My Painful Rollercoaster with Apps which Need Internet to Work
On a recent flight, I pulled out my iPad to keep myself busy and entertained. However, I discovered not everything works without the internet.
I decided to pull out my iPad on a recent flight to keep myself busy and entertained. While flying, I discovered that not everything works without WiFi access.
Granted, spending $13 to have the coveted internet access was possible. But on a 2-hour flight, I couldn’t justify spending that much so I could be entertained. This was the first flight of a journey where I planned to return home in a few days. So, if I spent $13 on this flight and $13 on my return flight, it would add to $26. That’s a third of what I pay for monthly internet access at home.
The stubborn cheapskate in me did not want to pay for something I felt was not worth the given price.
Internet Access Now Required
When did internet access become a rule for an app to work? If I am being honest, it feels like a lazy way of doing things. There was a time when most software did not need internet access. Now, more and more, some games won’t’ even play unless they can at least confirm an internet connection.
There would be no issue if I always had good internet reception and was surcharged access no matter where I went. But this is not true. Most places have firewall access or hide it behind a paywall.
My main issue at the moment is apps like Notion and Airtable.
I became a convert to both recently and had been trying out each to see if they would help me better manage and organize some of the things I want to do.
On a recent flight, I pulled out my iPad and attempted to update Notion, which refused to work since it could not connect to the internet. Airtable threw me the same curveball. Dejected, I opened Obsidian, which stores its notes offline (if one sets it up that way). I was able to at least write this without worrying about internet access.
Am I being too critical? After all, I am not a software developer or engineer. I am a consumer with expectations. Granted, apps like Notion and Airtable are free to use, for the most part. But have premium versions with more options. Yet neither premium version is offline support given. I would upgrade if this were an option.
It’s worse when a game is impossible without confirming an internet connection. I remember there was a time when I couldn’t even play a game like Tetris on my smartphone without first establishing an internet connection. Cue my first-world problem dissatisfaction.
We live in a world with better-quality apps and more options than ever before. And the list of better apps keeps growing. But, I am still perplexed by internet connection requirements. This is also a great way to keep track of users, albeit by knowing their I.P. address or accessing said software. This opens up another can of worms related to our need for privacy options.
In conclusion, all I am saying is we can do better. If I had a solution, I would offer it. Now, I can only complain and wait for my flight to end. At least I can play some solitaire in the meantime. Solitaire is my only solace these days.