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>Ruining Android for everyone Are they really though? does the average person really care about side loading? I think we are in an echo chamber. I can't pictur

>Ruining Android for everyone Are they really though? does the average person really care about side loading? I think we are in an echo chamber. I can't picture any of the people in my life installing things from outside of an app store on their phone. However I realize that's purely anecdotal, it would be nice to see actual statistics on this to have a more informed decision.

monocasa 7mo ago
When I point out that Apple listened to the Chinese government and removed apps that protestors were using to communicate during the Hong Kong protests, they seem to get it.
- orbital-decay 7mo ago
  They removed VPNs at the request of the Russian government too (they have no operations in Russia). They are actively participating in government censorship.
otabdeveloper4 7mo ago
This "sideloading" thing is mostly to enforce US sanctions against countries like China, Russia and Iran. So yes, hundreds of millions of people care about this.
- nozzlegear 7mo ago
  I don't think it follows that the entire population of each of those countries automatically cares about this just because it's, ostensibly, being done to enforce sanctions against them.
  - otabdeveloper4 7mo ago
    I never said anything about "entire". Normies in sanctioned countries install banking apps by "sideloading" APK's downloaded from an official site. They all know exactly what "sideloading" is and why Google is banning it.
    - nozzlegear 7mo ago
      You said "hundreds of millions." If that's not "entire," it's pretty damn close. > They all know [...] why Google is banning it. Do they? I don't think most "normies" would come to the same conclusion you have. By definition, a "normie" seems much more likely to trust that this is being done for security rather than persecution. Especially when they learn that Americans can't easily sideload bank apps either.
      - otabdeveloper4 7mo ago
        > Do they? Absolutely 100 percent. > a "normie" seems much more likely to trust that this is being done for security rather than persecution When USGov sanctions a NormieBank in a sanctioned country and its apps disappear from the Play Store and then Google announces that APK's cannot be installed anymore then even the dumbest sheeple can put two and two together. Also, this isn't a Google issue, this is a USGov issue. What is Google to do when people in suits ask why they provide a sanctions avoidance technology with a scary name like "sideloading"? (Sounds like something that terrorists and Iranians do, tbh.)
cxr 7mo ago
It sounds like you're not grasping the meaning of the linguistic construction being used by the person you're quoting. (Or you're being deliberately deceptive about your understanding of their intent. But it's probably just the former. I'm guessing you're ESL.) "Ruining Android for everyone" ("to try to maybe help some") does not mean, "Android is now ruined for X, for all X." It means, perhaps confusingly, pretty much the opposite. It means: "There exists some X for which Android is now ruined (because Google is trying to protect Y, for all Y)." (Yes, really. The way the other person phrased it is the right way way to phrase it—or, at least, it's a valid way to phrase it.)
- deleted 7mo ago
  [deleted]
realusername 7mo ago
Of course nobody is doing that, because Google and Apple made it too hard already. Even Fortnite gave up on direct installs. If one of most popular game in the world can't make it, who can?
daemin 7mo ago
If you phrase it as "sideloading" then probably not, since it doesn't sound like something they might want to do, it also sounds difficult and technical. If you phrase it as installing your own software then it might garner some interest from the general populace, as who wouldn't want the option to install their desired software.
- Nursie 7mo ago
  A lot of people won't even understand the question, because they can install their apps from the app store, because that's where the apps come from, the app store has what phones crave. Some of them will even be frightened by the question because they consider their devices scary and dangerous enough already.
  - daemin 7mo ago
    A lot of people don't need general purpose computing devices either, but some people, myself included, do want them. I want to be able to install applications from any source of my choosing, including developing my own software.
    - Nursie 7mo ago
      The problem in these conversations is that we’re in a fairly small niche of people who understand their systems and want to be able to tinker with them. I agree, my mother doesn’t really need a general purpose computing device. She needs a device that can do Whatsapp video calls and the odd bit of banking. I don’t think you and she should get the same device. But there are a lot more of her than us. So you’re left with buying a niche, open device (usually pricey and less up to date hardware) or railing against the people making devices for an audience who are for the most part closer to my mother’s aptitude than yours. I don’t see an easy answer here.
johnnyanmac 7mo ago
Of course the average person doesn't care. Similar to how the average person doesn't care about age verification for social media. ' But it will affect them all the same.

monocasa 7mo ago

When I point out that Apple listened to the Chinese government and removed apps that protestors were using to communicate during the Hong Kong protests, they seem to get it.

orbital-decay 7mo ago
They removed VPNs at the request of the Russian government too (they have no operations in Russia). They are actively participating in government censorship.

otabdeveloper4 7mo ago

This "sideloading" thing is mostly to enforce US sanctions against countries like China, Russia and Iran. So yes, hundreds of millions of people care about this.

nozzlegear 7mo ago
I don't think it follows that the entire population of each of those countries automatically cares about this just because it's, ostensibly, being done to enforce sanctions against them.
- otabdeveloper4 7mo ago
  I never said anything about "entire". Normies in sanctioned countries install banking apps by "sideloading" APK's downloaded from an official site. They all know exactly what "sideloading" is and why Google is banning it.
  - nozzlegear 7mo ago
    You said "hundreds of millions." If that's not "entire," it's pretty damn close. > They all know [...] why Google is banning it. Do they? I don't think most "normies" would come to the same conclusion you have. By definition, a "normie" seems much more likely to trust that this is being done for security rather than persecution. Especially when they learn that Americans can't easily sideload bank apps either.
    - otabdeveloper4 7mo ago
      > Do they? Absolutely 100 percent. > a "normie" seems much more likely to trust that this is being done for security rather than persecution When USGov sanctions a NormieBank in a sanctioned country and its apps disappear from the Play Store and then Google announces that APK's cannot be installed anymore then even the dumbest sheeple can put two and two together. Also, this isn't a Google issue, this is a USGov issue. What is Google to do when people in suits ask why they provide a sanctions avoidance technology with a scary name like "sideloading"? (Sounds like something that terrorists and Iranians do, tbh.)

cxr 7mo ago

It sounds like you're not grasping the meaning of the linguistic construction being used by the person you're quoting. (Or you're being deliberately deceptive about your understanding of their intent. But it's probably just the former. I'm guessing you're ESL.) "Ruining Android for everyone" ("to try to maybe help some") does not mean, "Android is now ruined for X, for all X." It means, perhaps confusingly, pretty much the opposite. It means: "There exists some X for which Android is now ruined (because Google is trying to protect Y, for all Y)." (Yes, really. The way the other person phrased it is the right way way to phrase it—or, at least, it's a valid way to phrase it.)

deleted 7mo ago
[deleted]

realusername 7mo ago

Of course nobody is doing that, because Google and Apple made it too hard already. Even Fortnite gave up on direct installs. If one of most popular game in the world can't make it, who can?

daemin 7mo ago

If you phrase it as "sideloading" then probably not, since it doesn't sound like something they might want to do, it also sounds difficult and technical. If you phrase it as installing your own software then it might garner some interest from the general populace, as who wouldn't want the option to install their desired software.

Nursie 7mo ago
A lot of people won't even understand the question, because they can install their apps from the app store, because that's where the apps come from, the app store has what phones crave. Some of them will even be frightened by the question because they consider their devices scary and dangerous enough already.
- daemin 7mo ago
  A lot of people don't need general purpose computing devices either, but some people, myself included, do want them. I want to be able to install applications from any source of my choosing, including developing my own software.
  - Nursie 7mo ago
    The problem in these conversations is that we’re in a fairly small niche of people who understand their systems and want to be able to tinker with them. I agree, my mother doesn’t really need a general purpose computing device. She needs a device that can do Whatsapp video calls and the odd bit of banking. I don’t think you and she should get the same device. But there are a lot more of her than us. So you’re left with buying a niche, open device (usually pricey and less up to date hardware) or railing against the people making devices for an audience who are for the most part closer to my mother’s aptitude than yours. I don’t see an easy answer here.

johnnyanmac 7mo ago

Of course the average person doesn't care. Similar to how the average person doesn't care about age verification for social media. ' But it will affect them all the same.