Why did Reddit block my daily visit to its mobile site

The company assured me that it is following the path that other platforms have taken: converting users to the app. Reddit says the test wants to see if people like me—who use the service but haven’t signed in—are familiar with the app.

I generally prefer the open web and don’t want another app cluttering up my phone. And while I’m open to learning about the “best” in the app, the strict blocking methods seem like an odd way to educate users about what they say is good for them. (After clearing the cookies in my browser, I was able to access the website again. It sounds like you can log into Reddit, although the overlay doesn’t say anything about it; I cleared the cookies before I tried.)

User response to the move seems to be negative. Futurism it produced an angry article last week claiming that Reddit “Deliberately Breaks Its Mobile Website.” And redditors have posted many complaints in places like r/challenge, r/helpand (naturally) r/enshittification. (Standing comments: “Reddit is a website; why does it force me to this app?”)

Some of this carping is easy to do for free and (mostly) useful. Maybe me they should switch to program. Maybe me they should browse when logged in to open the default feed. Maybe me he would really like it better search.

But as I said at the beginning, I often wonder if I can use my Reddit time in productive ways; signing up for the food you want the most that plays well on my dopamine triggers doesn’t sound helpful. I think that’s one reason I resist this push to log in, customize, spend more time on the site. Of course, if more energy continues to be used, perhaps the best choice would be to simply walk away.

Disclosure: Advance Publications, which owns Ars Technica’s parent Condé Nast, is the largest shareholder in Reddit.