I have recently started a new position and am required to use an app that has three Facebook trackers, one of them being a Facebook location tracker according to Exodus App Privacy in order to get your food when it would literally work perfectly fine ordering to a real cashier or shit even a website rather than having to download an app.
I have also read many stories of people that live in apartments that require them to use a mobile app for god damn LAUNDRY. All you need, is a card reader, and it will work perfectly fine like it has been for the longest time.
Privacy concerns aside, it is just annoying that you need this app and that app and this app and that app and it just clutters space on your phone. Security concerns too as now they have all of this additional info on you online, such as your phone number your email your real name, instead of just your credit card info like a card reader would have. And I am willing to guarantee that their security model is absolute horseshit because they have such a small team of engineers working on the app and the servers.
Literal enshitification
Magne
I’m guessing the reason for most things forcing you to use an app is less because of data harvesting, and more because it increases repeated use.
When you have to go to your browser and remember to check a website it’s harder to create a habit. If you have an icon flashing on your home screen every day it’s much easier to remember to go to their site. Sure you can “Add to Home screen” functionality, but average users don’t even know that exists.
It also feels like a bespoke app is more “professional” than a website, despite many apps secretly just being a website anyway.
That said, they are definitely harvesting your data. I just don’t think that’s the main reason for most apps.
I would also add that apps allow companies to more closely control your behavior. If I use amazon in the browser, I can open up 20+ tabs and save things to my browser bookmarks rather than storing my “likes” server side with their list feature. I also can’t copy text or save images in many apps, even something as simple as an order number.
I see the dark patterns you reference fruequently. Two-thirds of apps seem to abuse notifications now. It got to the point where I literally turn off all of them except phone and messaging. I just put a repeating task on my to do list to check email and such. I don’t need every app on my phone to spam me over every little thing, but the companies that made them sure seem to need that to happen. My attention is sacred.