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Google must crack open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge (www.theverge.com)
submitted 6 days ago by Blaze@lemmy.zip to c/android@lemdro.id
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[-] potentiallynotfelix@lemdro.id 1 points 12 hours ago

I hope google gets fucked up the ass with this, because the play store is a cancerous app store thats giving android as a whole a bad name. I trust F-droid about 50x as much as I trust the play store just because of it promoting honesty and transparency from app developers. At this point, if I want an app that's not on f droid, I usually just won't get it.

[-] jonesy@aussie.zone 31 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Google also can’t:

Share app revenue “with any person or entity that distributes Android apps” or plans to launch an app store or app platform

Offer developers money or perks to launch their apps on the Play Store exclusively or first

Offer developers money or perks not to launch their apps on rival stores

Ok, now do Epic and their paid exclusive practices.

[-] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago

They won't, because the reason these are being implemented is because Google is considered a monopoly.

It's not about making a fair playing field. Anti-monopoly stuff is about giving other companies advantages to help them compete.

[-] pivot_root@lemmy.world 10 points 6 days ago

But Timmy is the king of "rules for thee but not for me"

[-] asexualchangeling@lemmy.ml 8 points 6 days ago

WOW the hypocrisy

[-] smeg@feddit.uk 21 points 6 days ago

Offer device makers or carriers money or perks to preinstall the Play Store

Does this cover GApps in general, I wonder?

it wanted ... Google to stop being able to tie Android APIs to Google Play.

I feel this would have been really big news

The Apple case is already over, and Apple mostly won

Seems crazy that Google is forced to open up when Android is already kind of open but Apple get away with keeping iOS very closed

Offer developers money or perks to launch their apps on the Play Store exclusively or first

Lol, as if Epic got away with this given that it's exactly what they do with PC games!

[-] Xatolos@reddthat.com 6 points 6 days ago

Seems crazy that Google is forced to open up when Android is already kind of open but Apple get away with keeping iOS very closed

Offer developers money or perks to launch their apps on the Play Store exclusively or first

Not only that, but Apple is still allowed to offer developers money/perks for exclusively as well but Google can't. This reads more like a pro-Apple wish list.

[-] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 18 points 6 days ago

and it must give rival third-party app stores access to the full catalog of Google Play apps, unless developers opt out individually.

Is it just me or does this part sound a little weird?
So every alternative app store will be a perfect clone of Play's app offering? Potentially without the app devs even knowing since it's a opt-out? huh?

[-] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago

Sounds that way to me.

Which means developers being expected by users to support installation and updating through systems they don't use. Because we know that users have common sense and would never expect the unreasonable, especially from small devs.

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

This is very dumb. So if a purchase a google play store app in epic store who gets the cut, what is the cut. Does google take their percentage and then epic takes theirs.

[-] Toes@ani.social 15 points 6 days ago

I'm confused about this.

You can already run third party sourced apps on android so what are they fighting about?

I'm assuming it has something to do with the payment processor?

[-] HexadecimalSky@lemmy.world 14 points 6 days ago

Reading this, it's my understanding this ruling says Google must host rival "app store" apps in Google play store and must provide them with a copy of all apps on the playstore for them to distribute. Developers do not opt in to the new app-stores, but they can opt out.

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

So who gets the money for that?

[-] helenslunch@feddit.nl 1 points 4 days ago

If it's an app, Google. If it's an app store, presumably there would be no charge unless you downloaded another app from that app store, in which case the alt store would presumably apply the same BS fees Google does.

[-] HexadecimalSky@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

If you mean who gets the money from app purchases etc.; The ruling also says Google play billing cannot be required, so each app/developer can use whatever payment processor they want

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 4 points 6 days ago

Yes, the article explains that.

[-] 30p87@feddit.org 1 points 6 days ago

Google will have to distribute rival third-party app stores within Google Play, and it must give rival third-party app stores access to the full catalog of Google Play apps, unless developers opt out individually.

Both of those are completely irrelevant tho. Nobody cares about other app stores being available in the playstore, and aurora already can install any app of the playstore.

[-] Eldritch@lemmy.world 20 points 6 days ago

It's very relevant. Currently I would have to tell someone of said app stores existence. But then would have to hope they could find it first. Then figure out how to sideload after that. Now I could just say. Go get fdroid etc etc etc and install stuff from there. Much simpler and easier.

[-] d0ntpan1c@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 6 days ago

Even so, google being forced this way will make app installation/updates much more convenient for non-root and oem-rom users. And ensure rhe aurora store or a future iteration of it aren't going to flag peoples accounts for google to take action against them.

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

You know Aurora isn’t an App Store right. Just a front end for google play store.

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

And Aurora isn’t an App Store.

[-] ninjabard@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

If Tim Sweeney disappeared from the face of this planet, nothing of value would be lost.

[-] Xatolos@reddthat.com 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Google also can’t:

Share app revenue “with any person or entity that distributes Android apps” or plans to launch an app store or app platform Offer developers money or perks to launch their apps on the Play Store exclusively or first Offer developers money or perks not to launch their apps on rival stores

So basically, hand Apple a monopoly over the smartphone duopoly. Apple still will be allowed to do this, and they have done this already in the past. Wow, way to make sure the free market stays free.

Worst part is, because this is a government made monopoly, Apple can't be taken to court for monopoly behavior. Apple didn't do anything here to make this happen, but will laugh all the way to the bank for it.

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

What I don’t get who gets the money if every app in the App Store must be on the third party store.

[-] a1studmuffin@aussie.zone 2 points 6 days ago

Nice, I hope YouTube is next.

this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2024
102 points (94.7% liked)

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