Technology

everyone wants to force you to use apps instead of websites, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of apps are just websites..in a app wrapper, because normal websites and normal browsers have inbuilt protections for you.

Apps don't.

Idiots install apps, give them the 400,000 permissions they ask for, then go on their merry way..ignorant to the fact that they just installed a data vacuum on their phone thats siphoning everything off of it to be used and sold and resold for marketing purposes.. Even the phone itself its not safe, cause its sitting there, listening to your conversations, even when not on a call, to more "Accurately" spam you with bullshit.

I am still using a flip phone. My new goal is to make it to 2027 marking two decades of rejecting the smartphone era. Each time I consider compromising something gets even more awful about smartphones and I double down on saying no.

Phone apps are nothing more than modern toolbars. And in case you forgot or missed this phase of the internet...

I'm in California where we have a grocery chain, Safeway. They've had a loyalty card for decades, which works great, gets you good deals, can be scanned by the checkout clerk or at self checkout. It also racks up points which can be used for discounts.

About 2 years ago I started seeing signs in the store offering even greater savings through the app. There will sometimes be 2 signs side by side for the loyalty card vs the app. The app is always a better deal.

So I downloaded the app and learned

• the app cannot scan your membership at self checkout, you have to be checked out by a clerk
• the app's membership number is different from your loyalty card number and the two cannot be merged.
• because of that your points can't be transferred to the app

It's the dumbest thing ever. Why not just offer the better savings to the loyalty card? Isn't that the whole point behind loyalty? I literally shop at Safeway less often now.

I'm shocked.

Right off the top of my head, I can mention an entire finacial institution that only exists through an app. No website, no physical locations, no nothing. It's one app and that is it.

As I've been making an effort to replace apps with the browser version of the service. It's so abundantly clear that companies don't want you using their website.

Even if they don't outright cripple functionality, they'll hound you endlessly to install the app.

It's infuriating to say the least.

Early 2000 wants its internet back

they make older phones become useless after ditching their support

These useless apps make Linux phone adoption harder, fuck them!

I use GraphineOS on my Pixel 7 and even I feel penalized for caring about my privacy. Its absolutely nonsense, not everything needs an app.