10mo ago

Android apps can now force Google Play download, effectively blocking sideloading

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19650358

Through an updated Google API, Android app developers can now effectively block sideloading and force downloads from the Play Store.

27 comments

Isn't that a textbook monopolistic practices lawsuit?
- Sounds more like DRM, since it's for developers to choose whether or not to disable side loading their apps
  
  Well, that will make it easy to uninstall apps.
  All my homies download from fdroid
  
  But the picture I saw said "get this app from play" not, "get this app from a trusted store". That to me does not read DRM.
- Not really since it's opt in for the developers who chose to distribute only on the play store
I guess the next step in piracy is to change the apk enough that it doesn’t get recognized correctly, if that’s possible? Though then everyone will have to worry about malware-ridden apps.
I think this is horrible, aside from piracy, because you may want or need to stay on an older version of an app. I have had to for devices at work that require a specific version or just an easy way to manage the device and ensure devices only got updates we approved through our MDM.
Right in the monopoly back you go
Google made this available so they can encourage developers to use it and say "we're not a monopoly, the developers are adding the check" and see how long they can get away with it.
I wonder how that will work for graphene os devices with the sandboxed Google services
- This DRM is built in to Play Integrity, and GrapheneOS only passes the basic check, so apps using this DRM won't work.
  Stronger levels of Play Integrity don't work on GOS anyway, so hopefully devs won't use this feature either.
  Spoofing Play Integrity works with rooted phones, although it breaks from time to time.
I wonder if the latest "play integrity fix" module could solve that problem. Its already allowing me to use bank apps on my rooted phone, so I assume it would let me sideload too if the integrity was "fixed". Google is making more problems with paid solutions.
This is going to be a pain in the ass for sometime. Almost all the apps that has sell something through google play will use that API now.
Lucky patcher will fix this.
laughs in revanced
Fucking hell just when I decided to get my first pixel after leaving Samsung
- Pixels have really good custom Roms available.
  
  But what breaks though? I heard android auto is broke with Graphene. AA is a requirement for me
  Edit: apparently AA broke on a crap ton of Custom Roms including CalyxOS
- This isn't just a pixel thing tho?
  
  Yeah but I was thinking about iOS again since I could upgrade phones. If google is going to make android like iOS why stay,...?
  Edit: FYI I had a jailbroken Dopamine iPhone
The comeback of crack and medicines!

27 comments