Reddit has begun blocking mobile browsers, forcing visitors on both iPhone and Android devices to download its official app. A non‑dismissable popup now appears on reddit.com, prompting users to “get the app to keep using Reddit.” The company says the test targets a small group of frequent, logged‑out mobile users who already know the platform.

With 121 million daily active users, Reddit still wrestles with a sustainable revenue model after its 2024 IPO. Advertising drives most income, but the app lets the firm track behavior more reliably than the web. Earlier this year the site signed a deal with OpenAI to allow training on user posts, a move that has significantly sparked legal disputes with rival AI firms.

Users quickly rallied on subreddits such as r/bugs and r/help, decrying the loss of anonymous browsing and labeling the rollout as another instance of platform “enshittification.” Reddit’s history includes forcing API fees in 2023 and removing ad‑personalization options, both of which angered developers and communities. The company now recently faces an ongoing sharp drop in mobile web traffic as the block remains in place.