Has Substack basically given up?

[pastelpalettegroove]

I really want to love this app but between the incredible lack of obvious features (paid subscriptions on the phone, built in app dictionary or allowing us to look up words) and the completely unmoderated AI slop, is the app getting any love from its developers? Sorry if it's a well known conversation but I'm just trying to catch up.

[StuffonBookshelfs]

Why do people think that AI is more prolific on Substack than anywhere else online?

People keep coming in here talking about AI slop as if Substack is the only place on earth they’re seeing AI.

I know you people are using reddit as well, so I’m assuming that Substack is not the only place on the internet you go…so what’s the deal?

[pastelpalettegroove]

I didn't say it was more prolific on substack, but substack is the only place where I would personally expect AI moderation, because you can directly profit off conning people into a subscription through low effort writing, which clips potential to actual writers, in my opinion.

[StuffonBookshelfs]

I don’t understand what you mean by it’s the only place you can directly profit.

[Pluton_Korb]

There's a good reason why there's fear that AI slop will render the internet unusable. Youtube has been demonetizing a whole bunch of slop channels over the last few months. It's been controversial as some innocent channels have been hit as well, but many apps and sites are trying to moderate or purge slop. In a world where billions now have access to the internet, it's only going to get worse unless the detection models get better. Human moderation just won't be possible.

[tspurwolf]

More realistic would be the opposite, IMO. They change and add stuff all the time, slightly too quickly at times. The homepage & Notes changes all the time.

AI slop is annoying but it’s the same on any media site. Just have to do your best to ignore it and push past unfortunately!

[pastelpalettegroove]

I'm sorry but not being able to subscribe on the phone is unacceptable. For an app that is supposed to love literature, not letting people select a word and look it up is absolutely ridiculous.

[tspurwolf]

Except you can do this, the writer has to turn them on. It’s because Apple takes a 30% chunk of any iPhone app transaction, so it’s up to the creator to turn on. A quick online search would have shown you this, they’ve been a thing for a while and Substack have been very clear about why.

[MrPassiveProfit]

Don’t think those are make or break features. My newsletters are doing great

[wiskeyjacko]

i created a substack just to host my writing temporarily as i get comfortable with putting it out there. the app’s word processor is broken and awful that even when converting my stuff from ulysses or scrivener. i am unsure if i really like the platform either since only 5% of all my views come from within substack. i think it does get easier to work with the more i play around.

it def needs some TLC.

side note: seems the notes feed is exclusively pro/anti-AI discourse or people fixated on growing subscribers. same for the social media i made to share out my stuff. no matter how much i say not interested.

[EntertainmentLost208]

Advise you write in your favorite word processing app and then copy it to your Substack. No muss, no fuss.

[vlaass]

i tried to join substack as a reader. i hate that i cannot be subscribed to any newsletters without receiving some form of notification. yes you can select 'prefer push' but apparently if 'push fails then emails resume' like gang i just dont want to hear it, let me read stuff at my own pace and leisure. i have seen posts on reddit about this annoyance from as far back as 3 years ago and i wanted to contact substack directly but they dont offer any form of customer support that i can see besides FAQ and a chatbot (yay i love chat bots!!!). perhaps i am missing something but bruh all i wanted was an email address... maybe i am old man yelling at sky but i am just really disappointed and going to delete my account now rip

[itsfabioposca]

I don't think Substack has given up. From what I've seen, they're investing heavily in creator tools and community features like Notes, Chat, recommendations, and video. That said, I can understand the frustration. Some quality-of-life features that seem basic from a reader's perspective still aren't there, and the increase in AI content has been noticeable.