Re:I Won't Download Your App. The Web Version Is A-OK
by array_key_first on Monday April 06, 2026 @05:24PM
(#47667347)
Okay but that's not what he's arguing, you're missing the point.
There's nothing stopping a website from being usable on a smartphone. In fact, almost all of these apps are just websites in disguise! They use web views to render.
The reason it's an app and not a website isn't because apps are better for smartphones. It's because apps are native code running.
It's also a choice that websites cannot present as apps (PWAs). Apple and Google purposefully did that so they can push users to apps instead of websites, for data farming purposes.
There's nothing stopping a website from being usable on a smartphone. In fact, almost all of these apps are just websites in disguise! They use web views to render.
The reason it's an app and not a website isn't because apps are better for smartphones. It's because apps are native code running.
It's also a choice that websites cannot present as apps (PWAs). Apple and Google purposefully did that so they can push users to apps instead of websites, for data farming purposes.