Sunshine (she/her)Google Confirms Non-ADB APK Installs Will Require Developer Registration
arcterusThey keep trying to lock it down more and more. Why do they even think that’s a good idea? The entire reason Android is successful in the first place is that it’s an open system, so it can be easily and cheaply adapted for various products. If they’re gonna just turn it into iOS (Google skin) shove more and more functionality into random proprietary components, I wouldn’t be surprised if companies start forking Android or just doing their own thing like Huawei is now.
Why do they even think that’s a good idea?
At some point becoming a "registered developer " will become a source of profit for Google.
I don't think so, most of the open source apps on fdroid are already on the play store
When they squeeze out the option of installing from the ad-free sources like F-Droid, and everybody who isn’t techie enough to use ADB has to install from the Play Store, then yes - Google will be increasing profits.
I simply don't think it's a move related to money, or at least not directly related to money
I open the play store less than once a month, if they remove fdroid I guess I'll open it twice a month? How much money can they make for the 2 rows of sponsored apps they show me (which I don't tap anyway) in the 30 seconds necessary to find an app and press install? People installing apks outside the play store are already a minority. Beside myself I think I know 1 person who may be using fdroid, maybe 2
I guess it could be a really dumb monetary choice? You never know with corporations
I get that you can only relate your personal experience, and that many people such as yourself don’t know enough about things outside their personal experience to factor them into their perspectives on things.
But, really?!? Just because you don’t do those things - let alone frequently - doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of others who actually do.
So you think there's a lot of people who just browse the play store everyday?
If my personal experience is not enough what about yours? Have you done some kind of research?
About ads that's just a personal decision by the developer and Google has nothing to do with it. Most developers just publish the same fdroid version on the play store without ads
i think there are quite the range of users, and that neither of us should assume our personal experiences are “the norm.” That said, why do you think there’s been so much discussion about this? There’s obviously a good amount of people concerned, presumably for good reason.
I’ve not done any significant comparisons between the two app sources, but in what little experience I do have seeing apps in both locations I’m going to guess about a third of those from smaller developers (i.e. not the Mozillas of the world) had ads in the Play Store incarnations. That’s a completely unscientific personal guess, however.
Not that it’s relevant, anyway - the point is having options taken away without legitimate reason for doing so. Who knows what other profit-enhancing rules Google will impose further down the road when they’ve eliminated any escape routes?