Google: “Based on this feedback and our ongoing conversations with the community, we are building a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn’t verified. We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren’t tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure from a scammer. It will also include clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved, but ultimately, it puts the choice in their hands.”
Thank god. I would’ve ditched Android for good if this went through, and while it sounds like it would be annoying for casual users to enable unverified apps, at least we can still install them.
So I just read what they are going to do and this article is just clickbait. Basically they still want you to dox yourself but it’ll still work like iOS Test Pilot. Google is still full of shit and lies but hey at least you don’t have to pay them money until enough users download your app if you want more.
So it’ll basically still kill apps like F-Droid or you downloading an app from the internet to run on your phone. You’ll basically have to signup to install third party apps on your device per app in general and alot of the convenience and developer community will still just leave android as a whole.
All in all really bad decision on Google’s part while also extending this to things like fireOS or whatever the fuck the Quest 2 and 3 will run as a skin of android. This will make sure they would be forever stuck on older versions of android; lest they have to contend with the new upcoming android features that will enforce this that will be baked into the operating system next year. Even without Google Play Services like I read.
Personally I don’t think developers should have to sign up to Google and provide ID cards to basically have a limited amount of users use their specific app outside the app store.
Google obviously is feeling threatened by better apps that more people are using on platforms like F-Droid compared the outright subscription based shitware and adware on the playstore. Which is why they are doing this. But like platforms before like inturn Symbian. I personally think it’ll fuck them over so hard that’ll they’ll never recover while China or whomever else makes a new platform for you to run android apps on for a time before going all proprietary fucked up Linux. Just like Android again.
You’ll basically have to signup to install third party apps on your device per app in general and alot of the convenience and developer community will still just leave android as a whole.
Leave android and go where?
If android goes the way it’s going, then iPhone is the obvious choice.
Not really an option considering it’s even more locked down.
Hope Valve comes up with something eventually, after all they’ve been getting into x86 emulation for mobile ARM chips lately. Granted, it was for VR, but still.
Hope Valve comes up with something eventually
That could be interesting. I want to see how SteamOS goes, but the potential is grand.
In terms of the iPhone being locked down, I’m not sure what you’re looking to do but I personally managed to get ad-free Reddit, YouTube and YouTube music ad-free (+sponsorblock) just using apps from the App Store. All of them free or one-time payment of 3 euros. It was actually easier to do than with Android where I had to “sideload” stuff from GitHub since Android is owned by google and all frontends to their programs are banned.
As long as you get yourself an email that isn’t iCloud you can also take all your contacts and email with you wherever you want. Then you can install KDE Connect as you would on Android and can send files freely between you phone and Pc.
This is all to say, I don’t feel more locked down on the iPhone than on Android, which was a surprise for me.
App store being the only option where you can install apps from is a major issue.
I live in an autocratic country and have to suffer from sanctions due to our officials’ abhorrent decisions.
Due to that, for example, none of the banking apps can be installed on iPhones. So, NFC is useless. Neither does it have anti-DPI apps to overcome censorship, afaik.
