"If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." Users have since taken to subreddits like r/bugs and r/help to voice their displeasure at being blocked out of the website on mobile. "Are my days of anonymously browsing over?" asked one user."
"A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica that it was "a test for a small subset of frequent logged-out mobile users that prompts them to download the app after visiting the site." They continued: "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.""
"Despite consistent user growth and 121 million daily active users, Reddit has struggled to find a path to monetization since it went public on the stock exchange two years ago. The site's principal revenue is advertising, which explains the push to log users into its mobile app, where it can consistently track their activity."
"In 2024, the company also signed a controversial contract with OpenAI that allowed the ChatGPT maker to train its AI models on user-submitted posts. (It's currently in legal battles with Perplexity and Anthropic over alleged unlawful use of its data.)"
Reddit shows an undismissable popup on iPhones that asks users to download the app to keep using Reddit. The change is described as a test targeting a small subset of frequent logged-out mobile users, prompting them to install the app after visiting the site. Reddit says the app provides a better, more personalized experience and makes it easier to find communities matching interests. Users complain about losing anonymous browsing and being blocked from the website on mobile. The move is framed as part of a broader monetization effort, since Reddit’s main revenue is advertising and the app enables more consistent activity tracking. Reddit has also pursued AI-related monetization through a contract with OpenAI and faces legal disputes over data use.
Read at MacRumors
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