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Tapatalk

Tapatalk is not compatible with modern Website upgrades - what is your experience with Tapatalk?

  • I use Tapatalk exclusively on B&B, I need it.

  • I use the Mobile Website on B&B, I don't need it.

  • I use both the Mobile site and Tapatalk but prefer Tapatalk

  • I use both the Mobile site and Tapatalk but prefer the Mobile site

  • I don't use Tapatalk


Results are only viewable after voting.
On my Android phone I'm frequently asked by discussion forums if I want to use Tapatalk instead of the browser. I never do and I wish they'd leave me alone. I don't need an ad every time I want to reply on my phone. Good riddance.
 
If tapatalk made their app compatible, kept up on new forum software in weeks instead of half a year, didn't try to hide bugs from forum managers, didn't delete posts reporting bugs in their app, didn't promise "fix coming out next week" for well documented issues month after month and several other irritating behaviors, forums might be more tolerant of the app breaking not inexpensive purchased forum software upgrades.

I totally get this. Out of curiosity, what happened between Tapatalk not working and restored functionality a few days later? Were the software upgrades reverted back to previous, compatible versions?
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I totally get this. Out of curiosity, what happened between Tapatalk not working and restored functionality a few days later? Were the software upgrades reverted back to previous, compatible versions?
Yes, while running the poll, the upgrade was disabled. Didn't seem wise to have a poll for people who use tapatalk if they couldn't see it.
 
On my Android phone I'm frequently asked by discussion forums if I want to use Tapatalk instead of the browser. I never do and I wish they'd leave me alone. I don't need an ad every time I want to reply on my phone. Good riddance.
Amen, brother!
 
I was talking mostly about folks that don’t post photos. I edit my photos as well, and for me it’s easier on my phone since I’m using my phone to take the pics, then you don’t even have to copy and paste, just click the “attach files” box. So easy. Maybe that’s my preference because I got used to using my mobile because my girl is on the desktop all day and night for work. Some people might hate using the small phone screen but I’ve gotten used to it.
I almost always use a (not-phone) “real” camera. The editing program I use won’t edit the format used by the phone. I haven’t bothered to learn to edit on the phone. I should.
(Oh yes, I know how good the cameras are in the newer phones. I am just old-fashioned...and lazy.)
 
Thats totally fair. My “real” cameras have wifi for easy wireless transfer to my phone, where it’s so much easier for me to edit photos. I’m sure the desktop editing programs are much more robust but, I never use my desktop for much anymore. My girlfriend uses it for work 16hrs a day!
I almost always use a (not-phone) “real” camera. The editing program I use won’t edit the format used by the phone. I haven’t bothered to learn to edit on the phone. I should.
(Oh yes, I know how good the cameras are in the newer phones. I am just old-fashioned...and lazy.)
 
The reason responsive web design has been so widely adopted in the past five years or so is to enable a single website to function on any size screen. It was basically impossible to use the last generation forum software on a mobile device, hence the need for something like Tapatalk. I used it because I had no choice but never enjoyed doing so. Luckily, this forum works perfectly on any device, albeit the experience will vary a bit considering the amount of space available on the screen to show different buttons and menus. None of this is meant to take away from people who use and enjoy Tapatalk. I completely understand being used to doing things a certain way and then having to make a change for seemingly arbitrary reasons. I hope that they can fix whatever issues exist and continue to support this forum.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
I gave up using Tapatalk when B&B moved to Xenforo. The mobile site operates 99% like the desktop site.

I was using Tapatalk to receive alerts as well. But I found I was opening B&B several times a day regardless of alerts. And there is nothing here that requires my instant attention when an alert comes in. So I just look at the alerts whenever I open B&B.

Since the mobile version looks just like the desktop it has made Tapatalk obsolete for me. Thus, I haven’t used it in years - well however long it’s been since B&B moved to Xenforo.

I realize some people like the alerts and may not come back until they get one. Unfortunately iOS users can’t benefit from the browser alerts that B&B/Xenforo offers. Whereas anyone else can simply turn on browser alerts. And once again - Tapatalk would be obsolete if all you want is the alerts. For iOS users you can make sure your B&B settings for alert also send you an email. This way you can axe Tapatalk from your life and still receive alerts.

If B&B chooses to not use Tapatalk it won’t be the end of the world. There are ways around it that will allow anyone to continue to use B&B as they did before.

oh yeah - I vote get rid of it.

From one who’s used both on a tiny screen, Tapatalk is just better, no question.

I guess I’ll be “that guy”. See my quoted post. I used tapa for a long time. My opinion is just the opposite of your opinion and experience. It’s in no way shape or form better for me. Everyone’s user experience is different though. I can see how Tapa could be useful if you are following several forums. You have access to them all in one convenient app.

I have the iPhone 12 Mini - a “tiny screen” no doubt. I’ve still never thought about using Tapa again. If the tiny screen is a concern I’m quite positive every mobile device has the ability to enlarge the text/screen so it’s more easily viewable. Usually under accessibility settings. I’m not trying to convince anyone B&B mobile is better. But if B&B decides to not use Tapa there are options and settings that can be used to make the mobile experience perfectly useable for the vast majority of B&Bers, probably all of them if they just take the time to use it and adjust to it.
 
I've never used it beyond a short experiment several years ago. I didn't care for it, so just stuck to using the mobile site on my phone which seems to work fine for me. As Phil pointed out, it's one less app to install and maintain on my phone.
 
For the ~ 10% of members who do use Tapatalk, we hope there’s a fix or workaround, but understand that the fix may need to come from Tapatalk rather than B&B. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do on our part to assure continuous service.
I pulled the data, and Tapatalk is used by about 2.5% of the viewership.
On my Android phone I'm frequently asked by discussion forums if I want to use Tapatalk instead of the browser. I never do and I wish they'd leave me alone. I don't need an ad every time I want to reply on my phone. Good riddance.
Agreed, that has always bugged the hell out of me, so we signed up for the 'Pro' account to be able to stop pushing that annoying prompt to the 97% of people that don't use Tapatalk. We likely will be discontinuing Tapatalk support soon, but I want to make sure the current users are all fully aware and have the opportunity to try out the mobile version through a browser to see if that will work for them.
I don’t quite understand this hostility towards those begging to preserve current functionality, if at all possible.
We want to provide as many bells and whistles as possible; however, here's my beef -

The forum is the commodity, Tapatalk repackages it, for some in a more convenient package, and Tapatalk is the only one that gets paid for the interaction. B&B requires the same amount of resources whether a page is served to Tapatalk or someone using Chrome/Firefox/Safari/etc. However, every time that page is served via Tapatalk, they feed their own Tapatalk ad/plug/branding sometimes two (see above), as well as their own monetized ads. You can pay a monthly fee (which we've started doing) to remove the Tapatalk ads and rebranding, but they charge additionally if you want to remove their monetized ads and replace it with your own.

They do provide revenue sharing on the ads they serve, but to call it a pittance would be generous. First, payment is by way of their own in-app currency, "Gold Points" which can be converted to money, but that right there should tell you how seriously Tapatalk takes its partnership with forums. Now, once you get into conversion ... B&B currently uses unoptimized Google AdSense, which is about the lowest paying form of ads out there. That said, Tapatalk's (point converted) CPM is about one seventh of what we see from Google AdSense. For smaller forums that aren't resource intensive and don't require paid professionals to keep running, the additional viewership and engagement makes up for the revenue disparity. However, the equivalent of an airline frequent flyer program doesn't pay for the multiple servers, redundant backups, paid admin, paid accountants, annual franchise tax (etc). So, we end up paying to remove the annoying Tapatalk branding and popups, can't pay to remove their monetized ads, pay for the admin to maintain the connection w/ Tapatalk, and Tapatalk recognizes the revenue.

We've kicked around for a while the thought of trying to paywall Tapatalk so it exists just for Contributors like yourself. That would be my preference; however, it doesn't address the fact that it currently conflicts with new technology and enhancements we're trying to implement. Contributors keep the lights on, so we'd hate to degrade the experience. It's a pickle.
 
I pulled the data, and Tapatalk is used by about 2.5% of the viewership.

Agreed, that has always bugged the hell out of me, so we signed up for the 'Pro' account to be able to stop pushing that annoying prompt to the 97% of people that don't use Tapatalk. We likely will be discontinuing Tapatalk support soon, but I want to make sure the current users are all fully aware and have the opportunity to try out the mobile version through a browser to see if that will work for them.

We want to provide as many bells and whistles as possible; however, here's my beef -

The forum is the commodity, Tapatalk repackages it, for some in a more convenient package, and Tapatalk is the only one that gets paid for the interaction. B&B requires the same amount of resources whether a page is served to Tapatalk or someone using Chrome/Firefox/Safari/etc. However, every time that page is served via Tapatalk, they feed their own Tapatalk ad/plug/branding sometimes two (see above), as well as their own monetized ads. You can pay a monthly fee (which we've started doing) to remove the Tapatalk ads and rebranding, but they charge additionally if you want to remove their monetized ads and replace it with your own.

They do provide revenue sharing on the ads they serve, but to call it a pittance would be generous. First, payment is by way of their own in-app currency, "Gold Points" which can be converted to money, but that right there should tell you how seriously Tapatalk takes its partnership with forums. Now, once you get into conversion ... B&B currently uses unoptimized Google AdSense, which is about the lowest paying form of ads out there. That said, Tapatalk's (point converted) CPM is about one seventh of what we see from Google AdSense. For smaller forums that aren't resource intensive and don't require paid professionals to keep running, the additional viewership and engagement makes up for the revenue disparity. However, the equivalent of an airline frequent flyer program doesn't pay for the multiple servers, redundant backups, paid admin, paid accountants, annual franchise tax (etc). So, we end up paying to remove the annoying Tapatalk branding and popups, can't pay to remove their monetized ads, pay for the admin to maintain the connection w/ Tapatalk, and Tapatalk recognizes the revenue.

We've kicked around for a while the thought of trying to paywall Tapatalk so it exists just for Contributors like yourself. That would be my preference; however, it doesn't address the fact that it currently conflicts with new technology and enhancements we're trying to implement. Contributors keep the lights on, so we'd hate to degrade the experience. It's a pickle.
I have to say as someone who has been in the web business for almost 20 years, I find exactly none of this surprising to hear about Tapatalk. It sounds like you are finally ridding yourself of some much unwanted dead weight. I haven’t been around long enough to understand the work that’s gone into monetizing the site but I’m sure it hasn’t been easy. Kudos to all involved for doing the thankless work and making it happen. We are all the beneficiaries and I certainly appreciate it.
 
I understand that Tapatalk is being binned off and I understand why so I'm trying browsers on my android phone. Every single one has a big white bar at the bottom of the screen. No idea why or how to get rid of it. Never seen it on any other websites. Anyone any idea how to get rid of it?
 

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luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I understand that Tapatalk is being binned off and I understand why so I'm trying browsers on my android phone. Every single one has a big white bar at the bottom of the screen. No idea why or how to get rid of it. Never seen it on any other websites. Anyone any idea how to get rid of it?
That's where an ad would be if there were no ad blockers.
 
That was my initial thought, but I turned my ad blocker off and still got the bar. Maybe I need to disable it completely, or see if I can disable it just for B&B. Thanks for the reply.
That's odd. Is that Chrome or Chromium based ? Try some other browsers to see if you can get different results.
 
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