Nate Anderson, writing at Ars Technica:
But I was surprised this weekend to suddenly find myself cut off;
Reddit simply would not let me visit the site on my mobile phone.
Instead, a new overlay popped up, saying, “Get the app to keep
using Reddit.”There was no way to skip, bypass, or close the overlay. It did not
provide any instructions or alternatives for continuing to use the
mobile web version. What it did offer was a large button I could
press to get the app. If I did so, the overlay told me, I would be
able to “search better” and “personalize your feed” — two things
I don’t care to do. […]I reached out to the company to ask what was going on. According
to a spokesperson, “We recently started running a test for a small
subset of frequent logged-out mobile users that prompts them to
download the app after visiting the site. These users are already
familiar with Reddit and we’ve seen that the experience is much
better for them in the app. The app offers a more personalized
experience and users can more easily find communities that match
their interests.”
Yes, they’re doing this for the users’ benefit. Sure.
