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Does Google have the technical ability to do this? I'm not sure the android platform API's actually let google play services do it, and even if they did, I'm n

Does Google have the technical ability to do this? I'm not sure the android platform API's actually let google play services do it, and even if they did, I'm not sure google play services has code to uninstall an app not from the play store on request.

drpossum 2y ago
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/android-now-allows-apps-to-block-sideloading-and-push-a-google-play-version/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/android-now-allows-a...
somat 2y ago
I was wondering the technical mechanism as well, from the wording of the article(which I will note has no clue how it is going to happen) It sounds like an android update will erase the app if found, and perhaps blacklist it. Does google have access to phones beyond the playstore?
- geor9e 2y ago
  These "fully loaded Android TV boxes" are running very modified and many generations out of date versions of AOSP according to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41536961 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41536961 so I doubt they even contain Google Play services or have the ability to update
xethos 2y ago
You bet your ass they do! Play Protect "may deactivate or remove harmful apps from your device" [0]. I'm not sure how much more straightfoward they could be. Google built this tool, they objectively have the ability to remove apps from your device, and advertise it as a feature. Now an Argentinian court of law is demanding they use this feature to remove an app. Notably, this "feature" is on by default - and we all know just how pushy large corporations can be about how their services are to be used, to the point options are routinely toggled "accidentally". Things like auto-update settings for apps on the Play Store, or... well, name a Microsoft feature they're pushing. [0] https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2812853?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2812853?hl=en

drpossum 2y ago

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/android-now-allows-apps-to-block-sideloading-and-push-a-google-play-version/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/android-now-allows-a...

somat 2y ago

I was wondering the technical mechanism as well, from the wording of the article(which I will note has no clue how it is going to happen) It sounds like an android update will erase the app if found, and perhaps blacklist it. Does google have access to phones beyond the playstore?

geor9e 2y ago
These "fully loaded Android TV boxes" are running very modified and many generations out of date versions of AOSP according to https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41536961 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41536961 so I doubt they even contain Google Play services or have the ability to update

xethos 2y ago

You bet your ass they do! Play Protect "may deactivate or remove harmful apps from your device" [0]. I'm not sure how much more straightfoward they could be. Google built this tool, they objectively have the ability to remove apps from your device, and advertise it as a feature. Now an Argentinian court of law is demanding they use this feature to remove an app. Notably, this "feature" is on by default - and we all know just how pushy large corporations can be about how their services are to be used, to the point options are routinely toggled "accidentally". Things like auto-update settings for apps on the Play Store, or... well, name a Microsoft feature they're pushing. [0] https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2812853?hl=en https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2812853?hl=en