Mastodawn

Vivaldi Browser

Big Tech is at it again.

Some of you might have seen this already. Google has announced a new policy for Android app developers, which would require them to seek Google’s permission if they want to distribute their apps outside of the Google Play Store (on their own website or on alternative app stores). This would entail:

1) agreeing to their terms and conditions
2) paying a fee
3) uploading a government ID

Which is wrong on so many levels. Nobody should be forced to register with Google if they don’t want to use their services.

In doing so they would be extending their gatekeeping (tentacles) into distribution channels where they’re just not a legitimate authority.

At Vivaldi, we believe you have the right to run whatever software you want on a device you own. That’s why we’ve co-signed this open letter, together with other 53 organisations, requesting Google to back off on the proposed policy before it enters into force.

(Plus, they have have a pretty cool logo 😄)

https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/

An Open Letter to Google regarding Mandatory Developer Registration for Android App Distribution

Open Letter to Google Regarding Mandatory Developer Registration for Third-Party App Distribution

@Vivaldi this is bananas to me. Android's openness is its competitive advantage. If I'm going to be locked into a Google ecosystem, I may as well get an iPhone. This won't affect me as much, I'm either on Lineage or graphene but that's also just a locked bootloader away from being taken away. Thanks for fighting the good fight.

Catweazle Mar 12

@clmj @Vivaldi, only using GrapheneOS, because it's locked exclusive to the Google Phone, Linage and e/OS are EU OpenSource.
The problem is less the OS, it's mainly the Big Brother US tech.
I miss Mozilla between the Signtories, shows a lot.

SecondUniverse (she/her/they)Mar 11

@Vivaldi Doesn't that fall foul of a ton of EU legislation that forced mobile OS vendors to open up to third party app markets?

SecondUniverse (she/her/they)Mar 11

@Vivaldi Maybe they are just trying a new angle because they think Trump will back them up.

Vlad_3301 Mar 11

@Vivaldi Подержите тогда независимых маркетов, например F-Android.Хорошо, когда хотите пользоваться приложением, но не зависеть, откуда вы его установили. Ответственность берет и пользователь, а Гугл берет очень много.
Гугл становится уж совсем как Апл Маркет.
Then try independent markets, such as F-Android.
It's good when you want to use the app, but don't depend on where you installed it from. The user also takes responsibility, and Google takes a lot.Google is becoming just like Apple Market

Julien Messager Mar 11

"Don't be evil"… bullshit…

derptron Mar 12

@jmessager @Vivaldi They explicitly stopped pursuing that mantra a number of years ago.

Julien Messager Mar 12

@crazyeddie @Vivaldi

"A more civilized age…"

@Vivaldi funny how this get far less attention to here than whatever Microslop does, almost like most here moan about stuff cus they are forced use M$ stuff at work, but outside that, all their private devices are all from the overpriced cult of the choosen fruit. Where as the rest of us peasant masses use cheap windows devices just to run the Chrome browser or Chrome OS devices and cheap google Android devices for everything else. This isn't 2001 anymore.

Bonsai861 Mar 11

@Vivaldi Just in case they do, please can you prepare a Ubuntu Touch or SailfishOS app? Let me know which one so I can switch to that OS next.

Kristoffer Lawson Mar 11

@bonsai861 @Vivaldi I actually run the Vivaldi browser on Sailfish, but the Android version. In addition to the native Jolla browser.

Though it would be especially nice if Vivaldi did a native Sailfish app. Might be then tempted to switch all my Sailfish browsing to that.

Zoidberg For President Mar 11

@Vivaldi I did not understood it that way, they'd ask a few to post the app OUTSIDE of their store? WTF...

dotmavriq Mar 11

@Vivaldi
All it means is that I'm buying a Motorola next.

Toni Aittoniemi Mar 11

@Vivaldi So they’re basically saying they ”own” Android.

But the question is, as with any other rules, how are they going to enforce this?

Do you get banned from the Play store? What else CAN they do?

🌴 Seph 💭 👾Mar 11

@gimulnautti @Vivaldi Come September they're supposed to be pushing a 'security update' that will block any unapproved app from running on Android devices.

Leo Schuldiner🤘🏼Mar 12

@Vivaldi I met Vivaldi browser thanks to Mastodon and it's been a great experience. Everything works perfectly and it has options and ingenious alternative uses and visual displays. Totally recommended.

Luis Carlos Mar 12

@alexchapman @Vivaldi Fuck america, fuck microtrump and goopublicns! that's all

@Vivaldi I guess it is back to the flip phone.

schuelermine Mar 12

@Vivaldi I'm a bit confused by what the social media buttons next to the signatories mean. They try to post something. But the post isn't about the signatory I clicked the button on. But the Mastodon buttons all post to different Mastodon servers. What's going on?

Verđandi K Soldusty Mar 12

@anselmschueler @Vivaldi
Mastodon is decentralised, I'm guessing each goes to the mastodon instance operated or supported by which ever app / company the

logo is next to.

schuelermine Mar 13

@Soldusty @Vivaldi Right, but it doesn't link to them. It's a link that asks you to post a message thanking them on that instance.

Verđandi K Soldusty Mar 13

@anselmschueler @Vivaldi
Just had a look & I guess it's because if you did want to send the message they're assuming we all want to send, they can't send us to our instance as they don't know which that would be.
Just one of the weird perks of decentralisation I guess.

forgetpassword Mar 12

@Vivaldi you know what's better than signing an open letter
Changing your licence to opensource i.e GPLv2/3 and MIT

mcSlibinas Mar 12

@Vivaldi let it die finally. I mean let google kill android. The sooner end - the sooner linux phone.

Follow them on
@keepandroidopen

Conny Nasch Mar 12

@Vivaldi I did not approve of google after they changed their methodology, quite a while ago. I moved away from their products as much as possible. 🤬

Frutiger Mar 12

@Vivaldi Not only they do want to control apps but they want to close access to other download alternatives because they are seeing a lot of people against google.

Google: you are with me or you are against me.

They know their store is powerful and not having their apps in their store would make much less downloads.

William B Peckham Mar 12

@Vivaldi I signed.

FJ Brodie Mar 12

@Vivaldi a few of my regularly used apps are from F-Droid. Sometimes they've put notices up, or app devs have added banners about this. Devs want to contribute to people's lives in a positive way, without anyone knowing their true name, location or any other personally identifiable information.

I don't think that's unreasonable. But I'm just a random and don't make the rules in how we should treat people 😏

Petr Skála Mar 13

@Vivaldi 😀👍

seanpm2001 🇺🇦️🇬🇱Mar 23

@Vivaldi Oh great. I heard about this, but I thought it was happening in 2027, January. I seem to have 3 less months of time to alternate from Android.