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FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

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Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#231

Post by ocdtrekkie »

techrat wrote: post #168
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are three major national carriers (a fourth launching soon), and an absolute glut of smaller MVNOs which offer devices on their own terms. Most of both the national carriers and the MVNOs will also allow you to bring your own device, which as long as isn't running Android, is probably not encumbered by malicious code. Even if the horrors you suggest are true, consumers would have options to get around them, whi…

Nearly everything you've said was bullshit. Google has never restricted sideloading. Android 12 even enables sideloading further by allowing third party app stores to auto update. AOSP exists. Third party roms exist. All of the devices sold by Google can be unlocked to install third party roms. LineageOS doesn't exist because 'a complete and unassailable monopoly' allows them to.

Google admits it tries to prevent sideloading as much as possible in their own court filings with Epic. Their own managers called the experience "abysmal", and they considered buying Epic to prevent them from doing it. Also they sent Project Zero out to portray Epic as "insecure" in a bunch of hit pieces across the media.

AOSP is not meaningfully existing on any device sold today.

The fact you can hack your device doesn't change the monopoly Google operates that 99.9% of Android devices are trapped in.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#232

Post by dylan604 »

JohnFen wrote: post #216
dylan604 wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but it's Apple we're talking about, so I'm moving past this part of the conversation. As a dev, you should want the least resistance to getting users running your code. If that means playing by the OS vendor's rules to get something signed that says "I'm not a crook", then that's what it takes. Should it? That's valid but beyond the scope of my comment and thought exercise.

As a dev, I also want to avoid supporting practices that I believe are harmful to my customers.

I applaud your stance. So now it comes down to knowing what your software is intended to do, and who is trying to use it. If your target audience doesn't line up with your stance on an open OS, then you have to make that decision of staying true to your position, or meeting your users where they operate. As they say "a leader with no followers is just a person taking a walk".

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#233

Post by ryantgtg »

Similarly, the iOS App Store reviewers once clicked a link to our podcast blog (website) and then found a patreon link, and thus rejected the app update. I asked how I could include a patreon link that enables them to take their cut, and they didn’t have an answer.

Additionally, my app currently has an if statement: if android, show patreon link. I thought they didn’t care! Goes they just haven’t noticed it yet.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#234

Post by SomeBoolshit »

totony wrote: post #223
grawprog wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>attempt to, or assist, authorize or encourage others to circumvent, disable or defeat any of the security features or components that protect, obfuscate or otherwise restrict access to any Content or Google Play. Am I reading this correctly in that, this seems to me like just telling people about something like Aurora is against the terms of services and can get you banned whether you use it or not? As in, even the…

Used to be that all tos were "subjects to change." ToS are mostly just random words anyways

An excellent comment. Terms of service still tend to be mostly words but they matter a lot.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#235

Post by jimmydorry »

josephcsible wrote: post #37
squarefoot wrote: post #18

Tell Google how you feel about that by searching "google app store alternatives", then installing Aurora Store. https://auroraoss.com/ https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS From the Aurora Store FAQ: What is the difference between Aurora Store and Google's Play store? Unlike Google's Play Store, Aurora Store doesn't track your downloads or the apps you use. We respect your privacy. Aurora Store is also unaffected by Google ma…

How does this help? The Aurora Store is just an alternative Play Store client. If Google removes an app from the Play Store, it'll be gone from this too.

I'm missing the point too. If an app gets unjustly removed from GApp store, then it will get removed from here too?

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#236

Post by andai »

MrStonedOne wrote: post #161
ThePhysicist wrote: post #113

Just wait 5-10 years and it will probably be the same way on Windows and MacOS. They will argue that installing arbitrary, unvetted software through the web is dangerous, so it's only reasonable for Microsoft and Apple to make this very difficult and instead promote installing all software through their app stores (which they already start doing). Once software is primarily distributed via these stores they will also…

There is already a version of Windows 10 that works this way.

Well, have you remembered what it is called?

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#238

Post by IntrepidWorm »

scrollaway wrote: post #142
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the web felt a lot larger and more reachable in the Lycos and AltaVista days, I'd be happy to go back there over the nightmare we have now.

You're wearing so many layers of rose-tinted glasses that you're probably Redshift-compatible. There were some nice unique things back then. It also sucked a lot. By the standards of back then we're living in pretty much a utopia. We have devices that Star Trek barely thought of. Seriously, I have a tablet that can speak to almost anyone anywhere in the world, instantaneously, translate into any language (imperfectly…

I appreciate this comment a lot. It's much easier to be nostalgic for a simpler time, if only because the problems were simpler (also with the benefit of hindsight).

That's not to say it was a better time.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#239

Post by [deleted] »

crowbahr wrote: post #228
nousermane wrote: post #111

Another example of arbitrary playstore rules killing a FOSS app - playstore version of termux is stuck on a 2-year-old release (0.101) and can't run on Android 10 at all. If you install from F-Droid - latest version is available (0.117) and works on Android 10, too. https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/1072 https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Termux_Google_Play

I'm running termux on Android 11. Ran it on 10. All installed from Google play. I'm not saying there aren't issues. I'm just saying that you can install and run from gplay.

[deleted]

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#240

Post by pessimizer »

This guy is amazing. I don't even think he accepted donations until recently. I'd heavily recommend the Spanish course - his student is so active and attentive that you end up learning from her, too.

It's sad that a project like this has to suffer the bureaucracies of these awful gatekeepers. IIRC, he started teaching language for free in order to encourage understanding between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

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