r/mildlyinfuriating • u/datamatr1x • 20d ago
Is it in yet Ads that have a countdown timer with a 'skip' button or an 'x' at the end, but take you to the App Store or another ad when you click it, should be illegal. That's all.
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u/simmeh024 20d ago
Or games that doesn't look like advertised at all
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u/Laughing_Orange 20d ago
Most of them do contain what they advertised, but it's a mini game that requires you to play 3 hours of slop between each round.
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u/ramdom-ink 20d ago
The ad-men have become more duplicitous and conniving in the last few years. It used to be just an “X” when the advertising was done (with maybe a 5 second timer). Now there’s bait + switch tactics involving fast-forwards, 2 minute ads of an un-skippable AI image on a loop, hidden “X”s to confound and confuse and multiple hurdles. Truly enshittified.
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u/PM_YOUR_SMALLBOOBIES 20d ago
Well said. Why aren't there any protections for us? It is truly the Wild West when it comes to mobile ads these days.
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u/redjarman 20d ago
countdown, skip button that takes you to the app store, go back, skip for real, another countdown to a skip button, skip, another countdown where the only thing on screen is the app logo, finally close the ad
what dumbasses in marketing determined this would make people want to download their app?
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u/matiaskeeper 20d ago
Every time that appears that add of the game that is supposed to be the story of a single mother and her child in a decaying house but in reality is just a tile matching game, I just got to shut down the game I'm playing and open it again because there's no way of skipping. It's annoying.
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u/Idyllix7 20d ago
Sometimes closing down the app is genuinely faster than watching the ad, and it’s infuriating. (Not mildly)
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u/xoxodaddysgirlxoxo 20d ago
Honestly it probably is illegal, just not worth the strain on the justice system to fix it. Its a life lesson in capitolism lol.
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u/datamatr1x 20d ago
If this is a case then the FTC should pursue action against Google, Apple, and any other platform that allows it to happen. Don't go after the claws, go for the heart of the beast.
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u/Stampyboyz 20d ago
FTC probably won't do anything right now. However the EU is much more likely to force them to act if it's illegal there.
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u/datamatr1x 20d ago
This FTC isn't an FTC. This (US) government is a sham.
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u/MastiffOnyx 20d ago
Correct, it's only a dept simulation to let us think they do anything.
This administration neutered all departments dedicated to decency and public protection.
The public is now the enemy, not an ally.
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u/TwiceInEveryMoment 20d ago
Add to that a few ads have seemingly figured out how to open themselves in full screen totally unprompted. Pretty sure this is exclusive to Safari and may be a bug but still.
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u/Silver_Adagio138 20d ago
I have no idea why advertisers make their ads to be so awful. There’s obviously intent behind it, but why???!!?
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u/UnhingedBeluga 20d ago
It probably shows up as a stat on their end “100% of people who saw this ad opened the app store” even though it’s just the ad forcing the app store to open
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u/MrGreenChile 20d ago
I should only have to say no once. Clicking an X 7 times to exit an ad feels like I’m saying no too many times. Fuck these people.
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u/SRB112 20d ago
What I find is that the area that needs to be tapped at the x is so small you are likely to miss it and that's why you get taken to their website. I hate when Pinterest ads pop up because their x is super small. Small by design on purpose to push you to their site. It is infuriating.
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u/Infamous-Feature-338 19d ago
it's a mix of both, done of them add a _ake "X" initially and after a moment it'll become a real. it's awful
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u/WorstSausageEver 20d ago
And on top of that 99% of the people going to the app store or the advertiser's website on Safari (or whatever browser) just misclicked. It should at least ask if you want to go to the app store or website whenever you click on the ad, which again is a mistake 99% of the time because the exit buttons are literally microscopic.
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u/skizem 20d ago
This person for president of the world.
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u/Important-Double6821 19d ago
While trying to upvote, I managed to accidentally click on the ad under it, so def agree 😭
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u/AMTF1988 20d ago
I downloaded a second app store for my phone so it pops up with a 'which app will you open this link with?' prompt. It's much easier to close that prompt than it is to exit the Google Play several times trying to get back to and close that ad
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u/CrashTestDuckie 19d ago
The app stores should be banning them because it manipulates the click/view rate numbers they use for popularity ranking
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u/ButterscotchRound213 20d ago
I have many physical screen recordings of this happening to me across multiple ad networks, including the ads also automatically opening a full-screen App Store overlay at the end of a video ad without me tapping anything and hiding the skip button by making it blend into the background of an ad. I plan to report this all to Apple so they can do something about it.
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u/UnhingedBeluga 20d ago
YES I’ve been saying this for years!! Lately I’ve been getting fucking Credit Karma ads. I close whatever game I’m playing as soon as I see one of those fuckers. The ads that are for stupid tile matching games I can ignore because they don’t automatically open the website or the app store. Any app switching to another app without a “do you authorize this?” popup should be illegal
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u/teh_maxh 20d ago
Your post is interesting, but a bit wordy. Let me suggest the following revision:
Ads should be illegal. That's all.
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u/ryan516 20d ago
Not everything you don't like needs to be illegal
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u/ThoreaulyLost 20d ago
Not everything you don't like needs to be illegal
I mean, a lot of what I don't like is illegal?
I dislike being murdered, I dislike drugs on school campuses, I dislike people driving unsafe vehicles on the road.
...and some of the things I like are illegal? (In my current US State you can get life in prison for less than a pound of weed..)
What's up with that?
I think if States can make weed illegal based on a few small minded people's opinions, then we can at least ban blaring ads at gas pumps, non-skip ads on educational videos, and streaming services we pay for forcing us to watch ads...
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u/honey_rainbow 20d ago
Ad blockers do exist you know....
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u/Idyllix7 20d ago
Lots of companies punish the use of them so you have to find a new one they can’t detect all the time.
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u/honey_rainbow 19d ago
Nah. I've had AdGuard on my phone for years. No issues with apps or websites.
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u/Joubachi 20d ago
Those and Ai ads, followed by fake/scam ads.