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“It works better in the app”

shkspr.mobi

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Re: “It works better in the app”

#61

Post by the_bear »

In Google's defense, they weren't the ones that championed the "everything must be an app" movement. My memory of the 2010s is that Google (and while they were relevant, Palm) pushed cross-platform web apps, but Apple ran a successful marketing campaign to convince everyone that everything on mobile must be a native app for reasons[1]. So we end up with a walled garden of native apps that must be approved by and pay a tax to the company that makes the OS.

The result is that instead of building one app that works on all platforms, software companies need to build three apps: Web, iOS, and Android. I'm sympathetic to why most software companies (including my own) choose to just build a web app wrapped in a native wrapper. If a company does decide to build a totally separate iOS app, I dunno, it seems reasonable not to build support for every single niche feature that the web app has. I'm not sure I get the outrage here, especially since Google has a long track record of preferring web apps to native.

[1]The "reasons" primarily are that Apple refused to support PWAs, hamstrung mobile Safari, and refused to allow third-party browsers. So while it's true that native apps can offer a better experience than mobile web apps, that's mostly just because Apple artificially restricts web apps.

Re: “It works better in the app”

#62

Post by LoganDark »

There's another class of problem, websites that pretend to work in the browser but refuse to support any reasonable type of login session.

Like, sure, there are login sessions that expire after five seconds of inactivity. Sometimes it even turns out that they don't support passkeys or TOTP, and you have to add a phone number for SMS authentication, which reduces account security by letting attackers prove your identity.

I want a browser extension that automatically clicks those "I'm still here" pop-ups on scummy websites like this...

But they have an app. And they don't even shove it in your face that the experience is better with the app or whatever. But it is for one and literally only ever one singular reason: it doesn't log you out every five seconds

Re: “It works better in the app”

#63

Post by pyjarrett »

When I was job hunting earlier this year, LinkedIn on my phone told me to install the app. Sure, why not? So I did. It refused to authenticate and never worked. One good point is that at least the mobile web version didn't lock me out with an impassable overlay like some websites are starting to do.

Re: “It works better in the app”

#64

Post by pelotron »

This past weekend I was flying on Delta and my first flight was delayed such that I was going to miss my connecting flight, so I rebooked onto a later one. During my layover I visited the gate agent to get a boarding pass with a seat assignment.

"Do you have the Delta app?"

"Nope."

Then he pressed a few keys on his keyboard and printed out a new boarding pass for me within five seconds. I couldn't believe he was trying to kick me over to the app if it was that easy.

Re: “It works better in the app”

#65

Post by nottorp »

onion2k wrote: post #10
arthurezende wrote: post #5

It's almost impossible to use social networks on mobile without installing their apps

If you don't install it they keep you from spending time on them. It's a feature, not a bug.

Not to mention the battery savings when nothing pulls those "engagement" posts in the background...

Re: “It works better in the app”

#66

Post by ninjahawk1 »

What’s even worse is intentionally degrading performance for sign-in’s. This is still circumstantial but I’ve been looking into that over the past few weeks.

When switching between google accounts on a random app or game, no issue. Quick code, you’re in. When I switch between accounts on Claude on mobile, I have to sign in, enter the code, screen freezes, I sign in again, can’t verify it’s me, I sign again, wait 30 seconds, I’m in.

I have to sign in three separate times when signing into a single google account in Claude. For every single other app it’s very quick.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Anthropic and google are working together to degrade sign-in performance for multi-account users. I can’t fully prove it yet but I plan to be able to in the week or two.

Re: “It works better in the app”

#68

Post by davedx »

arthurezende wrote: post #5

It's almost impossible to use social networks on mobile without installing their apps

When I rejoined X at the start of this year I consciously decided not to install the app on my phone. It's addicting enough in the web browser on my laptop.

So I have zero social media networks on my phone and, looking at everyone around me who does, I'm very pleased with this decision.

Re: “It works better in the app”

#69

Post by dingaling »

pj_mukh wrote: post #59
brk wrote: post #9

At this point the barrier for me to install an app is pretty high. If you're going to needlessly gate certain functions behind an app that work on a desktop browser (or could work in-browser), then I just won't use those functions. If by extension that degrades the value I get from your site, then I just won't use the site, and I won't be contributing to ADU stats you promote to advertisers. Every single company has…

The flip side is: I have an Audioguide app with reams of fancy of AI features. Even a basic non-AI one is we use GPS in the background to auto-trigger when you approach certain checkpoints on your tour, and we don't want you staring or constantly manually fiddling with the phone when you're on a tour in a neighborhood. This is all stuff just not possible with the web app I get it, "I'm just traveling, why do I need t…

Sounds like gratuitous over-use of technology.

Please just put placards on your exhibits, then I can take as long ( or as quickly ) as I need to digest the info.

People can then use their phone to translate into other languages, if needed.

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