llm/8d7ff4a1-085d-4b84-a357-52acc95c6355/topic-4-45ae09e4-89f4-4c99-9221-cf48c8502ff5-input.json
The following is content for you to summarize. Do not respond to the comments—summarize them. <topic> Promotional Notification Abuse # Frustration with apps like Uber, DoorDash, MyGate, Facebook pushing ads through notifications, apps using single notification channels for both important alerts and marketing </topic> <comments_about_topic> 1. It's something i've also vaguely thought about building myself, because god damn uber, how many times do you need to send me an advert for uber one? just tell me when my car is here. so congrats to the author of this. I do agree that I'd prefer it open sourced too, it feels a bit risky it having access to all your notifications. 2. I’m now an iOS user but the problem is actually the same here : apps not respecting communication channels to push ads (mostly to their own app or service). I usually fully block notifications from most apps but for some apps the notifications are really convenient (carpooling, transport or delivery app). Yes I want to know if the train I booked is delayed. No I don’t want to be notified that you are now partnering with another transport company and that you are sharing 5% off coupons to try it… I systematically give a 1 star review explaining the issue and mail the devs if possible. I even think that Apple Store and Play Store ToSs are against this practice but they are not enforcing it sadly… 3. I remember when I first started seeing obvious ads in notifications and assumed Apple would come down hard. I wish I had been right. If any app abuses the notifications at all I turn them all off, that's the only way to stop it. If the notifications are required for the app's operation, well, then I have to delete the app. Society has fucked itself over allowing these to exist. 4. Maybe this matters at the bottom end of the market, but it's mainly the top players I see take this approach to notifications. DoorDash, Uber, and the social media platforms all have incentive to stay on the official app stores. I expect the bottom end of the market is also dependent on the official app stores to make money. What real alternatives do users have, especially with sideloading on Android now requiring Google bless your APK anyway? (edit: Looks like Google has started to walk this back slightly. Even still. https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/11/android-de... ) 5. Even when checking once a day, it's still worse with spam notifications. It's like getting 20 spam phone calls on your answering machine between the real ones. 6. Another option is to avoid those kinds of apps. I get 0 notifications I would consider spam. 7. There are e.g. banking apps doing that. 8. Consider using another bank. Maybe there's a higher tolerance for that kind of bullshit in the US but I've never seen a single notification from my bank. If it sent me spam I would assume they got hacked. 9. They also advertise: > 47% DAU:MAU > Build strong brand recall with high frequency on our daily-use app Spamming notifications is how they are getting these high frequency users. 10. The play store should reject apps that use audible notifications other than those controlled by Android platform notification permissions. Making a user dig through an obscure multiple layer settings jungle to track down and kill annoying notifications is a dark pattern and deserves de-platforming. I'm looking at you, Facebook. 11. Notification "channels" -- what a wild west Some apps use just one channel and use it to send both really important stuff (like fraud alerts on your credit card) as well as ads so you cannot turn them off even if you wanted to. Other apps create 4 new channels a week so you cannot turn them off even if you wanted to. 12. This is great! Looking forward to using it. Especially the rule-based filtering function, as my biggest sore spot with notifications are the few handful of highly functional apps that stuff marketing notifications into notification groups that are not marked for marketing. 13. I've been happy with the solution of switching off notifications from apps that interrupt me with promotions - one strike and they're out. The remaining notifications are _still_ frequent enough that no single app can expect to get my attention with a single buzz. It's not like apps don't upsell to when I _open_ them and have to swipe away ads before I can use them. So why give them another channel? 25-years ago me is going to roll his eyes so hard, but you know where I don't mind slightly-targeted ads? My email & my doormat. Send me a catalogue, I love a catalogue. 14. ad block for android notifications (maybe for ios notifications too?) 15. Imho there are 3 separate classes of notifications 1) Ads - these should not exist, really, or at worst should be flagged in the app store as an anti-feature isolateable from other notifications. 2) "Recommendations" - that is, stuff you didn't subscribe to but are things the app offers that they "think you would like". These are defensible but should never ever be mixed with... 3) Stuff I actually explicitly subscribed to. Breaking these rules should be rejection from the app store. Especially now that Google is legally required to allow 3rd-party app stores, they have much greater grounds to properly curate the Play Store. Let the filth live on 3rd-party stores. 16. It would be neat to be able to do LLM filtered notifications. Perhaps with a local LLM for users that prefer. I hope that Apple does a better job of this too! I don't want Uber's ad notifications, but I do want their notifications about my vehicle status. </comments_about_topic> Write a concise, engaging paragraph (3-5 sentences) summarizing the key points and perspectives in these comments about the topic. Focus on the most interesting viewpoints. Do not use bullet points—write flowing prose.
Promotional Notification Abuse # Frustration with apps like Uber, DoorDash, MyGate, Facebook pushing ads through notifications, apps using single notification channels for both important alerts and marketing
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