4 ms·

Apple and Google seem spooked by bill requiring more app stores and sideloading

76 points by keleftheriou 5y ago

beezischillin 5y ago
It’d be kinda nice to see this pass, though I don’t know what effect this would even have on Google? Aren’t you free to install FDroid or anything else?
- Larrikin 5y ago
  I envision a choice of stores on user setup, no need to enable and go into developer settings to install outside apps, an opening up of APIs related to push notifications and allowing auto updating of apps installed outside the Play Store. In a perfect world a locking down of SafetyNet or a complete rework of the concept so having a rooted phone doesn't disable a ton of apps.
- Mindwipe 5y ago
  Google are planning to force all apps in Google Play to use Google Play billing, same as Apple do. This bill would prohibit that. Whichever dunderhead at Google thought it would be a good idea to introduce this measure this year in the current regulatory environment is... not the brightest spark.
  - beezischillin 5y ago
    That's very unfortunate. Sounds like it'll affect the Epic lawsuit, too, in all sorts of unexpected ways. I'm really curious to see what happens to this bill since this is such a strange time in history that it has a chance of passing, though I have my doubts, despite that I'd love to see it do so.
qzw 5y ago
> Meanwhile, a "Coalition for App Fairness," with members such as Spotify, Epic Games, Match Group, Basecamp, ProtonMail, and Deezer, is on board with the Open App Markets Act. Apple and Google got too greedy. If they had just tiered their "app store tax" based on the number of users, they would've mollified most of these guys and still kept a sweet monopolistic business model going. But they squeezed the goose too hard because they got addicted to those easy golden eggs.
- perryizgr8 5y ago
  That's exactly it. Usually the usage fee goes down with an increase in revenue. So if I buy services/goods from someone in bulk, they give me a discount. But with Google and Apple it is the opposite. If you cross $1M revenue you pay double rate to them! It shows the absolute monopolistic hold they have over the mobile market. They could have tried being reasonable, but instead they did everything they shouldn't have done. I hope something good comes out of this.
  - KMnO4 5y ago
    That’s often the case for commodities, but not always services. Many services are designed to go easy on the little guy, but hit big companies hard. Look at most software plans, where pricing is e.g. $5/user up to 25 users and $10/user if you have more than that.
    - foxpurple 5y ago
      Which would be fine if you weren’t forced to pay the fee. If you want to make a mobile app, you have to pay apples fee and have no other options.
    - perryizgr8 5y ago
      Don't enterprise licenses have a lower per user price compared to individual licenses? For example volume licensing for office 365.
- intricatedetail 5y ago
  Apple and Google should be forced to pay 30% tax on their _revenue_ to get the taste of their own medicine.
psuresh 5y ago
What if you get menu card too with the crockery you buy? That's what Appstore and playstore do. Don't need them from the users point of view.
dang 5y ago
Recent and related: Senators introduce bipartisan antitrust bill to promote app store competition - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28144867 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28144867 - Aug 2021 (334 comments)
mensetmanusman 5y ago
There will be an epic store, steam, google, MS, etc.
- solarmist 5y ago
  You mean like there already is everywhere else?
webmobdev 5y ago
My biggest fear is that Apple released the CSAM device scanners as part of a deal with the US government to derail this bill. Protecting user privacy doesn't earn them any money. Monetising users' personal data and controlling the distribution of apps on their devices earns them billions of dollars.
jokethrowaway 5y ago
Funnily enough, being able to sideload apps would actually make me consider buying an iPhone and leaving behind Android
- mclightning 5y ago
  same
- yial 5y ago
  You kind of can using Altstore, but it’s not ideal as you have to “refresh” the apps and are limited to 5. https://altstore.io/ https://altstore.io/

76 points by keleftheriou 5y ago

It’d be kinda nice to see this pass, though I don’t know what effect this would even have on Google? Aren’t you free to install FDroid or anything else?

Larrikin 5y ago
I envision a choice of stores on user setup, no need to enable and go into developer settings to install outside apps, an opening up of APIs related to push notifications and allowing auto updating of apps installed outside the Play Store. In a perfect world a locking down of SafetyNet or a complete rework of the concept so having a rooted phone doesn't disable a ton of apps.
Mindwipe 5y ago
Google are planning to force all apps in Google Play to use Google Play billing, same as Apple do. This bill would prohibit that. Whichever dunderhead at Google thought it would be a good idea to introduce this measure this year in the current regulatory environment is... not the brightest spark.
- beezischillin 5y ago
  That's very unfortunate. Sounds like it'll affect the Epic lawsuit, too, in all sorts of unexpected ways. I'm really curious to see what happens to this bill since this is such a strange time in history that it has a chance of passing, though I have my doubts, despite that I'd love to see it do so.

qzw 5y ago

> Meanwhile, a "Coalition for App Fairness," with members such as Spotify, Epic Games, Match Group, Basecamp, ProtonMail, and Deezer, is on board with the Open App Markets Act. Apple and Google got too greedy. If they had just tiered their "app store tax" based on the number of users, they would've mollified most of these guys and still kept a sweet monopolistic business model going. But they squeezed the goose too hard because they got addicted to those easy golden eggs.

perryizgr8 5y ago
That's exactly it. Usually the usage fee goes down with an increase in revenue. So if I buy services/goods from someone in bulk, they give me a discount. But with Google and Apple it is the opposite. If you cross $1M revenue you pay double rate to them! It shows the absolute monopolistic hold they have over the mobile market. They could have tried being reasonable, but instead they did everything they shouldn't have done. I hope something good comes out of this.
- KMnO4 5y ago
  That’s often the case for commodities, but not always services. Many services are designed to go easy on the little guy, but hit big companies hard. Look at most software plans, where pricing is e.g. $5/user up to 25 users and $10/user if you have more than that.
  - foxpurple 5y ago
    Which would be fine if you weren’t forced to pay the fee. If you want to make a mobile app, you have to pay apples fee and have no other options.
  - perryizgr8 5y ago
    Don't enterprise licenses have a lower per user price compared to individual licenses? For example volume licensing for office 365.
intricatedetail 5y ago
Apple and Google should be forced to pay 30% tax on their _revenue_ to get the taste of their own medicine.

psuresh 5y ago

What if you get menu card too with the crockery you buy? That's what Appstore and playstore do. Don't need them from the users point of view.

dang 5y ago

Recent and related: Senators introduce bipartisan antitrust bill to promote app store competition - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28144867 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28144867 - Aug 2021 (334 comments)

mensetmanusman 5y ago

There will be an epic store, steam, google, MS, etc.

solarmist 5y ago
You mean like there already is everywhere else?

webmobdev 5y ago

My biggest fear is that Apple released the CSAM device scanners as part of a deal with the US government to derail this bill. Protecting user privacy doesn't earn them any money. Monetising users' personal data and controlling the distribution of apps on their devices earns them billions of dollars.

jokethrowaway 5y ago

Funnily enough, being able to sideload apps would actually make me consider buying an iPhone and leaving behind Android

mclightning 5y ago
same
yial 5y ago
You kind of can using Altstore, but it’s not ideal as you have to “refresh” the apps and are limited to 5. https://altstore.io/ https://altstore.io/