# Your App Should Have Been a Webpage

The advantages of using a webpage instead of a mobile app.

- **Source:** [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com)
- **Published:** 2026-07-11
- **Topic:** [Software & Engineering](https://brifing.si/c/engineering)
- **Original article:** <https://danq.me/2026/07/09/your-app-could-have-been-a-webpage/>
- **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/f2c48c24-f571-48da-ad74-40a5a8286897

## Webpage Instead of Mobile App

The discussion revolves around why the information for a kids' art school event should have been presented as a webpage rather than a mobile app. The app contains text, images, and PDF links, which could be more easily accessed via a webpage.

## Disadvantages of the App

The app reports tracking data associated with users' Google accounts and displays ads. These features negatively impact user experience and highlight the practicality of a webpage alternative.

## Reverse Engineering Process

The app's network traffic was analyzed through reverse engineering. Using Android Studio and HTTP Toolkit, the app's functionality and how content is fetched were examined.

## Utilization of JSON Data

The app retrieves JSON data via a URL using username and password. This data includes event schedules and ads, which could be more efficiently used on a webpage.

## Conversion to Webpage

Using JSON data, an HTML page was created with a Ruby script. This page excludes ads and tracking codes, offering a lighter alternative.

## Conclusion and Preference

The webpage is smaller in size and works on more devices compared to the mobile app. This demonstrates that some apps would be better served as webpages.

## Sources covering this story

- https://danq.me/2026/07/09/your-app-could-have-been-a-webpage/ — 

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_Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._