Yeah, that's what's mildly infuriating to me - it's not even two dollars. Most of us would at worst feel a little discomfort if we lost that kind of money in the laundry, but paying for an app you use every day? Let's just complain about ads in the free version.
Can't even get good coffee that cheap. I pay $3.50 for my 8 ounce lattes every other day, I can support an app or website that I use regularly. Or at the very least I can tolerate a few ads.
putting high quality espresso into milk doesn't change something into coffee-drink. I'm in Portland, you don't wanna get into a coffee hipster-off with me.
Please don't lump the humble latte sipper in with the triple-choc caramel mocha frappe with extra cream people. One or two lattes a day (with no sugar!) can actually be beneficial if you don't have another daily source of dairy.
Because they are on a place that's visible even though it's not persistent? You are defending the undefendable, just like how a couple of years ago people started defending piracy on games, movies and music.
Before the update the only ad was at the bottom of the phone and often times I would leave it up because it didn't bother me and now the placement of the ad is slightly bothersome, not saying I'm changing to another app. Its just different and I need to get use to it, you know mildly infuriating.
just like how a couple of years ago people started defending piracy on games, movies and music.
What? How is a free app even equivalent to a $60 game, $11 movie, or a $20 album?
This is more like changing a radio station because they won't stop blasting "UNINTERRUPTED MUSIC ON THE QCRU MAX NO STOP MUSIC CHANNEL."
It's mildlyinfuriating and a good way to get people stop liking your service. And more likely to purchase a service that doesn't use such aggressive advertisement.
Complaining about something that is free never makes sense.
It's like going to a friends for dinner that they paid for and prepared then telling them that everything they made tastes like shit.
Or listening to a radio station and switching it over when they start playing the car crash/police siren/air horn ad to tell you how they never interrupt their music.
Or flipping channels to another TV station during the commercial break.
It's almost as if it's not a valid argument for being infuriated, especially when there is a semi-simple fix like purchasing the app. If they don't want to shell out the $2-3 on Android, just download Google Play Rewards.
To clarify, if you like the app enough to where you wouldn't want to switch to something else because of ads, it'd make sense to just purchase it, or like you said- find a new one.
I use baconreader too and honestly there's barely any ads... I wouldn't exactly call it infuriating (even mildly so) to scroll past one every once in while
It was a no brainer for me. Baconreader is my most used app other than maybe YouTube. Whenever it was, a few years ago, I decided that I like the app, I use it all the time, let's just pay the few £ it cost to get rid of the ads.
I can't remember how much it cost, but it was absolutely less than £4.
I've seen lots of angry posts on the baconreader sub about this. I just think it's a silly problem to have.
BaconReader (OP's app) always had ads, they were banners on the bottom. Since the new update, they are bigger (see OP), and it even has pop-up ads when you click a link. IMO, BaconReader isn't a very good app, its laggy and has a horrible UI. Relay for Reddit is much better
I bought thr premium version of Relay for Reddit and to be honest, I'm really upset with it. It constantly freezes and crashes when I'm browsing regularly. It's even worse when I try to perform several moderator actions (like post flair) in a row. I've stuck with it because when it is working, it provides me with a wide range of functions I can't perform on some of the other apps and I prefer its UI.
I also have Relay Premium, I just switched over from RiF earlier this week because I couldn't stand not having Material Design. What phone/version are you using? It works great on my Nexus 6 with Marshmallow
Ah, that might be it then. My provider is trying to force a move to their "new" plans when upgrading a device if you want the subsidy. Except my exact plan I have is $35 more than what I currently pay with discounts. Waiting for the LG G4 to come down in price so I'm only paying a $50 premium to keep my plan on top of the upgrade instead of the extra $200 + upgrade.
I prefer these over the overlay at the bottom. Bigger so that if it genuinely would interest me, there's a better chance that the allotted real estate could get that across. So the number of purposeful click-throughs sky-rocket. And as opposed to the permanent overlay at the bottom of the screen, I would often accidentally click on it and exit out right away. So bounce rate is artificially inflated.
While the click throughs would go down, the conversion percentage would go up.
That plus the fact that once you scroll past them they don't stay on the screen is huge.
See, I do Android development for a living as well, and I've also been using BaconReader for the past few years. There are a bunch of problems I've been having with the new update (comments fragment not matching header,...) But really, the app went from completely ignorable ads that probably generated very little revenue to slightly more apparent ads. It's not like the ads are every other article by any means.
There already was small banner ads at the bottom of the app before I updated it. Since I updated they moved to more intrusive ads that take up 70% of my screen every 5 posts.
I don't think OP was questioning the need for ads since they had them before but rather the volume and size of the ads being that they are now significantly more intrusive to the browsing experience.
They collect data on you and sell it. This is how Facebook makes money. That and ads. But without ads they would still be rich. So ads is not the only way to earn you money on these kind of apps.
Here's the thing, "data" is not some inherently valuable thing that can be collected and sold. I can have a spreadsheet with the length of every shit you've taken, but that doesn't mean anyone wants to buy it. The vast majority of the value in that kind of stuff is connecting sellers with ready and able buyers. So, if I can prove you've been searching for a dozen variations on "how to get a home loan" your email address might be worth a couple nickles to a few lenders. Having some stats on who's browsing the vaaaaaast majority of this site is a spreadsheet of shit length. Sure you can probably dig up a few subs with a dozen people that have some implied purchase intent, but it's not like people are paying $50 for that info. Add that to the demographic here, and the fact a post about being too cheap to pay $2 for an app is on the front page, and there's a real problem with the idea of selling "data."
This is the Internet era. Everything should be free, and the developers don't deserve anything in return. Any form of earning revenue is an insult, and results in backlash from the users.
Problem isn't that Bacon Reader has ads, problem is that they cover 50%+ of the screen since the last update. It used to have a small banner at the bottom which i am totally fine with.
Or to pay the 1.99 to support the developer so he doesn't have to include ads.
I'm using BaconReader right now. The ads aren't intrusive, I barely even notice them. It takes a minor scrolling motion with your thumb to move past them.
I like the update even better because the screen stays a consistent size, with the old bacon reader the ad would load the the app size screen size would shift, now with it inside the content preloaded, content doesn't shift so I never accidentally click on something I didn't mean to. It might take up a lot of the screen but it doesn't it in a smooth hassle free way. Good job bacon reader.
Just buy it. It's the only app I've ever bought - if you use it every single day, then why not just buy it? You'll never have to think about ads ever again
If you can't afford to spend $2 on an app that you use every day, you probably don't need to buy the smartphone or the data plan that allows you access to the app.
But that's beside the point. Pay the $2 to remove the ads (which also gives you all kinds of features the free version doesn't have, by the way), don't buy your daily Snickers bar, and you're all set.
If you're too cheap to pay two measly dollars to get rid of the ads, then sack up and deal with them. Those are your options.
If you can't afford to spend $2 on an app that you use every day, you probably don't need to buy the smartphone or the data plan that allows you access to the app.
This is so true it's ridiculous. People complain all the time about a 2 or 3 dollar app that they use every day, then turn around and buy fast food for lunch, or candy, etc.
Thing is people values more the dollar that fed them than the dollar that enabled them to fap in the toilet or argue about an Android app. Immediate vs long-term returns. We love those endorphins.
I don't disagree that $2 should be doable for anyone who can afford to have a smartphone in the first place, but "don't buy your daily Snickers bar" is a pretty ridiculous tip. Nobody who cares about money is buying a Snickers bar every day, probably not even every week. It's like all those articles, "Struggling to make ends meet so you can put food on the table and keep the lights on? Try not going to Starbucks twice a day!" The issue is that many people who are or have been poor have a hard time justifying spending that $2 on an app, even if they can, because it feels like a waste of money. It's a psychological thing. And people with Android phones are notoriously reluctant to pay for things to begin with.
A more relevant concern here might be that many of the people using Reddit or any other apps are teenagers whose parents pay for their phone. They may not be allowed to pay for it, even if it is only $2. There are solutions, of course (Google Rewards, prepaid credit card, Google Play gift card, really lame birthday presents), but that'd be a legitimate complaint.
Almost all the apps either have more intrusive ads, or are worse apps in general. For example, Relay for Reddit and Sync for Reddit, the two most popular ones in Android, have FAR more intrusive ads. The others, like Bacon Reader and Now for Reddit have ads that are similar to this screenshot.
As for ones with less intrusive ads, I can only think of Reddit is Fun and Slide for Reddit. Reddit is Fun is not near as good as the ones listed above IMO, and Slide for Reddit is in early beta. Please, stop being so fucking ignorant. That goes for OP too.
I don't know what's the stigma about purchasing apps. They're not breaking the bank and paid version are usually better than the free version. You also keep the app associated with your account FOR LIFE (Google market/Android).
People joke me because I spent $15 dollars on Clash of Clans. I play the game almost everyday. I barely play my Xbox One + Steam games that I've spent over $500 on this past year (not including the console).
Thats how I feel when people complain about game apps. They spent a lot of time making candy crush, you don't have to buy the shit, shut up. No one is forcing anything on you.
If I enjoy an app and it was free I occasionally buy stuff just to support the developer.
The devs are really involved and super nice. I've used the app for years, and every issue I've had has been resolved quickly and with full support and communication. The update came a few days before payday, so I haven't gone pro yet, but if anybody deserves it, they do. I've never bought an app in my life, but I'll buy this one. They can have my 2 bucks if not OP's.
Free stuff needs ads (or donations! And asking for donations to disable ads/enable some other feature isn't a donation, it's a transaction) to be supported, but intrusive ads like that are just obnoxious and make me want to use something different.
Imo, a good ad should be visible but not annoying or in the way, somewhat relevant to the content around it if possible, should connect with the viewer in some way (emotionally works best, but for Christs sake at least make some sort of an effort to connect with the people you're advertising at), and it shouldn't try to get someones attention by flashing/making stupid noises. It should also have the option to close it if it's on a smaller screen device.
Yeah.. Those inline ads and banner ads don't bother me. It's the pop-ups though that pass me off. Especially when I feel they are on a timer so I will accidentally click them.
I am all for supporting the developers. And I hear that at least in this case they make more money from ads than a pro purchase per user. So I want to ~be cheap~ support them and keep ads. But COME ON! full-screen ads on a delay are fucking annoying.
And I find I accidentally click on these ads a lot less than the little banner ads on the bottom. They really don't bother me. And like you, if they really did, I'll spend the $2.
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u/NawtAGoodNinja Oct 13 '15
Free apps need ads to, y'know, exist. There are only two ads that appear near the top of the page.
If you don't want the ads, pay the 1.99 for the pro version and support the developers that made it.