Bank app: they use apps for increased security.
Map apps: of course they need your location. And wow it works way better than web based.
TikTok: in yeah they need access to audio to record audio. And wow the UI is smoother.
Games: don’t ask for anything. Except more money through in app payments.
Weather, uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart: needs location.
Streaming apps: actually sometimes need location to prevent you from streaming outside the jurisdiction. And it’s a better experience.
Lots of other apps: don’t ask for anything.
Does anyone let an app have access to their contacts? (Ok maybe just us nerds don’t)
So, no. It’s not usually about data. Sure, some of it is. But this is the wrong thread to pull on. It isn’t why they all force us to use apps.
The reason is that Apple has hampered the web experience to push everyone to apps. All of these problems are solvable with a web browsers, if it worked better. We have the technology. But Apple does not have an incentive to make the web work as well as apps. It destroys their revenue streams. They lose control. The problem is Apple, not all these apps that are trying to find their way in the walled Apple garden.
Of course this isn’t true for everything. But it is true enough. Why would they kill the golden goose?