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They want apps so they could fingerprint your device, spy on you and get a lot more information than a web app.

by forlorn 2mo ago

jorisw 2mo ago
Sure. They. They want. You know who they are, and what they want.
- close04 2mo ago
  No need to play games and intentionally be obtuse all across the thread. "They" are the developers. A website has far less access to a device than an app and ads are easier to block. So they wrap anything into an app to gain that access and make ad money.
  - jorisw 2mo ago
    What access? Like the OS native APIs that offer the very utility for these apps to even exist? Integration with OS features is what made the app ecosystem, because of utility. Project whatever conspiracy on that you want.
    - close04 2mo ago
      > Project whatever conspiracy on that you want You think a developer making money from their app is a conspiracy? Or that apps track you and developers monetize that data is one? I don't think you're being intentionally obtuse anymore.
    - NiloCK 2mo ago
      > What access? Push notifications. > Integration with OS features is what made the app ecosystem, because of utility. This is true of some apps, like the beer-drinking one that uses the accelerometer / other orientation sensors. It's not true of a large number of other apps, hence the "your app could have been a webpage" charge. This is distinct from "every app could be a webpage".
      - jorisw 2mo ago
        > Push notifications https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API > hence the "your app could have been a webpage" charge No debate there. I was responding to the ever vague and broad "they want" comments.
        close04 2mo ago
        > I was responding to Responding but never answering to anything. You were asking a bunch of questions with obvious answers that you should have known or could have discovered yourself, but expected others to dig out and chew them for you. You even went to ridiculous lengths to pretend that apps only do things "because of utility" and everything else like data collection, tracking, ads, etc. is "conspiracy". That's negative value in a conversation.
- Barbing 2mo ago
  What marketer could turn this down? https://apps.apple.com/us/app/loupe-what-apps-can-see/id6766152470 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/loupe-what-apps-can-see/id6766... Seconds since last reformat, number of times clipboard was used since last reformat, seconds since last reboot, dozens of other apps installed on the phone… On Apple devices, so much is leaked to developers, and they will use it. Loupe HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48608645 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48608645

They want apps so they could fingerprint your device, spy on you and get a lot more information than a web app.

by forlorn 2mo ago

They want apps so they could fingerprint your device, spy on you and get a lot more information than a web app.

jorisw 2mo ago

Sure. They. They want. You know who they are, and what they want.

close04 2mo ago
No need to play games and intentionally be obtuse all across the thread. "They" are the developers. A website has far less access to a device than an app and ads are easier to block. So they wrap anything into an app to gain that access and make ad money.
- jorisw 2mo ago
  What access? Like the OS native APIs that offer the very utility for these apps to even exist? Integration with OS features is what made the app ecosystem, because of utility. Project whatever conspiracy on that you want.
  - close04 2mo ago
    > Project whatever conspiracy on that you want You think a developer making money from their app is a conspiracy? Or that apps track you and developers monetize that data is one? I don't think you're being intentionally obtuse anymore.
  - NiloCK 2mo ago
    > What access? Push notifications. > Integration with OS features is what made the app ecosystem, because of utility. This is true of some apps, like the beer-drinking one that uses the accelerometer / other orientation sensors. It's not true of a large number of other apps, hence the "your app could have been a webpage" charge. This is distinct from "every app could be a webpage".
    - jorisw 2mo ago
      > Push notifications https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Push_API > hence the "your app could have been a webpage" charge No debate there. I was responding to the ever vague and broad "they want" comments.
      - close04 2mo ago
        > I was responding to Responding but never answering to anything. You were asking a bunch of questions with obvious answers that you should have known or could have discovered yourself, but expected others to dig out and chew them for you. You even went to ridiculous lengths to pretend that apps only do things "because of utility" and everything else like data collection, tracking, ads, etc. is "conspiracy". That's negative value in a conversation.
Barbing 2mo ago
What marketer could turn this down? https://apps.apple.com/us/app/loupe-what-apps-can-see/id6766152470 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/loupe-what-apps-can-see/id6766... Seconds since last reformat, number of times clipboard was used since last reformat, seconds since last reboot, dozens of other apps installed on the phone… On Apple devices, so much is leaked to developers, and they will use it. Loupe HN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48608645 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48608645