Thankfully the full feature will still work if you get the app from F-Droid
Hopefully this will motivate more people use F-Droid
Unhappy with the recently lost file upload feature in the Nextcloud app for Android? So are we. Let us explain. - Nextcloud
Submitted 2 days ago by AngelikaMerkel@feddit.org to technology@lemmy.world
https://nextcloud.com/blog/nextcloud-android-file-upload-issue-google/
Comments
AnonomousWolf@piefed.social 2 days ago
tetris11@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
I noticed that in their info text shown to their users, they don’t mention F-Droid. I wonder if google doesn’t allow them to mention other stores as part of their “security” policies.
ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 2 days ago
Upvote the comments in the Google play reviews that mention full features in fdroids version so they climb to the top of most helpful reviews.
ctrl_alt_esc@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
I agree with the sentiment, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend F-Droid, see privsec.dev/posts/…/f-droid-security-issues/
lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
“Oh no, an issue that will only affect an extremely narrow spread of people who aren’t already aware of it is present, therefore F-Droid bad”
If you’re that concerned about being surveilled, you already have bigger issues.
kronarbob@lemmy.world 2 days ago
The signature and the random updates issues can be solved (partially) by using the izzyondroid repo. A lot of the applications on fdroid are on it. It compiles from sources, doesn’t change signatures, and fetch updates on a daily basis.
It doesn’t solve all the issues, but it can help
pHr34kY@lemmy.world 2 days ago
So, all the family phones that are using this feature for handset backups. They’re just gonna stop backing up?
Thanks, Google. Thanks for protecting me from free software that scans files on my own phone and transmits it across my own network to my own server. Such a privacy nightmare. /s
victorz@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Guessing they want you to use Google One, eh.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
Tl;dr: Google being anticompetitive by hampering third-party cloud sync via permissions (while themsleves are not affected).
MintyFresh@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Unfettered capitalism is just fucking exhausting. What a bunch of assholes. I really need to degoogle my life. Idk how to strip android off my phone and replace it with whatever, but I guess I’m about to find out.
Humanius@lemmy.world 2 days ago
The problem in this case is the Google Play Store, not Android.
Google is blocking Nextcloud from updating their app on the Play Store unless they remove this vital permission. But nothing is stopping Nextcloud from making their app available on third party app stores with the approriate permissions.
If you download the app from F-Droid instead, it should work correctly.
MintyFresh@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I hear ya. I’m feeling the need to cut ties with Google all together. They’re not getting any less evil. I’m gonna look into graphene os I think
wintertag@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Take a look at GrapheneOS.
MintyFresh@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I think I’m gonna do just that
pHr34kY@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Android without Google services is basically taking the capitalism away.
Install LineageOS or GrapheneOS without installing Google Play.
Slap on F-Droid for apps and you have a phone that doesn’t talk to Google at all, and is completely beyone their control.
gradual@lemmings.world 1 day ago
It’s definitely exhausting.
The silver-lining is that we really don’t have to go along with it. We have the choice to use alternatives, we just choose not to.
MintyFresh@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Ughghghg. I’m soooo lazy tho!
jonne@infosec.pub 2 days ago
You can just install it off f-droid instead of the play store.
entwine413@lemm.ee 2 days ago
The thing is that this isn’t even unfettered capitalism.
Unfettered capitalism would be so much worse, which is saying something.
geography082@lemm.ee 2 days ago
F-droid bitches
xeekei@lemm.ee 1 day ago
I check for all apps on f-droid first, play store second.
TerHu@lemm.ee 1 day ago
does that issue not exist in the f-droid version? if so, i’m glad there’s a workaround when i try graphene😅
r0ertel@lemmy.world 1 day ago
The issue does not exist with the version installed from F-Droid. I think the Play Store version is a different build with the feature disabled as a condition of hosting it on the Play Sore.
The Android app itself still works with the permission, and we released new versions on the external F-Droid store. So the limit is a “purely” Google Play Store-related problem.
cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
This is my question. I didn’t read into it much, but isn’t the problem a permissions level thing in android, or is this specific to the play store?
Redex68@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It seems that Google just gave them back the permission, 2 days after they publicly complained about it and after 6 months of ignoring it. What scumbags.
parody@lemmings.world 1 day ago
kokesh@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Google works on making Android shit for the past few years. For example idiotic green dot showing me “something is using gps”. Why don’t I have a choice to remove it? Or not allowing apps to get a process list? It will end up dumb as iOS to within couple years.
Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
To be fair, not allowing the user to remove an indicator that something could be tracking them is probably not the worst idea. Otherwise it’d be too easy for someone to install an app like that and hide it.
kokesh@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It’s been in the corner of my amoled screen practically nonstop for 3 years now. I’m really surprised that i don’t have burn-in in that corner.
Blackmist@feddit.uk 2 days ago
I’m assuming that Nextcloud handles all it’s moneymaking outside of the app (indeed it appears to be free if you host the server yourself).
If Google were making 30% on a ton of in-app purchases, they’d let it harvest your fucking organs.
BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world 1 day ago
The more tech-savvy of you are certainly able to use the alternative app store, such as F-Droid. But for our user base of roughly one million users on the app store, this will hardly be an option.
They have the merit to link to F-droid, but damn they are not selling it well…
I don’t even know if they get any remuneration from Google anyway?
By the way fuck GoogleEncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 1 day ago
When I switched to iOS, the biggest pain point for me was Apples stranglehold on background processes meant file syncing didn’t work very well. Now it looks like Android has completely killed it?
death@infosec.pub 2 days ago
I don’t have an Android phone currently but I thought I’d check on iOS and, yep, Google Drive has access to all files. Well that’s a bit hypocritical.
kalpol@lemm.ee 1 day ago
I had no idea this was going on. Is it because I’m running Lineage?
muusemuuse@lemm.ee 2 days ago
Oh look, Android users suffering the same bullying behavior they accuse Apple of inflicting on its users!
lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 days ago
Except, Android users can still install apps outside the Play Store.
Ashiette@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Yeah, that’s not right, in either case.
gradual@lemmings.world 1 day ago
Kind of?
Google is definitely eager to be as shitty as apple, but android users still have a way easier time avoiding corporate abuse than apple users.
lightnsfw@reddthat.com 2 days ago
I was talking about this with one of my friends a couple weeks ago and bitching about how I can’t find a phone to replace mine that wouldn’t be a massive downgrade in terms of what I can do with it. He was joking and said “Maybe you should just get an Iphone” and I was like… at this point maybe I should what difference would it make?
muusemuuse@lemm.ee 2 days ago
Android gets all the cool hardware but the software and play store is dogshit. Apple has a better store and good hardware but not INTERESTING hardware. It’s stale and dead.
umbrella@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
oh so thats why it stopped working.
JTskulk@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I use FreeFileSync and it syncs whatever files I point at it, not just videos and music. I installed it from the Play store.
Landless2029@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Yeah this is Google cockblocking
dmtalon@infosec.pub 2 days ago
So, I totally remember this pop-up and luckily until now it has not directly impacted me. I auto-backup my photos/videos off my phone and do move non photos/videos on/off nextcloud on occasion but haven’t noticed I could no longer upload regular files.
Luckily…
I self-host Nextcloud I already use F-Droid
So, it wasn’t much work to uninstall the play version and instlall the f-droid version. I should probably go through all my apps and see what’s available on f-droid and swap. But 1) that’s a lot of work and 2) there are some features that break when you do that. I know some mapping software won’t work on Android Auto if not from the play store.
cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
How can I tell if I’m using the play store or f droid version? I can’t remember what I did.
dmtalon@infosec.pub 1 day ago
Ya it seems google fixed it today. I’m guessing that is why nextcloud went public so google would magically fix it .
PalimpsestNavigator@midwest.social 1 day ago
corroded@lemmy.world 2 days ago
As the article mentions, this isn’t a security “feature,” it’s anti-competetive. The worst part is that Nextcloud isn’t even really in competition with Google. Setting up a Nextcloud server isn’t hard, but it’s not a trivial task. Sharing it outside your local network also requires a bit of skill, especially if done securely. That is to say, Nextcloud users probably tend to be more tech-savvy.
The people using Nextcloud aren’t going to suddenly decide to switch over to Google Drive. I’ll get it from FDroid before I downgrade to Google Drive. If that wasn’t an option, I’d set up an FTP server or even WebDAV.
486@lemmy.world 2 days ago
That’s only true for those who self-host this. There are lots of companies offering Nextcloud hosting. That’s probably why Google doesn’t like Nextcloud. I’m not saying Google is right. Actually what Google is doing here is quite pathetic.
Sturgist@lemmy.ca 2 days ago
So business as usual then?
Damage@feddit.it 2 days ago
There are lots of businesses hosting their own nextcloud as well, this is a serious problem for them.