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Google's Epic Response: Android 12 Will Make It Easier To Install App Stores (venturebeat.com) 44

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
Google today announced it will make it easier to install and use third-party app stores with the release of Android 12 next year. From a report: Google also reiterated its existing Payments Policy for in-app purchases of digital goods: Android developers who want to distribute apps and games on Google Play, must use Play's billing system. Google is offering a 1-year grace period for developers who aren't complying with this policy: The deadline is September 30, 2021. Today's announcements today are a direct response to Epic's war with Apple and Google over the 30% cut they take of every purchase on the iOS App Store and the Google Play store, respectively. On August 13, Epic updated Fornite for Android and iOS to use its own billing service, resulting in Apple and Google deleting Fortnite from their app stores. Epic then turned around and sued both tech giants. The lawsuits could define how all developers, from individuals to massive corporations, distribute apps on the world's duopoly of mobile operating systems.
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Google's Epic Response: Android 12 Will Make It Easier To Install App Stores More

Google's Epic Response: Android 12 Will Make It Easier To Install App Stores

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  • If F-droid [f-droid.org] becomes able to properly update apps on a stock Android install then this is a big thing. If not, then Google is just cheating to avoid liability. Let's wait and see.

  • If app stores are like steering wheels in your car analogy, do we count them as interchangeable? Do all steering wheels have a good quality airbag? Similarly, should all app stores be required to meet certain regulated standards? Does that mean that your app store availability will be based on your geographic location? Region of purchase?

    This will be interesting to watch in the coming years. I normally only see talk of F-Droid from people who like to tinker with their phones. I'm not sure whether the idea o

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by bws111 ( 1216812 )

      Why would you compare app stores to steering wheels? Just compare them to stores. What 'regulated standards' do you think stores must meet? If you don't like what a store is offering, or you don't think they are secure enough or whatever, shop somewhere else.

      • Why would you compare app stores to steering wheels? Just compare them to stores. What 'regulated standards' do you think stores must meet?

        LOL at your thinking retail stores don't have scores of regulated standards they have to follow.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by clive27 ( 889511 )
        If you only have either Amazon or Walmart and they both charge you the same. "shop somewhere else" doesn't really work.
        • Um, start your own store? Cooperate with others to do that? If you only have Amazon and Walmart and they're giving you a raw deal, I'd call that a "business opportunity". Don't be passive.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Merk42 ( 1906718 )
            Clearly because if a person has enough money to buy toilet paper at Amazon/Walmart, they have enough money to start their own multimillion dollar corporation.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by bws111 ( 1216812 )

          Of course it does. Do you think either would still offer that price if the other one wasn't there?

        • Then your options are Amazon, Walmart and direct deals with suppliers. If the manufacturers/suppliers say no then you have the option to go buy a different product. If you donâ(TM)t have an alternative product then the option might be to make your own or go without. Everyone is subject to the laws of nature at some stage, so you will always have options.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Google will keep providing anti malware anyway, so if one does go rogue they can just delete it from your device and clean up the mess.

    • It's not about if it's easy for your sister in law to install FDroid, it's about someone being able to do it in general. Like the usual car analogy, it's about allowing you to buy parts and services for your car beyond just what the manufacturer offers/suggests. A large portion of users might not use those options, but for the ones that do, it offers (and can force through market pressure) better prices, quality, and innovation that is felt by all users.

    • car analogy is apple wants dealer only for all
      Repair
      Upgrades / options
      Add ons (even XM subs must be billed with apple)
      In car data must buy with apple.
      etc

      • The intent is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking different ~~heroes~~ apps.

        ~~-EA~~
        -Apple

  • Sideloading (Score:5, Funny)

    by sinij ( 911942 ) on Monday September 28, 2020 @12:43PM (#60551000)
    I don't normally Linux, but when I do Linux I do everything as root.

    • What on earth does that have to do with this? Sideloading doesn't mean root. Literally the only difference in loading an application from outside the play store is that the app signature hasn't been verified by Google. It's literally no different from installing a .deb or .rpm manually, since you're installing an apk.

      I don't think you know anything about Android.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by sinij ( 911942 )
        If I make it a more accurate statement, most interesting man joke stop working. So instead I generalized platform. So I said Linux and not Android.

        Pedant.

  • The only way I can see this working out properly is if Google and Apple change their app stores to be an actual "store" rather than a marketplace. Nobody would give Best Buy a hard time about making a profit on items they sell in their store. The issue is that they aren't set up like a flea market. Now, perhaps Google and Apple could get by with some sort of flea market style fee structure to their app stores, but only if there is an alternative.

    As for things like Nintendo or Playstation online stores, I

    • Well, with your idea they would still be providing the infrastructure that others use to drive discovery of their apps. Essentially they would be getting free marketing from Google.

      Honestly, I don't see what Epic's problem is with Android. They can make a competing "game store" like they did on PC when they weren't happy with Steam. It's not as good as Steam and no one wants to use it, but that's a free market choice by consumers. Some people are willing to install their store to get the games they want

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by quall ( 1441799 )

      "To get certification as "Apple-safe" or "Google-safe" you would need to pay a fee when you submit your app. To me, that would cover all their bases."

      Google still cannot guarantee that the developer isn't some malicious person selling my CC info. The certificate would be meaningless. Forcing apps to go through the Google Play payment system would eliminate that risk. I will have to consciously install the app outside of Google's secure marketplace if I wanted to use those apps (which google is also making i

  • I didn't upgrade my photo this year because google block call recording in Android 10.
    Is this feature back ?

    My Samsung note 8 have this by default.

  • Yep, give Epic enough rope to hang themselves. They'll put out their app store, with their sub-standard payment processing, and only Epic's own games will use it. Just like all the vendors' app stores that come on Android handsets now. My main experience with Epic billing was a disaster that I circumvented by using the iOS version that went through Apple's billing infrastructure, which worked. Hopefully getting open marketplaces like F-droid onto a device will become easier in the process. Most softwar

  • I mean sure I had to click a link, then click install AND acknowledge a siderloader warning. Oh the humanity. On some devices I even had to turn on the sideload functionality something which the OS took me to automatically. 3 clicks instead of 1, I only just got through it alive. Honestly F-Droid could have given me RSI with all those clicks.

    Thanks Google for considering my health.

    Also Epic are useless morons. No doubt their answer will be to introduce the Epic store to Android, it'll be buggy as crap, offe

    • They probably start hosting third-party games on the Android Epic Games Store and start offering free games every week to increase their userbase.

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