9a for $399 on sale, flash Graphene, and you can be 100% Apple and Google free. It's even better when paired with FOSS apps only like Nextcloud and Home Assistant.

Post by greatgib » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 2:37 AM UTC

Post by hu3 » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 2:41 AM UTC

wayeq wrote: post #189

rgovostes wrote: post #104

This makes no difference, because I can’t remember the last time I installed an app other than for the occasional airline. From 2008-12 it was genuinely exciting to see what new apps were being released every day. Mobile games from that era had cultural impact. I bought $2 apps without a thought. But Apple incentivized monetization above all else and killed that excitement. Now you can’t find a tip calculator that do…

> This makes no difference, because I can’t remember the last time I installed an app consumer manipulation en masse does impact you even if YOU don't fall for it.

Post by CGMthrowaway » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 2:48 AM UTC

hu3 wrote: post #206

CGMthrowaway wrote: post #133

Do people actually use the app store? Are we not all just searching in spotlight and clicking the first app that comes up (as long as it has 100K/1mil+ downloads) ?

if that was the norm, there wouldn't be ads in AppStore

Post by drnick1 » Tue, Jan 20, 2026, 3:26 AM UTC

TheDong wrote: post #208

drnick1 wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iPhones default to sending plain old texts to non-Apple devices so it's hardly an issue unless you don't have a phone number.

iMessage and RCS have some very different affordances, and apple keeps it that way to keep people walled into the system. Most notably, a single non-iMessage member in a group chat will degrade the experience for everyone significantly. It's very much an issue in the US.