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Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

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Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#551

Post by noosphr »

abdullahkhalids wrote: post #526
medhir wrote: post #407

Every day we stray farther from the premise that we should be allowed to install / modify software on the computers we own. Will once again re-up the concept of a “right to root access”, to prevent big corps from pulling this bs over and over again: https://medhir.com/blog/right-to-root-access

There is no chance that we own our computers unless we figure out how to setup chip manufacturing factories at the 10 million dollar price point. Without commoditized hardware, big capital will surely be in control of software.

We live in a world where the top chip makers are being shaken down by the US government to keep access to markets because embargoes and tariffs. And where software developers have to have a live feed of what every user is doing to Brussels or be arrested.

Too much capitalism isn't our problem.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#552

Post by artisin »

paradite wrote: post #464
rvnx wrote: post #406

If this is a thing then the solution they offer is incorrect. A big giant red screen: “warning the identity of this application developer has not been verified and this could be an application stealing your data, etc” would have worked. What they want is to get rid of apps like YouTube Vanced that are making them lose money (and other Play Store apps)

It won't work because of too many false positives. People are already trained to ignore warnings, like how they blindly accept T&C without reading.

If a giant red warning saying 'THIS APP MAY BE MALWARE' doesn't stop someone, then they've either made an informed choice to proceed or it's willful negligence. In other words, users aren't 'trained' to ignore warnings; they're simply being willfully negligent.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#554

Post by cedilla »

rvnx wrote: post #406

If this is a thing then the solution they offer is incorrect. A big giant red screen: “warning the identity of this application developer has not been verified and this could be an application stealing your data, etc” would have worked. What they want is to get rid of apps like YouTube Vanced that are making them lose money (and other Play Store apps)

"Displaying an angry warning message" is one of the tools we've used for decades, and never with much success.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#555

Post by gitaarik »

shazbotter wrote: post #517
tgma wrote: post #503

The funny thing is Stallman started his fight like half a century ago and on regular days Hacker News shits on him eating something off of his foot and not being polished and diplomatic, and loves practical aspects of Corporate Open Source and gratis goodies and doesn't particularly care about Free Software. On this day suddenly folks come out of the woodwork advocating for half baked measures to achieve what Stallma…

[flagged]

I think his proposal to use "per" instead of "they" actually makes a lot of sense, because "they" is very confusing in a lot of contexts, because it's a word already used for another function. I don't see how you perceive that as something negative.

The quote about pedophilia is concerning indeed, but I think that rather stems from ignorance about the issues than promoting pedophelia. It's easy to shit on such things and wokely dismiss someone's entire opinion, which I find a bit weak.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#558

Post by bullen »

The solution is easy, stop developing for (selling on) closed platforms:

You now have options for cheap (less than $200) portable low energy devices:

1. PineTab-V, a linux on Risc-V tablet. (Got debian a few months back, still waiting for proper GPU support, usable but slow now)

2. uConsole, a linux cyberdeck with optional 4G. (Also has debian for 2711, 2712 and 3588 Compute Modules)

I'm not porting my games to Android, iOS, Switch or PlayStation. Only Windows/X86 and Linux/ARM+Risc-V.

No Linux/X86 to not encourage power waste after Windows gets too expensive to run on the client side.

I'm selling on itch instead of steam.

You only need Android for banking, and Nokia G22 (repairable) is/was also sub $200.

I am now creating a new Google account for each phone, that way you are not the product any more.

But can still operate in society.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#559

Post by spwa4 »

baby_souffle wrote: post #41
87636899376 wrote: post #14

Official announcement: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-... More info: https://developer.android.com/developer-verification https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... Personally...we all know the Play Store is chock full of malicious garbage, so the verification requirements there don't do jack to protect users. The way I see it, this is nothing but a power grab, a way…

Can you elaborate a little bit about this hidden internet access control setting?

You can deny internet to any specific app.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#560

Post by rickdeckard »

abdullahkhalids wrote: post #526
medhir wrote: post #407

Every day we stray farther from the premise that we should be allowed to install / modify software on the computers we own. Will once again re-up the concept of a “right to root access”, to prevent big corps from pulling this bs over and over again: https://medhir.com/blog/right-to-root-access

There is no chance that we own our computers unless we figure out how to setup chip manufacturing factories at the 10 million dollar price point. Without commoditized hardware, big capital will surely be in control of software.

I think there is also still room to legally require a common SW-layer with respective documentation to utilize features of underlying hardware (optional without the shipped OS on top, disconnecting the device from the shipped ecosystem).

This would also make sense in order to prevent e-waste and put this old hardware to better use.

It's crazy to think how much computing power is just added to a drawer or landfill every day, just because there is no reason for the vendor to allow you to repurpose it.

I would e.g. LOVE a "Browser on everything" OS which just provides a Browser OS for outdated hardware, but the only way this could work on scale would be if the device-vendor would be mandated to provide and document the lower layer...

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