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Can you actually have automatic updates for other app stores? Even on 3 year old phones that do not get updates anymore? Because it that is not the case, a lot

Can you actually have automatic updates for other app stores? Even on 3 year old phones that do not get updates anymore? Because it that is not the case, a lot of users will continue to prefer the Play Store.

kelnos 6y ago
The article talks about Google working to make it easier for users to install 3rd-party app stores; I'd hope that allowing automatic updates would be a part of that. Unclear if Google would be able to ninja that in to older phones as a Play Services update. My guess is that they probably couldn't since that's pretty fundamental to the OS's permissions system.
- kuschku 6y ago
  They could offer a Play Services API that allows app stores to update apps which the user previously installed through them. As Play Services already has an API and the permissions to replace installed apps (although this API is currently only available to the Google Play Store), and as Android already tracks from where an app was installed, this would be easily possible. But knowing Google, they won’t allow this.
radley 6y ago
That's a Google / Play Store limitation, not a technical one.
- CameronNemo 6y ago
  I thought it has to do with how AOSP/ROMs work.
  - radley 6y ago
    "An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism." https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-outlaws-android-app-updates-that-dont-come-from-its-play-store/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-outlaws-android-app-upd...
    - CameronNemo 6y ago
      It is still an OS level restriction too. There is no way to install an application without prompting the user except through "system" app stores currently. To test: you can install a vanilla Lineage OS ROM that does not have Google Play Services/Store, and then install the F-Droid application. F-Droid will not be allowed to install applications unless you (a) allow installing applications from untrusted sources (yeah, you cannot even say that F-Droid is the only trusted source, you just have to open it up all the way) and (b) you manually approve the installation of any APKs (including) updates that are installed via F-Droid.

kelnos 6y ago

The article talks about Google working to make it easier for users to install 3rd-party app stores; I'd hope that allowing automatic updates would be a part of that. Unclear if Google would be able to ninja that in to older phones as a Play Services update. My guess is that they probably couldn't since that's pretty fundamental to the OS's permissions system.

kuschku 6y ago
They could offer a Play Services API that allows app stores to update apps which the user previously installed through them. As Play Services already has an API and the permissions to replace installed apps (although this API is currently only available to the Google Play Store), and as Android already tracks from where an app was installed, this would be easily possible. But knowing Google, they won’t allow this.

radley 6y ago

That's a Google / Play Store limitation, not a technical one.

CameronNemo 6y ago
I thought it has to do with how AOSP/ROMs work.
- radley 6y ago
  "An app downloaded from Google Play may not modify, replace or update its own APK binary code using any method other than Google Play's update mechanism." https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-outlaws-android-app-updates-that-dont-come-from-its-play-store/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-outlaws-android-app-upd...
  - CameronNemo 6y ago
    It is still an OS level restriction too. There is no way to install an application without prompting the user except through "system" app stores currently. To test: you can install a vanilla Lineage OS ROM that does not have Google Play Services/Store, and then install the F-Droid application. F-Droid will not be allowed to install applications unless you (a) allow installing applications from untrusted sources (yeah, you cannot even say that F-Droid is the only trusted source, you just have to open it up all the way) and (b) you manually approve the installation of any APKs (including) updates that are installed via F-Droid.