Google: “Based on this feedback and our ongoing conversations with the community, we are building a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn’t verified. We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren’t tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure from a scammer. It will also include clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved, but ultimately, it puts the choice in their hands.”
Thank god. I would’ve ditched Android for good if this went through, and while it sounds like it would be annoying for casual users to enable unverified apps, at least we can still install them.
For now. You just wait. Evil corp is gonna evil corp it all up.
Eh, I’m probably gonna ditch that smartphone thing anyways, at least for a while. Android becoming a closed-off garden was the last straw and I was kinda looking forward trying to go without a phone to test if I can adapt. I started leaving the house without my phone more and more and I kinda like it.
Sure, it’s fun and convenient to have the Internet in my pocket. Heck, it’s even required in some cases, but this digital mess we are currently in is too much for me. I remember how I was looking forward having one back then; I was really looking forward having acces to the Interney wherever I was, but nowadays I kinda miss being less conected from all the bullshit especially when outside.
I guess I could get a linuxphone one day if I miss having a phone (if I somehow manage to completely remove the smartphone from my life in the first place).
No freaking way this was because of “feedback”. This was because the European Commission will keep escalating their fines if Google keeps at it with the monopoly bullshit.
My guess is they’re going to do what Microsoft do (or used to do until about 6 months ago) when you want to sideload anything on their consoles: They charge you. You buy dev access for your account and use it to unlock your phone.
We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren’t tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure from a scammer.
Translation: if they want scamware, it better be from Google Play, where Google gets a 30% cut. On top of the cut they got for the phishing link in Google Ads.
And if anything thinks I’m being hyperbolic, go on Google Play and search for pretty much anything. Or turn off your adblocker.
Helped a disabled pensioner recently with her phone that kept plaging loud obnoxious ads at her even while locked.
She had 4 different “virus scanners” that were all fake adware.
Google: "Based on this feedback and our ongoing conversations with the community, we are building a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn’t verified.
And we will NEVER trust you again because we know you’ll retry this next year or so in a few smaller steps that all have cutesy innocent names that are supposed to lull us in a false sense of security
Fuck Google, stop paying them for anything, stop using their services wherever possible.
Wait, so Google listened to our feedback, and we’re still mad? What would a positive outcome have looked like?
I think it was fairly obvious that the move was going to piss people off, they just misjudged to what extent. Modern business strategy is to claim to listen to customer feedback and just quietly plan to implement it anyway, just do it more subtly, more quietly, and more slowly.
It’s still worse than before. Really need to break mobile away from Google and Apple. Preferably as close to standard Linux as possible
AOSP makes a lot more sense to me. We just need to adopt Graphene or Lineage en masse and start contributing to support more devices, grow that out into a real alternative with support for the already existing android app ecosystem, and real alternatives to Google Play services
Graphene doesn’t fix the problem because it’s only available on Pixel devices
I’m just waiting for the moment Valve also decides to enter the mobile market :)
Well, they do have few mobile devices with Ryzen and QC chips, they have been investing heavily in Linux OS recently, so crossing fingers Libre phone would collaborate with them to release Libre Phone Black Magick to the gamers, that would sway a big chunk of Android enthusiasts to switch, and then apps would follow.
If they decide to make the Steam Deck 2 actually a Steam Phone with controller attachments that could be a way for them to enter the mobile hardware.
It’s not sideloading, it’s installing. Stop giving into this idea that installing other apps is somehow bypassing normal methods!
We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren’t tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure from a scammer. It will also include clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved, but ultimately, it puts the choice in their hands.
The current system requires user to enable developer options, which is already hidden behind a
darkobscure pattern (tapping the Build number multiple times) then enabling the installation of apps of unknown sources for specific apps, which also comes with a warning.It’s basically what we have already, so cut the bullshit and leave it be.
dark pattern
This is not what dark pattern means.
Also, I don’t think enabling developer options is required to install arbitrary APKs.
Err, that’s not true on the last fee devices I’ve used, Pixels and a Fairphone. Installing apps from APK files doesn’t require me to enable dev options. In fact trying to install an APK from say Files brings me straight to the permission setting. It’s also per-app. It can be accessed under Settings > Apps > Special app access > Install unknown apps.
That’s not a dark pattern…
That’s not what the phrase “dark pattern” means.
Google is paving the ground for Linuxphones.
It’s so blatantly obvious how evil they’ve become that it makes striving for alternatives a necessity.… continues to make Play Integrity an integral part of Android and making all the stupid banking and govt apps requiring having it on your phone thus making it harder to de-google.
still no… fuck you.
If this flow existed once for disabling the entire feature permanently, I would be okay with it. But it seems like they are going to intentionally make installing any software they don’t get a piece of painful to install every time. That is not an acceptable compromise.
good but the little trust i had is now gone. i want to switch to alternatives now.
victory is ours
