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

Post by thu2111 » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 2:11 PM UTC

tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #505

grishka wrote: post #458

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There aren't that many hurdles. 1. You download the apk 2. When you try to install it, it tells you it's from an unknown source and the installation was blocked to protect you 3. You tap "settings" and flip a switch to allow installing apps from your browser 4. You go back and tap "install". That's it. It's done. And you won't need to go to the settings the next time, it'll just work.

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…

Post by im3w1l » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 2:14 PM UTC

grishka wrote: post #525

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…

> there doesn't seem to be a way for alternative app stores to silently update software Yes — because that's something reserved for privileged system apps. You have to root your device to take advantage of that, or make a custom ROM with the alternative store in it. Having that ability as a permission you could grant to any app is an immense security risk. But then there are "device administrator" apps that can liter…

Post by thu2111 » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 2:16 PM UTC

bogwog wrote: post #608

grishka wrote: post #458

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There aren't that many hurdles. 1. You download the apk 2. When you try to install it, it tells you it's from an unknown source and the installation was blocked to protect you 3. You tap "settings" and flip a switch to allow installing apps from your browser 4. You go back and tap "install". That's it. It's done. And you won't need to go to the settings the next time, it'll just work.

99% of consumers will stop at step 2. 80% won't have the technical skills to make it past step 1. But even if 99% of people could figure it out, it'd still be an unnecessary hurdle whose only purpose is to provide Google with an unfair competitive advantage. Until all of that bs goes away, side-loading and secondary app stores will be nothing more than a hobby for enthusiasts.

Post by api » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 2:19 PM UTC

ignoramous wrote: post #598

pmlnr wrote: post #500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

History repeats over and over again: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3597025 For all the chaos, the Internet continues to be surprisingly consistent with one set of rules for BigTech and friends and another set of rules for the rest.

Post by devoutsalsa » Sat, Jan 30, 2021, 2:23 PM UTC

qwertox wrote: post #552

pmlnr wrote: post #500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

> This jeopardizes every email, xmpp, matrix, etc; basically any 3rd party application. Except of course Google's own applications. Gmail, Hangouts/Meet/whatever-it-currently-is, Chrome. Luckily it's not possible to display illegal content with Google's own apps /s I remember when my nephew got groomed on Google Plus, I was way to naive to think that this would not be occurring in Google's walled gardens. But in ther…