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  3. ‘The tyranny of apps’: those without smartphones are unfairly penalised, say campaigners

‘The tyranny of apps’: those without smartphones are unfairly penalised, say campaigners

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  • D [email protected]

    I mean I simply refuse to ask QR code phishing is a thing

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    [email protected]
    wrote on last edited by
    #57

    You might enjoy SecScannerQR then. It makes it easier to vet QR codes by giving an option to search for the URL instead of going there directly.

    https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.t_dankworth.secscanqr/

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    • N [email protected]
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      wrote on last edited by
      #58

      "Continue reading this on the reddit/instagram/tik tok/blablah app" No, I didn't need to see it that badly.

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      • G [email protected]

        My old apartment had gates that could only be opened with an app. They took out the card reader and made it app only. Should have gotten out of there much earlier than I did.

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        [email protected]
        wrote on last edited by
        #59

        Yeah, that's a nope from me. I'm trying to eliminate as many apps from my life as I can.

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        • N [email protected]
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          wrote on last edited by
          #60

          Even the homeless in my city have smartphones.

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          • N [email protected]
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            wrote on last edited by
            #61

            Even if I was willing to download all of those apps I don't have room for them. They chew up 50-300mb each (why!?) and if I installed all of them I'd run out of memory. Since most phones now don't support memory expansion I have to be picky about which ones I use.

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            • T [email protected]

              That and those servers are going to be running anyway. Powering a simple restaurant website is a grain of sand on the beach of internet usage.

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              wrote on last edited by
              #62

              Yeah, exactly. If you're worried about the power draw to host a few hundred KB PDF file, you probably shouldn't be using Lemmy, because scrolling through your feed probably uses 100x that in energy costs.

              You have to remember that the shared hosting or aws, or wherever is going to be cheapest to host a simple website is also going to be very power efficient. Wasting power is just throwing away free money, and if there's one thing corporations don't do, it's throw away free money.

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              • G [email protected]

                that stuff is nice as an option. There's a bar I go to that I can order my food and drink to the table my friends are at, while I'm walking to the place, and everything just arrives shortly after I sit down. Other people get offended about how fast I get served, it's always amusing. I also enjoy not interacting with the staff, nothing against them, brain just doesn't brain sometimes.

                But what if I didn't have a phone? or if I left home without it? 24/7 pocket rectangle is not natural.

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                [email protected]
                wrote on last edited by
                #63

                Losing your phone now is like losing not just your wallet but simple access to everything.

                eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.comE 1 Reply Last reply
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                • T [email protected]

                  You don't need an app to use a loyalty card...

                  But yes I am against supermarkets that only provide discounts if you use their loyalty program, which in turn allows them to track your purchases. Especially since many items are priced with the discount as the "fair" price and the full price is really just a money grab.

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                  wrote on last edited by
                  #64

                  Same. We have two grocery stores nearby, both with loyalty programs. One requires using the program to get discounts, while the other doesn't (you just miss out on points). Guess which I shop at...

                  If I need to go to the other one (Kroger family), I'll use my parents' number so they get the points. I go maybe once/year if there's a particularly good deal.

                  grysbok@lemmy.sdf.orgG 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • S [email protected]

                    Same. We have two grocery stores nearby, both with loyalty programs. One requires using the program to get discounts, while the other doesn't (you just miss out on points). Guess which I shop at...

                    If I need to go to the other one (Kroger family), I'll use my parents' number so they get the points. I go maybe once/year if there's a particularly good deal.

                    grysbok@lemmy.sdf.orgG This user is from outside of this forum
                    grysbok@lemmy.sdf.orgG This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #65

                    Last time I went to a new-to-me grocery store that I didn't have a loyalty card for, I just used [local area code]-867-5309. Jenny hasn't failed me yet.

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                    • E [email protected]

                      You might enjoy SecScannerQR then. It makes it easier to vet QR codes by giving an option to search for the URL instead of going there directly.

                      https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.t_dankworth.secscanqr/

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                      wrote on last edited by
                      #66

                      Ooh. Now do iOS.

                      ulrich@feddit.orgU 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • ptz@dubvee.orgP [email protected]

                        I flat-out refuse to do business with any that requires I use an app. I won't even scan a QR code for a restaurant menu; that's my cue to go eat elsewhere.

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                        wrote on last edited by
                        #67

                        Worst thing about qr menus for me is that when I finally order, I have to give my phone number and address. Bro, I'm sitting across from the kitchen and just want dumplings. Why I gotta dox myself for that?

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                        • R [email protected]

                          also those who dont want to install that spyware shit on their phones. Even if you dont care about the data collection it still consumes battery faster as more and more data is being transferred

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                          wrote on last edited by
                          #68

                          McDonald’s (in Germany at least) needs your location to “see when you arrive at the restaurant”. What the hell?! That doesn’t even work properly and they force it on me! I uninstalled the app and now I am actually happy, because without the promotion and discount stuff, I don’t eat McDanks that often anymore.

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                          • G [email protected]

                            apps allow user tracking and advertising though. Much more valuable to the corpos than a few lost customers.

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                            wrote on last edited by
                            #69

                            Also mich More valuable to Google, as they are the biggest Advertising company. I looked it up and according to this source I has ~70% of the pay-per-click market.

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                              wrote on last edited by
                              #70

                              I am still on a flip phone. It is usually silent, and I don't spend much time with it at all. While I am missing out on discounts and such, I simply hate the idea of constantly using a phone. Email is my telecommunication of choice, but receptionists don't understand the idea, unfortunately.

                              My household bought a Rinnai water heater, and the bastard needed a phone to set the temperature. Thing is, it couldn't communicate with the two or three phones that were used on it. Fortunately, there was an old-school modification for a physical keypad, but that had to be bought separately.

                              Phones are just not my thing.

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                              • A [email protected]

                                Get out of the stone age.

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                                wrote on last edited by
                                #71

                                this comment makes me wish for a Carrington Event in the 21st century

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                                • C [email protected]

                                  especially if you don't have an iphone. I have seen so many accessories and apps that were made for use on iphones which would also be useful for android devices as well. my transplant clinic has a patient portal that has an app for iphones but nothing for android so you have to use their website.

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                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #72

                                  I switched thermostats due to the old one failing, and getting a basic smart thermostat was required for a hefty rebate that basically made it free.. and the one I have now, the app thought my not-major-brand phone was a tablet. I couldn’t hit the button to turn down the heat, only up, because it was cut off due to scaling.

                                  So yeah, requiring apps for interface is bad. Even if you are willing to use it there’s so freakin many various versions of android that it’s guaranteed to not work properly for a whole swath of people, mostly those on budget devices.

                                  engineergaming@feddit.nlE 1 Reply Last reply
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                                  • I [email protected]

                                    I'm probably gonna get clowned for feeding the troll, but - this comment comes off a lot more harsh if you've ever experienced not having access to the Internet and a smartphone or computer.

                                    I spent the better part of 16 years of my life with no TV, MP3 player, phone, Internet, or computer - and it has negatively impacted me in immeasurable ways.
                                    I couldn't find work, because I couldn't apply for jobs but also I didn't know you could do that on the Internet - I also didn't know YouTube existed, so I missed out on learning the things I liked, and I didn't know I was being abused because I had no way of knowing that it wasn't normal until I got access to help, via the Internet.

                                    I wasn't in the stone age - if I'd had options to do any of the above without a phone or the Internet, I'd be a different person today. Shut up, mate - not everyone can afford or has the opportunity to own a smartphone and data plan (which are rare and expensive in abusive situations like my past). Making services available in places like libraries and community centers without requiring smartphones and Internet would help so many people who have no ability to use them - those people are humans too.

                                    and by the way while we're at it: if we're effectively paywalling access to basic human rights behind an IP address and cellular radio, those should be enshrined as human rights too.

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                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #73

                                    I was raised in the boondocks. You couldn't get reception there back in the 90's, and there weren't any kids or neighbors that I could visit without having to be driven. My parents didn't have any community at all, so I in turn never learned how to socialize properly. To say the least, I never became comfortable with phones, even after moving into civilization. It just wasn't part of me.

                                    Isolation from people is a huge disadvantage in life, you don't get to make friends, network, or learn what it means to be part of society. Here's hoping that cellphones and whatnot become rights, as you have said.

                                    However, some states might provide SSI recipients a LifeConnect program. You get a free smartphone and low-end plan.

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                                    • N [email protected]
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                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #74

                                      Yep, the homeless pay more!

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                                      • N [email protected]
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                                        [email protected]
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #75

                                        I use GraphineOS on my Pixel 7 and even I feel penalized for caring about my privacy. Its absolutely nonsense, not everything needs an app.

                                        djdarren@sopuli.xyzD 1 Reply Last reply
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                                        • B [email protected]

                                          Yep, the homeless pay more!

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                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #76

                                          Remember the meltdown over “Obamaphones”?

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