All iPads The war against crappy iPad apps

[Hooyah]

I’ve started an exercise on my iPad Pro to remove apps that fail to provide a half decent experience and that frankly I’d be better served from using the companies website itself as a bookmark.

Because most of their sites push you into the iPad app (if installed) and NOT to the section or page you’re looking for.

Most of these are just big copies of the iPhone apps scaled up (often poorly with low res backgrounds exposed)… limited in functionality and when managing your account or some niche function, push you on to the website anyway.

eBay is a big offender. Constantly bringing up a safari UI in the app, making you log in and do the same old 2FA routine… what’s that? You tapped off it or went out a level to find another option, oops, better log in again. Finding like 8 emails saying you’ve added a device every time.

Why are we and Apple putting up with this? What happened to all apps on our store must conform to design standards that utilise the device characteristics, UI spacing, UI conventions that are consistent… I dare say all this hate for the App Store has impacted it negatively in that now Apple are scared to be too stringent otherwise face lawsuits or ditching in some markets. The result is crappy apps that aren’t much better in practice than Phil Schiller’s 2012/2013 expose of how the Android tablet apps were nothing more than scaled up mobile apps.

Unless an app properly utilises the iPad’s screen real estate… properly handles keyboard / mouse input and seamless windowing support .. maybe even widgets and more… then why the hell should I waste space tolerating it on my iPad and grant them notifications, tracking and other privileges that come with a local install app.

Any body feeling the same? Any hope that Apple will ever force developers to take the platform seriously again?

 

[Jackbequickly]

I have found that apps like eBay are best accessed via Safari and not by installing their app. Besides, installing an app allows it to be invasive on your device.

 

[max2]

I do not use apps at all. Not for online websites.

 

[aperfectcircle]

eBay seems to be operating on tech from about 2001, it’s a joke. Their iOS app is just as awful an experience. That said, completely agree with your overall take - so frustrating sometimes and that extends to iOS as well in some cases. The send to browser login is a terrible user experience. Even Nord do this and across all platforms including macOS.

 

[Abazigal]

Any hope that Apple will ever force developers to take the platform seriously again?

On my end, I do wish for Apple to dangle some kind of carrot to developers to better support the Apple TV platform. For example, a game developer who chooses to make his game available on the Apple TV might see the App Store cut decrease from 30% to 25% or something.

On the other hand, I am seeing the Nintendo Switch game store get overrun by cheap NSFW titles and AI slop content, but I sometimes wish these platforms could take a more hands-on role in curating their App Store. Like I know Apple is currently getting flak for removing certain apps from their App Store, but maybe they could just go all the way and reject more apps on the basis on them being too low quality and low effort in nature.