TapaTalk and Xenforo Forum Software

[Mike Phillips]

TapaTalk and Xenforo Forum Software

Had some questions about whether or not TapaTalk was available for Xenforo and the answer is "no". And if the answer was "yes" I still would not recommend it to anyone. The reasons why are shared in a link below to a discussion about TapaTalk on the Xenforo support forum.

Here's the skinny,

The Xenforo forum software displays and works FINE from a smart phone or tablet and also computers so it's not needed. vBulletin, what old school forums tend to be running NEEDED a secondary App in order to enable someone to function on vBulletin forum software. So not needed for Xenforo.

Here's a conversation from another thread on this forum. See the link I shared. Click on it and read.

Glad to be aboard. Any plans on getting forum on TapaTalk?

I looked into this option a couple of times but after reading post in the below thread I decided against it. And for the most part, Xenforo is very smart phone friendly.

See post #13 (there's other interesting comments in the thread about the nefarious stuff TapaTalk does behind the scenes)

Let's talk about Tapatalk

To answer your question, after reading the above thread "no" there's no integration with TapaTalk for the future.


-Mike Phillips

So there you go.

Also just to note - the people now running the geek forum behind the scenes asked me about Xenforo forum software. I wholeheartedly recommended it. I also recommended to them that instead of trying to MIGRATE the current geek vBulletin forum INTO a new Xenforo forum - if it were me, I would ARCHIVE the current geek forum and make it READABLE and simply bring up a FRESH new geek forum using the superior Xenforo forum software.

Time will tell which direction they will go and it could be they just do nothing.


-Mike Phillips

 

[Mike Phillips]

From the link I shared above

Posted by gerryvz

I have to agree with @djbaxter on the topic of Tapatalk.

I used it for many years on my vBulletin 4.2.x based forum. It worked decently, and my members did like it (I also used it personally from time to time). I have a fairly small niche automotive forum, around 9,000 members and 200K posts. I'd say that around 1,000 of my members are active within any one-month period.

In March of this year, when I migrated my forum from vB to XF 2.1, I did install Tapatalk on XF for consistency of experience for my members. It worked OK, but I was already of the mindset that I was going to get rid of it. Once I "checked out" the mobile capabilities of XenForo, it immediately made obvious that Tapatalk was not and would never be needed.

I gave my members one month's notice that I would be removing Tapatalk, and told them to start checking out XF on their mobile device in the browser. A few folks said they really liked Tapatalk, but once they did try XF on their mobile device, and learned how to use it (i.e. where the "New Posts" button was), they came to the same conclusion that I did.

Have not heard a peep from people after I removed Tapatalk, and around 60% of my site's traffic (per Google Analytics) is via phone or tablet. I don't know that I have lost ANY traffic/members due to removing Tapatalk, but I do not think so.

The more research I did into Tapatalk, and the longer I had it installed on my forums, the more unscrupulous and onerous I saw their business practices becoming. Tapatalk has inserted itself into the operations more and more of the forums it is on, all in the name of increasing their own advertising revenues. I did NOT like the fact that they had more and more access into my database, forum, and were mirroring elements of my forum on their servers. Meanwhile, I was getting little to no money from them (perhaps $5.00 every few months, from ads that would appear in their app -- my forum does and has never run ads) for my trouble.

Then there are the security issues they have, both with their "services" and with their app. It's downright scary and I've never really seen proof that they've fixed this. Instead, they've worked to get their tentacles further and further into the forums that are part of their ad-serving network.

Enough !!

1) Give your members a full month's warning that you will be eliminating Tapatalk from your forum. Encourage them to use and explore the browser-based XF on their mobile devices.

2) Remove it and don't look back. Enjoy greater security and peace of mind that you and your forum are no longer being taken advantage of by this virus of an app/ad service.


Here is the thread I posted to my forum about the removal of Tapatalk

Tapatalk to be phased out on 500Eboard during April, 2019




And like gerryvz said in post #30 of the above thread,

The forums seems to be surviving just fine without Tapatalk.


So "no" I won't be lifting a finger to enable TapaTalk to work with this forum. If that stops someone from using this forum - it is what it is.


-Mike Phillips

 

[Mike Phillips]

TapaTalk and Xenforo Forum Software

Also just to note - the people now running the geek forum behind the scenes asked me about Xenforo forum software. I wholeheartedly recommended it.

I also recommended to them that instead of trying to MIGRATE the current geek vBulletin forum INTO a new Xenforo forum - if it were me, I would ARCHIVE the current geek forum and make it READABLE and simply bring up a FRESH new geek forum using the superior Xenforo forum software.

Time will tell which direction they will go and it could be they just do nothing.


-Mike Phillips

Vindicated

-Mike