TapaTalk - go away! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:43:01 am
content: How can I remove every reference, link, poupup etc that mentions TapaTalk?

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:22:06 am
content: Tapatalk is a blasted nuisance. For starters, it insists on treating my 1920*1008 screen as a mobile phone.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:29:16 am
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 08:22:06 amPerfectly appropriate when said screen is of the size of a mobile phone though.What's wrong with Tapatalk? It did pop up to offer itself out of place on my 12" tablet when visiting the normal website, but clicking the "close" button was all it took to forget about it.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:33:18 am
content: Quote from: Kilrah on March 26, 2016, 08:29:16 amEvery time it turns up and I click the "close button" I can only get the desktop site afterwards. And after trying pretty much everything else the only way to get the mobile site back is uninstalling and reinstalling the browser.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:36:36 am
content: Quote from: Kilrah on March 26, 2016, 08:29:16 amOP here: About once every three visits, it asks me to use Tapatalk?, or press skip.Pressing SKIP, takes me to a TapaTalk download page - I choose 'no thanks'.All the subsequent pages are displayed in a 'weird mobile format; until I click on 'Go to web site'.All works fine for a day or two - then TapaTalk rears it's ugly head again.TapaTalk Fark OFf!

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:03:30 am
content: Quote from: Kilrah on March 26, 2016, 08:29:16 amMy screen isn't the size of a mobile phone.Idecide how I want to view pages, not some (mis)application.

author: JoeN
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:08:07 am
content: I never get whatever you guys are talking about. So I guess I would say, if you want to not have it bother you, use FireFox with AdBlock Plus, BetterPrivacy, NoScript, and Self-Destructing Cookies. At least that does it for me.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:14:21 am
content: Quote from: SL4P on March 26, 2016, 08:36:36 amPrecisely.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:16:24 am
content: Perhaps I'm missing something, but I don't see any reference to Tapatalk anywhere on the forum, so I don't know what the problem is.Not that I know what Tapatalk does anyway.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:25:08 am
content: Quote from: steve30 on March 26, 2016, 09:16:24 amTapatalk seems to be a 'reader' app which presents itself when the server sees you're on a mobile device (in my case iPhone or iPad). I gave once, and decided to press ok, but that didn't help either - so I uninstalled it the next day.It's behaviour is almost like a virus - to the extent I'm kinda surprised Apple haven't blocked it universally...It simply interferes with the user/forum experience.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:30:12 am
content: Quote from: SL4P on March 26, 2016, 09:25:08 amI wonder if Tapatalk pays money to forums that use it? I've no evidence for that, of course.More interestingly,ifTapatalk did pay, would I object? The money for running the forum has to come from somewhere, and those involved in its creation/maintenance deserve some reward.I don't know what Tapatalk's business model is. Do they collect and sell information about people that use it?

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:36:54 am
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 09:30:12 amCOMPLETELY AGREE, but that also means when I say 'no thanks' it means no thanks.A banner ad or similar non-intrusive mechanism may be acceptable, but directly interfering in the browser experience us a no no!

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:56:28 am
content: Every time I try to view the forum on my phone, I get a pop-up every single time I click a thread telling me that the forum is "Tapatalk native", whatever the f**k that means. There's no button for 'sod off, I don't care, don't ever mention this to me again", and that's a major omission.Personally I'd also block any post that ends with "Sent from my <whatever device> using...". I don't care. There's no possible reason why I should care. Doesanybodycare?Sent from my crusty old laptop using a web browser.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 10:07:59 am
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 09:30:12 amIt can, yes.I just tried to go to eevblog.com/forum on both the built-in browser and Chrome on 3 phones, they all showed me the mobile view and didn't suggest me Tapatalk. So they must remember that from long enough ago that I said no and don't ask again...Or it's becasue I actually have Tapatalk installed and use it because IMO on phones it's much more convenient than just the mobile forum skin.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 10:31:49 am
content: Quote from: Kilrah on March 26, 2016, 10:07:59 am

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 10:36:25 am
content: I tried installing TapaTalk, it still blocked my browser from accessing the mobile site, I guess as a way to try and force me into using the unusable piece of crap it is. My only way to fix it that time was to uninstall and reinstall the browsers after uninstalling TapaTalk. Without uninstalling TapaTalk the problem persisted. Clearing cookies and/or the cache fixes nothing.

author: SteveyG
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 11:16:07 am
content: Tapatalk is so annoying. It always seems to pop up on mobile devices despite telling it to go away on the previous visit.I prefer to view just the normal website on my phone and tablet. Most mobile devices are clever enough to zoom when you're clicking links etc, so it's pretty useless these days. IMO it's no different to malware, but I can't seem to find any way to block it easily.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 11:16:56 am
content: Quote from: SL4P on March 26, 2016, 09:36:54 amAgreed. Just so.Now all "they" have to do is ensure adverts aren't "malvertising", which has become such a problem that the US Senate has heard of it:http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/28.59.html#subj31.1

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 11:32:46 am
content: Tapatalk is actually pretty awesome for browsing the forum. In fact, I use it almost exclusively for browsing and posting here. Why? Mainly because the native forum doesn't have a way to easily follow threads and viewing a list of threads you've participated in is kind of a pain.As for the website nagging you; basically if it sees you're coming from a mobile device it will ask if you want to open the thread in Tapatalk. That's something the forum plugin does. Essentially, they have no way of knowing if the Tapatalk app is installed on your iDevice or not (due to sandboxing restrictions from Apple); so if you click "Open in Tapatalk" it passes a special URL that the system recognizes as belonging to the Tapatalk app.Now, of you tell it not to big you anymore, it *should* set a cookie and be persistent. However, sometimes if you're coming directly into a thread from another site (Google for example) it may not recognize the cookie and prompt you again.Either way it's not the end of the world, and really nice for those of us that do actually use it.

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 11:41:10 am
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on March 26, 2016, 09:56:28 amI'm sure a simple regex match/replace would nuke all that mess.I agree, it is a bloody virus.

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 12:20:21 pm
content: The popup is bloody annoying. Sometimes I get it everytime I open a new thread.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 12:24:39 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 11:32:46 amFor me the two links at the top left are perfectly acceptable solutions for those valid use-cases.See threads I've participated in: "Show new replies to your posts"See threads with new posts: "Show unread posts since last visit" followed by "Mark ALL messages as read"QuoteIt is annoyingly persistent for me, and not just between different sessions - itrepeatedlyignores my "no, don't bother me" statements within a session.QuoteI've no problem with other people using it, even if I do find the "sent from tapatalk" a bit crassBut I do object to it ignoring my wishes and imposing itself on me.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 05:49:09 pm
content: The "Sent from Tapatalk" bit can be turned off or changed in the app's settings; not unlike a "Sent from my iPad" email signature can be changed in Mail.app's settings.I've got the signature turned off, for example. Though, to me it's not crass; I've always seen it as saying, "I'm posting from a mobile device; please excuse spelling errors or the brevity of my post."

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 05:54:15 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 05:49:09 pmFair point, although my Android with an HD screen seems remarkably good at interpreting what I intended to type

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:11:13 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 05:54:15 pmI do agree it's more of a vestigial holdover from the days when auto-correct wasn't nearly as good and screens were tiny. Using the split keyboard on my iPad mini, I can type pretty damn fast. I also use voice recognition a lot for long posts.Oh, also I forgot to mention those use cases you mentioned. Yes, you can see unread and participated posts on the forum, but you can't subscribe to a thread without posting in it. Some forums do have that feature (called thread bookmarks, favorites or subscriptions) but last I checked, this forum doesn't. With Tapatalk, I can click a + at the top of any thread and it's added to my "Subscribed" tab.The other super nice thing is that I get push notifications when people quote my post, @timb me in any thread and optional notifications of any new post in subscribed threads. Beats the hell out of email notifications.Honestly, I'd have a hard time browsing the forum without the app. It adds a lot features that I was used to from other forums (being able to subscribe to threads being a big one). It also formats it all optimally for a mobile app; I've got it set to 50 posts per page. It doesn't load images in a thread until I actually scroll down to that post (which means image heavy threads load quickly and can save mobile bandwidth); you can multi-quote.It's nice and works well for me.Anyway, as for your problem, when you get the "Open in Tapatalk" deal, does it popover the whole page? Or do you just get a small banner at the top of the page? On iOS I just get a small banner that slides down from the top when I go to the forum in Safari. I've seen that whole page popup before, and if you're getting that every time I can see why you'd be annoyed.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:11:22 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 05:49:09 pmThe problem is the posters that don't turn it off! So many one line posts with a fucking "Sent from my mobile by Tapatalk!" is more annoying than those inline adverts.As for using Tapatalk, I'm sorry but it ruins the privacy/anon stuff - they hold all your logins and data mine all your posts. I mean my EEVBlog posts are embarrassing enough, but you should see all the shit I post on mlpforums.comSent from my 'puter using Tapatalk!

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:14:37 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 05:49:09 pmThe problem is the posters that don't turn it off! So many one line posts with a fucking "Sent from my mobile by Tapatalk!" is more annoying than those inline adverts.As for using Tapatalk, I'm sorry but it ruins the privacy/anon stuff - they hold all your logins and data mine all your posts. I mean my EEVBlog posts are embarrassing enough, but you should see all the shit I post on mlpforums.comSent from my 'puter using Tapatalk!

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:18:09 pm
content: The signature can be disabled in the forum plugin from what I remember.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:19:28 pm
content: Quote from: Macbeth on March 26, 2016, 06:11:22 pmGoogle data mines all your posts anyway. As for privacy, you can simply use a unique username and throwaway email for each site if you want. Though, I do have to admit, when I first started using Tapatalk and it said, "Hey! You're a member of this forum and that forum and that forum!" automatically, I assume by connecting my email address, I was a bit creeped out.(But I later found out that the plugin a forum has to install to enable Tapatalk access actually sends a copy of all usernames and associated email addresses to Tapatalk and that's how they figure it out; so it's not the app that actually does the data mining, it's the forum plugin itself. This means they've got your data no matter if you use the app or not; it's simply by virtue of the forum admin having installed the plugin.)Welcome to the data singularity.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:21:26 pm
content: Quote from: Kilrah on March 26, 2016, 06:18:09 pmNo, but you can disable it in the app itself. (I'm not sure how the plugin could disable it, since the app is simply appending the signature to the bottom of your posts; you can actually edit when you edit a post for example.)

author: zal42
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:42:08 pm
content: Quote from: SteveyG on March 26, 2016, 11:16:07 amThis business of web sites altering what they do according to the machine you're browsing from is a web-wide nuisance. I avoid it on Android by using the Boat browser (although other browsers can do this as well) because the Boat browser has a setting that tells it to lie to the web server and say that it's a desktop machine.Problems solved.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:44:17 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 06:11:13 pmI'll agree with that - plus once you have posted in a thread you can't (I believe) remove it from your "unreadreplies" page. But overall that's tolerable for me.QuoteI'll agree email notifications are, um, suboptimal. But if I've time to read/post on the forum, then I'll just look at the "unreadreplies" page.QuoteAnd without it installed, the site dumps me in a page with3 (landscape) or 6 (portrait)on a HD screen. Ridiculous.QuoteNot a problem for me since I'm not using a phone, and I dislike multiquoting.QuoteI ask for the "full site", Tapatalk is a modal dialog covering the full page.I say "bugger off and remember it".It dumps me into the app downloader, FFS, where I tell it not to download.It then nags me to follow eevblog in tapatalk - taking up 1/3 the screen - with options to "open in app" or "install".Is it being rammed down my throat, or what?Close broswer.Open browser,and the whole bloody thing repeats again. Aaargh.And at that point I'm close to defenestrating the tablet - and very close to not bothering to read the forum because tapatalk is making it so damn unpleasant.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 06:48:03 pm
content: Yeah. That's not cool at all. Sounds like an Android bug in the plugin. Do you want the support email for Tapatalk? Might be a good idea to let them know what's going on. It's obviously in their best interests to fix that, as I'm sure they don't want to annoy the piss out of people they're trying to convince to use their app!

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 07:04:23 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 06:48:03 pmThe plugin is not installed, and never will be.That means part of the problem is in the website (this forum) that tries to ram it down my throat. I can't believe that Dave, for example, would go out of his way to code something so irritating. Hence I assume that the website is serving up something designed and implemented by tapatalk - presumably a plugin within the forum's website. Certainly it is acting in tapatalk's commercial interest, and after pretending to ask my preferences, is then completely stomping over what I want.No company that does that is ever going to have me install any of its software.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 07:09:34 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 07:04:23 pmWhen I say plugin, I'm talking about the plugin the forum uses. I know you don't have the app installed.In order for the Tapatalk app to work with a forum, that forum has to install a plugin, which is coded by Tapatalk.It's that plugin which produces the popup messages when you browse the forum on a mobile device. What I'm saying is that there's obviously a bug in the plugin pertaining to Android browsers. My recommendation is to email Tapatalk support, so they can fix said bug.Obviously, it is in their best interest to fix said bug, because annoying the piss out of you makes you actively not want to use their app, which is counter intuitive.

author: Andy Watson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 07:13:16 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 06:19:28 pmThis is reason enough to remove it from a website. I hate any site that collects my data without my express permission.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 07:37:51 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 06:21:26 pmWell given that everything the app gets it gets from the Tapatalk plugin installed on the forum, it would be easy for the plugin to tell extra things to the app like "disable the signature" for this forum. Had a look and can't find such a setting though.But there is a way because a forum I frequently visit never gets Tapatalk signatures, including when I post and have it enabled. Or the forum's admin added custom code to strip them somehow.The mobile banner IS a setting and can be disabled. And it's supposed to be one-time, so if it isn't it's a bug/weird interaction between forum plugin and browser.Aren't you running script disablers or such things by any chance?

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 07:38:13 pm
content: Quote from: Andy Watson on March 26, 2016, 07:13:16 pmWhen you signed up for the forum, you likely agreed to it as part of the TOS.That said, I don't actually know *how* the Tapatalk forum plugin is sending the entire user list to Tapatalk. I was told they were awhile back, but don't know the details behind it. Details are key here. Thinking about it now, it actually seems unlikely that they are keeping a database of all the usernames and associated emails in plaintext or any useable form.What seems more likely is that the forum plugin generates a hashed list of emails and usernames for each forum, which Tapatalk stores. When you sign up for a Tapatalk account in the app, they hash your email and compare it with their database, if they find a matching hash the app is told which forum it belongs; then the app actually grabs your info directly from the forum. (Which you would have agreed to as part of the Tapatalk TOS.)That seems much more likely. So, is Tapatalk storing all usernames and emails for each forum that runs their plugin? Most likely. Is that information in a form they can sell or otherwise abuse? Highly unlikely.

author: Andy Watson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:42:23 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 07:38:13 pmI don't recall agreeing to such terms, but then, there are lots of things I don't rememberSurely, if Tapatalk were harvesting this information directly from forum/website it would require some form of consent for every instance where this was happening? I've not noticed this happening, or perhaps I don't frequent enough of those kinds of site!

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:46:45 pm
content: Quote from: Kilrah on March 26, 2016, 07:37:51 pmI'm not. Chrome on android, JavaScript enabled. Plain vanilla opera on android.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:48:15 pm
content: Quote from: timb on March 26, 2016, 07:09:34 pmThat is such basic functionality, not a corner case, that I'm sure Tapatalk know exactly what they are doing, and why.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 08:56:51 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 08:48:15 pmI highly doubt that. I don't get that behavior with Safari on iOS. I just checked on a device that doesn't have Tapatalk installed and same thing. First time I visit the forum I get a small banner that slides down from the top of the page. Once I tell it no, it doesn't come back.The thing about Android is there's a lot of different versions of it, plus a lot of third party browsers. So it sounds exactly like a corner case, in that their popover script isn't handling whatever combination of OS version and browser you're using.Think it through. Repeatedly harassing someone like that isn't very likely to get them to use your app, so why would they do it on purpose?If it bothers you that much, send an email to their support team. They're actually very responsive. Awhile back I reported a bug in the app itself (not displaying images after clearing the cache) and they had a fix in the App Store a week later. They also implemented some UI changes I recommended (after a bit of discussion) in another update a month later.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:01:40 pm
content: Tapatalk works great for me. Reading the forums with Tapatalk on my phone provides better user experience than a standard browser and I can do it anywhere.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:15:51 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on March 26, 2016, 09:01:40 pmLucky you. Sod me and others like me?

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:17:57 pm
content: Quote from: Andy Watson on March 26, 2016, 08:42:23 pmI just checked Tapatalk's Privacy Policy and TOS. It looks like I was right in that they *do* "harvest" information directly from the forum's database, but in a non-identifiable form. This is called Non-PII (non-personally identifiable information).This happens by virtue of the plugin being installed on the forum. It's not a breech of your privacy since the information they gather is publicly available. Remember this *is* a public forum; it's regularly scraped by Google's web crawler bots and preserved forever on Archive.org.Now, your email address associated with your forum account may not be public. However, they can still store it in their database if it's hashed first; that way it becomes non-identifiable unless you opt in.Basically they would use an algorithm to scramble all the usernames and associated emails registered on a forum and store them as hashes in their DB. When you signup for a Tapatalk account, the username/email you enter is hashed with the same algorithm and compared with their database. If they find a match they know you belong to that forum.So, essentially the only way the scrambled information can be decoded is if you opt in by giving that information to the app. At which point you agree to their TOS.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:19:42 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 09:15:51 pmOr contact Tapatalk support and report the behavior to them so they can fix it? Or keep bitching about it here where the problem won't get fixed. Your call.

author: Fred27
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2016, 09:20:30 pm
content: @tggzzz Nobody said that an annoying forum plug in was a good thing, certainly not zapta.I also find Tapatalk useful. I've never seen any annoying pop-ups when I do use a browser for the forum, but understand that it would be annoying if you do.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2016, 12:13:50 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 09:15:51 pmIt's not luck, it's picking the right tool for the job.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2016, 12:32:36 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on March 29, 2016, 12:13:50 pmPlease explain how a plain-vanilla Android tablet with an excellent screen (the extremely popular Tesco Hudl2) is the wrong tool for viewing this forum.OTOH, I agree tapatalkisthe wrong tool for viewing the forum - but I'm not being given the choice to avoid it.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2016, 02:25:27 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 29, 2016, 12:32:36 pmIf you are happy with the experience that that configuration gives you than its the right tool for you.Personally, if I would like to have desktop experience on a tablet, I would setup my user agent to that of a desktop.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2016, 02:36:22 pm
content: On my browser that is based on Chrome and on Android I just have to go to Settings->Advanced and change the User Agent to Desktop instead of Android (or iPhone etc... as the other choices) then it doesn't think my tablet is an Android Native and TapaTalk doesn't come up or bother me at all.So I did vote to keep it since the user can override the said User Agent, giving a choice to use TapaTalk or not.Edit: my browser is ICS Browser+, have not migrated to Chrome because of the nice touch interface to navigate that ICS Browser+ has, even if its a bit dated, but I would imagine the native Chrome (which was on beta when I got my tablet) has a similar setting.And btw I don't use TapaTalk, but don't want to rob the feature for those who like it.Edit2: Also I recall changing the Request Desktop as well, so maybe you need to change both.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2016, 02:47:12 pm
content: Quote from: SL4P on March 26, 2016, 06:43:01 amDrill a hole in the middle into your iPad, throw it into the trash can, and browse the EEVBlog from a PC like every engineer does.

author: Turbon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2016, 03:12:18 pm
content: Get it ditched. Everything that can add more ADs should be prohibited. A nuisance!Regards

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2016, 04:37:57 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on March 29, 2016, 02:25:27 pmSigh. Do youreallythink I haven't tried that? Guess what happens; it isn't what you would hope and expect.And yes, I do want to use my 1920*1080 screen to full advantage. Why on earth wouldn't I?Hell's teeth, I have even used it with VNC to remotely access and display a full-resolution HD desktop on my main machine. Need to have a fingernail sharpened to a point, though.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 09:01:21 am
content: Bah, I like tapatalk. Much nicer browsing all my forums in one place with a consistent look and feel. If Dave dumped the plugin I know it would cut my browsing to about 10%Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 09:07:16 am
content: Quote from: Dubbie on March 31, 2016, 09:01:21 amThe "nicer" (to me awkward and harder) browsing and posting and the horrid, overly busy look and feel is why I don't use it. It forcing my browser into "desktop mode" no matter what I do (short of removing and reinstalling the browser) every time I get the ad is why I hate it. There's got to be a way to keep the plugin for those who want it but stop it nagging some and/or ruining the web browser experience to try and force them into using it.

author: Maxlor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 09:36:31 am
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 26, 2016, 06:44:17 pmI'm seeing that too on the rare occasion that I visit the forum on my phone. And then I usually remember why it was exactly that I stopped visiting the forum on my phone and close the tab.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:18:49 am
content: Quote from: zapta on March 29, 2016, 02:25:27 pmSigh. Do youreallythink I didn't try that.It was the first thing I did, and the website/tapatalktotally ignoredit.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 12:09:58 pm
content: The issue i have is with mobile browsing, it keeps showing a popup over the top of the page asking me to try tapatalk (and yes i have cookies on, its not that)Even if i select that i don't want to use tapatalk it ignore that and will ask again a few moments later, and again, and again.It seems like on average every 5-10 page loads i get it.Browsing the forum from my phone has become ridiculously annoying.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 04:43:01 pm
content: I am with those saying TapaTalk has to be taken care of, it is very annoying.

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 04:55:13 pm
content: It should be possible for Dave (or his Linux) guru to stop the popups, but still allow the tapatalk API to work.

author: wkb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 09:32:43 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on March 31, 2016, 04:43:01 pmYes please! Taken care of as in: taken behind the shed and shot in the head.

author: suicidaleggroll
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:02:11 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on March 31, 2016, 12:09:58 pmI have the same problem on iOS. Every few page loads the damn thing pops up again, right in the middle of the screen, and I have to click cancel to get rid of it.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:14:16 pm
content: What even is it? Tapatalk I mean.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:15:08 pm
content: The poll at the top if this thread tells part of the story, but asking Dave - "does EEVblog get anything out of the Tapatalk relationship", or was itsupposedto be a convenience for users (and Tapatalk?)?If EEVblog gets some benefit, we could understand, but the latter reasons are enough to help convince you to turn it off!

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:30:17 pm
content: Quote from: lewis on March 31, 2016, 10:14:16 pmTapatalk is a mobile app for forums.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:51:27 pm
content: Quote from: SL4P on March 31, 2016, 10:15:08 pmNo relationship, people simply asked for it.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:55:36 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 31, 2016, 10:51:27 pmHmm ok.With the poll running at 60-90% against - it may be worth looking for an alternative.cheers.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2016, 10:56:17 pm
content: I think I may have disabled the popup.Can anyone confirm?

author: rx8pilot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2016, 12:23:56 am
content: I use tapatalk and its great. Much better than a mobile browser.Sent from my horrible mobile....

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2016, 02:04:40 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 31, 2016, 10:56:17 pmIt may need a couple pf days to verify, as on IOS it appears semi-randomly - esp on iPhone (iPad is slightly different appearance(?!).Any others may like to add?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 01, 2016, 02:50:01 am
content: Quote from: SL4P on April 01, 2016, 02:04:40 amOk, we'll give it a few days.

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2016, 09:51:08 am
content: Hopefully that only turns off the full screen popup. There is also a banner that slides down from the top of the page that allows you to open the thread in Tapatalk if you have it installed, which is a really nice feature when you land on a forum post via Google.At any rate, as long as the plugin stays installed I'm fine with disabling all the popovers. That said, there's clearly an issue with popover code. After you tell it no, it shouldn't come back until you clear your cookies. The fact that isn't happening means there's a problem. If nobody else has contacted them about the issue I will.Finally, please keep the plugin Dave. I know I wouldn't participate nearly as much without it. Tapatalk really makes keeping up with threads so easy.

author: dcel
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2016, 11:30:48 am
content: I read the forum here on both my phone (note 3) and tablet (note 8 ) exclusively. I dispise tapatalk popping up constantly. I have chrome set up with a tab that i never close for the forum to avoid tapatalk, sadly, if there is a update to chrome, the forum, or whatever, tapatalk nags me on both phone and tab until i can get the separate windows setup again. Its hard to explain, but i force the brouser to desktop mode? and dont close that tab. I vote kill tapatalk, its nagging is annoying.Chris

author: Andy Watson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2016, 11:49:33 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 01, 2016, 02:50:01 amAside from the privacy issues I am not (I think) affected by pop-ups or other tapatalk intrusions, however, since the above changes I have noticed that the forum pages load much quicker. Thanks Dave.

author: dcel
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2016, 12:15:18 pm
content: QuoteNow that you mention it, I think you're right, the forum pages do load faster.Chris

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2016, 01:34:40 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 01, 2016, 02:50:01 amSo far so good. I would have expected to get it by now.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2016, 07:11:00 am
content: iPad iOS 9.3The Tapatalk banner ("open in web browser or install Tapatalk") is displayed at the top of page above the usual banner ads.No pop ups yet.iPhone 5 iOS 9.3No Tapatalk top banner seen, the 'normal' top banner ad us displayed.

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2016, 07:12:57 am
content: Banner on iPad shown like this...(attached photo)

author: timb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2016, 08:00:24 am
content: Quote from: SL4P on April 02, 2016, 07:12:57 amWeird. Mine is like 1/4 that size on an iPad mini 3, iOS 9.2. Are you using any ad blockers or anything?

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2016, 08:40:02 am
content: Quote from: timb on April 02, 2016, 08:00:24 amI suspect this is the result of Dave's recent changes - as this 'frame' was previously displayed as a modal (foreground) dialog, which you had to click to make it go away. Now it just appears at the top of my iPad pages... ?!Giving Tapatalkanycredit and seeing how their content renders completely differently in different targets - I'd say their codebase was written by retarded monkeys on crack.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2016, 09:37:38 am
content: Quote from: SL4P on April 02, 2016, 07:12:57 amLucky you. On my 1920*1024 Hudl Android machine in portrait mode, that dialog plus the banner ad take up>2/3 of the screen. (Multiple browsers)The remaining sliver is enough to see my name, show new/unread replies,the date/time, and nothing else. Content? Who on earth would come to this site for content?And that is after "cancelling" Tapatalk, which they ignore. Tapatalk knowexactlywhat they are doing in order to get money.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2016, 05:22:38 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 31, 2016, 10:56:17 pmDave, did you undo this change? I am once again seeing a lot of annoying popups on Android (using Firefox, if it matters).

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2016, 05:26:24 pm
content: As the OP, I'd like to thank Dave and his team...Without TT, the forum has become a pleasure to use - again.Cheers

author: meeder
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2016, 05:49:56 pm
content: Now I have to login every visit with Tapatalk. Before it remembered the credentials.