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Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

arstechnica.com

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Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#371

Post by grishka »

wat10000 wrote: post #356
grishka wrote: post #87

At this point I'm convinced that there's something deeply wrong with how our society treats technology. Ruining Android for everyone to try to maybe help some rather technologically-hopeless groups of people is the wrong solution. It's unsustainable in the long run. Also, the last thing this world needs right now is even more centralization of power. Especially around yet another US company. People who are unwilling…

Smartphones and the internet are really useful and convenient. Even if we could make it work, it seems quite rude to say that people should be excluded from it because we can't be bothered to make it safe. Consider an older technology that became fundamental to much of daily life a century or two ago: writing. After a few millennia where literacy was a specialized skill, we pretty quickly transitioned to a society wh…

Some people don't want to be taught about some things because they don't care enough about them. I was told a story as a kid about a grandma that didn't want to learn to read and write. It's the same thing here — there are people who don't want a smartphone. They were just fine with an old cell phone that could only call and text, but then the society forced them to buy a smartphone, so they did, but they still don't really want it. It's still a burden to them. It still creates more problems for them than it solves. I know several people like that.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#372

Post by 13415 »

The alleged inability of a company like Google to create an operating system that makes banking apps secure while allowing users to install whatever they like is very implausible. Android apps are already sandboxed and have fine-grained access control, and the operating system controls everything that is painted on the screen.

The security justification for this measure is not credible.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#373

Post by Aachen »

viktorcode wrote: post #259

Judging by the comments sideloading plays a major part in everyone's life. What apps do you sideload guys? Why those apps are not in a store?

> Why those apps are not in a store?

Why'd I put my app into their store if I don't agree with the store owner's policies?

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#374

Post by EvanAnderson »

grishka wrote: post #329
Retr0id wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if Google is making the right choice here, but I do believe that technology should be for anyone (anyone who wants it, at least). How do you plan to decide who gets to use internet banking and who doesn't? That doesn't seem like a good road to be going down, either.

People themselves will decide. Same way they decided whether they wanted to buy a computer in the 00s. It's just that those who decide to not have internet banking should not be disadvantaged by the society compared to those who have it.

Agreed. Businesses should not be permitted to follow a "technology only" business model (which usually means lower costs for the business) to discriminate against potential Customers who might not want to use that technology.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#375

Post by realusername »

VladVladikoff wrote: post #276
grishka wrote: post #87

At this point I'm convinced that there's something deeply wrong with how our society treats technology. Ruining Android for everyone to try to maybe help some rather technologically-hopeless groups of people is the wrong solution. It's unsustainable in the long run. Also, the last thing this world needs right now is even more centralization of power. Especially around yet another US company. People who are unwilling…

>Ruining Android for everyone Are they really though? does the average person really care about side loading? I think we are in an echo chamber. I can't picture any of the people in my life installing things from outside of an app store on their phone. However I realize that's purely anecdotal, it would be nice to see actual statistics on this to have a more informed decision.

Of course nobody is doing that, because Google and Apple made it too hard already.

Even Fortnite gave up on direct installs. If one of most popular game in the world can't make it, who can?

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#377

Post by Aachen »

Macha wrote: post #319
viktorcode wrote: post #259

Judging by the comments sideloading plays a major part in everyone's life. What apps do you sideload guys? Why those apps are not in a store?

F-Droid. And also by Google's definition, everything I install from F-Droid. So Antennapod (Podcasts), ConnectBot, DAVx (sync my Fastmail calendar to my phone), Etar (Calendar app), Jellyfin (media player), Jiten (JP dictionary), KOReader (ebook reader), OsmAnd~ (Maps), VLC. Meanwhile from the Play Store I have Bitwarden, Firefox, 2 banking apps, a few airline apps, Wireguard and Whatsapp. So I actually have more fro…

Why not grab Fennec from f-droid as well? It used to also have more features, I'm not sure if that's still the case but might as well go with the open source build

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#378

Post by Xelbair »

xnx wrote: post #30
curt15 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one-day waiting period is so arbitrary. Have they demonstrated any supporting data? We know google loves to flaunt data. Something like Github's approach of forcing users to type the name of the repo they wish to delete would seem to be more than sufficient to protect technically disinclined users while still allowing technically aware users to do what they please with their own device.

> The one-day waiting period is so arbitrary. Scammers aren't going to wait on the phone for a day with your elderly parent.

they wouldn't wait an hour either.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#379

Post by Aachen »

wasting_time wrote: post #286
viktorcode wrote: post #259

Judging by the comments sideloading plays a major part in everyone's life. What apps do you sideload guys? Why those apps are not in a store?

I install from F-Droid when possible. It has less noise, and all apps are free as in software. There are some true gems such as:

- NewPipe

(I'm not sure if you wanted to edit in entries or if this was our cue :D)

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#380

Post by EvanAnderson »

Teckla wrote: post #167
estimator7292 wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your mistake is taking Google's argument at face value. Protecting users is an outright lie, this is purely about control. Google doesn't give one single shit if users download malware from the Play Store, but hypothetical malware from third party sources is so much worse that we need to ruin the whole OS? That doesn't pass the sniff test. Google wants to make sure you can only download malware from developers who gi…

It's all part of the war on general computing. This dystopian nightmare is coming to desktop operating systems too. See the age verification stuff that's all of a sudden being pushed hard by countries all over the world. As someone that was going to switch from iPhone to Android/Pixel later this year, at least now I know not to bother anymore, as the locking down of Android won't stop here.

It's crazy to me how technical people willfully disregard the coming end of individually-owned general purpose computers. I have a strange mix of nostalgia and crushing sadness knowing that I got to live through that time.
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