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> As a user I don't mind an app from a technical perspective. It gives me more options! But what are the things the app can do that the web cannot? A simple bu

> As a user I don't mind an app from a technical perspective. It gives me more options! But what are the things the app can do that the web cannot? A simple but important one: being able to get a notification on your phone when a new post lands in your inbox. There are lots of subtle little things around readability, scroll performance, etc. too. There are also a decent number of Podcasts on Substack now, and listening in a web player (on mobile) is a pretty sub-par experience.

aozgaa 5y ago
How is this different from getting a notification in gmail?
- no_butterscotch 5y ago
  That would be for any and all emails? I turn off gmail notifications. I suppose some of their readers might want to know when the Substacks they subscribe to have new content but don't want to know when they're getting new spam.
- cyberpunk 5y ago
  It has a different logo on it, for.. uhh... a better experience? >_<
bathtub365 5y ago
Can you elaborate on what “scroll performance” means? The only time I’ve had trouble with scrolling when I’m reading something on my phone is when an app or website thinks they know how to scroll better than the OS does.
- jamil7 5y ago
  I'm not sure how they meant it in this particular context but IMO good scroll performance with a lot of media on the page can be quite tricky to do on the web and a bit easier on iOS. This might be better these days than it was when I last did web dev (3+ years ago).
erikbye 5y ago
App notifications are not a feature but a detrimental annoyance. Also useless, because it is very likely you cannot read the article at the moment you receive the notification, because you are busy. I don't know what Substack is, but it seems similar to Medium, and as such an app is unnecessary. You don't need apps to display and read text, I already have a web browser. Distraction-free reading? Just make sure your pages are compatible with Reader View, or better yet, make a distraction free design in the first place.
- dash2 5y ago
  Some people like notifications. If you don’t want them, they are easy to turn off.

aozgaa 5y ago

How is this different from getting a notification in gmail?

no_butterscotch 5y ago
That would be for any and all emails? I turn off gmail notifications. I suppose some of their readers might want to know when the Substacks they subscribe to have new content but don't want to know when they're getting new spam.
cyberpunk 5y ago
It has a different logo on it, for.. uhh... a better experience? >_<

bathtub365 5y ago

Can you elaborate on what “scroll performance” means? The only time I’ve had trouble with scrolling when I’m reading something on my phone is when an app or website thinks they know how to scroll better than the OS does.

jamil7 5y ago
I'm not sure how they meant it in this particular context but IMO good scroll performance with a lot of media on the page can be quite tricky to do on the web and a bit easier on iOS. This might be better these days than it was when I last did web dev (3+ years ago).

erikbye 5y ago

App notifications are not a feature but a detrimental annoyance. Also useless, because it is very likely you cannot read the article at the moment you receive the notification, because you are busy. I don't know what Substack is, but it seems similar to Medium, and as such an app is unnecessary. You don't need apps to display and read text, I already have a web browser. Distraction-free reading? Just make sure your pages are compatible with Reader View, or better yet, make a distraction free design in the first place.

dash2 5y ago
Some people like notifications. If you don’t want them, they are easy to turn off.