Editing Forced app download (section)

==Examples==
'''Mobile Carriers and App marketplaces''' 

Companies like [[digital turbine|Digital Turbine]] auction<ref>{{Cite web |title=DT Fairbid |url=https://www.digitalturbine.com/dt-fairbid |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2023 |website=Digital Turbine}}</ref> off placement in carriers automatic download lists and recommended app's placement in first and third party app stores<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turn Subscribers Into Fans |url=https://www.digitalturbine.com/telecom |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=Digital Turbine}}</ref>   

Digital turbine sells forced app downloads from app developers like: [[zynga]], miniclip games, [[King Digital Entertainment|'''King''' Digital Entertainment]] and [[Uber EULA precludes jury trial|Uber]],  placement in forced download lists to carries like: [[Verizon]], [[At&T]], [[Cricket wireless]], us cellular, tracfone  and T-mobile.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A New Horizon for Apps is Emerging |url=https://www.digitalturbine.com/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=Digital Turbine}}</ref>

===Banking and finance===
All banks in Singapore (Citi, DBS, UOB, OCBC, Standard Chartered, CIMB) mandate use of their apps for consumers to perform any online banking activities, including logging in via their web browser.
[[File:Forced app download.png|thumb|Luckin Coffee, a China-origin Starbucks competitor, forces you to download their app to order and pay for coffee. You cannot order coffee at the cashier in their store, let alone pay. You must use the app to interact with this business and digital payments to pay.]]
[[File:Forced app download - Citibank Singapore.png|thumb|Citibank Singapore has deliberately disabled many basic functions such as rewards redemption on its website since 2024, forcing users to download and use their mobile app as an "alternative".]]
The apps generate notifications that require users to approve/deny actions like logging in via a web browser, initiating a payment, adding a payee, etc via the app itself. Some banks previously offered sending an OTP via SMS (text) as an alternative to app-based approval but this has since been discontinued for "security reasons".

==='''Insurance'''===
Auto insurance companies like [[Progressive]], require non policy holders effected by automotive incidents their policyholders claim to submit photos and video evidence of damages exclusively through their mobile app.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Auto insurance claims |url=https://www.progressive.com/claims/auto-process/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=[[Progressive]]}}</ref>  Affected non policy holders can't complete the entire claim process through their website even though you can start the process online from any device and web browser.<ref name=":0" />

===Utilities and public services===
SP Group is Singapore's primary and default electricity provider, as well as the country's only provider for gas and water for consumers. In 2022, SP Group removed the ability to manage payments from their website, forcing users to download and use their mobile app to pay bills/manage recurring payments<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pay SP utility bills with SP app |url=https://www.spdigital.sg/spapp/bill-payment |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=SPdigital}}</ref>.

As they are the country's only provider for gas and water, everyone in Singapore MUST download their app at some point.

===Home appliances and hardware===
Speaker and sound hardware company [[Sonos]] has been a big practitioner of forced app download since at least 2017<ref>{{Cite web |title=Make Sonos work without internet |url=https://en.community.sonos.com/advanced-setups-229000/make-sonos-work-without-internet-6795315 |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=[[Sonos]]}}</ref>. Sonos makes it extremely difficult and annoying, if not impossible for their customers to use their purchased hardware without an app and/or internet connection.

Even though it is possible to use Sonos speakers without an app, initial setup has required the download and use of Sonos' app since at least May 2022.

"Yes you can (use the Sonos Roam speaker without an app). However, you will need to set it up for the first time using the app." (May 2022)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Can I Use a Roam Without the App? |url=https://en.community.sonos.com/portable-speakers-229130/can-i-use-a-roam-without-the-app-6869207 |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=[[Sonos]]}}</ref>

In addition, not all Sonos products support use without an app (April 2023)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Andrew |date=22 Apr 2023 |title=How To Use Sonos Without The App: A Complete Guide |url=https://soundscapehq.com/how-to-use-sonos-without-app/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=Sound Scape HQ}}</ref> and even if they do, sans-app usability is only limited to one speaker.

"You can use speakers without an app, but it only applies to a single speaker. If you want to play audio across multiple speakers, you will have to use the app and there is no other workaround to this." (Dec 2021)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bearson |first=Rune |date=14 December 2021 |title=Can You Use Sonos Speakers Without the App? |url=https://earrockers.com/can-you-use-sonos-speakers-without-the-app/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=Ear Rockers}}</ref>

==='''Hobbyist tools'''===
3D Printer manufacturer [[Bambu Lab]] forces users to bind their machines to an account via the use of an app called Bambu Handy and also forces the user to connect the machine to the internet whether they want to use LAN only mode or not. The fallout of this is that if you reset a machine and the servers are shut down the machine is a brick. [https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/x1/manual/setup-for-first-print]

===Retail and ecommerce===
Ecommerce giant [[Shopee]] which has a stronghold in online retail in South East Asia and Latin America has integrated a soft forced app download to their customer experience.

While it is still possible to browse, shop and checkout on a web browser, coupons usable on the web experience (regardless if mobile or desktop device) are limited to "Shipping Discount" coupons only. All other shopping coupons "Discount & Cashback" are only usable with Shopee's apps on iOS and Android.

When a customer attempts to check out on a web browser, Shopee shows that Discount & Cashback coupons are not usable because "Current device does not meet voucher T&C". On closer inspection of the terms and conditions of those coupons, Shopee specifies "Device: iOS, Android". What they are referring to is you must download and use their mobile apps for those operating systems in order to use most of their coupons. As pictured, the coupons are still not available on iOS and Android devices if the customer is using their web browser. They MUST download the Shopee app.
[[File:Shopee restricts coupon usage to app only.png|thumb|LEFT: Shopee limits customers to using "Shipping Discount" coupons only if checking out on a web browser (desktop and mobile).


MIDDLE: All other shopping coupons "Discount & Cashback" are only usable with Shopee's apps on iOS and Android.


RIGHT: Closer inspection of the terms and conditions where Shopee specifies a device requirement for using many of their coupons.


When Shopee specifies "Device: iOS, Android", they mean customers must download and use their mobile apps for those operating systems in order to use most of their coupons.


Using a web browser on iOS and Android does not count and coupons in question remain disabled in this scenario.]]
[[File:Shopee coupon still unusable on mobile web.jpg|thumb|Using a web browser on iOS and Android does not count and coupons with the device requirement remain disabled. What Shopee means by "Device: iOS, Android" in their coupons' terms and conditions is that customers MUST download and use the Shopee app for those coupons to be usable.]]

===Food and beverage===
An increasing number of 'digital-native' food businesses that are app-only are making their way onto the market. For example, Luckin Coffee, a Starbucks competitor of China origin with stores in Singapore and planned expansion into Malaysia and the US in 2025<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 Oct 2024 |title=China’s Luckin Coffee reportedly planning US launch in 2025 |url=https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/News/2024/October/China-s-Luckin-Coffee-reportedly-planning-US-launc |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=World Coffee Portal}}</ref>, only allows ordering of beverages and payments via its app. The way it works is you download the app, register an account, log in, order a coffee and pay for it, then pick it up at a Luckin Coffee location. "With Luckin, you do not order coffee over the counter like in regular Western coffee shops. Instead, you do everything online. I ordered my drinks here without even needing to talk to the Barista!"<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 Jan 2024 |title=I Taste Tested 3 Signature Luckin Coffee Drinks, Photos (Creamy Dreamy, Big Cheesy, Coconut Latte) |url=https://www.clearlycoffee.com/review-signature-luckin-coffee-drinks-photos-creamy-dreamy-big-cheesy-coconut-latte/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 Apr 2025 |website=Clearly Coffee}}</ref>

With a food-and-beverage business that is fully committed to forced app download like Luckin Coffee, there is no way to order nor pay at the physical store. You must download and use the app to interact with the business.

Forced app download represents the next stage of evolution from QR code based ordering. The key differences are:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Characteristic
!Forced app download
!QR-code based
|-
|Interface
|App downloaded from official app store
|Page opened in your choice of web browser
|-
|Ordering
|Order MUST be placed via app
|QR is pushed but usually possible to order offline (in real life)
|-
|Login
|You MUST create an account and log in to place an order
|Not required, often no registration is possible
|-
|Payments
|Cashless digital payment only
Payment MUST be made via app
|Depending on website, sometimes order online, pay offline
Depending on business, cash payments are usually possible
|}