Reddit users are reporting a new issue involving a persistent “Get the best of Reddit in the app” popup that repeatedly interrupts browsing on desktop and mobile browsers. With complaints having emerged across several subreddits simultaneously, with some users reporting that the message appears every few seconds, cannot be dismissed, and redirects them to the Apple App Store when clicked, Reddit has not yet publicly acknowledged the reported issue as of now.

The long and the short appears to be that the problem is a persistent app promotion popup appearing while browsing through a web browser. The message, which reads “Get the best of Reddit in the app,” is appearing repeatedly for some users, including those accessing Reddit through desktop browsers rather than mobile devices. Several complaints posted within minutes of one another suggest the issue is affecting users across different browsers and devices, although the full extent of the problem is obviously yet unclear. Unlike a conventional app promotion banner, the reported popup appears to lack a visible close or dismiss button, leaving affected users with few options beyond refreshing the page (which then, reportedly, leads to the entirely same problem all over again).

One of the more detailed reports is in Reddit’s r/bugs community, where a disgruntled user reported that the popup was making Reddit’s desktop website difficult to use in Firefox. According to the complaint, the banner appeared approximately once every 60 seconds and instructed the user to download Reddit’s mobile application despite being on a desktop browser, saying that refreshing the page only temporarily removed the interruption before it returned. The complaint also described the absence of an escape or dismiss button, with the persistent promotion interfering with reading comments and creating posts. Suffice it to say, app download promotions would ordinarily be more expected if it showed to users in the mobile web, not the desktop web.

Similar complaints have surfaced elsewhere on the platform. In r/Infuriating, user u/WeirdFishes92 posted a screenshot under the title “WTF is this? ADD A DAMN CLOSE BUTTON!”, drawing attention to the missing dismissal option. Meanwhile, another user, u/BIG-STEPPER-88, posted in r/help asking “HOW TO CANCEL THIS?”, showing confusion over how to remove the message. In r/blackladies, user u/Large_Speaker1358 reported that the “Get the best of Reddit in the app” message appeared every five seconds while using Reddit through a web browser. Although Reddit has promoted its native mobile application for years, the frequency and apparently unavoidable nature of the newly reported message is quite surprising.

A further complaint in r/help indicates that clicking the popup can redirect users to Apple’s App Store, even when the message appears on a desktop computer. User u/LeDiaperMilk reported that the prompt continued appearing on a PC despite being logged into Reddit. The user also specifically noted that interacting with the message leads to the Apple App Store. Of all things. This behavior raises questions about whether Reddit decided they will be pioneers of installing iOS applications on Windows PCs.

Is Reddit Down, or Is the App Popup a New Bug?

Despite the complaints, there is currently no indication that Reddit is experiencing a widespread service outage. The company’s official status page continues to list its systems as operational, including desktop web, mobile web, and native mobile applications. As of now, Reddit had not published an incident notice specifically addressing the recurring “Get the best of Reddit in the app” popup, nor had it publicly confirmed whether the behavior was intentional or caused by a technical malfunction.

The timing of the complaints may fit in with some announcements, as in its November 10 product changelog Reddit announced plans to begin testing a logged-in-only experience in selected markets during November. According to the announcement, some logged-out visitors may be prompted to sign in, create an account, or continue browsing through the Reddit application. However, with one affected user specifically reported encountering the message while already logged in, it is certainly not exactly a slam dunk to say that this behavior is what Reddit had intended when rolling out the changes.

How to Fix the “Get the Best of Reddit in the App” Popup

For users searching for a way to remove the “Get the best of Reddit in the app” popup, sadly no confirmed fix has emerged from the initial reports. Refreshing the browser does appear to offer temporary relief in some cases, but affected users say the message returns after a short period. The absence of a visible close button also obviously means that dismissing the promotion through conventional means may not be possible for everyone encountering the issue.

Users can attempt standard browser troubleshooting, including clearing site data, testing a private browsing session, or temporarily disabling extensions to rule out local interference, but given that the problem is seemingly from the site, not the user, the situation may simply be that users may have to wait a little while till whoever is responsible for the rollout realizes the disaster and implements a fix. Alternatively, given that the original site changes appear to be directed at select countries, users may find better success with proxies or VPNs, though it is certainly not ideal for either side that this has to come up as a potential fix.

Read More: Will Chinese A.I Models Influence U.S. Midterms? We Asked Four Chinese A.I. Models to Spill The Beans