Introduction😤
If you’re a mobile-only developer, GitHub is horrid. The entire experience is built for PC users 💻, and the more you try to make it work on mobile, the clearer it becomes: this industry preaches accessibility while actively ignoring it.😬🫠
They talk about clean code, ease of use, and beginner-friendly tools—but if you don’t have a PC 💻, you’re locked out. GitHub, a tool that’s supposedly essential for every developer, treats mobile 📱 as an afterthought. The app is useless, the website assumes you have a keyboard and mouse🖱️, and there's zero adaptability for people working from their phones📱 much less those with real disabilities♿👁️, one can only assume though.
The Reality of Mobile Dev Workflows
The GitHub app is pointless. 🤦🏼♂️ You can’t meaningfully edit, commit, or push updates very well. It’s just a fancy repo manager.
The website straight-up assumes you’re on a PC.💻 Instructions constantly refer to keyboard shortcuts, desktop workflows, and tools you don’t have access to. There’s no clear guidance for mobile users and YouTube tutorials are even worse at this mind you.💬🧠
Workarounds ⚒️ are the only option. To use Git properly on mobile, you have to install third-party clients, fight 👊 with file management, and jump through ridiculous hoops—just to do something a PC user can do in seconds.
The industry refuses to acknowledge this problem.🙅🏿Everyone just says “get a laptop” instead of recognizing that mobile devs exist and deserve proper tools.🔧🔬🔨
The Larger Issue: Dev Tools Are Built to Exclude
This isn’t just a GitHub problem—it’s the entire dev world. Everyone says "coding is for everyone!" but then:
"Use this tool!" → Only works on PC.
"Just install this!" → Not available for mobile.🙄
"Follow this tutorial!" → Assumes a desktop workflow.🤦🏼♂️
"Learn the best practices!" → But only after you learn the wrong way first.🤫
They tell beginners to “just build things” 🫢🫣 then they gatekeep the very tools needed to do that. They tell you to write code however you understand it, only to turn around and tell you that way is completely wrong once you've already built a habit around it😑🤨. The learning process is backward, inefficient, and filled with unnecessary obstacles. 🏋️
This Industry is Built on Hypocrisy
Developers talk endlessly about:
"Making tech more accessible."
"Creating beginner-friendly environments."
"Lowering barriers to entry."
But then they actively use and defend tools that make it harder for newcomers.👈 They refuse to acknowledge that mobile-first developers even exist, let alone deserve proper support.⬆️🏗️
What Needs to Change
GitHub (and other essential tools) must actually support mobile users. Not just repo management—real functionality.
Dev tools need to stop
assuming every user has a PC. Mobile-first workflows exist. They should be treated as valid.
The industry needs to practice what it preaches. If coding is truly for everyone, make it actually accessible—not just in theory, but in execution.
Final Thoughts 💭
The dev world is full of contradictions. They talk about inclusivity, but they lock out an entire group of developers just because they’re on mobile. They say “just use GitHub,” while making it impossible to use GitHub properly without a computer.
If you’re struggling with this, you’re not alone. The industry refuses to acknowledge this issue but, that doesn’t mean it’s not real.
And to every developer who’s ever dismissed this issue with “just get a PC” you are the reason this problem exists.
This post was written in part with the help of ChatGPT. These are my words, thoughts, feelings, and experiences—ChatGPT simply helped me format, expand, and make them more readable. If you have a problem with that, move on respectfully.
As always thanks for reading and I'm always open to real criticism and conversations on the topic.
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