# Apps with no desktop functionality
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 7, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609 "2022-03-07T11:51:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/1 "2022-03-07T11:51:29Z")
I have a PC. This is the perfect tool to conduct business such as signing into my work schedule, internet banking, job application, mass communication etc. However for all these things and more I now need to install a fucking app on my phone.
My phone is not a good tool for any of these things, in fact I was deliberately keeping it as a device to just phone, text and watch movies on the go. I hate the fact that society has become so appified that so many companies no longer build in a PC interface, when it should be the other way around; build the PC interface then create apps for those that want to use their phone.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/2 "2022-03-07T12:36:44Z")
Just in case it’s useful to you, there is this: [How to get started with Android apps on Windows 11 | Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/how-get-started-android-apps-windows-11)
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/3 "2022-03-07T15:38:06Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#):
>
> My phone is not a good tool for any of these things,
Hundreds of millions of people world-wide disagree with you. Which is _why_ you are being put in this situation.
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### Author:  [@Keith1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keith1)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/4 "2022-03-07T16:12:16Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#):
>
> I hate the fact that society has become so appified that so many companies no longer build in a PC interface, when it should be the other way around; build the PC interface then create apps for those that want to use their phone.
Agreed! Another example; I can’t count how many times I’ve sent documents to people and they tell me things are missing from it. Turns out they’re viewing them on a 4" screen.
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/5 "2022-03-07T16:24:37Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#):
>
> I hate the fact that society has become so appified that so many companies no longer build in a PC interface, when it should be the other way around; build the PC interface then create apps for those that want to use their phone.
I use a desktop PC for my primary day job activities. I also have a tablet I use a lot for various things and a smartphone. I can’t think of any application or service I’ve needed to use that was only available on an app that had to be downloaded on a tablet or phone, that didn’t also have a PC or web version that could be accessed instead. Maybe I’ve just been lucky so far.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/6 "2022-03-07T16:25:53Z")
How about mobile check deposit? Some banks allow you to deposit checks by taking photos of them on your smart phone but I’m not aware of a desktop website equivalent.
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### Author:  [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/7 "2022-03-07T16:35:23Z")
YES !
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### Author:  [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/8 "2022-03-07T16:35:53Z")
I don’t know, I’ve never deposited a check that way, but a quick googling seems to show that it can be done on desktop with a scanner, at least for some banks. It is a service that’s kind of made for a smartphone though, since all phones have cameras, but hardly anybody likely has desktop scanners anymore.
> **[How to Deposit Chase Checks Using a Computer Scanner](https://smallbusiness.chron.com/deposit-chase-checks-using-computer-scanner-49789.html)**
>
> How to Deposit Chase Checks Using a Computer Scanner. Chase's Quick Deposit allows you to deposit checks to your business account without the need to make a trip to the bank. A computer scanner is used to securely scan and deposit paper checks. There...
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/9 "2022-03-07T16:36:57Z")
> **[Nearly three quarters of the world will use just their smartphones to access...](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/smartphones-72percent-of-people-will-use-only-mobile-for-internet-by-2025.html)**
>
> Almost three quarters (72.6 percent) of internet users will access it via their smartphones only by 2025, equivalent to nearly 3.7 billion people. Just over 1.3 billion are forecast to access the internet via smartphone and PC by 2025, and 69...
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/10 "2022-03-07T16:39:25Z")
I know someone employed by a non-profit foundation who has a dedicated scanner on her desk to deposit checks sent as donations. It looks a bit like the check scanner in the supermarket.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/11 "2022-03-07T16:45:28Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#):
>
> Hundreds of millions of people world-wide disagree with you
It entirely depends on the app. Some apps work just fine on a phone, some less so. For example, on my aquarium, trying to change the light schedule involves setting the times for each of the various colors on [here](https://www.reef2reef.com/attachments/20190811_102408-jpg.1160107/) and the intensity of each color [here](https://www.aquaillumination.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/myAI_easySetup_half.jpg).
How people get all those zig zaggy lines, I don’t know. I can barely get it programmed to begin with and just upload pre-made schedules.
But that’s a good example of an app where a lot of people would much rather be able to do on a computer, with a mouse. It’s really only tolerated because most people will fidget with it for a few days and then not look at it again for a year.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/12 "2022-03-07T16:45:49Z")
[BlueStacks](https://www.bluestacks.com/) should also work, including on MacOS
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/13 "2022-03-07T16:48:33Z")
I hadn’t thought of that ( probably because I only use mobile check deposit twice a year or so ) and now that you’ve brought it up, I can’t use Venmo ( or probably similar apps) on a desktop. But that’s it - all the rest of my banking can be done on a desktop and I kind of wonder about some of the things the OP mentions - why would you only be able to sign into your work schedule on a app, unless your work doesn’t involve using a PC , and I don’t understand how mass communication requires an app, unless the OP is specifically referring to text messages and not mass communication in general. (which would include email)
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### Author:  [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/14 "2022-03-07T17:24:23Z")
> [@solost](#):
>
> I use a desktop PC for my primary day job activities. I also have a tablet I use a lot for various things and a smartphone. I can’t think of any application or service I’ve needed to use that was only available on an app that had to be downloaded on a tablet or phone, that didn’t also have a PC or web version that could be accessed instead. Maybe I’ve just been lucky so far.
Same here.
Literally everything the OP mentioned I can do on my PC. You should only have to install an app on your phone, if you want to do those things on your phone. Actually, you could use the web browser on your phone (need to install one, if the phone didn’t come with one), but the apps are easier to use.
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### Author:  [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/15 "2022-03-07T18:04:44Z")
In Windows 10, you can use “Your Phone” to connect to your phone via bluetooth, and then run the phone apps from your PC.
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### Author:  [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/16 "2022-03-07T18:10:33Z")
You can do it on your PC, if the company is sensible. However too many people are not. They communicate almost entirely through WhatsApp, you have to use their app to select and accept shifts, a lot of places I’ve applied for since COVID rely on apps to verify documents, the best paying interest accounts are app only etc. Too many fucking apps.
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### Author:  [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/17 "2022-03-07T20:02:34Z")
There are a few things I use that are phone-app only, and don’t have a desktop application or website that provides similar functionality. They’re mostly just internet of things type stuff.
- MyQ garage door app. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to open my garage door from a computer, which is good, because I can’t.
- Wyze camera viewing app. After years, there is finally a beta website that can view some camera feeds; when it works.
- Neato vacuum robot control app.
- Anova suis-vide control app.
- La Crosse weather station viewer app.
- myColorado™ state information portal app.
- Google Rewards app.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/18 "2022-03-07T20:14:54Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#):
>
> > [@CardboardBoxx](#):
> >
> > My phone is not a good tool for any of these things,
>
> Hundreds of millions of people world-wide disagree with you. Which is _why_ you are being put in this situation.
That explains why they have a phone app. It doesn’t really explain why they _only_ have a phone app. Everything the OP described should be a web app, which can then be converted into a phone app quite easily for those who prefer apps to web browsers. Heck, most phone apps of this kind are written with web technologies under the hood.
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### Author:  [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/19 "2022-03-07T20:33:05Z")
The only things I’ve personally bumped into are Venmo (mentioned previously) and the Transit app. (They have a website - [transitapp.com](http://transitapp.com) - but it doesn’t actually have the… _transit app_ functionality.)
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### Author:  [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2022, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apps-with-no-desktop-functionality/960609/20 "2022-03-07T20:44:09Z")
So far I’ve only run into one app that doesn’t also have a web interface: the nutrition/weight-tracking app I’ve used since I had bariatric (weight-loss) surgery in November. There are plenty of similar apps that _do_ have web interfaces, but everything else about this app is better – for my purposes – so I’m sticking with it. But I often wish I could update it via a browser instead of having to use my phone.
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