this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023
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I am curious why people prefer apps to the websites. I have never really used an app for a service that does/could just have a website. I am on mobile, and my browser does a fine job with Lemmy.
Personally this is why I will ALWAYS search for an app first (keep in mind not all apps are a better choice, this is just in most cases):
The UI is better. It feels easier to use. I find that websites can have issues with scrolling and get glitchy when they try to load too much.
Accessibility. On a mobile site sometimes you have to go through layers of hamburger menus or it's not designed to be easy to use on a phone. With apps you usually have a bottom row menu to access important features and sometimes it's even customizable.
Login. With a website, there is a higher chance I'll have to log in more often, either due to the website's security measures or the browser's. With an app, I typically stay logged in, or I'm able to use Face ID.
Access to the thing itself. With a website I have to go find the site by either searching or going into bookmarks. (I'm aware Safari can add a webpage to your home screen but I use Firefox to sync bookmarks and bc Safari is too bare bones for me) With an app, I can just pull down on my screen, search a few letters and boom the app comes up.
That's what I can think of off the top of my head.
My browser works perfectly fine (at least with reddit, haven't tried the lemmy mobile site), but I'm using the memmy app right now for lemmy and I can swipe for upvotes and replying, I have a bar on the bottom to access home, search, profile, etc. When I search the results are organized into categories (posts, communities, people) with a few results as a preview under each.
I guess the best way to differentiate is that apps feel more intentional, like the dev really thought about the experience of using the product on a phone. Whereas many mobile sites feel like there wasn't a lot of effort put into the experience. And you are more limited on things like gestures, push notifications, etc.
Different UX. Take a look at wefwef.app for an idea of the difference it can make.
They're super refined for mobile browsing. In most cases, they clear out the bullshit, have quality of life features, and have customisability to set things up how you like. They also constantly improve based on feedback.
On desktop with reddit I had the extension of reddit enhancement suite, which did an amazing job of filtering out content I didn't want to see. Actually wiped out so much that /r/all would at times just be 3 posts per page at times. Led to finding new communities.
And on mobile the third party apps were a way of getting back that reddit enhancement suite type filtering. My reddit experience was pretty nice with so much stuff blocked for when I ventured outside my subscriptions.