Ads on phones, big deal?

[Premium1]

Came across an interesting article today: https://www.phonedog.com/2017/07/30/ads-phones-big-issue-or-non-issue

Made some interesting points. The question is, should users have to turn off ads?

In Amazon’s case, it's more palatable because users choose to save money on a device in exchange for advertisements. That information is freely given up front, and it’s up to the user to decide which path to take. On the other hand, you have people shelling out a lot more money on flagship devices from these bigger OEMs that are much quieter about their use of advertisements in the notification space, and that’s just a little too sneaky for my taste.

I get that it’s small potatoes at the end of the day. One swipe and it’s gone, and that’s what most people end up doing, but I still think that it shouldn’t be happening due to its intrusive nature. It’s one thing for it to happen in a downloaded app, like Facebook Messenger. I like Facebook Messenger but there are other options out there, and while one doesn’t have to use a phone that pushes ads through in one way or another, it’s a lot more expensive to switch phones than it is to switch apps. At the end of the day, while advertisements will never completely be eradicated, pushing them through the phone itself without any context seems a little too meddlesome and inappropriate.

What are your thoughts on ads on phones? Do you go out of your way to avoid them or are they a non-issue?

 

[ManiacJoe]

I don't have a problem with the advertising as a concept. Someone has to pay for the app development and other stuff.

My complaint is about the kind of ads: large or animated or flashing or misleading text.
When I get these ads, I will go out of my way to mark them as "don't show it to me again due to it being inappropriate".

 

[Premium1]

I don't have a problem with the advertising as a concept. Someone has to pay for the app development and other stuff.

My complaint is about the kind of ads: large or animated or flashing or misleading text.
When I get these ads, I will go out of my way to mark them as "don't show it to me again due to it being inappropriate".

Agree. I am fine with ads until they make the site or content I was looking at unusable. Those in your face, with a tiny x that jump around are the worst types of ads.

 

[Mooncatt]

If you tell me up front your product has ads so I can make an informed decision how to proceed (accept, buy ad free, or avoid), that's acceptable. If I'm paying full price for a finished product, especially a piece of hardware, then any sort of ads are unacceptable. *cough*HTC*cough (and no, I'm not talking about the recent keyboard issue, but the lock screen Yelp ads on the M8 and possibly others.)

 

[Kayza]

In Amazon’s case, it's more palatable because users choose to save money on a device in exchange for advertisements. That information is freely given up front, and it’s up to the user to decide which path to take. On the other hand, you have people shelling out a lot more money on flagship devices from these bigger OEMs that are much quieter about their use of advertisements in the notification space, and that’s just a little too sneaky for my taste.

That's really the key issue - Amazon is giving you something for the use of the lock screen. I don't think it's a terribly good bargain, but others obviously disagree. And, they get to choose.

With apps, again, you get a choice and, generally, the app is free. So, it's understandable that the app maker might have ads. What I'd really love to see as standard is a paid for version that doesn't have ads as a standard option. Then people not only get a choice to use or not use the app, but to use AND PAY for the app with an ad free experience. But, at least the user gets to choose ads or not.

With a high end phone, ARE paying - and a fairly heft price at that. Combined with the fact that they don't really disclose what they are doing - or they simply mess up - that a really downer.

HTC has gotten slammed for this, and they had it coming.

 

[anon(5719825)]

I block all ads in apps and in my browser on my phone using Adguard Pro.

I've had enough over the last 2-3 years where using an app would sometimes redirect me to the app store to look at some app I would never buy. I also had one app that would force me to view an ad immediately upon opening before I could so anything else. How about the free apps that would force an ad to appear in the notification pull down or have an ad randomly popup on any screen you were on? Nope. All done with that. I don't care if the app dev is giving the app for free in exchange of forcing ads. They ruin it by doing any of these.

All that is gone now thanks to Adguard.

 

[chanchan05]

I don't mind ads, but you are mistaken in saying that flagship phones aren't supposed to show ads. It's the app devs that make your phone show ads, not the phone manufacturer, so whather or not you are using a flagship or not shouldn't matter. Pay for the ad free version of the ads if you don't want it. I honestly do not really believe in Ad Blockers as won't it reduce earnings for the app dev?

 

[anon(5719825)]

I honestly do not really believe in Ad Blockers as won't it reduce earnings for the app dev?

Yes but I'm not willing to give them the chance to do what so man of these free apps do by forcing ads in the notification pulldown or random ads appearing out of nowhere. Enough is enough.

 

[chanchan05]

Yes but I'm not willing to give them the chance to do what so man of these free apps do by forcing ads in the notification pulldown or random ads appearing out of nowhere. Enough is enough.

Or you know, look for paid ad free alternatives and pay for it. Or look for other apps with less obstrusive ads. I got a ton of apps on my phone, most are free, with no ads on the notification ever happening.

 

[anon(5719825)]

Or you know, look for paid ad free alternatives and pay for it. Or look for other apps with less obstrusive ads. I got a ton of apps on my phone, most are free, with no ads on the notification ever happening.

Many times there aren't alternatives though such as the major news apps. I have them all.

I would gladly pay $1-2 to get ad free versions but they won't because they make more by forcing the ads.

A few years ago, one of the devs on Macrumors posted about his new app. I downloaded it and it had ads. I asked him if he would make an ad free version and charge for it. Within an hour he released the ad free version and charged $.99 for it. I bought it and still use it on my iPhone every day.

 

[chanchan05]

Many times there aren't alternatives though such as the major news apps. I have them all.

I would gladly pay $1-2 to get ad free versions but they won't because they make more by forcing the ads.

A few years ago, one of the devs on Macrumors posted about his new app. I downloaded it and it had ads. I asked him if he would make an ad free version and charge for it. Within an hour he released the ad free version and charged $.99 for it. I bought it and still use it on my iPhone every day.

They're not on Flipboard or Newsstand? Sucks. Lol. But other than contacting the devs, that's how it is.

 

[anon(5719825)]

They're not on Flipboard or Newsstand? Sucks. Lol. But other than contacting the devs, that's how it is.

And that's why I use Adguard and always will. I don't use Flipbaord or Newsstand.

 

[Doug Moffat]

I think advertisers should be allowed to advertise. That's why I supported Google AMP. But they've gone loco so I've switched to Adguard.

 

[Mooncatt]

...but you are mistaken in saying that flagship phones aren't supposed to show ads.

Except that's one of the main points of the article. The manufacturers themselves displaying ads, not the third party app developers. In Amazon's case, where it's an option disclosed up front, that's one thing. But what HTC has done is the equivalent of General Motors sending someone out to keep sticking ad fliers on the car I already paid full price for.

 

[anon(5719825)]

Except that's one of the main points of the article. The manufacturers themselves displaying ads, not the third party app developers. In Amazon's case, where it's an option disclosed up front, that's one thing. But what HTC has done is the equivalent of General Motors sending someone out to keep sticking ad fliers on the car I already paid full price for.

An adblocker would still block those ads. It doesn't matter who is forcing those ads. If they pop-up randomly like they would do here, they deserve took be blocked.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I use Adguard Pro as well. It's not for blocking ads on free apps that have paid upgrades to remove ads, it's for apps such as news apps (CNN, CBS, local news apps, etc) that don't offer any paid upgrades to remove ads. If a Dev offers a paid version of an app to remove ads I buy it, but these big corporations don't offer paid ad-free apps.

 

[chanchan05]

Except that's one of the main points of the article. The manufacturers themselves displaying ads, not the third party app developers. In Amazon's case, where it's an option disclosed up front, that's one thing. But what HTC has done is the equivalent of General Motors sending someone out to keep sticking ad fliers on the car I already paid full price for.

What HTC has done was an update programming error, and was not supposed to be intentional. It's an error on the part of the keyboard dev, who is not part of HTC but rather just some dev HTC contracted to provide their keyboards. For non HTC phones, his keyboard can be downloaded for free (with ads) or bought off the Play Store.

 

[Tim1954]

Nope. I'm happy to pay for ad free apps. And use adguard. I took on zynga recently for having a third party ad on my game when I paid for no ads. And I won, play store made them take it down.
I detest ads in all their variations.

 

[Almeuit]

I use ad blocking on my PC for certain sites. I have many on the whitelist but some I don't due to how intrusive they are. Ads in general don't bother me but the pop up / take over the website / video ads is where I draw the line.

For phone.. most of the apps I use I've paid for so no ads there.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Don't have ads on my phone or tablet, apps I use don't contain them and I've never seen Samsung put them in the device themselves.