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Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

androidpolice.com

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Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#41

Post by chasil »

josephcsible wrote: post #37

Maybe this is the antitrust law we need for app stores: ban owners of app stores from distributing apps by any means if they wouldn't allow an app with the same functionality but written by an arbitrary third party to be distributed in their own store.

The developer could grey out the option, and (upon triggering) advise the user to install Amazon app store (or F-Droid) and reinstall the app from there for full functionality.

I'm sure that Google would (not) love that, but linking to a curated page of apps with enhanced functionality on alternate stores would be useful in the many ongoing antitrust actions against the Play store.

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#42

Post by unnouinceput »

hestefisk wrote: post #7

What happened to - “don’t be evil”?

That was sand in people's eyes, never the real intention. Just like young politicians that throw dirt on old politicians only to do the same when elected. In this case the old one being Microsoft and the new one is Google. Can't you read between lines?

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#43

Post by jeroenhd »

branon wrote: post #2

Alternative app that's not encumbered by the Play Store's rules: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.ghostsq.commander/

I had to root my phone and install Magisk with the F-Droid module to get F-Droid to auto-update like Google Play does, though. That could be an issue that Android 12 resolves, but I won't be getting that update on this phone.

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#45

Post by lkxijlewlf »

ntoskrnl wrote: post #6

> As mentioned previously, your app (APK versions 1031, 1032, 1033, 1034, 1035 and 1036) causes users to download or install applications from unknown sources outside of Google Play. Google Chrome can download APKs from sources outside of Google Play. By that logic Chrome should also be removed from the play store. Any antitrust lawyers want to chime in? Why isn't this illegal?

Will this have any implications for f-droid?

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#46

Post by jeroenhd »

Freak_NL wrote: post #35
sam_lowry_ wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its functionality is hindered by Google in that it can not download and install updates in background as Google Play does. One has to root the phone and loose access to banking and SSO apps to get enough permissions for F-Droid. EU anti-competition monkeys should have looked at that a long time ago.

Is this something that only happens with some banks? I have GrapheneOS on my Pixel 6 with F-droid, and the banking app of ABN AMRO from the Play store just works.

In my experience the ING NL app also works perfectly fine on rooted devices. You can usually apply a working Magisk Hide plugin relatively easily for apps that don't support it.

I suspect that some banks use a whitelist rather than a blacklist for certain phones.

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#47

Post by [deleted] »

ntoskrnl wrote: post #6

> As mentioned previously, your app (APK versions 1031, 1032, 1033, 1034, 1035 and 1036) causes users to download or install applications from unknown sources outside of Google Play. Google Chrome can download APKs from sources outside of Google Play. By that logic Chrome should also be removed from the play store. Any antitrust lawyers want to chime in? Why isn't this illegal?

[deleted]

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#48

Post by [deleted] »

thrtythreeforty wrote: post #17

The logical conclusion of applying this rule evenly is a scenario where you can't install apps except via the Play store, even if third party app installation is technically "allowed" on paper, because you can't actually install an app that will install apps. This is (yet another) stupid decision by Google, and Hanlon's Razor might not apply since they have a vested interest in the Play store being the only place to…

[deleted]

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#49

Post by nonrandomstring »

colordrops wrote: post #3

I'm confused, I thought the ability to install apps outside of Play is supported by the OS. In fact there's a permissions dialog that pops up when an app tries to install another app. This is critical functionality for, say, the FDroid app store, as well as the browser, which is how most people would acquire FDroid. Seems like a bad omen.

Agent Smith: Tell me, Mr. Anderson, what good is a phone call when you are unable to speak?

Here's why software freedom is about much more than licenses and open source. Positive (enabling) freedoms must match with negative (freedoms from tyranny) if they are to mean anything.

Re: Total Commander forced to stop letting you install APKs

#50

Post by Animats »

oliwarner wrote: post #28
TheMatten wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Android 12 supports background updates: https://developer.android.com/about/versions/12/features#aut...

Yes, but f-droid et al cannot update in the background. That's a problem.

I consider that a good feature. I decline about half the updates. Some of those "simple" family tools have had "updates" that add nagging and attempts to get you to upgrade to a paid premium version.
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