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Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

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Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#621

Post by veeti »

pmlnr wrote: post #500
Arathorn wrote: post #472

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We received a generic update at 05:31 UTC confirming that the app had been suspended due to abusive content (Sexual Content and Profanity: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... ); we're following up to explain how Matrix and Element works and get this resolved.

This is insane. This jeopardizes every email, xmpp, matrix, etc; basically any 3rd party application.

Being suspended for user generated content has been a rite of passage for third party reddit clients. It's crazy how this happens again, again and again.

https://old.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/96l0at/sync_for_re...

https://old.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/6dwv1f/boost_for_r...

https://old.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/5fqrr8/now_for_red...

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#622

Post by MayeulC »

ulzeraj wrote: post #510

Ironically this move finally made me to consider Matrix. I'm thinking about spinning a server on a non FAANG provider like Vultr or Linode and setting IM services bridges from there. Nowadays I use lots of different communicators to talk to different people and most of these apps track me. If I setup a Matrix server somewhere that allows me to use those networks without having their software installed on my devices t…

Dendrite is okay for personal use (a few users), matrix-native, using the better-tested clients. IIRC some bridges work with it, but it doesn't implement the whole appservice API, which blocks you from using some of the better bridges.

I do not recommend synapse if you don't have a lot of memory. I put an extra 8 GB stick in my server for it, bringing it to 14 GB.

It routinely likes to take more than 4GB to itself, though it has become a lot leaner lately.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#623

Post by LocalH »

pmlnr wrote: post #512
kreeben wrote: post #506

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All web browsers that are not Chrome, beware. You're next.

Those might be the exceptions, at least for now. Ever since Firefox's crusade against IE the majority of people seem to still know there are different ~programs~ apps to access the internet with. As long as Chrome is not the default in the overwhelming amount of the operating systems, this might even stay like this, which is why I'm extremely unhappy that Android ships with Chrome these days and not with a thin gui o…

I would posit that Google has a vested interest in blurring the lines between apps and the protocols that drive them

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#624

Post by m4rtink »

Yoric wrote: post #330
avereveard wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

should have built your own phone with your own store - hn hivemind

We tried. - The FirefoxOS team. - The Jolia team. - The UbuntuPhone team. - ...

If you mean Jolla, that's still a thing - I (and many of my friends) run official supported Sailfish OS on Xperia hardware:

https://jolla.com/sailfishx/

And there are community maintained builds for the PinePhone and many other devices.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#626

Post by m4rtink »

oji0hub wrote: post #555
julienfr112 wrote: post #443

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually Ubuntu is not less usable than Windows 10. Ex on intel NUC - wifi on Ubuntu : out of box - wifi on windows : plug ethernet, install driver manually. Old printers works better on Linux, eg when driver do not work on windows 10. Libre Office outof box, Office : where is my key ? ...

- Can I install my "favourite program" on Linux? Well sure, it's supported on X, Y and Z! - Oh but I'm on distro A. Oh sorry, that's not supported. But here's a post by some guy on some forum who says he made it work by doing a bunch of complicated things no one understands.

This is often no longer an issue thanks to Flatpak & Steam Proton built-in Windows emulation.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#627

Post by dewey »

justaj wrote: post #464
brettwilcox wrote: post #374

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm testing Element and Matrix at American Airlines. There are big players with clout that take issue to instability such as this. How can I rely on my company using Element when it gets pulled? Not cool Google... To the element team, reach out to me if you can't get the support you are looking for.

There are debug version apks available here: https://buildkite.com/matrix-dot-org/element-android/builds/... Click on "Assemble GPlay Debug version" (or "Assemble FDroid Debug version" if you don't have Google Play Services), then click on "Artifacts" and then choose your apk from there.

How is that a solution to the problem? Of course there's other ways to install software, just like you could build your own iOS app and sideload it with a certificate. If an app is gone from the store it's basically dead.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#628

Post by cheph »

croes wrote: post #568
MrsPeaches wrote: post #461

Looks like it was indeed due to abusive content: https://mobile.twitter.com/element_hq/status/135546565011484...

Than it would be logical to suspend all browsers too.

And all messengers that support E2E encryption. I just wrote some abusive content on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger in end to end encrypted chats so I expect Google to remove those now also.

And I used google chrome to access 4chan. So google must ban google chrome also.

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#629

Post by herewegoagain2 »

oji0hub wrote: post #415
unethical_ban wrote: post #399

Don't forget that F-Droid is a thing, and Android still has at least that much freedom - to install your own software. Who would have thought 30 years ago someone would be saying "People can run any code they want on their computer" as a shocking thing.

Installing software outside of play store is technically possible, but if something contains enough hurdles, most people won't do it, which results in no users and a meaningless platform.

The other aspect is that Google is now jeopardizing many people who now enable "other sources", making them more susceptible to malware. (Not saying you shouldn't enable "other sources", but many people don't understand what they are doing).

Re: Element (Matrix chat app) suspended from the Google Play Store

#630

Post by morsch »

exikyut wrote: post #549
tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #505

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The main hurdle is that (without rooting) there doesn't seem to be a way for alternative app stores to silently update software. That's bearable though unpleasant when you have one or two pieces of software that rarely get updated, that's absolutely impossible when you have 10+ pieces of software - you'll sit there for 5 minutes just approving install prompts every week, which isn't something a normal human is going…

The non-root way to silently update is to install a DPC (device policy controller). Has existed for the past 10 years to support enterprise MDM. Only catch is that to install the DPC you have to factory reset your phone to place it into the special state where no accounts have "ever" been signed in to, which is what allows a DPC to be installed. (Removing all accounts from the device may also work) The nice thing is…

Is that something I can do to my phone to make updates via F-Droid more seamless?
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