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Why are there so many apps that could be websites? (lemmy.world)

submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Seriously. I don't want to install something on my phone when the dev is just using a WebView, if that's what it's called. When the app is basically just a website with the browser hidden.

What's the reason for that? To attach the customer? To sell the app for money? Is there more ad revenue that way? Do you reach more people?

(Are there any good reasons for it, too? Security, maybe?)

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago

From a technical point of view, it sometimes makes sense:

access to more interesting API
guaranteed persistent storage
no compatibility issues (different browsers, settings, extensions, etc.)

Of course, that's just what could be done easier with an app. There's also some less interesting points:

giving less control to the user
accessing more things than needed
making the experience worse by hooking every single events out of the webview

So… the answer is "because".