So I joined a new gym last year and was pleasantly surprised. They gave me a smart card to get in and out, that’s it, no app, no accounts, no nothing. Well, today I got to the gym and saw the announcement that they are phasing out the access with the smart card and starting to use, you guessed it, an app.

Now, I know this is not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But I’m just tired of this trend of replacing perfectly functioning systems with apps (public transport tickets come to mind). Just more ways to harvest people’s data, I guess…

Ah and by the way, in my previous gym they not only required an app for accessing the place, they also incentivized people to track their workouts, meals and bodyweight using the gym’s app (of course I never used any of these features).

    • GolfNovemberUniform
      10·
      6 months ago

      Making apps mandatory. Idk about the US but I’m pretty sure here it’s illegal

      • sexy_peachEnglish
        60·
        6 months ago

        They’re not a government institution providing necessary services, so I think it’s legal pretty much everywhere. Same with places accepting payment by card only.

        • GolfNovemberUniform
          20·
          6 months ago

          Idk. I’ve never seen a card-only place here so I guess they’re illegal too. Even if there are such places, you can easily find ones that accept cash and don’t require apps. You all just live in such enshittificated places that you can’t believe in the existence of much better ones I guess