Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week
Thoughts on this?
https://www.theverge.com/policy/965792/google-epic-withdraw-injunction-third-party-app-stores-coming-google-playOpen linkView original on sh.itjust.works
21 replies
Unless they completely ditch (or be forced to ditch) the developer notarization crap they're pushing for, all these talks and "registered appstores" will stay just pure bullshit to distract you from what's important: https://keepandroidopen.org/
Noooooooooo. They were suppose to kill each other.
A fellow mortal combat between tech monsters enthusiast, I see. 🍻
By what about F-droid?
You currently have to install F-Droid manually via APK. This change will allow F-Droid to be listed in the Google Play store.
with the caveat being F-Droid would have to comply with the new developer verification system
It's not really Fdroid complying so much as the developers signing the apps having registered with Google. Fdroid itself is unaffected by it except for having to sign their appstore binary. But they definitely are championing the side of the FOSS developer that's traditionally been their supplier, and it's how it's going to affect those devs that they're (rightly) up in arms on behalf.
It would increase visibility of F-Droid (people that might have never heard of it might start seeing it in the Play Store) so I think they'll give in to Google's requirements even if they oppose them...
It would require either every app developer on F-Droid to comply as well, or for F-Droid to implement google play style app signing, both of which ive seen F-Droid maintainers being against.
Has this been mentioned anywhere? I haven't seen it.
I'm in a Matrix room with a couple of F-Droid team members and that is where i've gotten the information. I am unsure if it is easily found info. You might be able to ask on the forums if you want to fully fact check my statement.
Ahh, interesting, thanks for the info.
Along with all the apps available through FDroid, right?
That's a separate thing. As far as I know, there'll be no difference between third-party app stores installed via Google Play vs third-party app stores installed via APK in terms of the apps in the store itself.
IIRC they're going to force verification for all apps but have an opt-out that you just need to do once, and wait 24 hours after enabling it.
There is real concern if they make it harder in the future but it's the same as just enabling developer options which is pretty easy. The target audience is phishing scams and people who have no idea what they're doing.
how does this square up against "keep android open"?
They don't care, but also they can point to AOSP being around. So "Android" is still "open", just making it harder and harder for it to be used without the Google Services (in addition to drivers needed for the crucial hardware bits OEMs use which are their own problems).
Conspiracy theory kind of rant/headspace. I am kind of shocked that the Pixel devices still have easy boot loader unlocking and drivers to install AOSP or Linux based ROMs. Guessing they will lock those down like the OEMs at some point, and make "must have" features for the hardware not work if an "unverified" ROM is installed. Could also see them selling "dev unlocked" versions of the devices that are more expensive, and require the people buying them to get verified for apps at time of purchase (even if the person isn't planning on actually making apps).
Samsung just did that with the tablets recently which are now garbage with 0 options for the bootloader.
As far as I can see it doesn't improve that situation. The Google Play Store may be forced to list alternative app stores, but by default the only apps that will install on Android, no matter which store they are downloaded from, are those whose developer has registered with Google, and where Google has approved both the developer and the app. So Google can still censor any app or developer they (or the US Government) consider inconvenient.
Google promises a slightly laborious workaround for this, but they don't say how long the workaround will remain available.
Just what I was questioning, the push to make users jump through hoops to use apps not approved by big brother is still out there
Paywall.