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Comment by agluszak | Hacker News Reader

Yet another service that forces you to use the app for no reason (FB Messenger, Instagram, Reddit), yet another reason to stop using it

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> Yet another service that forces you to use the app for no reason

For sure there is a reason behind. It's just not a user-focused reason but a business one instead. One guess would be that the browser is a environment the user can kind of control, so they can block tracking and so on. When you're using the app, you don't have the same control anymore, so the business can receive more metrics from people that they wouldn't before.

Not saying this is good/bad, just that there is most probably a reason behind the choices they make.

Not trying to be too glib here, but we get it. That’s the problem. HN is pretty tuned in to the trend of walled gardens and creeping control popular apps and platforms exert on their users. It’s kind of the point of this article. Of course it’s helpful for the business for many reasons.

This is the result of the VC market models and the near universal buy-in to the idea limited partner's money (and "advice" that comes with it) is required for starting software companies. Nothing more.

Bootstrapping is pain, but at least you and your customers retain control long term.

It also depends on what company is doing it, apparently. Some are all for the walled garden approach when it suits their business model or they are a "fanboi" of the company/product, but despicable and evil when others do it. They're probably releasing their ire about Slack to post here on one of these companies devices right now.

> One guess would be that the browser is a environment the user can kind of control, so they can block tracking and so on.

Someone in the twitter thread says it still works on firefox for android, which means it's really only broken on chrome. Chrome doesn't have adblock, so it's not like this move results in less of their telemetry getting blocked.

> Not saying this is good/bad, just that there is most probably a reason behind the choices they make.

How could it not be bad to impose these restrictions for anyone other than the company? You can use the app if you want.

Apps have been turned into a disease. So many different services keep obnoxiously pushing their app. Delivery services are extra annoying. I tried searching for a service that delivers alcohol, and found a few, but some are app-only and I couldn't type in my address to see if I was within their delivery area. Why would I download an app, and probably create an account, only to find that they won't even deliver to me?

So annoying. It’s hard to know what they gain by being an app on my phone, but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to give it to them.

mbasic.facebook.com is a nice interface to use messenger from mobile if you have to

x.facebook.com is also nice (although not as light as mbasic), also it can auto-refresh messenger conversations (unlike mbasic).

or use their onion site:

https://m.facebookcorewwwi.onion

Venmo used to have the ability to do stuff like send payments on their website, at some point they just shut it off. Only the app is supported now.

Unfortunately, I'm paid to use Slack.

I use Reddit and instagram on mobile browsers, they seem fine for a few missing features and nagging you to use the app.

The nagging on Reddit is extreme. And now that I have the Reddit app, if I'm viewing a Reddit thread in the browser then certain actions (but not all) will open it in the app without a prompt.

Last I checked, on the mobile web interface there is an option to always give you the desktop site, and it remembers your preference. I never see the Reddit mobile site and never need to tell the browser to request the desktop mode. It's completely usable if you don't mind zooming and panning, which I'm fine with.

>I never see the Reddit mobile site and never need to tell the browser to request the desktop mode.

There is a seemingly persistent bug where reddit fails to remember preferences surrounding mobile/desktop and old/redesign. Sometimes you will click a link and the page it delivers you to will be on the mobile site, sometimes it will take you to the redesign. It's been going on for at least a year. I use reddit a lot and I run into it at least every week. Sometimes it sticks and I have to relog to get my preferences back.

A "bug" that pushes you towards the interface they want you to use. Curious.

> then certain actions (but not all) will open it in the app without a prompt.

Firefox for Android prevents such attempts by default. That, plus uBlock Origin with its integrated element picker to permanently block elements make reddit bearable.

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