this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2023
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submitted 1 year ago by xylogx to c/wefwef
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Now that Memmy is in the App Store on iOS, I feel like Wefwef is going to be left behind since this is the main place people go to discover apps. I know that Wefwef is a PWA web app but if it could be put in the store that might get more people to use it. Are there any downsides to being in the store?

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[–] Runeandune 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I couldn’t get in the Memmy’s TestFlight, but finally had a chance to try it when it made it to the App Store. I have to say, i still much prefer wefwef.

I have some problems with wefwef, mainly scrolling back to the top after closing and reopening the app. I usually have to just kill it or go back to the subscription page, and go back to the feed. It seems like a problem with PWA as I never had that problem with any native apps, but i could be wrong. I also wish there was hepatic feedback, but it’s not a big deal. Swiping back doesn’t work consistently either. I end up downvoting random comments by mistake more often that actually triggering a ‘back’ swipe. It seems that it’s a PWA issue too, but I’m not sure.

If these issues can only be solved with a native app vs PWA then i’d prefer a native app too. If they can be addressed in a PWA, i wouldn’t really care either way. it’s easier to selfhost a PWA

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

There’s a bunch of little things like that, freezing here and there, the back swipe not working as well, tap on status bar, the in-App browser popping up instead of sliding, haptics missing, …

We’ll see how all the apps develop. I currently still prefer wefwef due to it working and looking the best (even with these small annoyances).

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

For me the biggest issue of wefwef is gonna be the freezing issue while scrolling, which everyone keeps saying is just a limitation of the web browser. If that’s not something that can ever be fixed I can’t see myself sticking with it no matter how great the UI is once other alternative apps are available and fully featured.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I‘d love to see it native, but not enough to switch yet. Wefwef does a great job on getting over Apollo for me. And regular updates are obviously a great advantage too.

[–] xylogx 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think it needs to be native necessarily, it just needs to be in the app store. My understanding is that you can publish PWAs in the app store.

[–] smokedtofu 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, you can’t unfortunately

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tbf blueskys app is just a wrapper of their PWA, I don't think it's impossible

[–] smokedtofu 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah but then you’ve got to deal with all the app store bs

[–] wavymoney 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wouldn’t say left behind, wefwef has the best UI/UX through it’s Apollo DNA. I believe it will catch up once the App Store version releases.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

once the App Store version releases

There won't be one. The devs said as much.

[–] wavymoney 8 points 1 year ago

The perfect Apollo 1:1 wefwef migration dream is dead then. That sucks.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Just wondering - is there a reason it needs to compete with other apps in popularity or?

[–] honest 8 points 1 year ago

Only thing I can come up with is more feedback but that's pretty much it.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

My only currently gripe with wefwef being a pwa is on iOS their is no deep link support.

I have a push notification setup which uses a MacMini apple mail app with apple script, shortcuts, and ntfy to create push notifications.

sample notification

On Android pwa's deep link aka it I can make ntfy directly open wefwef unread inbox upon clicking.

On iOS however pwa's can't deep link nor can be opened by shortcuts. The closest work around I have is calling a shortcut to open wefwef to open WebView (which unfortunately means manually updating two instances of wefwef on iOS).

Using say a pwa wrapper to make a hybrid iOS web app could fix this.

Although on the other hand if wefwef obtains push notifications then deeplinking may become a moot point

[–] sauerkraus 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Gonna be real: I’m only using wefwef until I find an app.

[–] Dick_Justice 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Out of curiosity, why? Are you ideologically opposed to progressive web apps?

[–] sauerkraus 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I just don’t like how it freezes as a limitation of being a webapp.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That’s not because it’s a web app.

[–] sauerkraus 3 points 1 year ago

Cool. It’s still an unpleasant user experience.

[–] Dick_Justice 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah, I see. I've been fortunate to not experience that at all, thankfully.

[–] sauerkraus 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’ve seen some comments that the webapp format is the cause, and one against that assessment. Doesn’t really matter to me what the cause is.

[–] Dick_Justice 2 points 1 year ago

Fair enough

[–] klp 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Just curious, is there anything a web app cannot accomplish if not being a native app in the App Store?

[–] TeckFire 8 points 1 year ago

Absolutely. Many API calls are simply not possible since it currently is relying on basically whatever WebKit supports on iOS, and whatever Chromium/Gecko uses on Android. If a web protocol is not supported, then it doesn’t happen, since it’s a universal app.

If it were to be developed separately for the Google Play Store and the App Store, then you’d end up with the ability for things like 120Hz animations on iOS for instance, or using more optimized code for rendering to improve speed, background data fetching, etc.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

It’s not about the features but the discoverability.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Deep linking is the big thing.

[–] pacology 3 points 1 year ago

There are a few things that a webapp cannot do, like haptic feedback on actions and (until very recently and on older ios versions) notifications.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Memmy doesn't have "beautiful iOS centric design" Apollo had and wefwef copied it 1:1. Memmy isn't as beautiful as Apollo/wefwef.