I agree, it seems like they're doing everything they can to force users into the mindset of "you're going to have to spend money here."

However... I don't think that's going to work. It's a tactic that relies solely on Apple not allowing the user to customize their icons, which combines into a double whammy of "give me money to fix the thing that I broke."

Why do I have to pay when Android users don't?

Why is Reddit being greedy?

This other site is free and doesn't make me feel like I'm being taken advantage of every turn.

Reddit is trying to capitalize on goodwill they already spent months ago. And the quality of the site is just going to get worse from here.