Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nobody said it did. Google is not doing this to kill F-Droid.
Why do you think they are doing it?
To defeat scammers. Not everything is a conspiracy.
Android Developer Verification
321–330 of 345 posts
Re: Android Developer Verification
#322Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Is it a serious problem that you can run whatever software you want on your computer? Unfortunately. I talked about this a bit on LWN: https://lwn.net/Articles/1063741/ The problem is very, very real. I don't doubt that Google also has ulterior motives, but in this case they _are_ justified at least partially.
Why doesn't Debian have this serious problem?
Because Debian is not used by people in Asian countries in any appreciable numbers?
Re: Android Developer Verification
#323That's seriously horrible. There are 5+ open source android apps that I use and want to continue using that are not available on Play Store, but rather through alternative stores (like Zapstore, Obtainium). If I get a phone with preinstalled Graphene OS (like the upcoming Motorola phone), then does it avoid this stupidity? Or even with Graphene it prevents me from installing apks?
Having GrapheneOS preinstalled is an option they may discuss with Motorola. It is not the current plan. The current plan is that Motorola release their devices as normal, but some of the flagship devices in 2027 will support manual installation of GrapheneOS.
Re: Android Developer Verification
#324Earlier quoted context omitted.
I switched from iOS to Android about three years ago. I saved all the APKs for everything I installed (or updated) on that first phone. When I got a new phone last fall it was pleasantly like getting a new PC. I imported my SMS and contacts from my last backup (taken with an open source took I'd installed from an APK), then installed all the apps I use and imported or manually set any settings I wanted to customize.…
I did something similar. Wanted a Pixel with Graphene OS but the screen hurt my eyes. Went with a Motorola with an IPS screen. Uninstalled or disabled all the crap. Never logged into Google. Went with Obtanium and F-Droid for most software. Aurora for a couple of apps that were only on the Play Store. Used NetGuard with a whitelist to lock it all down. After all that was done, the phone felt like mine in a way that m…
It may be worth checking Motorola's OLED models in person (for example the Razr Fold, Razr Ultra and Signature) so see if their Flicker Prevention mode helps. I don't think any IPS models are likely to be supported in the first wave/generation of supported devices in 2027.
Re: Android Developer Verification
#325Earlier quoted context omitted.
Being able to side load apps was why I switched to android 10 years ago
Please call it what it is and always has been: I.N.S.T.A.L.L.I.N.G S.O.F.T.W.A.R.E "side load" is like "jay walking' seeks to stigmatize humans being human.
"Being able to install software is why was why I switched to Android"
This doesn't make sense to me. iOS and Android (and HarmonyOS) all allow you to "install software".
Re: Android Developer Verification
#326Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please don't try and police my language
Tbh I do not think the idea is to "police" you, I do believe he means to show that "side load apps" is a corporate speech to say "don't do this, but we allow it". However it's literally just installing software. Let's apply the "side load" apps logic to Desktop applications, imagine you have to pass for an entire process just to install an app you downloaded?
telling someone not to use corporate speech is policing their language.
Re: Android Developer Verification
#327Older Androids which are fully rootable and unbrickable are cheap (maybe even monetarily free) and will let you continue to have freedom despite what Google wants. "Those who give up freedom for security deserve neither."
Older Androids won't exist for long.
My pixel 1 is still going strong. Several phones released just last year are bootloader unlockable and rootable, and those should last at least a decade if cared for.
Re: Android Developer Verification
#328Earlier quoted context omitted.
Older Androids won't exist for long.
My pixel 1 is still going strong. Several phones released just last year are bootloader unlockable and rootable, and those should last at least a decade if cared for.
You can always get some form of phone that will be rootable, but more and more of the ecosystem will depend on Play Integrity, and thus there will be more and more things you can't do with them.
Re: Android Developer Verification
#329Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please call it what it is and always has been: I.N.S.T.A.L.L.I.N.G S.O.F.T.W.A.R.E "side load" is like "jay walking' seeks to stigmatize humans being human.
Please don't try and police my language
valid.
n.b. "you" were not considered in my statement save as an agent.
Re: Android Developer Verification
#330Earlier quoted context omitted.
F-Droid is a teeny store and requires extra steps like open sourcing such that it is not an appealing vector for malware authors. Either you want to target the Play store so that you can get a wider install base but need to deal with tighter controls or you want to distribute flagrantly malicious stuff to people for banking trojans or whatever via social engineering to get them to sideload. F-Droid doesn't help with…
> requires extra steps like open sourcing such that it is not an appealing vector for malware authors So choosing FLOSS protects you from malware.
It can, sure.