

What are the pros and cons of implementing social login for a mobile app? - RizkSaade

By social login I am referring to enableing users to login to your app using their social identity from more FB, twitter, ...
Thank you.
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philiphodgen
Sample size N = 1.

If login is via FB, Google, etc. I delete the app and do not use it.

On the other hand I may be too grumpy for my own good. A couple of days ago I
came across an iOS app that seemed like a useful idea. Health, exercise etc.
related. I downloaded it. It needed a username/password. I nuked the app com
my phone. I decided I am not sharing health details (weight etc) at random.
And I thought "Oh no, not another fucking username/password pair to go into
1Password." I am happily living without the app.

This puts you in a tough spot. If your app requires username/password to work
I'm not likely to use it, no matter what system you use -- if there is
personal information involved.

As I said, sample size n = 1.

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shiftpgdn
You'll lose a lot of users as people REALLY do not trust social logins anymore
due to sketchy security settings in Facebook.[1][2] Anecdotally I actually
overheard an older gentlemen behind me at a coffee shop the other day
lamenting about how he wanted to sign up for some service but they wanted his
facebook login details and that "they posted all over my wall with ads last
time and I'm not going through that again." Implementing your own user system
isn't all that difficult as most technology stacks have a library to handle
password storage.

[1] [http://blog.mailchimp.com/social-login-buttons-arent-
worth-i...](http://blog.mailchimp.com/social-login-buttons-arent-worth-it/)
[2] [http://hyperallergic.com/54018/man-bartlett-why-i-deleted-
my...](http://hyperallergic.com/54018/man-bartlett-why-i-deleted-my-facebook-
account/)

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RizkSaade
Good perspective, (i) how would you manage usernames then and (ii) you do not
need people to connect their FB/twitter account to discover friends on your
app?

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dizzystar
These are the reasons I _won 't_ use social login on my site:

\- There are people out there who do not have a social media account.

\- Many of those people that do have one don't want to "share" their
information with said social media account.

\- This is a bit political, but I deeply believe that we, as developers, have
a responsibility to our user-base. This responsibility includes but is not
limited to user freedom and the ability to be anonymous if they desire that
freedom.

\- You are depending on the whims of another corporation, and a corporation
that, by all historical evidence, won't be around or popular ~two years from
now. Users delete and abandon accounts, now what?

\- I think that, ultimately, it depends on your site and your use. For
example, I want to promote anonymous discussion because I feel that this will
create more honest discussion. Although there is a bit to be said about
enforcing real names as an implied moderation tool, I put further weight on
anonymity if the user chooses so.

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japhyr
Here's how I approach a new app that I'm checking out:

\- I want to be able to explore some of the functionality without providing
any information at all. I want to read some copy, see a demo, see some
screenshots, and ideally play with some functionality.

\- I have no trouble creating a username/ password to try out a site. I have a
'throwaway' username/ password combo that I often use for sites I am just
checking out.

\- I will almost never use one of my established social identities for an app
that I have just heard about, or one that has no traction yet. I don't want
brand new apps to have any connection to my established identities, unless I
have really good reason to trust that app and its developers.

Hope that helps, I imagine this is a pretty common mindset when people are
checking out new apps.

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RizkSaade
This indeed helps, didn't look at it this way and it makes lots of sense to do
so

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rl12345
Ok, FB connect has potentially many downsides in its use, fair enough.

But what about the advantages, like:

* no need to create and remember yet another new password

* automatic profile info and pic upload

* easier to find and be found by friends, more interactions.

The leverage that FBs social graph provides is real, otherwise they wouldn't
cut the cord as they did many times on apps they felt were designed to be
mainly a Facebook competitor.

Those positive aspects should be weighted as well.

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VPrime
In our app users can sign in with Facebook, or make their own app specific
account. We don't force users to use facebook.

A lot of our good (active) users are ones who make a custom account.

Another benefit for us offering an option is that we have found a place in
schools.. But this is pretty specific to our app and may not apply to you at
all.

We also give our users the option to not sign in at all, but limit what they
can do (no community access)

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dindresto
Actually, I can't see any cons. The biggest benefit for you is that you don't
have to store their passwords. Believe me, you don't want them. And for them,
it's easier to sign up, which can therefore make them think that it won't cost
much time to just try out the service (even if it's a mobile app, they might
think twice if they have to create an account first).

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RizkSaade
Thank you. The confusing bit is around: a- Usernames: assume you allow social
login from FB+Twitter+Email, who sets the username? b- Re-sign in: when users
come back after few days, what if they forgot if they logged in through FB or
twitter the previous time, that does not seem easy to work around

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Gaurav322
Nobody wants to share their personal account information to any non-trusted
site or application. So, according to me, if your app has a sign up form to
use , then you can install Social login for user easiness but if not, then you
are making a big mistake...

