Misread this and thought they were deleting the Play store app itself, not apps in the store lol
The worst part is that it would be pretty on-brand for Google to do something like that.
I mean, I know lemmy has an open source hardon and hates anything walled, but is this really such a bad thing? Google is getting rid of a bunch of shitty apps and risky apps. Nothing is stopping you from still sideloading them if you really need them.
I really fail to see the actual issue aside from “google bad”
Did you read the article? Simple text and PDF readers are in the cross hairs. Apps that aren’t “engaging” are in the cross hairs.
I expect developers of perfectly fine apps will have to manually vet those apps with Google.
Yeah, I read it. Didn’t think much of it. Are those apps that common? Don’t use them, as my browser can read pdf and text files.
Sounds more like some fringe apps will get caught in the cross hairs. Still sounds like a good change for the average end user. For the average power user, it won’t make a difference imo.
The days of Google encouraging third-party stores and users to sideload apps regardless of origin are long gone. We are fast approaching Play becoming as near a simile to Apple’s App Store as we could ever see.
I think it’s a stretch to say that Google ever encouraged side loading. But if their plan is to eliminate it all together, that’s a pretty scary thing. I don’t think it’ll go over well in Europe either.
I’ll go to iOS again if google takes away sideloading. Android already gave in to lose the expandable storage and headphone jack. What’s left???
Manufacturers gave in, had nothing to do with Android.
Android still supports expandable storage and headphone jacks just fine. I recently bought a Sony Xperia 5 V and it has both.
That quote comes out of nowhere. Changing the policies on their store has no effect on side loading software on the os, which still supports it.
Reminder that if they can forcibly delete the app from your phone, you don’t own your phone
They’re not doing that.
