this seems to be going the shittitest direction it could…fuck Google
ps: loving the apple simps coming out to claim iPhones aren’t perfect just because you can’t “sideload” lool
Google Confirms Non-ADB APK Installs Will Require Developer Registration
Submitted 6 months ago by mesamunefire@piefed.social to technology@lemmy.world
Comments
ruplicant@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
NatakuNox@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They literally have to be more shitty to make money. Side loading allows individuals to choose not to give their money and data to Google. Companies must grow year over year. It doesn’t matter if the growth is unnecessary, imaginary line must go up. So remove standard features and then charge a premium for that feature to return, or cut pay/benefits/hours, or layoffs. Those are what’s left for our corporations to grow. No new ideas. Just shit.
REDACTED@infosec.pub 6 months ago
loving the apple simps coming out to claim iPhones aren’t perfect just because you can’t “sideload” lool
Confused ape noises
desmosthenes@lemmy.world 6 months ago
fuck google for spyware google play services and severe integration of them into android thiugh ^^
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
And their flagship costs more than the iPhone 17 Pro but has performance closer to the iPhone 11 and they still sell your data off the back end.
Android was a fine alternative to iOS for a minute… like in 2012 with the Galaxy S3 and Jellybean. Now? I don’t get it. You pay more, you get less, all because — what? Gmail was once cool?
They took your headphone jack. They took your memory card slot. They took your back button. (Anyone remember the menu button?) Now they’re taking sideloading.
What is even the point of Android? It isn’t freedom. I see it as capitulation to Big Data.
freeman@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
Delusional apple fanboy.
I don’t need a my phone to be a ‘flagship’. I am not an influencer. I also wonder what loads are you running on a phone that you meet performance issues.
You can get an android with microSD and 3.5mm jack for 250€.
You can still run all the software you want. Adblockers, torrent clients, emulators, even… browsers! There will still be new android phones that won’t suffer those limitations. They will also be cheaper than iphones.
Don’t get me wrong android is in a bad trajectory, it’s true that’s Google has been enshitificating as much as it can get away with. It’s still light years ahead of iOS.
If anybody cares for privacy or control of their devices, saving Android, even in alternative versions/vendors, is a much more viable option than switching to iPhone.
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 6 months ago
google largely gave up on the pixel phones, in terms of development since pixel 5, now its just all AI invesment into to all those phones since, with slightly better features, to keep the fans happy.
HarkMahlberg@kbin.earth 6 months ago
They took your headphone jack.
Are we talking the nubulous They, the royal They, or do you mean "Android took your headphone jack?" Because uhh,
MrSmith@lemmy.world 6 months ago
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Cost. You can get performant brand new phones for $200 that will last you 2+ years
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OS-wide adblock. I cannot comprehend how iOS users live with out it. I see my GF using her phone and every other scroll of something is an add.
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Some other sailing-of-the-seas things that I’m not comfortable posting online about, but it saves me a lot of money on subscriptions from big corporations.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
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You got me there. I can probably get a gently used iPhone from a generation or two back and maybe get down to $300, but I dunno about $200. You’re 100% right on that one, and more to the point, mid-range Android isn’t nearly as bad as it used to be. One of the biggest secrets in mobile is that performance has plateaued.
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You can only block ads OS-wide on Android if you’re rooted. AdAway (and I suppose others like it) edit the HOSTS file which trumps DNS. DNS is what iPhone users use, and what unrooted Android users use. The problem with DNS isn’t that it doesn’t work — it does — it’s that bad actors can tunnel around it. So Google, great example, the app I mean, has its own DNS. They have various reasons but what it boils down to is “we can tunnel around your ad blocker.” They definitely do this on iOS. They probably do it on Android. But editing HOSTS can beat that. And no, I don’t get ads on YouTube, either — but I do not use the app. You can, if you’re on Android and you’re rooted and you have a good HOSTS file. I can block YouTube ads with Safari and uBlock Origin (yeah, we got it now) but it’s just DNS. I will concede that the best way to browse on a phone is Firefox for Android with uBlock Origin. Us iPhone users wish we had that. We don’t. But we can get close. Really, the only ads I see are in the App Store. It’s become a cesspool of shit.
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I don’t sail on my phone. I’ve tried, a few things don’t work. I have computers for that. I have a good/decent emulator that works good. As far as movies, music, shows, audiobooks, I have a Plex server and my iPhone has no problem accessing that. I bet you could use an Android phone as a Plex server though. Not that I’d want to. But you probably could. Maybe. Like with root? I dunno. But anything on my iPhone (not counting Plex stuff), I can get on your Android phone. And vice-versa. I mean, not to use your Android phone as an example, that’s kinda hostile, I mean if I have an iPhone in one hand and an Android phone in the other, I got no problem getting stuff from one to the other. Either way. Best if they’re on the same WiFi, but I can make one a hotspot in a pinch.
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PhAzE@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
And all those things were “taken” because they followed apple’s lead who took all those things first. Losing sideload capability is yet another fallow the leader act they’re doing to be like apple.
As for more expensive, disagree there. That’s only the case if you go with high end sansung phones, but you can get android phones for much cheaper with still decent hardware, and it (currently) can do all the things apple does. You cant buy a cheaper apple 17 then the 2 models they give you. Also the hardware differences are so minor between Samsung and Apple, its laughable to call one “better” so your ppst really comes off like a fanboy talking about something you dont understand.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Actually, the first phone to do a lot of things was actually an Android — good and bad! The first fingerprint reader, I think may have been the Motorola Bionic? But it was like an electric razor, it had these things you roll your finger across. It was weird. Not like what we have now. Likewise, I’m pretty sure an Android phone was the first one to pull the headphone jack. It was just because Apple did it right when they brought out the AirPods that people cried foul (rightly so). Memory card? Apple never supported them (they’re too slow), and Android phones famously didn’t support them… I think the Nexus phones? Pixel too. I don’t think any Google-branded phone had a memory card slot.
More expensive does include the foldables, and you can’t say they don’t count because they exist. I wouldn’t count the diamond-crusted Android phones, those are super limited edition. But anyone can go buy a fold or a flip, so they have to be considered. Right now the top iPhone costs $2000 in the US. It’s a 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max. Android gets higher, albeit with folds, but it does get higher, and the performance isn’t any better.
As far as Samsung specifically: the chip in the Galaxy S25 is faster than the one in the iPhone 16 Pro/Max, but it also loses more power when it throttles for getting too hot. That really only means anything in high-end gaming, though. For day-to-day usage the Samsung will clock higher. It’s only going to get 3-4 years of support though, if that, and they still sell your private information. You can’t even use Samsung Health without agreeing to let them sell your private medical data (whatever you put in it). So no, it can’t do everything an iPhone can do. It can’t keep your medical information private, which is enshrined in law in many countries, but if you agree to let them sell it, that goes out the window. Why would you give that up when you don’t have to?
BassTurd@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Imo, the Android experience is far better than iOS. I have no love for either Google or Apple, but I would rather use a slower older Android phone over any iPhone.
cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
What about it is better? Honest question, from someone who uses both.
So yeah, on Android you can do a little more with home screen customisation. It used to be a lot more — I can’t believe it took Apple how many years to figure out how to place an icon to the right of or below an open space? It’s closer now, they both steal from each other, but you can do a lot more. My Android phone is partly a cosplay prop: it’s a real-life NookPhone, from Animal Crossing. My icons are huge, they’re the ones from the game, but they open real apps, and they’re in a 3x3 grid. Definitely can’t do that on iOS. But I don’t need that on my daily driver. And many people say — and I’m inclined to agree — that when an app is on both, it’s better on iOS due to fewer hardware configurations to support.
Also, we have Delta, the emulator that backs everything up to, ironically, Google Drive. So I can show you this app on my iPhone. I can also AirDrop you any game I have. Long press, share, AirDrop, find your iPhone, you open it with the same app, you got it now. Super easy. But I can also uninstall the app, it removes all the files and whatnot. I can go into Files, double check all my games are gone. Saves, all of it. Then I reinstall it. Nothing… but as soon as I sign into Google Drive, it re-downloads everything. I just wish the emulator ran on the Mac, too — I’d have cross-device sync. Also, the emulator is Nintendo only, no PlayStation, no Sega, nothing like that.
And then the privacy issue. I think it’s wild so few people care about their private information being sold. Then again, Facebook, TikTok, and others are huge. So I might be the outlier caring about that. But I still do.
LodeMike@lemmy.today 6 months ago
The only advantage Android has over iOS is being able to install [any] software.
BitingChaos@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I was able to set custom APN settings on my Pixel to bypass the tethering block that MetroPCS puts on their cheapest plan.
There is nothing in iOS that lets you do that.
I also can’t run WiFi scanners on iOS.
And Android will still have ADB sideloading. On iOS I have to run shit like Sideloadly to re-sign applications every 7 days.
If you’re a true Android fan, there is still a lot to keep you on the platform.
LodeMike@lemmy.today 6 months ago
Literally all of this is being able to run whatever software you want
raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 6 months ago
*had Fuck google and every piece of shit implementing this for them.
dan1101@lemmy.world 6 months ago
That’s one of the big ones. Also phones with SD card slots and headphone jacks.
potustheplant@feddit.nl 6 months ago
Those barely exist. When I bought my Sony 5V, it was because it was like 1 of 2 or 3 new high end models that still had both the jack and an sd card slot.
mesamunefire@piefed.social 6 months ago
Just about. There used to be more, but if im honest, if it works in iOS then its a decent experience most of the time.
But my custom apps makes or breaks my phone. Its so convenient.
LodeMike@lemmy.today 6 months ago
iOS is infinitely more polished than Android. It’s rather stable and at least the main notification system isn’t that bad for privacy.
melfie@lemy.lol 6 months ago
I normally use ADB anyway, but wouldn’t surprise me if that becomes more locked down as well. For example, I believe Meta Quest requires a developer account with a credit card attached to even put it in developer mode, and I worry that kind of bullshit will become the norm.
Mistic@lemmy.world 6 months ago
You don’t need a credit card for a dev account. You do, however, need to have a “business” attached. Luckily, that business they’re asking for doesn’t need to be verified, so it can be just a random string of letters.
Still bs that you have to go through all of that just to install apps you want.
c5e3@lemmy.world 6 months ago
but directly installing apks on the phone should still be possible then, right… riiiight?
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
wireless debugging, you can connect the phone to itself via a wifi network, then send adb commands to itself. loopholes lol
c5e3@lemmy.world 6 months ago
i somehow skipped the “non-” part of the headline. thanks for the info though - when i came across this a couple of months ago, i couldn’t really think of any good use for it
m33@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
ravachol@lemmy.world 6 months ago
How does this affect termux? Is it going to die or is it only going to be able to have packages that are from registered developers?
lone_faerie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
Termux is already available on the Play Store, so I imagine it won’t be an issue. Sideloading will still be possible, it just requires developer’s give Google their private information (which is fucking stupid) but you already have to do that to be on the Play Store, so I don’t see why Google wouldn’t verify the Termux team.
ravachol@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Yeah I really hope they wont ask termux packages or apps installed through termux to also be verified.
kieron115@startrek.website 6 months ago
look at it from the pessimists point of view, they could have killed sideloading too!
tal@olio.cafe 6 months ago
That’s actually a really interesting question.
I understand that Apple takes issue with packages that can themselves “take packages”. But historically, I don’t believe that Google has. Of course, Google also hasn’t done the registration thing historically, either.
themurphy@lemmy.ml 6 months ago
Google hit by EU lawsuit in 3… 2… 1…
General_Effort@lemmy.world 6 months ago
This is forced by EU regulations. I doubt Google would have introduced this on its own. If they wanted to do this, then why wait until forced?
cley_faye@lemmy.world 6 months ago
A few months ago? Yeah, I’d be with you. Today? It’s the wet dream of the current EU leads. Closed devices, where they can run spyware without risk of it being hindered by custom OS with proper permissions and process separations? So good. For them.
takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
The law EU created looks like it has a loophole which allows manufacturer to prescreen side loaded apps (like what? What’s the point of sideloading then?) it is what Apple exploited and Google is going the same direction.
Zak@lemmy.world 6 months ago
This is basically the same as Apple’s notarization scheme for direct app installation on iOS in the EU. I do not believe the EU has sued Apple over that yet, and they’ve had plenty of time to do so.
themurphy@lemmy.ml 6 months ago
They usually sue if the practice doesnt stop for over a year. They do send warnings before anything official comes out FYI.
But I dont know if they want to do anything though. No one but them and Apple knows for sure.
Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 6 months ago
EU wants to read all your online communications so, no, they will not be saving you from this. This furthers that goal
RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 6 months ago
how convenient, GOOGLE wants all your data too.
themurphy@lemmy.ml 6 months ago
Luckily it’s not the same body in the EU who’s in charge of enforcing and setting up proposals.
The EU is not a “one opinion” government body.
sleen@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
Big gov and big corp are essentially the same thing. And while the people jump ship to be at the mercy of the “better side”, the elites are sharing a cocktail in secret.
The scale still remains, however one side tilted more so than the other.
kokesh@lemmy.world 6 months ago
So… Will the ADB let me do this? reVanced specially, YouTube is completely unwatchable otherwise.
kernelle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
They’re doing the same thing Apple has been doing for years, I used to run a self-signing application which ran every week or so by itself.
Workarounds are going to exist plenty, it’s just a slap in the face. Especially because the Play Store is filled with malware. Apple’s strict rules are horrible for developers, but at least it’s not as riddled with malware.
PhAzE@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
I suspect this is designed to block revanced entirely. It won’t be able to install the apk it compiles or downloads, so apps won’t be able to update even if you have it installed via adb to begin with.
Gumus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
Revanced won’t be able to install, but you could still install manually the apk it creates. That’s what I do (not through adb though).
crumpted@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
All APKs will require a signed developer certificate.
I doubt they will be signing keys for developers who circumvent Google’s services, or that violate their ToS.
They’re copying this scheme from Apple in Europe, when it was forced to allow other app stores.
In that case, Apple revoked certificates for apps it didn’t like, such as P2P/torrents. Mind you, these were NOT apps that were not hosted on Apple’s App Store.
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 6 months ago
But ADB bypasses it.
(for now, at least)
radix@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I haven’t used revanced in a while, but Fennic + ubo + sponsor block should get you to basically the same place unless they’ve added new features since I used it last.
No separate app required.
frongt@lemmy.zip 6 months ago
That’s what it sounds like.
Mika@piefed.ca 6 months ago
Shizuku + Obtainium might still be an option.
pivot_root@lemmy.world 6 months ago
I wouldn’t count on it. I’m 100% expecting them to follow up on this in another updates, blocking devices from wirelessly debugging themselves for “security” reasons.
crumpted@sopuli.xyz 6 months ago
All APKs will need a valid Google developer signature.
Doesn’t matter if it’s installed from GitHub or F-Droid, no signature, no installation.
BroBot9000@lemmy.world 6 months ago
Google can go fuck itself.
Hopefully this will put some jet fuel into the Linux phone development.
cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
i wonder if it’s possible for fdroid or another app to make a linux/windows/osx app which basically uses an adb connection to automatically upload and install applications
railwhale@lemmy.nz 6 months ago
Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 6 months ago
So I guess I'm going to have to learn to use ADB.
nutsack@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
I believe side loaders for the meta quest already use it under the hood. maybe there’s potential to make a side loading app store
user224@lemmy.sdf.org 6 months ago
Easy but annoying.