this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2026
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Android

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[–] lengau@midwest.social 13 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Meanwhile Apple's just over there ruling their walled garden with an iron fist and nobody seems to care.

[–] Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Apple is getting slapped by the same EU institutions. They won't get away scott free either.

[–] lengau@midwest.social 1 points 2 hours ago

This lawsuit is in the US.

[–] Moltz@lemmy.ml 18 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Anyone go to jail, any business-crushing fines pushed on Google? No? Well gosh, it would appear it is acceptable

[–] Peffse@lemmy.world 104 points 14 hours ago (4 children)

soooo.... nobody is going to bring up to the judge how Google is adding many more steps to install software outside Play Store?

Do all apps in Epic store and Amazon App Store get an exception from this new rule or something?

[–] joe@lemmy.world 10 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (2 children)

Do all apps in Epic store and Amazon App Store get an exception from this new rule or something?

I just installed the one currently available app store (which frankly and beside the point, seems like garbage) and installing an app from it goes through the same process as, say, downloading an app from GitHub via the browser and being prompted to give permission to the browser to install APKs.

I'm guessing it's going to run into the sideloading issue in 140 days, and at that time I'm (just) guessing they'll have cause to bring it to a judge to discuss it.

I'd like to say that Google would see the writing on the wall and just drop the sideloading nonsense, but the process they implemented by order of the court seems like malicious compliance; it takes several extra steps to install an app store from Google play than any other app. That suggests to me they're not going to do anything in good faith and wait for the court to force them.

[–] Abyssian@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

The one "currently available" app store where? There are many of them.

[–] joe@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

The one you can install via Google's Play Store.

It's literally the topic of the entire thread.

[–] Abyssian@lemmy.world 0 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

The cases decision was about rival app stores in general. The bulk of those aren't on Google's marketplace.

[–] joe@lemmy.world 1 points 7 hours ago (1 children)
[–] SHY_TUCKER@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Does everyone here have a paid subscription to The Verge? I'm on lemmy. There's never or rarely, a post here that isn't behind a paywall. Is there some trick I am missing out on?

[–] joe@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Is there some trick I am missing out on?

If the site shows you the whole article and then throws up some annoying popup that prevents you from reading it, it's almost certainly using JavaScript to do that. (This is most of them.)

In these instances, disable JavaScript for that site. Google will help you figure out how to do that for your specific browser. Once JS is disabled, reload the page, if you haven't already.

Slightly preachy sidebar: it's safer to browse the internet with javascript off and enable it only as needed. There are probably browser extensions for whatever browser you use to make toggling javascript for a specific site less annoying than digging into the site settings.

Edit: some browsers have a built in "reading mode" that can circumvent these paywalls. Not always, though.

[–] Lojcs@piefed.social 0 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

There is an advantage to app stores, they can update apps they installed without user interaction.

[–] AmyAye@nord.pub 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Auto updates are not always good. They often add enshitification new "features".

One example I experienced. I stopped Duolingo from updating for months. Because the update removed the ability to get unlimited energy by joining a classroom. Now that its updated it sucks because I have the stupid energy system and can't just do lessons all I want, I am basically stuck at 2 per day.

I can of course, subscribe, to get rid of this limit, but the subscription pricing and even ability feels incredibly obfuscated, which makes me want to now. I want to say its also a bit pricey.

[–] Lojcs@piefed.social 1 points 3 hours ago

I didn't say auto updates are always good and they should be enforced, it's just that if you want them you can get them by installing from an app store but not by installing from a browser

[–] joe@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

I'd disagree that auto updates are really an advantage, however my point was that the upcoming changes to sideloading apps (which includes a 24 hour wait to enable sideloading) will probably apply to apps installed via third party app stores. I'm basing this on the fact that third party app stores seem to leverage the same mechanism as sideloading apps from other sources, like via the browser.

[–] DupaCycki@lemmy.world 29 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

Our entire economic system depends on judges being 100 years old and knowing nothing about current technology.

[–] trebach@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago

Even if we had the judge from the Oracle vs Google case regarding APIs, that would be a step up. He knew programming from doing some in BASIC.

[–] Tiral@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Tell me about it. I'd kill for a presidential candidate who knew how to connect to a wifi network on their own, or attach a file in Gmail and send it.

[–] CCMan1701A@startrek.website 4 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

You want to run? What's your take on beans and corn?

[–] pnwpixel@programming.dev 1 points 3 hours ago

The kind of hard hitting journalism we need in these times...

[–] AmyAye@nord.pub -1 points 5 hours ago

Beans are gross, corn is tasty.

[–] tinsuke@lemmy.world 31 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

As I understand it, even apps distributed by other stores need to be registered with and pay ~~Sauron~~ Google.

[–] ChristerMLB@piefed.social 2 points 4 hours ago

I think Sauron should be our nickname for Peter Thiel, actually

[–] HerbGrower@slrpnk.net 7 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

From next month isn't it? For people using Google Android anyway, pretty sure Calyx and Graphene are fine.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 9 hours ago

AFAIK it's specifically google play services that enforces it, if you don't have that on the phone then you're fine.

[–] HerbGrower@slrpnk.net 3 points 11 hours ago

Isn't the epic and Amazon store fine, as long as they are not preventing you from installing something without their shitty store

[–] Carighan@piefed.world 25 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

I mean yeah I get that it's not okay to make it different, even though I also of course get that you want the user to be aware what they're doing.

But still, come the fuck on Google.

And come the FUCK on judges, don't let Apple get away with their walled-garden bullshit even harder than Google ever tried! Rake them HARD!

[–] Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works 1 points 3 hours ago

Exactly what I thought too, Apple over there pointing and laughing.

[–] manxu@piefed.social 12 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

It's sad we have to rely on judges for this. There are two entire branches of government that can put an end to this any time they want. They just don't want to. Despite the people they supposedly represent definitely wanting it.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 9 hours ago (2 children)

Even more basic: Why are people just taking this? Why do so few people care?

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago

One of the great ironies of modern life is that people are often disinterested in the workings of the systems we build as a society, while those systems define so much of our lives. It takes time and effort and interest to learn these things, and most people lack at least one of those The folks here on Lemmy tend to be more plugged in than most people, but I'm willing to bet that there are areas where we have big blind spots in terms of the systems around us as well.

[–] joe@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

What would not "taking it" look like?

[–] voytrekk@sopuli.xyz 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Swapping to a different operating system. Could be an Android fork like GrapheneOS, eOS, or something else. Could also be a Linux phone.

Only the former is ready for primetime, and it is the option that I chose. Fortunately we will be able to buy a phone that doesn't give Google money in the future.

[–] joe@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

I do happen to run GrapheneOS on my phone, but I don't think it actually does anything to hurt Google, even ignoring the fact that GrapheneOS currently only supports the pixel line of phones.

Running GrapheneOS is certainly more private, but as far as the Google Play Store is concerned, it's not really much different than owning any other Android phone and just not using the google play store.

[–] Zedstrian@sopuli.xyz 31 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Now do the same for Apple.

[–] JustEnoughDucks@slrpnk.net 27 points 14 hours ago

"And google ignored a judicial ordered and got fined 1€"