Comment by selectnull | Hacker News Reader

Comment by selectnull | Hacker News Reader

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As someone who has actively avoided LinkedIn, I've decided to give it a chance after all.

First, I wanted to disable all email notifications. For each type of notification event, I had to click and disable it (while leaving in-app notifications on).

Then I wanted to install mobile app. There is "Get the app" link which is cool but when you click it, you get a prompt to enter the phone number with this message: "Note: Standard SMS fees may apply. Your phone number will not be saved."

Do I trust you that you will not save my number? I don't think so. Do I want you to give you my number? Definitely not (fully understanding that they probably already have it by accessing the contact list of all users that they gave the permission to). Why don't you email me the link to download the app, if not just giving me the link?

LinkedIn and me have not started on good terms.

I've unsubscribed from them in the past, then 6 months later they start spamming me. I unsubscribe again, then 6 months after that they start spamming me again.

Whomever is doing this at LinkedIn is despicable scum.

LinkedIn email unsubscribes are a masterclass in dark patterns. Ambiguous-state toggles, need to change options individually, tons of notifications types with individual sub-modals for every class of notification...

Some dark patterns you can reasonably chalk up to incompetence. LinkedIn notifications has too many of these perfectly integrated to come to any conclusion other than some PM spent enough effort on it that Kafka himself would proudly hand them a promotion.

I've turned off every email notification from LI. Which is difficult as they add new ones and opt you in, plus they move the notifications around so when you click unsubscribe on an email you need to click on every option to find the one you need to turn off.

But... you can turn off notifications of new messages. However you cannot turn off notifications of replies, despite the email having an unsubscribe option at the bottom (which takes you to what is described in the paragraph above)

LI is a rats nest of dark patterns.

I remember disabling email notifications for every email type as they became annoying at a point and anyways I could directly use the website and I didn't want to clutter my inbox. But guess what, the emails kept coming even now but these were some special kinds of emails which had no importance if at all.

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