63: I Hold My Children To A Higher Standard

App vs. Browser

The debate between using apps and web browsers is a contentious one, with John Siracusa expressing frustration over app banners that interrupt browsing experiences. He argues that if he's using a web browser, he prefers to stay within that environment rather than being redirected to an app 1. Casey Liss agrees, noting that while app banners can be annoying, they might be justified for media-heavy applications like Spotify, where the app offers a better experience 1.

I would rather you just make your website good and I'll use your app if I want to.

--- John Siracusa

Marco Arment adds that while there are scenarios where app redirection is beneficial, the complexity and potential for user frustration often outweigh the benefits 2.

   

Cross-Platform

Creating cross-platform standards poses significant challenges, particularly when major players like Apple choose to ignore them. John Siracusa highlights that Apple's dominance in the app market means that any cross-platform initiative must gain their support to succeed 3. He points out that Apple's approach often involves creating their own standards, which complicates efforts for universal solutions 3.

Making a cross platform standardization is so hard when one of the vendors, Apple, is just going to ignore you forever.

--- John Siracusa

Casey Liss discusses the technical aspects of app linking, noting that without support from major browsers like Safari, these initiatives face significant hurdles 4.

   

App Link Standards

Efforts to standardize app linking are met with skepticism, particularly regarding their practicality and widespread adoption. Marco Arment criticizes the inefficiency of current app link standards, which require fetching and parsing HTML to determine app compatibility 5. He doubts the likelihood of these standards being adopted by key players like Apple, given their history of prioritizing proprietary solutions 5.

Facebook always comes out with platforms and standards that are going to be useful and implemented by everybody, even when that's almost never actually the outcome.

--- Marco Arment

Casey Liss shares his concerns about Facebook's app links, which aim to redirect users from web pages to native apps, potentially disrupting the user experience 6.