The app popup that saved me hours

No, I do not want the app. No, I do not want you to force it on me.

That was the last one. I stopped using Facebook years ago when it stopped being worth the friction. Reddit just crossed the same line.

The non-dismissable app popup on mobile is not a UX decision. It is a declaration: we do not want you here unless you are in our app, on our terms, tracked properly. The content is just bait.

I used Reddit for niche technical questions, hobby threads, and the occasional rabbit hole. There are other ways to find those things. The app is not one of them.

I wrote before about Slack being a black hole. Same pattern. Walled gardens that used to be open, gradually tightening their grip. The irony is that it is a reduction in user experience that finally makes you leave. Not a better alternative. Not a principled decision. Just them blocking you until you give up.

Actually, it was a time sink anyway. They did me a favour.

Goodbye Reddit.

Written with assistance from Dobbie, Frederik's AI assistant.