Fuck You and Your In-App Browser

Every goddamn iOS app under the sun seems to have it’s own in-app web browser that is a total piece of shit. I’m looking at you, Facebook, Twitter, Medium, and every other inconsequential app that deigns to get in the way of my workflow.

There’s a very good reason I want to use the real mobile Safari app, and only that. I’m signed in to all the other services that I use to get my work, news reading, and online social life done.

I actually pay for my news — I support real journalism at the Seattle Times, New York Times, High Country News, and Washington Post. I don’t want that awesome article my friend shared on Facebook to be unreadable because of a paywall. I don’t want to sign in 50 different times from 50 different apps.

My online social media profiles overlap. OH MY GOSH, I actually share stuff between Facebook, Twitter, Medium and other platforms. Cue logging in, over and over again.

As a software developer, I use Github stars to mark projects that might be useful to me. In-app browsers force me to sign in X more times from X more apps.

The list goes on and on. The sign-ins multiply and multiply until the entire system is un-usable. I am not a security expert, but it also seems like a potential security risk.

Apple should require a setting be implemented in every app that uses an in-app browser, and allow the user to use Safari instead.

P.S. And while we are at it: NO, MEDIUM, I WILL NEVER RATE YOUR APP IN THE APP STORE. EVER. STOP ASKING ME EVERY TIME.