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Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

gbl08ma.com

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Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#91

Post by UncleMeat »

gmueckl wrote: post #49
icebraining wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The file manager would ask you to pick (using the Android UI, via SAF) the directory where you had downloaded the zip, then everything would work the same. Alternatively, the app can register itself as opener of zip files, then it could extract them freely to its own private directory (without asking for permissions) and let you list and upload them.

This is all a load of crappy workarounds leading to a convoluted and cumbersome user experience. From a usability perspective, I would not consider such a behavior a solution.

That's because you like general purpose file managers. But most people would much rather that their calculator app didn't have access to their photos.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#92

Post by vetinari »

scarface74 wrote: post #75
armagon wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

80% of all devices that use the app store . You'd better believe there are older devices out there, and people would use the app store with them, iff the app store would only show you apps (or versions of apps) that still run on your device. It is frustrating trying to get games on an old iPad for the kids.

If they don’t use the App Store and that’s the only way that they can get apps, then why would you spend time and money supporting them?

It's not that they do not want to use App Store. They can't.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#93

Post by UncleMeat »

Mindless2112 wrote: post #2

I don't really mind that some behaviors are being restricted. (Although I think removing the ability for apps to toggle WiFi is nonsense.) The problem is that Google wants to break API compatibility without actually calling it what it is. Your app, which worked for years, is now broken and as far as the user is concerned it's your fault. I've been tempted to set the "max API level" property on my apps so that I don't…

You've got between the beta release and when Play will mandate that you target the new sdk. That's like three years.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#94

Post by UncleMeat »

kitsunesoba wrote: post #73
redleggedfrog wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the crux of the problem that gbl08ma isn't realizing. "User choice is what all of this boils down to, really. Android used to give me the choice of being slightly insecure in exchange for having more powerful and innovative features in the apps I install..." You're dead on about the average user. Watch someone install and app, and less than a second is spent looking at the permissions. Google's solution makes…

Is it really that bad to do financial things on one’s phone? I would be pretty annoyed if I had to fire up a browser tab on my desktop/laptop any time I wanted to look over the transactions on my CCs and bank account.

No. Mobile operating systems are considerably safer than desktop operating systems.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#95

Post by UncleMeat »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #50
iliketosleep wrote: post #27

In fairness, access to features such as call logs and clipboard are too easily abused. I think that most users downloading apps from the Play Store have the expectation that Google is taking care of their privacy. As the author mentioned, advanced users can still sideload any non-approved apps they want, and as advanced users they should understand any security implications. The point I do agree on is that the platfo…

Speaking of ridiculous, Android and banking, just yesterday I was browsing my transactions and wanted to send a screenshot of one to my wife. As it turns out, you cannot make screenshots of banking apps. Because "security".

Screenshots are saved to the sd card, where every app has complete access. Apps can specify certain UI safety features, like preventing clicks through overlaid UI elements or preventing screenshots. Blame the app if you want. There isn't some blanket policy in the OS that identifies banking apps and prevents screenshots.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#96

Post by scarface74 »

vetinari wrote: post #92
scarface74 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they don’t use the App Store and that’s the only way that they can get apps, then why would you spend time and money supporting them?

It's not that they do not want to use App Store. They can't.

Sure they can. If there was a version of the app that was submitted that’s compatible with their device, when they try to download it, it will ask them do they want to download “the last compatible version”.

I’ve done that with my first gen iPad as late as last year to download a few streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Plex.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#97

Post by vetinari »

scarface74 wrote: post #96
vetinari wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that they do not want to use App Store. They can't.

Sure they can. If there was a version of the app that was submitted that’s compatible with their device, when they try to download it, it will ask them do they want to download “the last compatible version”. I’ve done that with my first gen iPad as late as last year to download a few streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Plex.

I have the iPhone 3G somewhere in the basement. For years, it has been a paperweight, it couldn't download anything from the App Store, including apps that originally were compatible. It even lost some capabilities it originally had out of the box, for example it could not sync contacts with Google anymore.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#98

Post by scarface74 »

vetinari wrote: post #97
scarface74 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure they can. If there was a version of the app that was submitted that’s compatible with their device, when they try to download it, it will ask them do they want to download “the last compatible version”. I’ve done that with my first gen iPad as late as last year to download a few streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Plex.

I have the iPhone 3G somewhere in the basement. For years, it has been a paperweight, it couldn't download anything from the App Store, including apps that originally were compatible. It even lost some capabilities it originally had out of the box, for example it could not sync contacts with Google anymore.

The last compatible download feature doesn’t work on my 1st gen iPod touch running iOS 3, but it does work on my iPad running iOS 5. I’m not sure about iOS 4.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#99

Post by WorldMaker »

pcwalton wrote: post #81
jbk wrote: post #24

After porting VLC on so many platforms, to be honest, working on Android applications is not too bad. Notably compared to other mobile platforms. The tools and IDE are quite good (they need a lot of RAM though), the deployment is easy, the development workflow simple enough and the devices are easy (and cheap) to come by. Even the Play Store console is not catastrophic. A contrario from Youtube, you can get questions…

> What I don't like though, is their abysmal NDK support (notably compared to iOS) Yeah, this is my biggest gripe. The vast majority of popular apps in the Play Store are games, which all use the NDK. Yet Google refuses to give the NDK more resources.

Isn't that Google's intent that the NDK be hard to use? They still act like they may pull the rug at any time and switch kernels or hardware architectures on a whim, so it always seems like Google acts as though any NDK usage is a "bug" to them.

Re: Developing for Android is like being a demonetized YouTuber

#100

Post by wetpaws »

andysinclair wrote: post #13
wetpaws wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotally, 75% of my sales are on Android and only 25% on iOS.

Interesting...is the app exactly the same on both platforms and the same price (assuming it is paid)? I am interested to see if it's worth porting some of my iOS apps to Android.

App functionality and price are identical. It's a very niche app with dedicated community though, so piracy is not such a big factor.
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