Apps π―
this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2024
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In general, I use apps, mostly because I root every phone (and yes, root ability is a major deciding factor when buying) as soon as I get it so I have tighter control for the tracking BS as well as being able to block ADs, effectively, system-wide. Literally no AD load on my phone (ok leak rate is like <2 % so It does happen, but it's rare lol) be it a webpage or an ad-riddled app
Lemmy I definitely use an app because I find the UI..... distasteful...
Mix of both. Messengers, Mastodon and YouTube, mostly apps (except when I want to listen to YT in the background). Maps and games, also apps. But for Lemmy I use the web frontend because I haven't yet found a convincing app and the web frontend is good enough.
I generally prefer the app, in most scenarios. But it depends on what the platform is. Some will just perform better in the app because the app is the main focus of the platform, but others are just a web wrapper for the mobile site and just eat up space on your device for no discernible reason.
I find that it's also generally easier to sandbox permissions on a per-app basis than a per-website basis. So even though a lot of times the app is meant to be a vector to harvest more data out of the user, in the right setting it can actually be more secure than just using the website. But that's very situational.
I'm fine with apps, as long as I'm not drowning in them for redundant services; i.e. I installed a bunch of Lemmy apps while I was trying it out, but now that I've settled on one, I removed all the others. I try to curate my apps every now and then and keep the clutter at a minimum, or at least remove any that I'm not regularly using.
YouTube is one app I will not use, though. Using Firefox with uBlock Origin, I can prevent it from advertising to me. But I can't stop ads in their app. So I've disabled their app (can't remove it, as I currently have a Google phone) and I forwarded all YouTube links to Firefox.
Lemmy is an app, almost everything else is browser. YouTube is just better in a mobile browser than the app ever has been and likely ever will be.
I'm happy to use mobile apps in the fediverse. Begrudgingly I'll use mobile banking apps as needed.
I go back and forth between the YouTube app and mobile website. Mobile web is nice because SponsorBlock and Dearrow both work on it.
That's why I switched on YouTube on the phone to Tubular, but it's feature that it doesn't connect to your YouTube account for history and so makes it less usable. But it has another good feature playing audio in the background.
Only for mail, F-Droid/other app stores, yt (because revanced and newpipe), Mastodon, banking, and Wattpad. Otherwise, give me the god damn website.
Most companies aren't allocating nearly enough funds to their website teams for responsive web pages that using their apps is a better experience, and that's by design.
But to clearly summarize your question, apps unless they are just a web app in a app container (looking at you Farmer's insurance)
I don't use websites on mobile.
I'm of mixed opinions on it generally but like the web-apps where you go to a site and then 'install' it. My mixed thoughts are because it seems to only work in chromium browsers rather than Firefox, but it's a nice way to get a custom configured app on the spot.
You can do it on firefox on android but every time I try it makes the status and navigation bar on the phone white. I find that annoying so I had to grab an app to put shortcuts on my home screen that open in the browser instead of the "install" version.
I must be missing something. Firefox only shows me a 'add to home screen' option but not an 'install' on my phone. Is there some sub menu setting?
Edit: these same options below are the way it presents for any known web-apps enabled site.
Sites, but it's just fedia and reddit for the most part. Exceptions are YouTube, mail, and calendar.
For mobile, PWAs if possible.
Neither, I don't use my phone for social media. I use the PC version of everything.
I use a lot of web apps on my iPhone. Like for memos the moememos app adds nothingβ¦
For the fediverse I currently use Voyager and Raccoon for browsing and web for moderation.
As the mod tools becomes better over time I'll likely see myself primarily using Voyager and Raccoon.
In general though it's hard to say:
- Like my banking apps have become so enshitified with spyware level 'features' I deleted the apps and just use their webpages now.
- For Youtube and Peertube I primarily use Newpipe/Tubular/Peertube's official app. I use Invidious as the webpage exception for sharing youtube links here as Youtube's own links won't properly load thumbnails for me.
Most of the time it's the same thing.
I typically use apps if it's something I'll want to open on my own, and website for things I only ever open if I'm sent a link to it
I still need to use Reddit for one particular subreddit and more I'm annoyed the mobile web version has been taken away.
Do y'all
No, I don't y'all
π