Apps - at what point is enough enough?

[WindyCommon]

I took my family to a gig last night.

This required:

- Ticketing app, to receive the tickets I'd bought online
- Venue app, to "access services" (eg. book parking) at the venue
- Queuing app - to join a virtual queue for food from a busy restaurant
- Restaurant app - to order food at our table

All of which I had to download from the App Store and set up accounts for, with the usual endless faff for personal details. All of which required email and/or device verification before they could be used. All of which do doubt contained evil details in the t&c enabling them to sell my data / harvest my organs.

None of which did anything to help me vs traditional "non-app" models. I would have been perfectly happy to receive my tickets by email/post, to book parking on the venue website, to wait in a line at the restaurant until a table was free and to order our food from a real-life person.

I'm tired of it. It is unnecessary and serves no useful purpose other than monetising me. Enough, is enough.

[/rant]

[anonymous-user]

I work in IT and I am utterly sick of it too, imagine how older people who are not that used to technology feel about it? My mum has a little A5 book next to the computer to store all the account usernames and passwords she needs, it is utterly ridiculous now.

[Hoofy]

It's really annoying. I just tell whoever, there's no more space on my phone.

I'd rather just visit a website which means storing a link, not having to sign up to use yet another piece of software for something that can basically be accessed via a website.

What next, make sure someone's only able to use a banking app when they're wearing a green shoe on Thursdays?

[vikingaero]

Last year when Covid restrictions were relaxed, we went to a chain restaurant and were told to scan the QR code on entry. I showed the lady my phone with the NHS app with check in confirmation. She replied, "No you also have to check-in on out app." If the Vikingettes weren't Hank Marvin, I would have told them to poke it. The app was pure marketing and using Covid as the pretext for information.

[Paft Dunk]

I’ve 7 different parking apps on my phone now. All of which seem to log me out just when I need to use them. Good for dumping the car and running but a shed load more faff than sticking 50p in a machine.

[2gins]

Beyond silly. The internet is becoming unusable. My bank now want me to enter my email address as well as a OTP for online purchases. Not so they can verify the address but the manner in which I type it in. It's got to the point where I just don't want to buy anything online. It'll be a debit card over the phone.
As for apps... they can all fk off. Had enough.
/rant etc

[db10]

i wonder if the apple ios hide my email function will help to reduce this crap as the email you register with is a "fake" one

[Griffith4ever]

I have point blank refused to install any resturant / pub apps bar one since covid kicked off (which triggered a contactless app frenzy).

"I'd like to order a full english with".. "have you scanned the QR code sir?", "no - I don't want to, can I see a menu please".

Again and again. My refusal has worked almost always so far.

Exception 1 - weatherspoons just because it's so damn convenient having your beers brough to you for 12p a pint.

Exception 2 - All inclusive hotel in Mauritius - ALL menus for all restarants and bars QR code only. Drove me too distraction trying to read halfa manu on my phone - zooming in (my eyeseight isn't great) - I want to see a whole menu at once so I can choose a balanced meal. I also don't like bringing my phone out with me in the evening - it's something I've got used to not doing on holiday. They point blank refused to give me any menus. Had I not been all inclusive / paid for I'd have eaten elswhere.

[camel_landy]

Joey Deacon said:

I work in IT and I am utterly sick of it too...

+1

If it needs an app, I vote with my feet.

M

[Jenny Tailor]

This....just this....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrwQ-guwvfs


If you haven't seen this - it is worth it.

Is is suitable for work.

[CoolHands]

Yeah parking apps are the worst, but when you’re on holiday in cornwall you need the various ones who own different car parks so you’re forced into it. Then they all sell / use your data to each other etc

s

[robsa]

CoolHands said:

Yeah parking apps are the worst, but when you’re on holiday in cornwall you need the various ones who own different car parks so you’re forced into it. Then they all sell / use your data to each other etc

s

But they're so convenient and reliable. Especially when you return there a year later only to find you need a new, different app and oh look! There's no data coverage here! I'm going to have to walk off somewhere to download your stty app.

All it is is some app frame that loads the web page in, and of course it doesn't load properly when you to try and register. Did that work? Can't tell because there's no effing data coverage! So off I go again to receive the email....

And then of course all those emails they start spamming you with. Unsubscribe here! Sign in first. Forgotten your password? Click here. We've sent an email reset to your email address.... what's your car's registration? Sorry, no such car found.

As a total computer and smartphone geek I can't believe I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that perhaps life was better before smart phones.

[Brainpox]

If an app can replace a person in a ticket booth/parking attendant/waitress then businesses are going to use them. Don't need to worry about sickness or HR issues etc. It's the obvious choice, unfortunately.

[1000 Miglia]

I don't go out much.
I don't have a smart phone anymore .

I can't eat out ,I can't park anywhere , looks like staying in it is then ..

[Lincsls1]

You guys are right. Its utter ridiculous now. An app for this, an app for that. And that's on top of the multiple apps I have to use to do my job.
Utter BS now!

[alock]

I still haven't seen a car park that doesn't take coins or contactless.

Where are all these app-only car parks?

[ecsrobin]

But once they’re setup they are convenient if you use venues that also use them or repeat trips.

Things like Wetherspoons (one for the council thread) is handy you don’t even have to go to the bar just order a round and some food and minutes later your drinks are there and shortly later your food, 3/4’s through your drink order another ready for when you finish.

Car parking apps are more convenient we go to a theatre in Chichester twice a month, all the oldies join a big line as they read the parking machine get their coppers out of their money bag and then go back to their car to put the ticket in, I rock up lock the car and as I’m walking off I pay on my phone.

We live in a permit parking zone guests turn up and I can just jump on my phone and book them in no going to the post office to get scratch cards, explaining how to use them and going back to the car to put in the window.

However I do agree councils should all use the same company as it’s annoying remembering which car park uses which.

[Cliftonite]

2gins said:

Beyond silly. The internet is becoming unusable. My bank now want me to enter my email address as well as a OTP for online purchases. Not so they can verify the address but the manner in which I type it in. It's got to the point where I just don't want to buy anything online. It'll be a debit card over the phone.
As for apps... they can all fk off. Had enough.
/rant etc

Same bank as mine, then? Their card will not now be used for online purchases!

[Cloudy147]

There does seem to be apps for everything now, even pointless stuff.

I try to resist them if they aren’t essential - especially loyalty stuff. Cards were bad enough, apps are worse. Exception for me is the Tesco Clubcard as I shop there often. But for other shops, I’d rather not have a crap discount than have the pain of yet another registration.

I was thinking of starting a thread about whether the internet (web browsing variety) start to reduce as apps take over. I bet there are now enough apps for the majority of online stuff that you won’t need a web browser much in the future.

Maybe the next gen of kids will hardly use a browser?

[captain_cynic]

I've been "de-apping" for years now because most apps are just single use web browsers. I use Firefox for Android and i just use the website for most things these days. Less chance of it screwing up/crashing due to bad code. If it's a site I use frequently I'll just bookmark it on my home screen.

It's at th point where my banking app has less functionality than the web portal.

I bought a new phone a few weeks back. I've downloaded a grand total of 11 apps. Most of them for communication, WhatsApp, Skype, RSA for work.

I think a lot of businesses are catching on as well. With n app you've got to maintain, or pay to maintain different versions for Android and Iphone, keep both up to date and secure on the users device and back end. With a web site, you only need to worry about the back end.