Currently, there is a single ad spot at the top of search results in the App Store. For example, if you search for “Facebook,” you might see an ad at the top of the results for TikTok. This is because TikTok is targeting specific search terms and has won the auction for that placement.
A second app ‘winning search results’ in an app store is the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard. Like ordering something in a restaurant and always being offered something else instead.
“How is the onion soup?”
“Would you like tomato soup?”
Every single time.
CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
One of the reasons that the App Store purportedly exists is to provide quality software rather than malware and spam.
I guess that goes out of the window as soon as money appears.
You can literally type the name of an app and the first three results are, if you’re lucky, competitors. More often than not they’re pure junk.
webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
To be more technical correct, all ideals go out of the window the moment a shareholders frowns.
Apple has been one of the wealthiest countries for years, they don’t need money, they can’t be doing this just for money.
They are doing it, to get more money yes, but only in order to make the angle of a line go up so they can sell a comfortable illusion to the people keeping them in charge of the available unimaginable mass of wealth.
thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Hmm yes Apple the country
SkyeStarfall@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
I know you meant “companies”, but at this point, it might as well be on the scale of a country
Yaky@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
Now up the challenge: In App Store, find a simple app that is not a “solution”, “ecosystem” nor a “lifestyle”, does not have ads, and does not require a subscription for basic functionality.
(Years ago, I tried about 10 RSS readers, News Reader was what I finally found, way down the list)
CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
I understand the economics are challenging but it’s been a race to the bottom. There were and still are some really high quality apps, but so many trash!
poopkins@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
As an app developer, let me just say that it’s no delight to publish something free—completely free without ads. Users are incredibly entitled and will want more, leaving poor ratings. And you won’t make it in the search results without revenue, ad placement, high ratings and frequent updates.
So, organically, because ultimately what people collectively want is an app that is heavily invested into, the apps become ad-riddled or subscription based because it’s the only way to fund a team that can maintain an app that reaches the top of the lists.
I personally put 50% of the blame on the app stores for promoting in the manner that they do, and 50% of the blame on users for being entitled shits.
thethunderwolf@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
*searches for Firefox*
acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
there’s a difference between malware and junk. ios is pretty much malware free.
CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
Facebook app set up a local server on the iOS device that received pings when a browser loaded their tracking pixels.
I feel like that behaviour falls under my definition of spyware. I know it’s not as malicious as it could be, but still.