this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2025
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Well there actually is a problem this can help solve. Malware. There are other concerns that are bigger motivators for Google, but the ability to lock shit down can help control security issues.
Most people can’t get the software they run on their devices. The idea of “you can trust me, bro” is fucking dumb, even in the open-source world. This helps nerf this for the stupid people who buy this shit. It’s a priority because there are more stupid people willing to buy a product and put up with its bullshit than there are smart people willing to put in the effort themselves.
But also money.
Most of the malware on Android is already on the Play Store. I mean that both in a snarky and sarcastic fashion, but also literally.
This is unfortunately true. I’m not saying this is something that will stop all malware or that I even like the damn thing. But it does have some valid uses.
In principle I disagree. This is more of Google asserting control. Maybe it would be legitimate if the Play Store wasn’t an absolute mess, but I’d probably disagree even then.
As a user who paid for the hardware, you should expect to have full control of your device, including the option to install your own software from alternative sources, or even replace the OS. Google, Samsung, et al aren’t paying you for the device, it’s yours. The only reason I can see here is for more end user control and yet more personal data mining.
I only marginally excuse Apple and iOS because it was a walled garden up front and they’ve made no qualms about it, you know what you’re buying. They’ve also implemented at least some debate of user privacy and limiting data sharing.
Google released Android originally as a fairly open system and have been tightening the reins as they’ve achieved market dominance.
That’s absolutely a motivator for Google but simply leaving things open ended also means they can’t enforce anything at all.
Scammer: -releases scammer shady product- Google: we don’t want you using our products to scam users. We are blocking this. Scammer: fine, I’ll throw it on an alt store and create errors when it’s run on an unmodified device. I’ll just require users switch to scamROM. Google: fine, we’ll let you in the play store.
See? There’s no winning here.
No, the answer there is if scammers release scammy software and it’s not on the Play Store, that’s it. They’ve done their part and my job is to not be a tool and be careful if I’m sideloading, use things like VirusTotal, or otherwise just not install software that’s not vetted or open source where I can review the code. Nothing forces a user to use “ScamROM” or whatever example.
I don’t want Google policing my activity on my device.
I don’t want it either but you and I are not their only customers. We aren’t even in the majority of their customers. Most users want a Skinner box to look at porn and cat videos. That’s who Google is prioritizing.
It should be as easy to do as enabling developer options on your android. Tap a certain thing several times in a row and it unlocks it, permanently.
But then you have the user problem. Convince the user to bypass a security function for you and it won’t stop you. It’s really easy to trick users.