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My entire job relies on an app not on the Play Store. I wonder how this change is going to affect business. They're hiring a lot of people like they either have a backup plan or no idea what's coming.
My boss is Gen Z and as such she's tech illiterate, so she doesn't really understand what I'm trying to say when I voice my concerns.
God I'm such a millennial because I never thought I'd read the sentence "she's gen Z and as such she's tech illiterate." I always figured the next couple generations would just experiment and figure shit out like we did but, phones became the default. Crazy.
While there is definitely an oddly surprising amount of z'ers who seem to barely get tech, I would like to biasedly add that the older of us are largely tech literate, of course exceptions apply. We grew up with computers in the home and at the very least know our way around a file browser. But some folks just a few years under me don't have any other tech then there phones and don't seem to care or even think about pc's.
Got a new job recently and the other person training with me didn't own any kind of pc and said that she didn't like them. It was weird to me I kept asking her like but what about when you need one and it didn't seem that she ever did. As a tech addled fiend I can't fully comprehend this, I can only get by with my phone for so long on certain tasks before I put it down and pull out my computer. But to each their own I guess?
Yeah I feel that. Some things I just find a computer so much easier than a phone to do. Man I hate making spread sheets on my phone so much, give me a keyboard please!
No, it won't.
It's nice that an American company will enforce a 24-hour cooling-off period for the installation of a few 1s and 0s on a device I already own.
They wouldn't do this for the purchase of a firearm.
This biting satirical take is brought to you by a disillusioned Android user seriously thinking about switching to an iPhone. If a walled garden is inevitable I might as well go where most stuff gets developed for first.
The comment about the firearm comparison really got me. That is so fucking true.
They wouldn’t do this for the purchase of a firearm.
A little more than 1/4 of states (14) have a mandatory waiting period for buying guns ranging from 3 days to 30 days.
That's still 36 states too many without.
on a device I already own
It seems that's less true than we had thought.
I have to admit I'm in the same boat, ive been on android for 15 years, but if they take away Graphene Im just switching to iPhone, at least then I won't get complaints from friends and family about lack of Imessage.
PSA: GrapheneOS is not affected by this, one of many good reasons to use it.
I'd switch but it's not available for my Fold 7, and I don't want to get a different foldable because I like that this one is as thin and light as a non-foldable when folded. Plus I actually like the gimmicks exclusive to Samsungs (Good Lock is a game-changer). Do I even have any other OS options for this device? Pretty sure the bootloader is uncrackable due to some BS tamper-evident seal in the hardware itself.
(And no, I won't get a regular phone. Once you go foldable, there's no going back. The benefits far outweigh the negatives.)
Will other custom ROMs still allow for sideloading? Like PostmarketOS, e/OS/, LineageOS etc.?
Yes, custom ROMs are not affected, this is just Google bullshit.
Yes, and PostmarketOS isn't even Android
Right, honestly forgot about that. Not something I use personally, but hear a lot of buzz about. Anyhow, could a good thing be then to support companies like Fairphone, who sells their phones with e/OS/ already installed? I'll try and recommend it to my friends, if that is the case.
It is still going to affect us indirectly. The problem is that Google is demanding developers to go through KYC even if they are not distributing their app through the Play Store. Not going through with it means nobody with a stock device will be able to install their app, unless they do that crazy workaround Google claims is going to implement.
This means open source app developers will be called to choose between doxing themselves to Google, or keep developing for us, the 0.01% who is on custom ROMs. It's not hard to imagine that many will just decide to move on and invest their time on doing something else.
You should read that link you posted because your info is out of date
If you are referring to the suggested "advanced flow" this is what I am referring to as "crazy workaround" in my original comment. And in practice that doesn't mean anything.
Until Google provides a shipping implementation that can be independently verified, our position remains unchanged: all apps from non-registered developers will be blocked once their lockdown goes into effect in September 2026.
It means there is no demand for KYC, as you suggested.
Yes, you do. Unless you are developing an app just for your friends, or you expect everyone not on a custom ROM to go through the ridiculous "advanced flow".
In addition to the advanced flow we’re building free, limited distribution accounts for students and hobbyists. This allows you to share apps with a small group (up to 20 devices) without needing to provide a government-issued ID or pay a registration fee. This ensures Android remains an open platform for learning and experimentation while maintaining robust protections for the broader community.
The above is from the official update by Google.
No, you don't.
or you expect everyone not on a custom ROM to go through the ridiculous "advanced flow".
That is the expectation.
If you expect regular users to go through with this ridiculous process you are just naive. Anyone who distributes their app through something like F-Droid will either, have to choose between going through with giving Google their ID or lose 85% of their users, if they are lucky.
What I expect is not up for debate. The fact is that your statement is wrong.
Anyone who can go through the current process can easily go through this new one.
GraphenOS is supported only by Pixel. So we're waiting for a port to other devices! Although I think it's impossible, since only Pixel has a security chip.
Oh, that's pretty cool. I think I'll consider switching to GrapheneOS in the coming months.
If only the procedure was the same for their own store.. there's soo much crappy adware there.
My mom's phone is filled with so much adware from the damn sponsored apps in Googleplay she can barely use the phone unless I wipe it every three months.
When I checked the security, it was still set to not allow unverified apps and yet...
Have you considered switching her to a child account and then simply disabling app installs? Or just disable the Play Store entirely via ADB.
If Google actually cared about security they ought to stop Samsung from automatically installing TEMU and Candy Crush in their random "updates". It installs that shit whether or not you remove the check marks. The "updates" contain no further updates.
Weird, I've never had that issue on neither my Fold 3, nor my current Fold 7. The GF's Flip 3 doesn't have that issue either.
Maybe it's something Samsung does on their non-Flagships to make a little extra money?
Yes it is. Their entire vendor shit can go to hell. I don't need a Samsung app-store, Samsung photos, Samsung parental controls etc. on a cheap phone that already has Google's versions of the same crap. It's like having 2 operating systems in constant conflict on the same phone, and the only real purpose is for Samsung to collect your data.
Do you have to go through this procedure for every APK or just once?
If it's for every side loaded app, does this include updates of already installed APKs?
That would make the system actual more insecure
Advanced flow sounds like a naturopathic prostate therapy.
You'll have to pry apk installation out of my dying hands.
Whelp, looks like I'm spending my PTO week installing a new OS in my pixel and trying to make bank/payment shit work.
Or you just turn off system updates and keep using the flow you have now.
