This should read that google is screwed, as android users flock to alternative phones. But no, so many would rather just keep on bending the knee to daddy data scrap.
Google: 'Your $1000 phone needs our permission to install apps now'". Android users are screwed - Louis Rossmann
Submitted 1 month ago by rustyredox@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://youtube.com/watch?v=QBEKlIV_70E
Comments
Bennyboybumberchums@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Tja@programming.dev 1 month ago
Android users will have no idea it’s happening because only a tiny minority even knows what sideloading is. I don’t think I have done it in my last 3 phones, so maybe a decade or so. It’s definitely not enough of a reason even for someone like me to switch, let alone an average user.
rikudou@lemmings.world 1 month ago
Well, I use Obtainium to install all my FOSS apps directly from the repository.
I also built a game for kids (available publicly) and then made a plugin just for my kid which includes some licensed characters, for obvious reasons I can’t put that onto the Play Store, so apk installation it is.
Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I get what you’re saying and you’re definitely right. I don’t side load things all that much but the times I have was because there was no other viable way to get what I needed and it worked amazingly well (not to mention testing something before it’s available on the app store).
It’s one of those things like a fire extinguisher that you might not need but you are very grateful it’s there just in case you ever do.
DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 1 month ago
And are these alternative phones in the room with you?
Seriously, the alternatives to Google’s Android are:
iOS: lol GrapheneOS: Currently at the mercy of Google Lineage: Same /e/OS: Same
Plus a bunch of half baked Linux distros that run on old or limited hardware.
We’re in a duopoly because it doesn’t suit the manufacturers to give a shit.
spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
What are those alternatives? I can’t think of any that are ready for prime time.
rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Soon privacy minded folks will have a burner phone for calls and sms (I need those for work) and carry some sort of phablet for smartphone functionality (gotta have my navigation app, for sure)
thesystemisdown@lemmy.world 1 month ago
What OS will that tablet be running?
ricdeh@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Whatever you choose.
rc__buggy@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
hopefully some flavor of linux
the_q@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
With this shift and other control based decisions Google has been making, does Apple devices start to make more sense? Neither platform offers true control over there device you “own”, but Apple at the very least isn’t a marketing company.
I can’t believe a company hasn’t swooped in and eaten Apple and Google’s lunch.
cardfire@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
You need a certain critical mass to enter this market, since you need to be able to get an army of Foxconn slaves to produce the handsets.
No company is going to be and to swoop in and eat those two’s lunches.
Stovetop@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Hell, even the juggernauts of Microsoft and Amazon tried, and they got crushed out of the market.
kayazere@feddit.nl 1 month ago
You also need every company to develop for a third mobile platform, where two different ones are already a big ask.
Easy solution would be to run existing apps on Linux, probably would be Android.
Another solution would we move to PWAs to have apps in the browser.
Both these things already happened on desktop Linux with Windows games using Proton and most desktop apps switching to Electron.
mnhs1@lemmy.world 1 month ago
At this point, I just need a community device. And I’ll gladly pay monthly for an OS that has the basics with a web browser and full privacy.
pdxfed@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Apple isn’t a marketing company? Wow, if anything I would say that singularly defines what has made them successful. They put out solidly mid hardware, but are the best marketers in tech and always were.
thebestaquaman@lemmy.world 1 month ago
“Not a marketing company” as in their business model is not centred around shoving ads in your face for money is how I read it.
olympicyes@lemmy.world 1 month ago
The hardware is absolutely not mid. It is inflexible. Compare the entry level MacBook Air to any comparable Windows laptop and you’ll be spending much more to get close to the same performance/battery/build quality. The thing that makes them successful is creating a unified ecosystem that is hard to leave. People don’t pick Apple because they are a bunch of idiot clones who are enamored with TV ads.
the_q@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
They aren’t a marketing company; they’re a tech company that knows how to market. Hate them all you want, and I do, but let’s be honest. Also, the M series SoCs are technological amazing. They are efficient and powerful whereas in the standard PC world Intel is just pushing more electricity through their chips to try and keep up with IPC and AMD isn’t far behind, plus ARM outside of Apple just isn’t nearly the same.
DJDarren@sopuli.xyz 1 month ago
Until a few months ago I was all-in the Apple ecosystem. iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV. Seeing them launch things like Universal Control was amazing.
Then I jumped out, got a Pixel, put Graphene on it, and started messing with Linux.
… Only to discover that Universal Control is essentially just Input Leap, which can trace its history back to 2001 and the launch of Synergy.
Apple are absolutely a marketing company. Don’t get me wrong, they add some much-needed polish, but they essentially just rejig existing tech and lock it down so it only works on their devices sold in the last few years.
olympicyes@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Android is all of the downsides of Apple now with none of the upsides. I prefer the company selling a walled garden over the one selling my internet activity.
eelectricshock@lemmy.world 1 month ago
My problem with this is when I now don’t have freedom from surveillance in my country because I mainly use F-Droid to install my privacy conscious apps.
ClydapusGotwald@lemmy.world 1 month ago
This was the main reason I have a spare android phone to install whatever I want on it and just factory reset if there’s an issue. Android / Google is really shooting itself in the foot cause there isn’t a point in owning an android after this imo
zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 1 month ago
Yeah I’m going graphene and if it’s too problematic may as well go apple. Freedom was the whole reason for choosing Android over Apple
tidderuuf@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Similar story here. I’ve got apps that I need to use from developers that are not around anymore. My old phone only needs wifi and I’ve disabled/uninstalled everything else. The phones battery last like 7 days now.
elephantium@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Joke’s on them, my phone only cost $300
Valmond@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Same here, got a recent (so not completely new) Xiaomi 13T Pro. Very little crap on it and it has impressive specs like 16GB RAM, 1TB storage and a very good Leica camera.
I’d love putting Linux on it one day, the specs are almost as good as my main PC lol.
Nusm@peachpie.theatl.social 1 month ago
iPhone user: “Well well well, how the turntables.”
mnhs1@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Just you wait until EU representatives start licking American/Trump buttholes and reverse every sanction or law imposed on US tech.
ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Please Europeans, please stop buying American goods, using American social media, and ffs do not come here. If there is no profit to be made, they’ll stop bothering you.
Gemini24601@lemmy.world 1 month ago
When it comes to the current final frontier, Linux phones, what brands/models would be the best option? Or are you all really recommending iPhones?
REDACTED@infosec.pub 1 month ago
Recommending iPhone because of freedom restrictions feels quite ironic
devedeset@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
I’m looking at Fairphone 6. EU based, has an option called /e/os which is basically degoogled Android, and it also has full support for Ubuntu Touch (Linux phone).
zeca@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Linux handheld with a 4g usb modem, doing calls over the internet. Just an idea, im not doing this, nor do i know how practical it actually is.
JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world 1 month ago
You can’t sideload in Linux.
iAvicenna@lemmy.world 1 month ago
if this happens my next phone either will be a linux phone (if I can find a dependable one with banking apps allowed) or iOS out spite
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Lol, that’s like saying “my country became a dictatorship, so I’m gonna support another country’s dictator out of spite”
0x0@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
I’ll drink water from the toilet 'cos the wine is bad!
iAvicenna@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Not really, it is more like saying “I am going to move to another dictatorship”. In both cases, lose enough of your “members” and your organisation becomes significantly weaker.
Also iPhone has been quite constant bout its motivations and priorities quite from the start (even if did not announce it publicly lol). Android however was a product of a company who started its life with a motto “don’t be evil” and is now trying to monopolize the shit out of everything. I am not even sure this can even be classified as a lesser of two evils scenario anymore.
tal@lemmy.today 1 month ago
iOS
IOS already does this.
Statick@programming.dev 1 month ago
Yeah but he’s doing it out of spite since the whole point of Android is freedom to do what you want. Take that away… Might as well go apple.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 1 month ago
Flip phone or free/very cheap phone. Certainly won’t spend any real amount of money on android. Like £15 or so second hand them yeah maybe
rikudou@lemmings.world 1 month ago
Take a look at SailfishOS, it’s good.
yarr@feddit.nl 1 month ago
The openness of Android is the thing that kept me on the platform. Now that the openness is being removed, iOS is now more appealing.
Sadly, I think most of the customers that use Android never sideload a single app at all. I don’t expect this to create a mass exodus, but a smaller one with power users.
overload@sopuli.xyz 1 month ago
Does this mean the end for YouTube Revanced on Android?
nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
not if the developer decides to sign the APK with a developer key issued by Google. the main issue here is that developers will be forced to identify themselves.
MP3Martin@programming.dev 1 month ago
So the users will have to get their own key and give it to the patcher/manager?
chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 1 month ago
DudenessBoy@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
What even is the reason for this? All this is going to accomplish is less Android market share.
cardfire@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Control. Where else are we going to go?
JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Because of people installing malware.
Its only recently that most Android phone owners even used the internet features, now you need apps just to park your car. There’s nothing stopping someone from having you install malware from a pirate QR code someone puts over the proper sticker.kcuf@lemmy.world 1 month ago
My guess is that it’s because people are using apps to get around Google’s revenue generating schemes, like apps to get YouTube without ads.
mahmut@meclis.home.buyulumahmut.com 1 month ago
I didn’t get it. EU pushes Apple for sideloading option. Android will come with embedded Linux terminal support and you can even run native Linux apps on your Android phone with Android 15.
I guess some C-Level assholes forcing this change in Google but this does not make any sense…
hume_lemmy@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Line must go up.
peetabix@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Is Linux viable as a mobile os yet?
Enzyoo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
Linux isn’t an OS.
anon_8675309@lemmy.world 1 month ago
30+ years later and people just can’t let that go….
coke38@lemmy.world 1 month ago
What do you mean ? There is ubuntu touch working in some phone.
I saw that there is some improvements, for the fair phone 5 it seems that it is working but no dual Sim possible and LTE phone calls. You can check it out for your model on this site : devices.ubuntu-touch.io
kent_eh@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Linux isn’t an OS.
Pedantically true, but practically irrelevant statement.
Fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com 1 month ago
Christ. Some cheap phone for calls, SMS and banking. Some other device for literally everything else, perhaps I can get it with a headphone jack again.
Revan343@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Does anyone know anything about Furi Labs phones? I saw a comment about them on another post about Android alternatives midwest.social/comment/19568664
0x0@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
HongKong-based like Pine64, linux-based OS.
commander@lemmy.world 1 month ago
It’s time the community open source movement starting gaining a lot more traction on mobile. We need better hardware support and standards for a streamlined non-Google/Apple/MS platform. Something not beholden to any single company or country
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 1 month ago
Can you at least put a custom ROM on to disable this?
wetsoggybread@lemmy.world 1 month ago
The issue is that Android used to be open source but they’re moving to closed source under the guise of security as well which will make it difficult/impossible to update the rom
Raptorox@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
Afaik, yes
dovahking@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I’ll just buy and use decade old phones with unlocked bootloader till I can. There’s barely any innovation in phones these days and I’m sure someone will come to fill the gap Android left (hopefully Linux). I’m still using my 5 year old phone degoogled with custom a16 and still going strong. I also have a backup pixel 6 in case the current one breaks. I can easily wait 10-15 years.
rasakaf679@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
Banking Apps in my country doesn’t even install on Android version of previous 2 version, because “security” reasons…not because of their incompetence to make their app more secure. I had to buy new phone to use my own money.
TerraRoot@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I just changed banks, fuck those app
gian@lemmy.grys.it 1 month ago
This do not depends on bank incompetence, it depends from the regulations the banks need to follow.
And for the same reason you cannot install on a rooted phone (or at least, you should not be able to do it)
humanspiral@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
does this control happen with a specific android version release? what number? Can I get a new phone with that version and sideload an alternative OS/ROM?
tomiant@programming.dev 1 month ago
You can research a phone you like and check if it has an unlockable bootloader, root it, and install something like LineageOS on it. It’s fairly straight-forward, not super technically demanding, but it does require some tinkering and time setting up.
xdaforums.com is where the rooting kids hang out, post guides for specific models, upload images et c, you can probably do it in an afternoon with GPT.
upside431@lemmy.world 1 month ago
This is redicolous
callouscomic@lemmy.zip 1 month ago
If you’re buying a $1000 phone then you’re a fucking moron.
petrjanda@gonzo.markets 1 month ago
As a user I don’t have a problem with this , as long it’s used ethically. The question is if Google can act ethically.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 month ago
i heard they were softlocking the OP soon in the newer models, but hopefully they dont compeltely lock it down.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 month ago
so is this why my phone updated and then took seven hours to connect to the network the other day?
Vex_Detrause@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
Is there other alternatives to Apple and Google phones? If you can pay for shipping a and 2 phones compared to a Google or Apple phone then why not use other manufacturers?
BananaOnionJuice@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
What about Android developers they will need to work with unsigned or self signed apps? Can’t I just sign up as a developer?
arc99@lemmy.world 1 month ago
It really should be a 3 level setting, disallow/allow & check/allow. Where the latter option is available but users are strongly advised to apply common sense. Because I would not be surprised if a lot of sideloaded content comes from warez sites and is infested with malware so allowing & checking is still protecting people to some extent.
humanspiral@lemmy.ca 1 month ago
This is an android 16 feature, scheduled for sept 2026 “prerelease” and 2027 rollout. I expect/hope some phones will have a setting to disable “the security”. If not, there is great opportunty for high end hardware linux first phones, with good android emulation software.
thermal_shock@lemmy.world 1 month ago
I’ll go to iphone if it’s not able to be disabled. And I hate iphone.
bus_factor@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Doesn’t iPhone already have pretty much the exact restrictions that are coming to Android?
MrSqueezles@lemmy.world 1 month ago