We have to find a way to punish Google if they move forward with this. We need the Gemini folks to be worried that this distraction will jeopardize their competitiveness in AI.
Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
641–650 of 1001 posts
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#642If 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)
Yep, bye Newpipe, you have been wonderful.
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#643Everybody DEMANDS Google "do something" about malware, scam and fake apps. So it does. For an average Joe and Jane, who gets their money stolen, that's a good move. They don't care about technology, they just want their bank, instagram, cat pictures and video calls to work and not get scammed. They are often lured into installing scamware through exactly sideloading APK, completely unaware of the risks. In the articl…
Nobody is demanding Google do anything aside from a very loud minority who is scared of everything. There is no malware, scam, fake app problem for anyone with an IQ of more than 70.
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#644[deleted]
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#645If this is enforced via Play Protect, then the whole mechanism can likely be disabled with: adb shell settings put global package_verifier_user_consent -1 This does not require root access and prevents Android from invoking Play Protect in the first place. (This is what AOSP's own test suite does, along with other test suites in eg. Unreal Engine, etc.) I personally won't be doing this verification for my open-source…
I really hope this is done via Play Protect. You can also disable it temporarily in Google Play and install whatever you want.
Ironic that Google's supposed concern for avoiding malware will cause people to turn off their malware scanner.
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#646Does this break F-Droid?
Only for all the developers on F-Droid who refuse to register with Google...
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#647And once again our only hope is Elon Musk bringing out a competing smartphone ecosystem that is actually open. sidenote: xAI just opensource Grok 2.5 and will opensource Grok 3 in 6 months.
You mean the guy that bans people from twitter for disagreeing with him? And has made a chatbot that spouts right-wing conspiracies in the name of being "anti-woke"?
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#648This is really bad. I think that most people on HN will agree with that. The problem is that most normal people (HN is not normal - mostly for the better) don't even understand what sideloading is - let alone actually care . How can we fix this? (aside from making people care - apathy enables so many political problems in the current age, but it's such a huge problem that this definitely isn't going to be the impetus…
> most normal people... don't even understand what sideloading is Actually, they understand it just fine. The concept is very simple too. Before this change you could install Android apps without registering your passport/driving license with Google. After this change you will have to tell Google your real name and home address to install anything on your Android device. This is all. It can take a convoluted form of…
I don't see anywhere in the official announcement that you will be required to "tell Google your real name and home address to install anything on your Android device". The announcement is about developer verification, not user verification.
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#649[dead]
Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android
#650The 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…
This friend of mine dealt with S. - and found a completely irrational part. We tried to steer history for the best, S. let it flow (in that occasion, of course. He just would not listen).