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Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

toot.kuba-orlik.name

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Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#61

Post by maneesh »

addicted wrote: post #31
mojuba wrote: post #9

There's an (unverified) myth that retention on mobile apps is better. This is one of those things that marketing people keep telling each other without ever verifying the facts. (Unless you deliberately make the web version inferior, of course.) The reasoning behind it is that you should take real estate on the user's home screen at all costs, because your app's icon will serve as a reminder and people will allegedly…

My Reddit usage has basically plummeted to 0 at this point because of their pushing me towards an app. I think there are provable cases where an app almost certainly leads to less retention than more and something like Reddit, whose value lies in allowing you to explore the internet is almost certainly one of them.

I agree that Reddit pushes too hard to get people to use the mobile app.

I found a good trick was to use AN app, just not their app. Apollo on iOS and Boost on android are really good alternatives to the official Reddit app, which is littered with ads.

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#62

Post by 3np »

solarkraft wrote: post #57
laurencei wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out the "Apollo" reddit app. Its a 3rd party app for Reddit. I've started using it and would never go back to the native Reddit app. No ads, very fast, constant updates etc.

I wish I knew why they're pushing the app so hard so I can specifically avoid doing that. If they want you to just have any app installed they'd win even if you install Apollo.

If you don't require authenticated functionality:

https://r.nf/

https://github.com/spikecodes/libreddit

https://codeberg.org/teddit/teddit

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#64

Post by jimmytidey »

danpalmer wrote: post #16
mojuba wrote: post #9

There's an (unverified) myth that retention on mobile apps is better. This is one of those things that marketing people keep telling each other without ever verifying the facts. (Unless you deliberately make the web version inferior, of course.) The reasoning behind it is that you should take real estate on the user's home screen at all costs, because your app's icon will serve as a reminder and people will allegedly…

You say unverified, but I’m pretty sure there’s lots of verification for this. Obviously it will depend on the service or app, but it’s a well known trend. At my previous job our app had much higher retention than our web product, despite the web product being much more mature, modern, and feature rich. We verified this across multiple marketing channels, and looked at long term user retention over years.

How do you know that people use the app because they are already highly committed to the service, rather than the other way around? IE, the whole thing is a selection effect?

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#65

Post by current_thing »

kuba-orlik wrote: post #36
current_thing wrote: post #17

> we, the users, are compliant with such abuse of monopoly. But Bolt is not a monopoly. There are many taxi services in Riga. > I invite you to boycott any company that forces (or coerces) you to install an app... I do not think I will boycott Bolt just because you hacked their product and somehow become outraged. Bolt rides are cheaper than the alternative and .. the app works. The alternative mainstream taxi app ne…

> But Bolt is not a monopoly. There are many taxi services in Riga. My experience is that if you don't speak Latvian, Bolt is basically the only choice to order a ride in Riga. Oh trust me, how I've tried. I never use those ride hailing services unless there's no other option left. > No thanks I will not boycott Bolt because you chose to violate some ToS and hack their product and somehow become outraged. Well, I'm n…

Agree with this part.

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#66

Post by brycewray »

sp332 wrote: post #60
brycewray wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The result of which will be, paraphrasing an old letter to the editor for a magazine that had temporarily stopped publishing such letters... ==== Dear Reddit, What a coincidence. You've stopped allowing third-party apps to have access to your API, and I've stopped visiting your site. Sincerely, A Former User

Is that a net negative for them though? Unless you're a really active or popular poster, you're probably just costing them money browsing the site and not looking at ads.

Yeah, thought of that after I replied. OTOH, it would leave them with people not sufficiently tech-savvy to block ads, which is reminiscent of the old joke about a jury’s being composed of “12 people who weren’t smart enough to evade jury duty.” I guess they don’t care about that one way or the other as long as Some EyeBalls See Ads.

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#67

Post by sva_ »

usrn wrote: post #55
Lucasoato wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really can't understand why Reddit is pushing the app so hard. I mean, keep that as an option, but why creating an awful UX for the mobile web users? You gather more data but the product is worse, less users are staying and you're losing value at the end...

Push notifications. Once someone is hooked on the site a notification can get them back into the dopamine feedback loop very easily. I think this is why restaurant chains have started giving people free food to install their apps too (along with all the data they can sell now.) I think smartphones would be much less popular if people understood why corporations love "apps" so much. It's nothing like the older PC worl…

> Push notifications.

Do people not turn these off? When I get an unwanted notification, I immediately withdraw permissions to send notifications, or even uninstall the app

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#68

Post by verisimi »

I'm glad that geo-fencing was mentioned.

This is what I think all these apps - Kuba, Bolt and all those food delivery companies are. They are changing behaviour at present, they make things easy and advantageous for the user. Then the trap will be sprung.

Similar to how corporate petrol stations and corporate super stores drop their prices to force local shops out of business. Once they have control and a monopolistic position they can do what they like re prices.

Here these companies are working with governance directives to decrease traffic on the roads - it suits the corporates for consumers to have less ability to travel. Making it easy for food, local travel etc whilst making it uncomfortable to have a car (extra regulations, decreasing capacity on roads, greater licensing fees, etc) is part of the plan.

The concern is that once we lose the freedom of independent travel that we have with private cars, that won't be coming back. You will be geo-fenced.

This itself fits very nicely with the dystopian agenda I see on the horizon, where if you are not considered a good citizen, your ability to travel and interact with the system will be curtailed. We see this with the freezing of protestor bank accounts in Canada, China's social credit system, green passes to access shops, etc. Geo fencing will be a part of that.

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#69

Post by AntonyGarand »

gtirloni wrote: post #63

> without an annoying app! I fail to see why an app that delivers the promised feature can be annoying. More annoying than installing extensions, messing with HTTP requests, etc?

Have a look at the images on top of the post, the bolt websites highlight 5 reasons why you might prefer to use the browser.

If Bolt didn't artificially geo-restrict this feature, navigating to their site would be all you need to do, and that's less annoying than using their app. The current method, installing an extension and making a rule for it, is the result of this restriction, but would not be needed without bolt's restrictions.

Re: Bolt has a cool web interface and they really don't want you to use it

#70

Post by saagarjha »

Lucasoato wrote: post #45
addicted wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Reddit usage has basically plummeted to 0 at this point because of their pushing me towards an app. I think there are provable cases where an app almost certainly leads to less retention than more and something like Reddit, whose value lies in allowing you to explore the internet is almost certainly one of them.

I really can't understand why Reddit is pushing the app so hard. I mean, keep that as an option, but why creating an awful UX for the mobile web users? You gather more data but the product is worse, less users are staying and you're losing value at the end...

Increased engagement and better tracking.
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