DanielJun 24
Marco Arment

This is a core system app interrupting you, promoting a sale by a movie-ticketing company, to push you to go see the platform vendor’s new movie.

Why not just pop up random ads all the time, always creating new channels that everyone’s opted-into by default so you can never keep up with opting out of them all?

Oh wait, that’s already what happens.

Apple’s as bad as everyone else. They don’t respect their customers — we’re fodder.

They truly have no standards anymore.
https://mastodon.social/@caseyliss/114738626109660386

Jun 24 at 2:12pmIvory for iOS
Show threadMarco ArmentJun 24

I recently read this: https://www.wheresyoured.at/never-forgive-them/

It’s long. Very long. And not every example is perfect.

And it’s also, broadly, very right about what tech has become.

Never Forgive Them

In the last year, I’ve spent about 200,000 words on a kind of personal journey where I’ve tried again and again to work out why everything digital feels so broken, and why it seems to keep getting worse, despite what tech’s “brightest” minds might promise. More

Ed Zitron's Where's Your Ed At
Show threadfreediverxJun 24
@marcoarment
I’ve been subscribed to that podcast for a while now. His takedown of Google Search was epic.
Show threadMikael HanssonJun 24
@marcoarment the irony when *that* article is covered by subscribe nags… 🙄
Show threadRichard SmithJun 24
@mikael @marcoarment That was the point I closed the tab, when I couldn’t see the content anymore.
Show threadMindaugas RudokasJun 24
@marcoarment Nowadays it’s no longer enough to rant for a couple of sentences. You need to write an entire rant book for people to notice.
Show threadJ-P TetiJun 24
@marcoarment I would love to see you all talk about this essay (and Ed’s perspective more generally) on ATP. This industry is in dire need of a reset and I am curious whether you all agree (sounds like you do), what you all think it would take, and how us nerds should or can respond.
Show threadBryan PowellJun 25
@jpteti @marcoarment I second this.
Show threadAnders HovmöllerJun 24
@marcoarment Matthew Hemming nailed it so long ago: http://matthewhemming.ca/cheeseburger_brown/stories/Two_Moments_of_Invention.html
Cheeseburger Brown: Two Moments of Invention

A science-fiction short story concerning privacy and networked lives by Chester Burton Brown.

Show threadChancerubbageJun 24

@marcoarment

It is over 12,000 words (and a handful of please subscribe pop-ups). It would take me 30 minutes to read probably.

But it’s unfortunate that the bit the link image reveals is ‘I’ve written 20,000 words this year….’

But, yes, from my tl,dr skimming to determine its length, I didn’t see a single point I did not agree with.

Show threadAlphacheezJun 24
@marcoarment Ironically, I got this automatic pop-over about a minute into reading this article:
Show threadrsgJun 24
@marcoarment what an irony that the page offers a newsletter at the beginning of the text, as a pop-up a short time of reading later, and then again as an insert a few paragraphs down. I stopped reading at that point…
Show threadtylercheungJun 24
@marcoarment Debian on all the things?
Show threadPatrick McConnellJun 24
@marcoarment that’s an awful lot of words to say capitalism is a cancer. Not incorrect but a slog of a read
Show threaddjoll Jun 24

@marcoarment his arguments are sound - but writing 12,000 not-very-polished words to make a point he could convey in 1,200 is just lazy & disrespectful.

He admonishes the hypothetical elitist reader for “suggesting they buy a $600 MB Air”, yet expects the same reader to wade through a waffling, self-indulgent novella so he may make his argument. 🤦‍♂️

Show threadJan RychterJun 25

@marcoarment I run a solo-founder B2B SaaS. I try *hard* to do the right thing. No ads, no tracking, no dark patterns, focused on user needs.

I don't think anybody cares.

I've yet to hear from a paying user that they chose my product because there was no tracking. I don't think it factors into any buying decisions and I don't think it influences my revenue numbers.

I run my business this way because I think it's right, not because it makes business sense. Non-enshittification is a hobby.

Show threadJan RychterJun 25
@marcoarment The fact that this article is posted on a site that shows no less than *five* "SUBSCRIBE!" ads, two of which are popups/popovers is somewhat ironic.
Show threadfreediverxJun 24

@marcoarment @caseyliss
This post may hurt your odds of having Craig and Joz as guests on your podcast.

On a serious note, do you have the Fandango app installed and if so might that have played a role?

Show threadCasey LissJun 24
@freediverx nope.
Show threadMattJun 24
@marcoarment @caseyliss this crap is pushing me to the point of cancelling my Apple Card. So gross.
Show threadBenjamin EshamJun 24

@matthubble @marcoarment @caseyliss

I got the same notification and I’ve never had an Apple Card, so that’s seemingly no protection against spam. (Although if you meant it as “I don’t want to support a company that does this,” then yeah, 100%.)

Show threadDan MorenJun 24
@marcoarment @caseyliss I'm curious—can you tell what prompted this, or if it's targeted from some previous behavior? Or do we think it's sent in waves? I haven't seen this notification, so it seems like it's not a blanket "send it to everybody at once" kind of thing.
Show threadWarner CrockerJun 24
@dmoren @marcoarment @caseyliss I got that notification late last night.
Show threadChristopher McLeanJun 24
@dmoren @marcoarment @caseyliss I’ve only seen this banner so far but definitely still rolled my eyes at it.
Show threadMikeMilzz🥽Jun 24
@dmoren @marcoarment @caseyliss just got it at 9:20am PDT Don't think I watched the trailer, maybe an auto-play one in the TV app, and looks like Fandango app has uninstalled itself since I haven't used it in so long Can't find any other connections that might have triggered this 😑
Show threadJayJun 24
@dmoren @marcoarment @caseyliss JUST showed up on my phone.
Show threadJohn SiracusaJun 24
@dmoren I got it. I assume everyone will get it eventually.
Show threadPeter CohenJun 24
@siracusa @dmoren At least they kept U2 off the soundtrack
Show threadsullustJun 24
@siracusa @dmoren well that sounds ominously familiar.
Show threadAlexander LJun 24

@siracusa @dmoren I appreciate Apple giving me helpful reminders to turn off notifications for apps that shouldn't have them.

*sigh*

Show threadfreediverxJun 24
@siracusa @dmoren
Do Wallet alerts have a “report as spam" button?
Show threadAdam FairclothJun 24
@siracusa @dmoren I wasn't going to see this movie, but now I'm not gonna see it *even harder*
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Show threadMarc Robinson Jun 24
@siracusa @dmoren I have notifications for Wallet turned off, but I do see this when I open the app.
Show threadPhillip UptonJun 24

@marcintosh @siracusa @dmoren

I have notifications for Wallet on… but have never seen a notification for *any* product.

Only my charges on the Apple Card.

I did, however, see that in the wallet.

One other piece of data: I do not have the fandango app installed, nor any visitations to their web site or emails from them.

Show threadChancerubbageJun 24

@dmoren @marcoarment @caseyliss

I’m thinking what HELPED prompt this was a promotional agreement clause with the F1®️™️ organization.

I get notifications for Apple TV shows. It ~IS~ frequently a new episode drop for something Apple knows I watch. Promos for some new Apple Arcade game I’m not interested in. Etc.

Is it really that much removed from ‘Close Your Rings!’

Show threadEric BowersJun 24
@dmoren @marcoarment @caseyliss Got it this morning, unprovoked.
Show threadGuillaume GeteJun 24
@marcoarment @caseyliss One could think they heard this might be an issue when they put the U2 album on every Mac in the world with no warning, but nope. Still the same.
Show threadenthraxxxJun 24
@ggete @marcoarment @caseyliss The only lesson they learned that day was that apparently not everyone enjoys U2, and they still can't process that piece of information.
Show threadTony WalkerJun 24
@marcoarment I saw an F1 thing in the Wallet app this morning. I’m not too smart just tinker around, but I use NextDNS to block ads in the Apple News app (which I have plus as a premier one subscriber). Have it set to “ *.iadsdk.apple.com → 127.0.0.1” and I don’t see ads in Apple News.
I wonder if there’s a way to do that for the spammy stuff. Like Final Cut Pro ads in iMovie.
Show threadAndy PiperJun 24
@marcoarment @caseyliss I particularly enjoyed the Wallet app telling me to use Apple Pay. Which I already do, as they already know. Junk.
Show threadJames AtkinsonJun 24
@marcoarment @caseyliss a take totally lacking in nuance.
Show threadVeedemsJun 24
@marcoarment I use wallet but absolutely despise the ads they shove in there.
Show threadJimmyJun 24

@marcoarment To be fair, really low standards are still standards.

I haven’t seen this one, but the amount of Wallet and Apple Card promotional notifications is maddening.

Show threadJamie GaskinsJun 24

@marcoarment They used to have rules against this exact thing on the App Store. I remember being impressed by that because it kept push notifications meaningful.

Then years later, when I noticed a lot more spam notifications like this, I checked and they'd removed that rule.

Show threaddtrainJun 24
@marcoarment this was so fucking annoying
Show threadAdam FairclothJun 24
@marcoarment @caseyliss I'm personally shocked by how suddenly my disgust with Apple has spilled over lately, given the trends are nothing new. But it's a thousand cuts and I think we're at about 999 right now.
Show threadSwampYankeeJun 24
@marcoarment This is new? Same as it ever was from the company that force downloaded U2 songs to your music library and prevented you from deleting them? Or the company that maybe, accidentally, even though they said they never would, allow your phone to listen to you? If you ever thought differently shame on you.
Show threadATP RewindJun 24

@marcoarment @caseyliss Apple: Misusing system app push notifications for 12 years and counting.

Bonus points if you still remember what they were advertising back in 2014.

Show threadFazal MajidJun 24
@ATPrewind @marcoarment @caseyliss sanctimonious tax-dodging douchebag Bono’s crappy U2 songs?
Show threadThomas BrandJun 24
@siracusa @marcoarment @caseyliss this never would have happened with Growl
Show threadlibrepalestinaJun 25
@ATPrewind @marcoarment @caseyliss RED
Show threadNathan SnelgroveJun 26
@ATPrewind @marcoarment @caseyliss this couldn’t have been Apple Music, right? Too early, I think. So iCloud storage?
Show threadSteven G. Harms1d ago
@ATPrewind @marcoarment @caseyliss feels like the answer involves u2 (again)
Show threadDavid Beck Jun 24
@marcoarment @caseyliss at least Amazon can claim their ads subsidize cheaper hardware. We’re paying $1k+ for a phone that still advertises to us.
Show threadThom, ᚩᛈᚻᚳᛗᚢᛡᛁᛅᛞᚪᚳᛗᛚᚢᚦJun 24

@marcoarment Interestingly enough, you don't see shit like this on a Pixel from its default/core applications (at least not here in the EU, I know US carriers sometimes inject ads?).

And yet Google is considered the disgusting advertising company (which it is), and Apple is still seen as the paragon of class and style (which it most certainly isn't).

Show threadTorbJun 24
@thomholwerda I think it’s been a good long while aince Apple’s seen a paragon or class and style (espescially in UI design). Even by it’s fans.
Show threadcrazyeddieJun 24
@marcoarment My phone likes to inform me about some stupid show on google tv now. Started happening after it shut down one day. I figure it's not even my phone anymore.
Show threadStormdancer GryphonJun 24
@marcoarment T'was ever thus. They have become exactly what they started out protesting. It just took people an amazingly long time to figure this out.
Show threadWill GoringJun 24

@marcoarment they’re worse than everyone else. This is their platform, they should be the ones fighting to protect its integrity to make us want to be there.

I expect some app I got for free to treat me as a potential revenue source and try to grab my attention at every turn.

But for Apple to treat *my* £1500 phone as part of their sales funnel is downright insulting.

Show threadSteve Dragswolf 🪶Jun 24
@marcoarment I received this notification too. First ad I've ever gotten through Wallet, as far as I remember, and I've never used Fandango.
Show threadMark M. EvansJun 24
@marcoarment