this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2025
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‘The tyranny of apps’: those without smartphones are unfairly penalised, say campaigners (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 day ago by nahostdeutschland@feddit.org to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] novacomets@lemmy.myserv.one 3 points 27 minutes ago

I'm open to hear if you guys disagree with me, but that is not simply about not having a smartphone as much as it is about not having cell service, not using data service. If a person uses a libre VoIP app, there is no need for cell service, and people actually can live happy lives disconnected from internet when they are outside or in public.

Society must revert their mentality and not expect constant immediate access to everything. Absolutely nothing happens on the internet for personal activity that can't wait a few hours or the next day.

I use phone only for direct communication, zero multimedia, zero social media on phone. Everything else is done on computer. Especially banking, that is on computer website only for security, never on phone. I despise and resent using a phone for websites

[–] Matriks404@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

I recently shared a meal with a female friend. Imagine how I'd look if I wasn't able to get money transferred from her, because of not having a mobile banking app.

[–] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 6 points 45 minutes ago

Y'all not heard of cash?

[–] TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee 20 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

Not having a phone really sucks in this day and age. Imagine getting out of jail for something stupid like marijuana possession and then a parole violation due to a missed appointment. No one will hire you with your rap sheet. You live in a halfway house with a bunch of petty BS every day. And you can't keep up with your parole demands because of how much your lack of a phone gets in your way. At the end of the day, there IS a way to succeed if you make the right choices, but shit, it's just so much harder for some people to make the right choices when every day is crisis mode. And all because of WHAT?

[–] dukeofdummies@lemmy.world 42 points 5 hours ago (2 children)

I for one cheer and root for my flip phone friends.

I'd never do it, but we have one at work and he's singlehandedly causing so much grief at work. Because none of the engineers wanna use a security app for login. They want a fob.

IT refuses to pay for fobs and wants us to use an app, but they also don't want to pay for a phone for anyone in engineering just to use the security app because it opens a floodgate of people with company phones.

It's just wonderful to watch this fight from the sidelines sipping tea.

[–] DeaDvey@lemmy.ml 3 points 58 minutes ago* (last edited 42 minutes ago) (1 children)

I have no smartphone and am unable to access any of my college resources or email from home because you need a security app for remote login. I've got in trouble a few times for it but idk what I'm supposed to do. I wasn't able to access my Exam Timetable because of this and had to ask some friends when the exams were because my teachers didn't know (somehow). It's very annoying.

Edit:

It also took a few weeks of difficulty to get the free bus pass the college gives out as they only gave it out on the bus pass app, I have a card that you scan, I've never had any issues with the card and yet EVERY day people complain about the app not working as you need an internet connection (in an area with dodgy internet) for the app and the app is apparently not very good in other areas. I think people are starting to get jealous of my bus pass card.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 2 points 43 minutes ago (2 children)

You could install an android emulator on your personal computer then run the authenticator from there.

[–] Flisty@mstdn.social 2 points 39 minutes ago (2 children)

@toynbee @DeaDvey aren't there authenticators that run on desktop browsers? Or does it have to be a specific one

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 2 points 38 minutes ago (1 children)

The OC said in a different comment that you must be on the college network to set it up.

You don't need to tag me, by the way; I get a notification if someone responds to me directly.

[–] Flisty@mstdn.social 2 points 36 minutes ago (1 children)

sorry, I'm viewing this from mastodon so the setup's different.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 2 points 34 minutes ago

All good. Hope you have a great day!

[–] DeaDvey@lemmy.ml 1 points 33 minutes ago

Yes, it's a specific one. App only.

[–] DeaDvey@lemmy.ml 1 points 41 minutes ago (1 children)

The authenticator requires you to be in the college's network to set it up for the first time and I don't have a laptop.

[–] toynbee@lemmy.world 1 points 39 minutes ago

Ah, that does complicate matters. Good luck.

[–] grepe@lemmy.world 8 points 4 hours ago (3 children)

what's the rationale for IT not wanting to pay for the fobs?

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Presumably they’re expensive and someone needs to manage them.

My company’s approach is “we’ll pay your phone bill if you use an Authenticator app on your phone.” Cheaper for them, plus they don’t need to buy company phones or fobs, and who’s going to complain about their phone bill getting paid?

A previous company tried similar but required putting your phone under enterprise management. A lot of us disagreed with that

[–] scottywh@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

They're not expensive at all.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 1 points 21 minutes ago

Well, my old company sure made a ridiculous profit selling them. You may be looking at the cost per fob hardware, but not including the management cost. They are much more expensive than an authentication app, plus authentication apps are mostly managed by someone else, and you don’t have distribution overhead

[–] Fedizen@lemmy.world 3 points 1 hour ago

Managers probably sold apps as a cost cutting measure

[–] Pacattack57@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

My job does this too. It’s literally just cost cutting. The fobs expire and need to be replaced every so often but the app lasts “forever”.

IMO the fobs pay for themselves because what they are spending on fobs is the same as what they’re spending on IT members answering calls all day for employees that are having login issues with the app.

[–] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 1 points 48 minutes ago

I worked a job where I had to have an app that tracked me wherever I went. I finally had to tell my boss I couldn't use it anymore because it was killing my battery in like 3 hours.

If I was still working and a job wanted me to put an app on my personal phone I'd tell them to go fuck themselves.

Just another way capitalists thieve money from its workers.

[–] FreakinSteve@lemmy.world 19 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

The same goes for customer loyalty cards. All market tracking schemes should be rightfully banned.

[–] EngineerGaming@feddit.nl 2 points 2 hours ago

At least you can not only ask other customers for their cards, but also sometimes be offered theirs without even asking.

[–] VerdantSporeSeasoning@lemmy.ca 7 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

What ticks my off is that I have the stupid Safeway card and the stupid Kroger card. But now there's more deals, better deals if I do a digital coupon requiring the app on my phone, too. It's not enough to know about all the regular items in my home, from celery to toilet paper, but they also must need to hoover up all my digital into as well? Dude, just buy it from Meta or whichever jerks have it all. Half-price grapes ain't the right price.

[–] HappyStarDiaz@real.lemmy.fan 1 points 1 hour ago

Yeah multiple layers of s***; I'll be honest I never figured out how to use the digital coupons for the second layer of discount; seems like it's not in the Kroger app but some other scammy telemetry scamming 3rs party. I paid the $2.99 for the ice cream I stead of 1.99

[–] nossaquesapao@lemmy.eco.br 13 points 4 hours ago (2 children)

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[–] Zucca@sopuli.xyz 1 points 32 minutes ago

Dang it!

I fell for it.

[–] L3s@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago

Risky click of the day.

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