4 ms·

EU users can't update 3rd party iOS apps if abroad too long

flagged24 3y ago
Samsung doesn't allow security updates while roaming (requires wifi). Another artificial restriction without much consideration for longer term travelers.
cyclecount 3y ago
This is obviously Apple being stubborn because they can, but it does raise the question are you really an EU user if you no longer live in the EU?
- o11c 3y ago
  I'm pretty sure the laws are written as applying to "EU citizens or residents". Citizenship doesn't disappear when you go overseas.
  - ArchOversight 3y ago
    I am in EU citizen but I live and work in the US. Gimme them alternate app stores please!
    - grecy 3y ago
      Surely want you really want is free healthcare and higher education
      - bevekspldnw 3y ago
        The smart move is to get the free education, then move to the US for a 5x salary. EU has a higher floor and a low ceiling: you’ll always have dignity and a decent quality of life, but it’s also harder to become obscenely rich because there are limits on how much you can exploit people. Whereas, in the USA you can be left in the gutter to die or be given the tools to be the richest person on the planet provided your willing to exploit people. Keep the EU citizenship to get that floor, come to the USA to be evil!
        grecy 3y ago
        True, very true. The problem is that while living in the US you run the risk of violent crime, mass shootings and general crime being obscenely higher than in the EU (or any other developed country). Also you're always only one major health problem away from bankruptcy. And your wife and daughter have less rights every day in some states. Risk v Reward I suppose.
        bevekspldnw 3y ago
        Hey, if you wanna get rich by entering the mad max hellscape that is USA 2024, you may have to tolerate a few causalities as the price of victory.
    - bevekspldnw 3y ago
      Your GDPR rights are portable in theory, in practice the tech companies often silently change your account type once you surface with an US based IP address.
leros 3y ago
Country restrictions on app stores are weird in general. I was in Japan for a little while and it would have been very helpful to download a few particular Android apps for payments, trains, etc but those apps could only be downloaded if your Google account country was set to Japan and you can only change your country once a year. A friend of mine didn't realize that and is now still locked into Japanese only apps even though they're back in the US.
- Tijdreiziger 3y ago
  When I was abroad for a while, I used Yalp Store to get around this.
- sgdpk 3y ago
  I am facing the same problem right now. I am abroad but cannot install foreign apps. Have you (or them) found any solution to this in the meantime?
  - cute_boi 3y ago
    I just create new account. Thankfully, I never purchase any paid apps.
  - asdaq1312512 3y ago
    I mean, creating a new Google/Apple ID is one thing, but it's also quite annoying to log out of your primary ID. So I'm wondering, did anybody try if this works with multiple users on Android? On iOS apparently you can log into separate accounts for iCloud and the App store, but never tried that either.
    - Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
      Yes, I have two accounts, one for italian and one for canadian apps. I have an italian sim card that i can monitor only with the carrier's italian app, so i need this configuration.
  - mmh0000 3y ago
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
asimpletune 3y ago
There needs to be steps taken in the direction of an international agreement, like the Geneva or apostille conventions, for the purpose of normalizing technology usage, built around a framework of something akin to a universal bill of rights. Countries have been divided along stages of development. This has led many of the countries who've developed critical technologies to turn a blind in the name of a "wait and see" approach to regulation. On the other hand, many regions that have been historically important players, like the EU, have seen technological penetration both as a blessing and as a curse, like something that needs to be tamed and curbed. The problem is we haven't seen anything big like this in age and it's frankly overdue. I think experts understand enough about how technology can and will be used to create a sensible reasonable framework that could be a level playing field that respects the rights of industry and consumers. Anyways, I wish I could speak more about the specifics about what this would look like from my POV, but I'm actually more interested to hear from the audience. How would YOU go about creating some kind of international agreement that could bring about a single standard for technology? What areas would you include? What areas would you allow individual countries/territories to regulate? What would be the number one issue? How would non-signatories be treated?
throwaway67743 3y ago
They think they're above the law by poking the EU, but eventually that slow bear will respond and probably not in a nice way...
- wjnc 3y ago
  Another decision that sounds nice in a Cupertino office and will cost them a few billion in fines along the way. These laws exist to protect European citizens. Them being abroad or not is none of Apples’ business. EU could even start fine stacking, since geolocating customers for their private peeves (preventing a worldwide market for iPhones with 3rd party apps.. why is that worth so much?) seems against GDPR as well. The cancellation of the Epic Games developer account by Apple now on HN front page is another example. Apple has lost its marbles. You have a company creating gold from silica that has an another gold mine around the corner. Why the fear of playing somewhat nicely? Cannot imagine their moats crumbling by these comparatively tiny problems.
  - throwaway67743 3y ago
    Well, they got fined re Spotify and I'm sure there are plenty more - and if the fines don't have the desired effect eventually the hand will be forced and the sanctions for operating in the EU will be higher and more targeted (of course then the fallacy that the EU just wants to stop US companies from succeeding appears, but anyone who isn't American knows that isn't why this is)

Samsung doesn't allow security updates while roaming (requires wifi). Another artificial restriction without much consideration for longer term travelers.

cyclecount 3y ago

This is obviously Apple being stubborn because they can, but it does raise the question are you really an EU user if you no longer live in the EU?

o11c 3y ago
I'm pretty sure the laws are written as applying to "EU citizens or residents". Citizenship doesn't disappear when you go overseas.
- ArchOversight 3y ago
  I am in EU citizen but I live and work in the US. Gimme them alternate app stores please!
  - grecy 3y ago
    Surely want you really want is free healthcare and higher education
    - bevekspldnw 3y ago
      The smart move is to get the free education, then move to the US for a 5x salary. EU has a higher floor and a low ceiling: you’ll always have dignity and a decent quality of life, but it’s also harder to become obscenely rich because there are limits on how much you can exploit people. Whereas, in the USA you can be left in the gutter to die or be given the tools to be the richest person on the planet provided your willing to exploit people. Keep the EU citizenship to get that floor, come to the USA to be evil!
      - grecy 3y ago
        True, very true. The problem is that while living in the US you run the risk of violent crime, mass shootings and general crime being obscenely higher than in the EU (or any other developed country). Also you're always only one major health problem away from bankruptcy. And your wife and daughter have less rights every day in some states. Risk v Reward I suppose.
        bevekspldnw 3y ago
        Hey, if you wanna get rich by entering the mad max hellscape that is USA 2024, you may have to tolerate a few causalities as the price of victory.
  - bevekspldnw 3y ago
    Your GDPR rights are portable in theory, in practice the tech companies often silently change your account type once you surface with an US based IP address.

leros 3y ago

Country restrictions on app stores are weird in general. I was in Japan for a little while and it would have been very helpful to download a few particular Android apps for payments, trains, etc but those apps could only be downloaded if your Google account country was set to Japan and you can only change your country once a year. A friend of mine didn't realize that and is now still locked into Japanese only apps even though they're back in the US.

Tijdreiziger 3y ago
When I was abroad for a while, I used Yalp Store to get around this.
sgdpk 3y ago
I am facing the same problem right now. I am abroad but cannot install foreign apps. Have you (or them) found any solution to this in the meantime?
- cute_boi 3y ago
  I just create new account. Thankfully, I never purchase any paid apps.
- asdaq1312512 3y ago
  I mean, creating a new Google/Apple ID is one thing, but it's also quite annoying to log out of your primary ID. So I'm wondering, did anybody try if this works with multiple users on Android? On iOS apparently you can log into separate accounts for iCloud and the App store, but never tried that either.
  - Fire-Dragon-DoL 3y ago
    Yes, I have two accounts, one for italian and one for canadian apps. I have an italian sim card that i can monitor only with the carrier's italian app, so i need this configuration.
- mmh0000 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

asimpletune 3y ago

There needs to be steps taken in the direction of an international agreement, like the Geneva or apostille conventions, for the purpose of normalizing technology usage, built around a framework of something akin to a universal bill of rights. Countries have been divided along stages of development. This has led many of the countries who've developed critical technologies to turn a blind in the name of a "wait and see" approach to regulation. On the other hand, many regions that have been historically important players, like the EU, have seen technological penetration both as a blessing and as a curse, like something that needs to be tamed and curbed. The problem is we haven't seen anything big like this in age and it's frankly overdue. I think experts understand enough about how technology can and will be used to create a sensible reasonable framework that could be a level playing field that respects the rights of industry and consumers. Anyways, I wish I could speak more about the specifics about what this would look like from my POV, but I'm actually more interested to hear from the audience. How would YOU go about creating some kind of international agreement that could bring about a single standard for technology? What areas would you include? What areas would you allow individual countries/territories to regulate? What would be the number one issue? How would non-signatories be treated?

throwaway67743 3y ago

They think they're above the law by poking the EU, but eventually that slow bear will respond and probably not in a nice way...

wjnc 3y ago
Another decision that sounds nice in a Cupertino office and will cost them a few billion in fines along the way. These laws exist to protect European citizens. Them being abroad or not is none of Apples’ business. EU could even start fine stacking, since geolocating customers for their private peeves (preventing a worldwide market for iPhones with 3rd party apps.. why is that worth so much?) seems against GDPR as well. The cancellation of the Epic Games developer account by Apple now on HN front page is another example. Apple has lost its marbles. You have a company creating gold from silica that has an another gold mine around the corner. Why the fear of playing somewhat nicely? Cannot imagine their moats crumbling by these comparatively tiny problems.
- throwaway67743 3y ago
  Well, they got fined re Spotify and I'm sure there are plenty more - and if the fines don't have the desired effect eventually the hand will be forced and the sanctions for operating in the EU will be higher and more targeted (of course then the fallacy that the EU just wants to stop US companies from succeeding appears, but anyone who isn't American knows that isn't why this is)