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Android developer verification: Early access starts

android-developers.googleblog.com

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Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#181

Post by BrenBarn »

shirro wrote: post #49
BrenBarn wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their top priority is making money.

Making money and complying with the law. They are obligated to do both. In many countries laws are still enforced. Protecting their app store revenues from competition exposes them to scrutiny from competition regulators and might be counter productive. Many governments are moving towards requiring tech companies to enforce verification of users and limit access to some types of software and services or impose condit…

Complying with the law is just another way of protecting your money. I have no doubt if they would break laws if they judged it better for the bottom line --- in fact I have little doubt they're already doing so. On the flip side, if there were ruinous penalties for their anticompetitive behaviors (i.e., in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars) they might change course.

Certainly voters need to have their say, but often their message is muffled by the layers of political and administrative material it passes through.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#182

Post by BrenBarn »

tadfisher wrote: post #43
BrenBarn wrote: post #23

The key question for me is whether this "advanced flow" will allow the practical use of entirely separate app stores (like F-Droid) or if they're going to throw up tons of barriers for every individual app install.

There's a second path, whereby F-Droid registers as an "alternative app store", which is a new category of app created in the fallout of Epic Games v. Google [0]. This is interesting because it applies to all regions and will necessarily need more elevated permissions than the typical REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES permission used today. No idea what requirements Google will impose on such apps. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.o…

Yes, that possibility has occurred to me as well, and is potentially a reasonable compromise (depending on those requirements).

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#183

Post by vachina »

jacquesm wrote: post #54
wmf wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or maybe Google just has empathy for people losing millions to scams?

No, then the results of many google web searches would not put scam sites at the top over the official sites. Google is fine with people being scammed. As long as they get their cut. Large corporations don't have empathy.

Meta ads too. It’s bonkers the type of ads they approve, straight up scams or obvious misinformation (some prominent figure is in jail! Click here to find out!)

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#184

Post by fulafel »

uneven9434 wrote: post #126

There are many real-world sideloading abuse cases in China. Attackers often trick victims with plausible stories—e.g., claiming a flight is delayed—and ask them to sideload an app (a remote‑meeting or remote‑control tool) to share their screen. Once installed, the attacker can view the victim’s screen and intercept SMS 2FA codes for online banking or other sensitive accounts. Other schemes include impersonating sex w…

What's the Android situation there? Last I heard Google didn't license Android there and they were using Chinese app stores with forked AOSP Android. Which would seem to put the sideloading decision in the hands of the forked OS.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#185

Post by Ajedi32 »

gowthamgts12 wrote: post #156
erohead wrote: post #2

Sounds like they're rolling back the mandatory verification flow: Based on this feedback and our ongoing conversations with the community, we are building a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn't verified. We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren't tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure…

> Sounds like they're rolling back the mandatory verification flow absolutely no. this is for the user side. but if you're a developer who is planning to publish the app in alternative play store/from your website, you have to do verification flow. please read the full text.

That's only if you don't want your users to have to jump through whatever hoops are needed to bypass the verification requirement.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#186

Post by Ajedi32 »

edoceo wrote: post #33
bilsbie wrote: post #18

I don’t like to see the word “allow” in the same sentence with a device I own.

It's a device you own, sure. But you've licensed the software.

Which is an unacceptable loophole in our legal system that should be closed immediately as far as I'm concerned. If I buy a product, even if that product is software, then I own it, and I should have ultimate control my copy of it.

The idea that we allow companies to go "Yes, you paid for this product, but it's not really yours. We still control it and can do whatever we want with it regardless of what you want." is asinine.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#187

Post by lern_too_spel »

notepad0x90 wrote: post #145

This is the worst of both worlds, you can spread your malware as a sideloaded apk just fine, but when it's so big that you're probably burned anyways, then you need to verify your account. I think a better compromise would have been for google to require developer verification, but also allow third party appstores like f-droid that don't require verification but still are required to "sign" the apks, instead of users…

> Google can then require highlighting things like number of downloads and developer reputation by 3rd party appstores

F-droid doesn't want to track number of installs because that is an invasion of privacy.

> require developer verification, but also allow third party appstores like f-droid that don't require verification

Now you've moved the problem from Google gatekeeping apps to Google gatekeeping app stores. We don't want either.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#188

Post by 0xbadcafebee »

Damn. I was excited by the prospect of Google shooting themselves in the foot, inspiring people to make Android replacements that aren't privacy and process nightmares. With this (partial) capitulation, the path of least resistance will remain a proprietary, corporate-controlled, bloated walled garden.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#190

Post by kelnos »

magguzu wrote: post #139
rrix2 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's probably just gonna be under the Developer Options "secret" menu

Which is totally fine IMO, it was weird to me that they weren't going with this approach when they first announced it. Macs blocked launching apps from unverified devs, but you can override in settings. I thought they could just do something along those lines.

That's not fine at all. A developer who doesn't want to (or can't) distribute through the Play Store will now need to teach their users how to enable developer mode and toggle a hidden setting. This raises the barrier a bit more than the current method of installing outside the Play Store.
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