Another example, although this was from a year or two ago and I'm not sure if it's still the case: duolingo's website functions differently than the app and is just hands down better. turns out I could just export it as a PWA and so I could have my cake and eat it too.
“It works better in the app”
301–310 of 496 posts
Re: “It works better in the app”
#302Earlier quoted context omitted.
What complaint?
People complained there was no SDK or way to install software on the iPhone outside of web apps.
They did more than complain. They made their own hacker SDK. It was a pretty awesome time. For the first few years the black market software world on iOS could do a ton of fun things that official apps couldn’t at all.
Re: “It works better in the app”
#303Earlier quoted context omitted.
What really grinds my gears is when the app is a _broken_ version of the website. I find the app really expects you to be on the happy path in a way the website does not. Uhaul is a great example of this. The app looks a little better on mobile, but if you don’t make an account and search by reservation ID, all features related to things like extending a reservation time are nonfunctional. I have to go to the mobile…
UHaul is the only app I've ever encountered that is less efficient than talking to a human being behind a counter. I have tried multiple times to pick up a reservation via the app and it has taken so long or failed at some point that I had to walk into the store anyway. And it wants a photo of my license EVERY GODDAMN TIME. And no I can't store a photo of my license on my phone and just upload it - it has to take a p…
That's funny, I've NEVER, not even once, encountered ANY app from any company, in any business, that is easier or more efficient than talking to a human being behind a counter. (So long as the human behind the counter is not also hamstrung by dreadful Indian crapware...)
Seriously, like most people, I have dozens of apps on my phone, forced on me by various needs. The ONLY one that makes anything easier or better is my password manager, which I have to have to safely keep and lookup the logins and passwords for all the damn apps...
Re: “It works better in the app”
#304At 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…
If your app is just a webpage that forces me to use an app just so you can spy on me I just won't use your product. I've switched brokers over it, I swapped banks, I stopped shopping at certain stores. I'm done. The only say I have is in how I spend my money. Those companies won't get any of mine if I can help it. I am the customer, not the product dammit.
I agree with you. But some time the social aspect in our life force us to to make compromise.
Re: “It works better in the app”
#305Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wish everyone thought like this. Unfortunately the average user demands an app and thinks they have nothing to hide.
Please provide your proof of this statement
Data from your own users is the most useful, but here's some published data. There's plenty more to be found and of course methodology, quality and intention varies.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK616185
https://www.aba.com/news-research/analysis-guides/preferred-...
https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2017-IAB-Glob...
Re: “It works better in the app”
#306ClassDojo.com, a platform for students/parents/teachers, is a major offender of this.
Re: “It works better in the app”
#307Earlier quoted context omitted.
Its like two taps on my phone to scan a QR code where as typing that is probably going to take me 26+ taps. And I usually prefer to just scan a QR code to get the wifi details. Once again, its far fewer taps. If you could do something with just two clicks or do something with 26 clicks, which path would you normally take?
You scan and trust random QR codes? To paraphrase George Bush: Goatse me once, shame on...shame on you. Goatse me — you can't get Goatse'd again
How does typing a url stop that?
type out: https://thisislegitparkingpaymentwebsite.com
Is this goatse or is it the real payment website for your parking? You won’t know unless you go there
Re: “It works better in the app”
#308Earlier quoted context omitted.
Idk Google Maps is pretty bad. Clicking on the search bar force opens the App Store, and trying to load photos does the same and straight up lies to you saying it’s only available in the app. But if you scroll down to the second carousel of images it loads fine in web.
Google Maps has a better excuse for wanting to be an app than most since a primary use case on mobile is turn-by-turn navigation. That's possible to do in a web page now, but several features that improve the experience are not available in browsers.
I'm annoyed by a different thing ... It used to be when you searched for something, maps would always be a tab for results. Now it doesn't seem to be anymore...
Re: “It works better in the app”
#309Earlier quoted context omitted.
UHaul is the only app I've ever encountered that is less efficient than talking to a human being behind a counter. I have tried multiple times to pick up a reservation via the app and it has taken so long or failed at some point that I had to walk into the store anyway. And it wants a photo of my license EVERY GODDAMN TIME. And no I can't store a photo of my license on my phone and just upload it - it has to take a p…
That's funny, I've NEVER, not even once, encountered ANY app from any company, in any business, that is easier or more efficient than talking to a human being behind a counter. (So long as the human behind the counter is not also hamstrung by dreadful Indian crapware...) Seriously, like most people, I have dozens of apps on my phone, forced on me by various needs. The ONLY one that makes anything easier or better is…
Does that include waiting in line at an airport?
Re: “It works better in the app”
#310At 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…
100% same. So many apps are just a WebView vessel for Crashlytics and Sentry and Dog knows how much more tracking. (My phone is always VPNed into my home network which has DNS-level ad and tracker blocking. This doesn't cover all the bases though.) Some, like Home Depot, have websites that are terrible and battery-draining enough to make the app nominally useful by comparison.
> My phone is always VPNed into my home network which has DNS-level ad and tracker blocking.
I've been looking to do this setup. Would you share a few details of which tools you've used?