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

9to5mac.com

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

#451

Post by tanjtanjtanj »

apparent wrote: post #252

The search results in the App Store are ridiculous. Sometimes I search for an app by name and have to scroll through dozens of other apps before finding the one I had searched for. App Store search is as broken as Apple Mail search, if not worse.

I was shocked by the App Store yesterday. I was searching for a well known app made by a huge f500 company. Now, this app is by some distance the most used app in its category but they had CHANGED the name of the app to the name of the second largest app of that kind. That’s crazy!

A near fraud from the company and real failure of curation from Apple.

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

#452

Post by nkrisc »

embedding-shape wrote: post #405
nkrisc wrote: post #364

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The solution to the plague of ads is to just stop buying so much shit. Most the stuff we buy shouldn’t even exist in the first place.

> Most the stuff we buy shouldn’t even exist in the first place. But how would we know what should or shouldn't exist, if someone doesn't bring it into existence first so we can figure it out?

For example: most small, plastic toys should not exist, regardless of how many people might want them. They’re essentially mass-manufactured pollution that harms the global environment. Sure, you can find positive effects of them, but I argue those effects are not worth the downsides.

There are many other things that would be a net positive of they didn’t exist.

Just because something can exist, just because some people might want it to exist, doesn’t mean we’re better off. Honestly I think the Amish and their measured approach to technology is correct (though my rubric would be different than theirs).

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

#453

Post by like_any_other »

axelthegerman wrote: post #450
abustamam wrote: post #434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are ways to have full featured smartphones without Google, like Graphene OS. I am not aware of any alternatives that exist for Apple devices though

This! Sure you might need a Google account for your android but you don't HAVE to use all their services. First just don't use Gmail, docs, search, chrome and co. But even better get a Pixel with Graphene and Google's invasive tactics are even more limited. However it is sad that a company like Apple that used to produce superior hardware with superior UX is falling apart on all fronts - hardware (especially pricing)…

> you might need a Google account for your android

You don't. LineageOS works without a Google account. I would be surprised if GrapheneOS worked differently.

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

#454

Post by wkjagt »

Does anyone know when it started to be "ok" to disguise ads as search results? And I don't mean making them look more similar, but including them at all, even as the top results. I'm genuinely wondering how this started because it feels like such a bad idea, but everyone is now doing it anyway because we got used to it by adding it to our list of noise to filter out when interacting with anything connected to the internet.

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

#455

Post by davidjfelix »

wkjagt wrote: post #454

Does anyone know when it started to be "ok" to disguise ads as search results? And I don't mean making them look more similar, but including them at all, even as the top results. I'm genuinely wondering how this started because it feels like such a bad idea, but everyone is now doing it anyway because we got used to it by adding it to our list of noise to filter out when interacting with anything connected to the int…

It mostly seems like this was a response to the complex world of SEO. My perception is that SEO was seen as this pay-to-play 3rd party service that was offered by "experts" which allowed you to get the leg up on your competition. Search engines saw this as value being externally captured so they offered ads. Want to buy your way to the top? Quit paying 3rd parties to play the game and pay directly.

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

#456

Post by Auracle »

wkjagt wrote: post #454

Does anyone know when it started to be "ok" to disguise ads as search results? And I don't mean making them look more similar, but including them at all, even as the top results. I'm genuinely wondering how this started because it feels like such a bad idea, but everyone is now doing it anyway because we got used to it by adding it to our list of noise to filter out when interacting with anything connected to the int…

It happened at the same time enough users trained themselves to mentally skip over the ads.

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

#458

Post by stefanfisk »

k2enemy wrote: post #148
atonse wrote: post #8

More and more evidence that the a-holes with spreadsheets are taking over at Apple and they’re completely devoid of any ideas on the software side. I heard someone randomly say that they should replace Tim Cook with Scott Forstall. I chuckled at the idea but this might be a great idea. Apple is having its Ballmer moment. Google did too before AI lit the fire under their feet. Who is going to be Apple’s next Nadella?…

I could not agree more. It probably doesn't help that I just spend an hour trying to figure out how to update to 18.7.3 on my iphone. It turns out you can't. The only way to get security updates now is to upgrade to iOS 26. Apple no longer supports security updates to old major versions if the device is capable of running the new major release. Apple is no longer making choices that benefit customers, but ones that b…

Does switching to the public beta no longer work?

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

#459

Post by heraldgeezer »

mdasen wrote: post #21

This is what basically everyone else has done over the past decade. Google used to put a different background behind ads in its search ( https://www.fsedigital.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Google... ). It made it really easy to tell what was an ad and skip over it quickly. Now it's a lot harder to quickly notice what's an ad and what isn't. Sites used to have banner ads. Now they show posts that look exactly like t…

This is the end goal of having apps instead of browsers.

On an app I have to see the ad.

On a website I can use Firefox + ublock origin and I won't see an advert.

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

#460

Post by neop1x »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #356
spockz wrote: post #112

This is very unfortunate. To me Apple was the last corporate standing that is not doing ads nefariously. If this is changing what is next? I’m aware it is a slippery slope argument, but this has to do with trust. Apple’s advertised stance on privacy and security and ads always has been believable (to me) because of their business model and that they made it the distinguishing feature. Now, what is left? iPads are gre…

As with security and privacy, the only real solution is user choice. On Android, if you don't like the app store(s) that came with the device, you can use another one or none at all. On iOS, you have to get apps from the App Store.

This will probably end with "certified android devices" https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-...
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