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India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

reuters.com

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Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#41

Post by lnanek2 »

vatueil wrote: post #10
pjmlp wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Neither is Android. AOSP is a very small part of what actually makes Android on the eyes of consumers.

Depending on how "what actually makes Android on the eyes of consumers" is defined, it's certainly possible to minimize the role of AOSP. At the same time, we're getting articles talking about how Microsoft is now an "open source company" because their proprietary operating system can run Linux and some open source apps: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/microsoft-the-open-s...

I have to agree with him. I had to fix an app for a Huawei Honor 8x phone the other day. As the phone doesn't have Google Play Services and doesn't offer it in the app store - it's a huge pain using it. Enthusiasts can sometimes hack Google support on to an AOSP edition, but as app developers, we have to support what every day customers can do.

There are so many apps that won't work on it at all since Google has been steadily replacing AOSP services like location with Google Play proprietary versions. If you go to the open version of location services, you'll see there's a huge note at the top that you should really go use Google's version: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/location

And any app that requires that, isn't going to work on Android releases that don't have Google's blessing like Huawei.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#42

Post by thisisit »

CCI, the government body in question, was formed about a decade ago. It already has couple of run-ins with Google:

1. They fined Google INR 1 Crore in 2014 for refusal to provide information relating to a "search bias" case 2. Later, on the same case Alphabet was fined INR 135.86 crores

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#43

Post by bgdam »

rahuldottech wrote: post #30
scblzn wrote: post #3

Recently there was this too (made quite some noise on social networks) : https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/08/kiwi-browser-remove... Ok, this story is more about Google Play Store but I feel like there is maybe (in my opinion) some conflict and abuse of dominant position here too. Felt like it was relevant will all the other Google stories in the last days (Nest for ex.)

Fuck man, this is ridiculous! > Chromium-based Kiwi Browser attracted widespread attention last month after it added support for desktop Chrome extensions. The app recently vanished from the Play Store, and while some assumed it was due to the browser's new extension support, it was apparently removed due to its ability to play YouTube videos in the background — functionality that is supposed to be reserved for the n…

As an aside, if any body does want to play Youtube videos in the background on their Android phone, without using the Youtube app, install Firefox for Android and install the Video Background Play Fix extension.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#44

Post by ganeshkrishnan »

rahuldottech wrote: post #30
scblzn wrote: post #3

Recently there was this too (made quite some noise on social networks) : https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/08/kiwi-browser-remove... Ok, this story is more about Google Play Store but I feel like there is maybe (in my opinion) some conflict and abuse of dominant position here too. Felt like it was relevant will all the other Google stories in the last days (Nest for ex.)

Fuck man, this is ridiculous! > Chromium-based Kiwi Browser attracted widespread attention last month after it added support for desktop Chrome extensions. The app recently vanished from the Play Store, and while some assumed it was due to the browser's new extension support, it was apparently removed due to its ability to play YouTube videos in the background — functionality that is supposed to be reserved for the n…

I am rabidly against Google and people demanding breakup of Facebook, Amazon etc are really forgetting the snake in the grass, Google.

As I said before, everyone loves Google until it stomps them on their face.

People have been permanently banned from everything on Google for their bots stupid algorithm.

Fuck Google and fuck everything they stand for.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#45

Post by vatueil »

lnanek2 wrote: post #41
vatueil wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on how "what actually makes Android on the eyes of consumers" is defined, it's certainly possible to minimize the role of AOSP. At the same time, we're getting articles talking about how Microsoft is now an "open source company" because their proprietary operating system can run Linux and some open source apps: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/microsoft-the-open-s...

I have to agree with him. I had to fix an app for a Huawei Honor 8x phone the other day. As the phone doesn't have Google Play Services and doesn't offer it in the app store - it's a huge pain using it. Enthusiasts can sometimes hack Google support on to an AOSP edition, but as app developers, we have to support what every day customers can do. There are so many apps that won't work on it at all since Google has been…

The point regarding Play Services is valid, and if the parent comment had focused on that I would not have objected. But that doesn't mean AOSP is a "very small part" of Android or that it isn't open source.

The flip-side of your experience is that it highlights the existence of a large number of Android devices based on AOSP that don't run Google apps, particularly in the PRC. Aside from the Chinese market, you have a major company like Amazon selling millions of devices with their own AOSP fork on them. On an individual level, I can install Lineage OS on my unlocked devices and use apps from F-Droid as well as many others.

Play Services does have a significant foothold in many users' experiences, which bears discussion, but it doesn't invalidate AOSP. It is Android's open source nature that allows for forks and for apps to be shared across the Android ecosystem much more readily than programs developed for an actual proprietary operating system such as Windows.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#46

Post by addicted »

ggcb wrote: post #37
billfruit wrote: post #18

Indian anti trust mechanisms are weak and ineffective, many government owned companies are themselves indulging in activities which should invite anti trust measures, so I hardly see anything significant coming out of this move.

gov owned companies excuse for existing is the acceptance of the benefits to society if such enterprises controls the monopoly. you don't expect the water and power dept leaving out a neighborhood just so the free enterprise have a chance there, do you?

The fact that govt owned/regulated monopolies make sense in some industries does not contradict what the OP says.

A very obvious example in India is the Indian airline industry. As an intern I worked with an investment bank on preparing a pitch for the sale of a private Indian airline, and the entire thing basically hinged on what the government wanted to do with the national airlines (which since then have been merged). The Indian government’s recent inability to sell Air India has led them to take action that, at least to an outside observer who did some pretty in depth research, albeit a decade ago, appears to have been driven by reducing competition for the government airline.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#47

Post by pjmlp »

vatueil wrote: post #45
lnanek2 wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have to agree with him. I had to fix an app for a Huawei Honor 8x phone the other day. As the phone doesn't have Google Play Services and doesn't offer it in the app store - it's a huge pain using it. Enthusiasts can sometimes hack Google support on to an AOSP edition, but as app developers, we have to support what every day customers can do. There are so many apps that won't work on it at all since Google has been…

The point regarding Play Services is valid, and if the parent comment had focused on that I would not have objected. But that doesn't mean AOSP is a "very small part" of Android or that it isn't open source. The flip-side of your experience is that it highlights the existence of a large number of Android devices based on AOSP that don't run Google apps, particularly in the PRC. Aside from the Chinese market, you have…

Apps have been shared across PC-DOS, MS-DOS, DR-DOS, and several Windows variants, exactly the same was as Android for the last 30 years.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#48

Post by vatueil »

pjmlp wrote: post #47
vatueil wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point regarding Play Services is valid, and if the parent comment had focused on that I would not have objected. But that doesn't mean AOSP is a "very small part" of Android or that it isn't open source. The flip-side of your experience is that it highlights the existence of a large number of Android devices based on AOSP that don't run Google apps, particularly in the PRC. Aside from the Chinese market, you have…

Apps have been shared across PC-DOS, MS-DOS, DR-DOS, and several Windows variants, exactly the same was as Android for the last 30 years.

Really, DOS? And new versions of Microsoft Windows? That's not even remotely comparable to the situation with open source Android forks.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#49

Post by pjmlp »

vatueil wrote: post #48
pjmlp wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apps have been shared across PC-DOS, MS-DOS, DR-DOS, and several Windows variants, exactly the same was as Android for the last 30 years.

Really, DOS? And new versions of Microsoft Windows? That's not even remotely comparable to the situation with open source Android forks.

Yes, really.

Re: India orders anti-trust probe of Google for alleged Android abuse

#50

Post by vatueil »

pjmlp wrote: post #49
vatueil wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really, DOS? And new versions of Microsoft Windows? That's not even remotely comparable to the situation with open source Android forks.

Yes, really.

And "Windows variants"? Comparing Windows backwards compatibility to the ability to run Android apps across different Android forks misses the point. All versions of Windows are proprietary operating systems owned by the same company: Microsoft. Amazon Fire OS, Lineage OS, and other Android forks are not.
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