15 Clicks to install an app from the web using the newly proposed Apple flow | Hacker News Reader

15 Clicks to install an app from the web using the newly proposed Apple flow

twitter.com

53 pointsadrian_mrd37 comments

Most of these steps apply to installing an Android app from an Untrusted SourceTM for the first time. Half of these steps are fluff added for the sake of a clickable title.

There are problems with Apple's proposal. This is not one of them, and I don't think it's fair to come to the right conclusion for the wrong reasons.

I dislike this post a lot. I'm not sure what else to say.

>There are problems with Apple's proposal. This is not one of them,

There could be many problems. Who decides that "installing an app from a website should be as easy as from the App Store, but is not" isn't one of them?

> Most of these steps apply to installing an Android app from an Untrusted SourceTM for the first time.

That's also a real issue on Android yes.

exactly, android pulling the same strategy of creating artificial annoyances is hardly a good argument. they should both be forced to cut it out. any warnings should be reduced to a reasonable minimum, anything that goes beyond that is suspicious.

it's really not any more of an issue than adding a third party repository. the step is adding it, oh wow.

But to have an option to provide app installation from the web you have to get an entitlement from Apple and be at least two years in good standing yada yada. Is it still Untrusted Source at that point?

> I'm not sure what else to say.

You could say how many clicks it takes to install an app from the web in the best case.

I thought about taking a shot at it but I thought it'd seem childish. My impression is:

1. Visit the website

2. Hit "Install"

3. There's some confirmation screen apparently, press "Install" again

4. Verify your password/Face ID

And that's it.

That's what the Twitter link describes, minus the first-time setup of allowing third-party apps (which as I said in GP, is rightly a thing on Android too), and absurd steps like "wonder where you were" and "swipe on your home screen".

It stands to reason that if you're masterful at good UX, you should also understand horrible UX and Apple are considered the best, after all

Is there a way to read the twitter thread without having a twitter account?

Here is the thread:

It takes 15 clicks to install an app from the web using the newly proposed Apple flow. Here's the journey:

1. Visit the website for the download link. Click on a unique deep link.

2. Encounter a warning about the unknown provider. Click "Learn More."

3. Navigate to an Apple support page for instructions.

4. Find the “allow installation” section in settings.

5. Encounter another warning screen.

6. Use Face ID to proceed.

7. Wonder where you were and go back to the browser.

8. Tap "Install" again for the app.

9. See a confirmation sheet; tap "Install."

10. Face another scare screen and confirm.

11. Use Face ID again.

12. Nothing seems to happen; you're back on the website.

13. Check your Home Screen and swipe to the last page.

14. A new icon appears, not marked with a "New" bubble.

15. Finally, launch the app.

16. Now parge the lath

17. You still can't read the twitter thread without having a twitter account

Twitter does everything in their power to stop you from doing so. Until they change their policy I guess no.

Using Face ID is a click?

Also his last 4 items are all things that happen after the app is installed and the flow is the identical to apps from the Apple Store. Also two of those do not involve any clicks or other UI operations.

> Using FaceID is a click?

In discussions of user paths when discussing their length, where most of the actions are clicks (or touches which get called clicks), people often count other actions as clicks instead of counting them separately. For another example in this very list: swipe.

It would be more correct to say “15 actions” or “15 steps” not “15 clicks” but that to many readers would seem to exaggerate the process more as a step or action might imply something more complex than a click/touch.

> Also his last 4 items are all things that happen after the app is installed and the flow is the identical to apps from the Apple Store.

Which people will know, so it is a valid comparison. Though I suppose it would be more accurate to state “11 additional actions” which is attention grabbing enough.

Also, is it exactly the same (don't own/rent any iDevices so can't check first hand)?

With a native app install is “not marked with a "New" bubble” true?

Does nothing truly seem to happen at the native app equivalent of step 12? If so that is bad UX to start with. On Android at that point I get the option to open the newly installed app or return to the app store.

> Also two of those do not involve any UI operations.*

But possibly should. Some indication that something has happened, if only a toast that auto-vanishes.

There's infinite ways to sabotage this.

Just as Apple has sabotaged Safari forever, there's no chance Apple will ever allow third party app stores to be usable.

If Apple is hellbent on getting fined the biggest fine they have ever received, they should keep going down this path. Everybody is seeing through Apple's bullshit, but they persist in treating the world like gullible fools.

> but they persist in treating the world like gullible fools

And they will continue to do so, as long as enough people behave like gullible fools for them to make money from them hand over fist.

> A new icon appears, not marked with a "New" bubble.

How is this considered step in installing an app from the web?

I think they're trying to point it out as Apple being petty and providing a sub-standard experience, however this is exactly how it's worked for a decade for anyone beta testing outside of TestFlight, or using an MDM.

I've never seen a "New" bubble on the icon for a newly installed app from the Apple app store. I just tried it on both my iPad and my iPhone, and no bubble.

The iPad is new, running the current iPadOS. The iPhone is too old for the current. Is this something they added in 17 for iPhone but not iPad, something they have added but only in Europe, or what?

It's a blue dot before the App name below the App icon. It's there until you open it the first time

Is this iPhone only and new in 17 or Europe only? I don't get this on my iPad with has 17.3.1, and my iPhone has 16.something. I'm in the US.

It's been a thing since around iOS 8.

I think it only shows when an install/update is done without user interaction (e.g. auto-updates, or when you've got "Automatically download purchases" enabled).

One doesn't install an app for the purpose of installing it, but for using it. Thus finding it is part of the experience. Also this relates to the proceeding step of being back ob the website without further information that install was successful. Thus the user has to figure this out themselves.

Well, the step listed before "A new icon appears, not marked with a "New" bubble." is:

> Check your Home Screen and swipe to the last page.

While Apples implementation may have valid problems this post is just a clickbait exaggeration.

Still a lot easier than usin' punch cards and DOS with floppy disks...

It just works!

Plus another 15 to read this.

If you don't have an account, here's the proposed journey:

1. Visit the website for the download link. Click on a unique deep link.

2. Encounter a warning about the unknown provider. Click "Learn More."

3. Navigate to an Apple support page for instructions.

4. Find the “allow installation” section in settings.

5. Encounter another warning screen.

6. Use Face ID to proceed.

7. Wonder where you were and go back to the browser.

8. Tap "Install" again for the app.

9. See a confirmation sheet; tap "Install."

10. Face another scare screen and confirm.

11. Use Face ID again.

12. Nothing seems to happen; you're back on the website.

13. Check your Home Screen and swipe to the last page.

14. A new icon appears, not marked with a "New" bubble.

15. Finally, launch the app.

Correct me if I'm wrong but steps 2 to 7 should only be neccessary the first time you install something from the web

Yes. However, these steps still exist and they drive down adoption of all PWA in the first place. Note that these steps also have an Android analogue, but on Android there is a button you can press to go to the appropriate settings page instead of having to navigate to it yourself.

Isn't this about native iOS apps, not PWAs?

I may have misread, but you can s/PWA/Third party app/g my comment and it applies all the same.

No, it's not the same, for PWAs the process is much faster.

I just checked on iOS. Here's an example PWA: https://mdn.github.io/pwa-examples/a2hs/

The steps to install are (following the GP's format):

1. Visit the page

2. Press the share button in the toolbar

3. Scroll down a bit in the share panel

4. Tap "add to home screen"

5. Edit the name and click "done" (or "Add", both work)

6. Check your Home Screen and swipe to the last page

7. Finally, launch the app

All the scary warning dialogs and face ID checks are only for native apps, just as for APKs on Android.

Edit to add: hmm, it's possible there is some scary warning dialog the first time you install a PWA, and I've already skipped that, but I don't recall encountering such a thing before.

None of this accidental, the European-Commission will need to treat every single suspicious implementation detail as a potential sabotaging attempt, otherwise Apple will try to kill the user experience with BS like this.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com