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However, you can't install other app stores from the Play Store itself. That seems pretty anti-competitive. Google also bans ad-blockers from its Play Store. Wh
by mtgx 8y ago
However, you can't install other app stores from the Play Store itself. That seems pretty anti-competitive. Google also bans ad-blockers from its Play Store. Why? Because they interfere with its business model. Again, anti-competitive. No different than Verizon banning Skype from its network.
It's a shame the EC didn't hit Google over these, too.
- lern_too_spel 8y agoYou can install ad blocking web browsers just fine. The rule is that you can't publish an app that interferes with another app.
- uxp100 8y agoIt's kinda a chain of trust. One of the value of the Play Store is that you trust it not to include malware (if you do). If they allowed other app stores to be installed through it, google can't be confident in saying if you use our store, you won't get malware.
- scarface74 8y agoYou trust the Google Play Store not to have malware?
- lern_too_spel 8y agoIt's certainly far more trustworthy than the iOS app store and Chinese app stores, all by a wide margin.
- scarface74 8y agoBased on what metric? Google doesn’t even pretend to review apps and the Google app permissions framework is laughable.
- lern_too_spel 8y agoBased on total malware installs, where Apple has everybody beat by even just Xcodeghost alone. Google doesn't pretend that manually reviewing apps prevents malware because it obviously (to any software engineer) doesn't. It does, however do both static and dynamic analysis of the apps in its store, unlike Apple and the Chinese app stores.
- scarface74 8y agoAnd that really hasn’t help. Xcodeghost basically affected the Chinese App Store where app authors downloaded a non Apple hosted version of Xcode. https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-mobile-android-vs-ios-which-is-more-secure.html https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-mobile-android-vs-ios... https://www.sophos.com/en-us/security-news-trends/security-trends/malware-goes-mobile.aspx https://www.sophos.com/en-us/security-news-trends/security-t... That doesn’t even consider all of the unpatched Android security holes. https://www.esecurityplanet.com/mobile-security/how-secure-is-android-if-google-wont-patch.html https://www.esecurityplanet.com/mobile-security/how-secure-i... Or the fact that most Android phones are running older versions that will never get patched. https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/ https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/ Compared to iPhones running the latest versions.... https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ios-distribution-news/ https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ios-distribution-news/
- lern_too_spel 8y agoThere is no "Chinese app store" for iDevices. Anybody who downloaded WeChat anywhere in the world was affected. Trying to bring uo unpatched devices is changing the subject (security-conscious people use Android devices that get regular security updates) — we were talking about app stores. It remains a fact that far more people have been infected with malware from the Apple App Store than from all other app stores combined.
- scarface74 8y agoPeople who care about security use devices that get updates - that’s true. They buy iOS devices. Which Android devices get regular updates for over 2 years? 3 years? 5 years? Android is insecure by design - since most devices can’t be updated. Unlike iOS devices that get updated regularly worldwide without waiting on the carrier. And I posted links showing that Android is not as secure. Do you have any links to back up your claims?
- s73v3r_ 8y agoThat doesn't sound anticompetitive in the least. Alternative stores are allowed on Android; Google just isn't going to bend over backwards to do everything for you.
- genericid 8y agoGoogle allows basically everything on the Play Store. To not specifically restrict their competition would not be "bending over backwards" at all.