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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

#281

Post by ryandrake »

kxrm wrote: post #249
ryandrake wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I'm weird, but when I go on a trip, I generally pack my smartphone, if I bring it at all. It would be a royal pain to go find it again when I get into line to board.

Same, I do recognize that walking around without a smartphone starting to become "weird" to others though. I don't mind being weird. I live in a major US city and get hit up for cash by the homeless sometimes. When I explain I do not have a cellphone to them when they ask for money through some cash app. They look bewildered. Just 20 years ago I was the only one carrying around such a device for IT reasons. Now I am…

Wait, destitute people who have nothing are asking to send money through a smartphone app?? I'd argue the world is weird, not us.

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

#282

Post by OkayPhysicist »

jdietrich wrote: post #188
everdrive wrote: post #28

People are writing this off, but it eventually becomes impossible not to own a smartphone; an expensive device, with an expensive monthly plan, and an absolutely terrible privacy record. Eventually more businesses will require smartphone usage just to use their services. There could even be a time when government services require it.

The UK is an incredibly competitive and well-regulated market. If you're in receipt of welfare benefits, you can get a tariff with unlimited 5G data for £12 ($15) per month. If you're a light user, you can get a tariff with a few gigabytes of data for as little as £5 ($6.50) per month. https://smarty.co.uk/social-tariff A cheap but perfectly useable phone costs less than £100 new from a brand like Xiaomi, Motorola or…

This is actually something the US does pretty well, actually. The Lifeline Assistance Program (colloquially known as "Obama Phones") gives low income people (basically anyone who qualifies for food stamps) a phone, with calling and internet, at no cost to the individual.

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

#283

Post by ndriscoll »

fifticon wrote: post #120

My doctor/'s office was just forced to switch to app-instead-of-website for patient interation. Ironically, the old and this new software came from same megacorp I work for (different department, same story). The old web interface was rather good and rather sensible-practical-sane. It was almost as if someone had asked a doctor what he actually needed for his patients, and then understood his answer and also managed…

The perpetual spinner thing happened at my last job too, and I developed the opinion that putting a spinner into your site at all is a sign of incompetence. For any normal CRUD app, it should take milliseconds to do whatever task. Even with network delays, 150 milliseconds is a reasonable upper bound for end-to-end processing. If you have an animation at all, then your thing is either ridiculously slow or broken. Either way the animation is a crappy attempt to paper over a bad job.

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

#284

Post by sorokod »

realityking wrote: post #276
2shortplanks wrote: post #167

One thing this article doesn’t mention is how this all falls apart when you spend time in more than one country. My UK bank (Barclays) won’t let me install their app on my US iPhone (i.e. my phone that uses a US based iCloud account). Tesco won’t let me use their loyalty app. I can’t install an app that’ll let me order Starbucks or McDonalds in the UK (I only have access to the US versions of these apps). I can’t wat…

Interestingly EU consumer protection cooperation is currently claiming this is illegal within the EU/between EU markets: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/es/ip_24_... I hope they manage to change things.

UK is not part of EU.

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

#285

Post by cbozeman »

pqtyw wrote: post #141
joshdavham wrote: post #127

I’m fascinated by this phenomenon of apps proposing solutions that are far worse than the previous existing solutions. For example: 1. Parking apps are worse than parking meters. 2. Tinder is worse than IRL speed dating. 3. Duolingo is worse than language classes. 4. Airline apps that are worse than just printing a boarding pass. 5. Etc It really makes me frustrated as someone who builds software and generally thinks…

> 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…

> > 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).

Yeah... nothing more I love than having to scan a QR code to get an app from someone I don't know, then go through the signup process, then input a buncha personal information into an app... instead of just dropping 10 quarters into a metal stick and walking away for the next two hours.

> > 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 much more convenient than having to find a printer.

Looking to the left or right of your desk is how you should be finding your printer. They're not gold bars. They're not expensive.

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

#286

Post by Tanjreeve »

fifticon wrote: post #120

My doctor/'s office was just forced to switch to app-instead-of-website for patient interation. Ironically, the old and this new software came from same megacorp I work for (different department, same story). The old web interface was rather good and rather sensible-practical-sane. It was almost as if someone had asked a doctor what he actually needed for his patients, and then understood his answer and also managed…

It's kind of annoying the article burns up all the space talking about various discounts and benefits you get from Apps. Aka far less of a problem as they're optional quid pro quo and doesn't talk about the creeping enshittification of those functionalities. Im fine with a council making an option to do important things through an app. But I'm not fine with it being compulsory and I'm even less fine with it being some non functioning trash made in a software sweatshop that doesn't provide a contact number when it goes wrong and noones ever on the hook if it's dysfunctional. It rarely if ever actually improves functionality or makes important things self service. It more often reduces what I can actually do but with a flashier interface for "computer says no".

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

#287

Post by kjkjadksj »

internet2000 wrote: post #164
joshdavham wrote: post #127

I’m fascinated by this phenomenon of apps proposing solutions that are far worse than the previous existing solutions. For example: 1. Parking apps are worse than parking meters. 2. Tinder is worse than IRL speed dating. 3. Duolingo is worse than language classes. 4. Airline apps that are worse than just printing a boarding pass. 5. Etc It really makes me frustrated as someone who builds software and generally thinks…

I don't think I could disagree more with your number 4. Adding a boarding pass to Apple Wallet and having it update itself with gate changes, delays, etc, notifying you and even scribbling skeuomorphically what changed on the pass [0] has been one of the strongest delighters I've experienced in recent times. [0] https://i.imgur.com/OkthcOi.png

My apple wallet boarding passes never update on time. At LAX they sometimes put you as a placeholder at the international terminal for your gate on boarding pass. So then you show up, slog through the international terminal to this gate, and see that no you are actually in terminal 7. Enjoy the resulting 2.5 mile walk I hope you baked in extra time.

Now I don’t trust it. Googling the flight number brings in the updated gate. Not the apple wallet boarding pass though.

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

#288

Post by 42772827 »

reaperman wrote: post #227
7thaccount wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the doctor's office I'll just ask for paper if there is no real website. Apps freaking suck. I probably won't be able to do this forever though. Example of enshitification #456249

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.

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

#289

Post by EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK »

tokioyoyo wrote: post #171
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.

Depends where you are and which flights. Around me, maybe 60% of people use mobile. From the other 40%, some probably got their paper tickets when they checked in their baggage and going with that now. > boarding passes at home before they leave for the airport It’s been years I’ve heard or seen anyone doing it. Even my parents in their 70s get theirs at the airport.

That's because they don't fly low coasters. It's often €50 now to print boarding pass at the counter in Europe.

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

#290

Post by lsecondario »

cbozeman wrote: post #271
ComposedPattern wrote: post #245

It's funny how people in this thread keep saying "well if you're going to complain about people being penalized for not using apps, you might as well complain about people being penalized for not using telephones/cars/internet"... and yes, I am going to complain about all of those things. I imagine that many or most homeless people don't have reliable access to any of the above. I have an anxiety disorder that makes…

[flagged]

> Society is about conforming.

This is an expression of personal preference. It is a common preference but not universal.

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