this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2024
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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.

top 29 comments
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[–] TheEighthDoctor 66 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Isn't that a textbook monopolistic practices lawsuit?

[–] [email protected] 36 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Sounds more like DRM, since it's for developers to choose whether or not to disable side loading their apps

[–] HurlingDurling 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Well, that will make it easy to uninstall apps.

All my homies download from fdroid

[–] Zak 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Apps on F-Droid are not using proprietary Google APIs and won't be affected.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Okay good. That was my main concern since I opt to download the same app from F-droid over Google play if it is an option.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

It's a problem if you need a fucking banking app for example, and the bank won't let you sideload it and you're running a deGoogled OS. Then you suddenly need a backup phone with the full surveillance Android just to do banking.

[–] TheEighthDoctor 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

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.

[–] FlowVoid 8 points 2 weeks ago

Because the developers want to check whether you got the app from the Play Store.

If the developers don't care where you get the app from, then they won't check.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So you're saying it should allow for developers to allow exclusive installation from third party stores as well? Like amazon? Fair.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

But is there anything stopping them from implementing that?

Afaik this is just a Google play API and the app checks using the API if the current user is licenced or not. Why couldn't just any other store just do the same thing?

[–] FlowVoid 3 points 2 weeks ago

They can. IIRC, Amazon apps would check to make sure the Amazon App Store was still installed. And I'm pretty sure Netflix games stop working when you unsubscribe from Netflix

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

Not really since it's opt in for the developers who chose to distribute only on the play store

[–] [email protected] 25 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

The app checks if the current user is licenced so you would have to crack the DRM to bypass it. It's not like the DRM is simply a filehash and all you have to do to avoid it is to change a byte or two.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 weeks ago

Right in the monopoly back you go

[–] essteeyou 16 points 2 weeks ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I wonder how that will work for graphene os devices with the sandboxed Google services

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

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.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

laughs in revanced

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Lucky patcher will fix this.

[–] Wrongdoer4094 5 points 2 weeks ago

The comeback of crack and medicines!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Fucking hell just when I decided to get my first pixel after leaving Samsung

[–] sfjvvssss 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Pixels have really good custom Roms available.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

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

[–] sfjvvssss 1 points 2 weeks ago

That might be a showstopper and I don't know anything about AA when it comes to custom roms.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This isn't just a pixel thing tho?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

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