4 ms·

The monopoly on app stores by device manufacturers is absurd, and doubly so when the governance is incompetent (which is always).

madeofpalk 3y ago
What monopoly? The Samsung Store is the alternative to the official Google Play store. Any Samsung android phone that has the Samsung Store also has the Play Store, no?
- imp0cat 3y ago
  Yes, Samsung phones get two app stores by default - Google Play and Samsung.
- turminal 3y ago
  Yeah and they're both hostile to the user.
  - andsoitis 3y ago
    > Yeah and they're both hostile to the user. If you had to pick the top thing that is hostile to the user, what do you think it is?
- marcosdumay 3y ago
  And on this case it's a duopoly. What doesn't make any difference at all, so people tend to not qualify their N-opoly words.
  - Moldoteck 3y ago
    but ppl can install alternative stores, no? ther's the huawei one too and the open source store, I forgot the name
    - marcosdumay 3y ago
      Yes, on the most recent Android, there is no monopoly. On anything else, it's there.
      - joshuaissac 3y ago
        > Yes, on the most recent Android, there is no monopoly. > On anything else, it's there. Alternative app stores for Android have existed for a long time. Samsung Galaxy Store, Amazon, Huawei AppGallery, F-Droid, Aptoide, etc. They are also available for older versions of Android.
        marcosdumay 3y ago
        And Android never let them work properly.
        joshuaissac 3y ago
        It has been working for over a decade. All you have to do is install the third-party app store's APK, and give that app permission to install or update apps.
      - rchaud 3y ago
        The F-Droid app repository has been available since 2010, no Samsung/Google restrictions on installing it.
    - RDaneel0livaw 3y ago
      https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/
- amne 3y ago
  Have you tried running any app you would actually use on any AOSP phone that doesn't have Play Services installed?
brookst 3y ago
You should really have said “monopolies” to agree with the plural “manufacturers”. Though it would highlight the flaw with the argument. Might as well complain that Walmart has a “monopoly” on selling things in Walmart stores.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
jeroenhd 3y ago
With Android 12, anyone can make an app store. Previously you had to let the user approve a bunch of prompts for every install or update, but the new API allows silent background updates just like on manufacturer apps. Of course you need explicit permission from the user to install apps (that just makes common sense) but I've been using F-Droid Basic which works like a treat. Only Amazon has tried to launch an alternative app store so far, and I'm it sure if they use the new API that makes automatic updates possible. However, there's nothing standing in anyone's way to bring competition to this market. If you can come up with a better store, you can take one of the many open source app stores out there and add a sales feature to turn it into a business venture and take on Google and Samsung. I'm not sure how this will go down on iOS when they will eventually allow installing external apps, but I imagine the situation may be quite similar.
- luxuryballs 3y ago
  sounds risky if they can release a following Android version that gimps it
  - jeroenhd 3y ago
    The EU would lose its shit if they tried that. Google has actually been on a path that makes it easier to create competing app stores, no doubt pressured by EU legislation.
    - crote 3y ago
      The EU hasn't lost its shit about Android slowly moving from open source to proprietary Google SDKs yet. We won't be safe until they force a Ma Bell-style split, freeing Chrome and Android from Google's tentacles.
      - jeroenhd 3y ago
        The EU hasn't made any laws mandating that all software must be open source, so I don't see why they would care about Google closing the source on new Android components. For all the EU cares, Android 14 (or at least its non-GPL parts) may as well be closed source under license, which was the norm before Android came along in the first place. The EU has made anti-gatekeeper laws, targeting Apple, Google, and other gatekeepers.
rchaud 3y ago
What monopoly? No Samsung phone I've ever owned has blocked me from installing the F-Droid or Aurora store APK. Back in the day some cheaper Samsung models came with the Amazon App Store installed.

madeofpalk 3y ago

What monopoly? The Samsung Store is the alternative to the official Google Play store. Any Samsung android phone that has the Samsung Store also has the Play Store, no?

imp0cat 3y ago
Yes, Samsung phones get two app stores by default - Google Play and Samsung.
turminal 3y ago
Yeah and they're both hostile to the user.
- andsoitis 3y ago
  > Yeah and they're both hostile to the user. If you had to pick the top thing that is hostile to the user, what do you think it is?
marcosdumay 3y ago
And on this case it's a duopoly. What doesn't make any difference at all, so people tend to not qualify their N-opoly words.
- Moldoteck 3y ago
  but ppl can install alternative stores, no? ther's the huawei one too and the open source store, I forgot the name
  - marcosdumay 3y ago
    Yes, on the most recent Android, there is no monopoly. On anything else, it's there.
    - joshuaissac 3y ago
      > Yes, on the most recent Android, there is no monopoly. > On anything else, it's there. Alternative app stores for Android have existed for a long time. Samsung Galaxy Store, Amazon, Huawei AppGallery, F-Droid, Aptoide, etc. They are also available for older versions of Android.
      - marcosdumay 3y ago
        And Android never let them work properly.
        joshuaissac 3y ago
        It has been working for over a decade. All you have to do is install the third-party app store's APK, and give that app permission to install or update apps.
    - rchaud 3y ago
      The F-Droid app repository has been available since 2010, no Samsung/Google restrictions on installing it.
  - RDaneel0livaw 3y ago
    https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/
amne 3y ago
Have you tried running any app you would actually use on any AOSP phone that doesn't have Play Services installed?

brookst 3y ago

You should really have said “monopolies” to agree with the plural “manufacturers”. Though it would highlight the flaw with the argument. Might as well complain that Walmart has a “monopoly” on selling things in Walmart stores.

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

jeroenhd 3y ago

With Android 12, anyone can make an app store. Previously you had to let the user approve a bunch of prompts for every install or update, but the new API allows silent background updates just like on manufacturer apps. Of course you need explicit permission from the user to install apps (that just makes common sense) but I've been using F-Droid Basic which works like a treat. Only Amazon has tried to launch an alternative app store so far, and I'm it sure if they use the new API that makes automatic updates possible. However, there's nothing standing in anyone's way to bring competition to this market. If you can come up with a better store, you can take one of the many open source app stores out there and add a sales feature to turn it into a business venture and take on Google and Samsung. I'm not sure how this will go down on iOS when they will eventually allow installing external apps, but I imagine the situation may be quite similar.

luxuryballs 3y ago
sounds risky if they can release a following Android version that gimps it
- jeroenhd 3y ago
  The EU would lose its shit if they tried that. Google has actually been on a path that makes it easier to create competing app stores, no doubt pressured by EU legislation.
  - crote 3y ago
    The EU hasn't lost its shit about Android slowly moving from open source to proprietary Google SDKs yet. We won't be safe until they force a Ma Bell-style split, freeing Chrome and Android from Google's tentacles.
    - jeroenhd 3y ago
      The EU hasn't made any laws mandating that all software must be open source, so I don't see why they would care about Google closing the source on new Android components. For all the EU cares, Android 14 (or at least its non-GPL parts) may as well be closed source under license, which was the norm before Android came along in the first place. The EU has made anti-gatekeeper laws, targeting Apple, Google, and other gatekeepers.

rchaud 3y ago

What monopoly? No Samsung phone I've ever owned has blocked me from installing the F-Droid or Aurora store APK. Back in the day some cheaper Samsung models came with the Amazon App Store installed.