I’m seeing a bunch of posts about how Google has decided to stop allowing side loading on Android phones. But the EU relatively recently forced Apple to do the exact opposite. Won’t they just do the same thing for Android phones? Sure, people outside the EU market will lose this ability as a default, but presumably you can just order a Euro phone on ebay if you are outside the EU.

So why is everyone panicking? I think Google is definitely being shitty by trying to do this, and I support the development of other open source alternatives. I like the fact that this could be a big wakeup call for that effort. But I am wondering if this is also not as big of a deal as everyone is making out.

  • stoy@lemmy.zip
    324·
    9 days ago

    For most of Android’s existance you have been able to sideload apps, now if that won’t be possible any more, I’d expect that the EU will implement the same demand against Alphabet as they did against Apple:

    • neidu3@sh.itjust.worksMEnglish
      131·
      9 days ago

      Yup. The only issue is that Apple got this slap in the face after years of locking down their hardware. If android movies in a similar direction, we can probably expect years before any action against it is taken.