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'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

theverge.com

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Re: 'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

#51

Post by lern_too_spel »

rcxdude wrote: post #50
lern_too_spel wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Before the app verification, I could install apps from freedroid just fine without any scary warnings. All Google Android builds show a scary warning before you can install apps outside the system app stores. That's why the judge's ruling required Google to do away with the scary warning, leading to app verification, which accomplishes what the judge required. If you don't use a Google Android build, neither app ve…

They showed one warning once when I installed Freedroid, and that's it. There was no extra steps needed on each install from Freedroid.

It was one warning to install F-Droid (to allow installs from the app that downloaded it) and another warning to install your first app from F-Droid (to allow installs from F-Droid). The judge said those warnings were unacceptable. Hence, app verification.

Re: 'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

#52

Post by rcxdude »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #51
rcxdude wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They showed one warning once when I installed Freedroid, and that's it. There was no extra steps needed on each install from Freedroid.

It was one warning to install F-Droid (to allow installs from the app that downloaded it) and another warning to install your first app from F-Droid (to allow installs from F-Droid). The judge said those warnings were unacceptable. Hence, app verification.

And not, hence, getting rid of the warnings? Because F-droid is going to have even more warnings now.

Re: 'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

#54

Post by lern_too_spel »

rcxdude wrote: post #52
lern_too_spel wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was one warning to install F-Droid (to allow installs from the app that downloaded it) and another warning to install your first app from F-Droid (to allow installs from F-Droid). The judge said those warnings were unacceptable. Hence, app verification.

And not, hence, getting rid of the warnings? Because F-droid is going to have even more warnings now.

App verification is what gets rid of the warnings. That is the entire purpose of its existence.

Re: 'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

#55

Post by em-bee »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #54
rcxdude wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And not, hence, getting rid of the warnings? Because F-droid is going to have even more warnings now.

App verification is what gets rid of the warnings. That is the entire purpose of its existence.

most if not all apps on f-droid are not going to be verified mostly because many of the developers are unlikely to be interested to submit those apps to google for verification.

Re: 'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

#56

Post by lern_too_spel »

em-bee wrote: post #55
lern_too_spel wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

App verification is what gets rid of the warnings. That is the entire purpose of its existence.

most if not all apps on f-droid are not going to be verified mostly because many of the developers are unlikely to be interested to submit those apps to google for verification.

The judge unfortunately didn't ask Google to solve for F-Droid's use case, but app verification doesn't change it at all except for apps whose builds are reproducible, which F-Droid can serve the developer's signed builds for, and which the developer can register with Google.

Instead, as I pointed out in my original comment, we need to complain about the upcoming "advanced flow" for unknown source app installation. It should not but does require enabling developer mode. It should and does save the user's preferences for unknown source installation across device updates.

Re: 'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

#57

Post by rcxdude »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #54
rcxdude wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And not, hence, getting rid of the warnings? Because F-droid is going to have even more warnings now.

App verification is what gets rid of the warnings. That is the entire purpose of its existence.

That is not what google says. And it's not what it actually does, either. It creates more, scarier warnings in the case of installing an unverified app.

Re: 'Not acceptable': Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

#59

Post by brokenmachine »

UncleMeat wrote: post #28
ColdStream wrote: post #2

It is funny how we have two storm fronts here. Google trying to lock down apps to only Google approved developers, and legal decisions to open up alternative app stores that would potentially use apps that are not Google approved. One wonders which side will win this one? All I know is, I still want my F-Droid with apps that Google doesn't have power over.

These appear to be related. The requirement to open up to other app stores also came with a requirement that Google support those app stores with their (admittedly messy) malware detection. Suddenly Google is looking at requirements to review apps that they have way less information about. I can only imagine that the developer identification efforts are an attempt to make that easier.

Why would where the app comes from make a difference to their automated scanners?
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