This community is available in the app

Yesterday’s post was an awesome one, I learned a lot in JavaScript and and I was happy to see people doing what I thought impossible. Writing a simple todo app within 280 chars, in plain js.

After I finished writing the post, I wanted to share it on Reddit JavaScript community, r/javascript at the same time I shared it on HackerNews.

I have seen lot of comments on HackerNews criticizing the new Reddit design, using JavaScript and breaking in their mobile website, and constant nags pushing the users to their mobile app.

I was one of those few who liked their new design on desktop, no page loads between posting something, lot of white spaces, I feel most of the average users would be feeling the same, except for the tech community. But as a service Reddit should be looking at the common denominator, not the outliers.

I’m annoyed with the mobile app nag, when I visit the mobile website, Reddit is always asking me to download the mobile app. But I just cancel it and move along in the mobile browser.

But what happened yesterday just took me off the ledge. When I visited the r/javascript community on my iPad, I was greeted with this screen.

Why do you block me from from visiting the community from my mobile device?

Will the whole mobile website is scrapped and you end up with a landing page to download the mobile app?

If you want to visit a popular subreddit, install our up and use it, or else login.

I’ve managed to see the subreddit by requesting the desktop website, but I’m sure they will figure out a way, by checking the screen size to block this as well.

I understand that, as a company, you need to push to gain as much users as possible on their mobile devices, that’s the best way to track, to send notifications and keep you hooked and keep coming back. If I had a company like Reddit I might have done the same.

But for blocking users from their mobile devices, a service they once offered is a very dark pattern, instead what they should do is introduce some awesome features that will make the users download the app by themselves so they can enjoy those features. Not forcing the app though their throats.

Anyone else experienced a similar experience on Reddit mobile?

Only after writing the and checking the screenshot again made me see that they allow you to see the subreddit by logging in. But that is obscured and they intend to push users to download the app.