"iT woRKs BeTter in THe aPp!!"
shkspr.mobi
The monkey-punchers at Google never quite seem to finish any of their apps. There's always some useful bit of work left undone, or showstopping bug which remains unfixed, a thousand jagged edges as yet unsolved by the greatest minds of their generation. I wanted to subscribe to an events calendar. I had a URl. I had my Google™ Pixel® phone running the latest Android© 17 with an updated calendar a…
  • chrash0@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    2 days ago

    hot take: the app is usually a better experience. the browser sucks for so many reasons.

    that said, i refuse to download Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, and a few others, and i resent them for defacing their own site to try and force conversions. but if there is an app/company i really utilize, i prefer the app every time, from a UX perspective.

    • idriss@lemmy.mlEnglish
      3·
      2 days ago

      The app is better if it’s not bloatware and not written in web tech. If you made something in web tech (like slack, discord, …) then just let me open it using my browser instead of having to install a browser shipped with a web app

      • kazerniel@piefed.worldEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        I like what Obsidian does in this regard - yes, it’s a web app, but it also lets you style it with CSS like a website, giving users a mindblowing amount of flexibility in how their specific Obsidian looks ✨

        (and it’s always fun to see what pretty/weird styles others use xd)

    • kazerniel@piefed.worldEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      otoh the browser lets me block ads, while apps don’t (unless I use AdGuard or similar)

      e.g. youtube is only tolerable in browser

  • Cherry@piefed.socialEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    Agree with author. Its rarely better for you, its rarely done well. Its always more for the benefit of their engagement stats. Resist the marketing bullsheet!

  • kyub@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    1·
    2 days ago

    The app might have better UI/UX because developers have more possibilities with native UI toolkits compared to a webapp running inside a browser. The app can also simply be better made than the website (or have more features), when the developers prioritize the app in that way and leave the website as a second-rate app (they don’t need to do that but they might).

    However, the app can harvest much more data from you (and your device) than a website can (although a website can also gather quite a bit). Plus, the app can lock you into a specific platform-specific ecosystem. For example if the app requires Google’s DRM (Play Services Integrity), then the app will only run on Google-sanctioned Android variants, not anywhere else.

    So there’s pros and cons. Usually, the cons are more severe. A webapp is overall a bit less privacy invasive and truly works cross-platform and cross-device.