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this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2024
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I hate Google as much as anybody else, but that Google has been ordered to open up when they already allow side loading, and Apple is apparently all good, is all you need to know this whole system is a joke.
It's because Google is using their market dominance to essentially force OEMs to do what Google wants them to do.
You can't have a successful Android device without the Play store, or access to any Google apps. Shit, for lots of apps, they will be straight up broken without Play Services installed, or notifications won't work.
The market reality is that you have to have the play store. Google knows this, so they attach all kinds of extra requirements on OEMs to push Google services and tracking.
Apple doesn't do this. Yes, Apple's system is more locked down than Google's (by far), but Apple is not using their market position to force anything on anybody or any OEM. Google is. Apple has not forced Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola, Sony, etc to do anything. They are only doing things of their own accord, on their own devices.
What Apple is doing is the same as what the games consoles do. You buy a Sony console, it has Sony software, Sony's storefront, Sony-sanctioned games. It's an ecosystem they're putting on their own product, as opposed to Google strong-arming other companies into pushing Google's ecosystem, because Google knows they have no realistic alternative. That's why one is abuse of market dominance and the other isn't.
There’s that nuance again. Seems to not be very popular around here. Good point though. Well said.
You can't have a successful Android device without the Play store
And you can't have a device with the Apple Store at all.
Apple is not using their market position to force anything on anybody or any OEM. Google is.
You can't claim that Google is more anti-competitive because they try to control how others use their OS when Apple doesn't even let anyone else do that, and they still maintain a near-majority market-share in the US.
it has Sony software, Sony's storefront, Sony-sanctioned games...as opposed to Google strong-arming other companies into pushing Google's ecosystem
Damn Google, and their anti-competitive letting-competitors-use-their-software!
Come on, man, my comment isn't that long. Just read it.
Come on, man, my comment isn't that long. Just read it.
Repeating my own comment back to me in a way that doesn't even make sense doesn't make you witty, it makes you look like someone who doesn't know how to interract with people like an adult.
You never addressed my comment at all. Apple isn't abusing their dominant market position by putting what they want on their own phones.
Google is abusing their market position by forcing other OEMs to do what Google wants, knowing they have no other choice.
Do you understand now?
If you want Apple to be punished, write some new laws, because they aren't breaking the one Google is.
Writing a comment that conveys absolutely nothing doesn't make you witty, it makes you look like you have nothing to say to defend your position. Repeating it back is an attempt to illustrate that to you.
You never addressed my comment at all.
I clearly did. You, on the other hand, did not address my response.
Apple is not using their market position to force anything on anybody or any OEM
Apple isn't abusing their dominant market position by putting what they want on their own phones.
They're abusing their market position by disallowing any software that's not distributed according to Apple's demands and forcing them to pay their exorbitant Apple tax for the great honor of distributing software on their platform. This unnecessarily drives up the costs for consumers and developers in order to further line Apple's pockets.
I honestly don't know any way to explain this other than the way I already have: You can't call Google anti-competitive for trying to control the way they deal with alternative app stores, and then claim Apple does nothing wrong when they don't even allow other app stores in the first place? Like, I just don't understand how that computes in your brain...
You can't have a successful Android device without the Play store,
You literally can't have a device at all with the Apple Store...
The fact that Google is getting punished and Apple is not is not just hypocritical but also motivates other businesses to emulate Apple's "walled garden" ideology.
they aren't breaking the one Google is.
They're breaking the exact same ones, in regards to how software is distributed in their ecosystem.
Do you understand now?
I really don't know how you aren't grasping this.
Apple isn't forcing anybody to do anything, because they make their own device. (iPhones are made by Apple).
Google is forcing OEMs to do all sorts of things, because they have no choice but to use Android/the play store. (Other phones, e.g. Samsung's Galaxy S series, aren't made by Google).
Do you understand? I'm not sure I can make this any more simple. What's going on in your head that's not letting you understand this?
I really don't know how you aren't grasping this.
Apple isn't forcing anybody to do anything
They are, and I've already explained how they are, several times. Come on, man, my comment isn't that long. Just read it.
because they have no choice but to use Android/the play store
They have no choice because Apple does not make iOS/Apple Store available to anyone else...
If Google did what Apple did (or did not in this case), those other OEMs would have zero choices and wouldn't even exist...
Google is creating competition for themselves, where Apple refuses to even engage.
Do you understand? I'm not sure I can make this any more simple. What's going on in your head that's not letting you understand this?
They are, and I've already explained how they are, several times.
And you were wrong.
They have no choice because Apple does not make iOS/Apple Store available to anyone else...
People and companies are not compelled to open source their software. Apple doesn't have to open source iOS or offer it on other devices if they don't want to. Same goes for Sony/Xbox/Nintendo.
If I code a game, it's not illegal for me to keep the source code to myself.
If Google did what Apple did (or did not in this case), those other OEMs would have zero choices and wouldn't even exist...
No, if Google had done what Apple did, nobody would've flocked to Android in the first place, and we'd have more competition. Do you think there were no phone makers before Android or something?
It's incredible how you still don't get it despite me very clearly explaining it multiple times.
Apple. Is. Not. Imposing. Terms. On. Phonemakers.
Google is. Because their dominant market position allows them to.
If Google did this only for their own Pixel line, it would be fine.
And you were wrong.
I'm not, you just don't like it.
People and companies are not compelled to open source their software.
No one is saying they are, but when one does, and the other doesn't, the former hands themselves a shitton of competition. They become more competitive. They created a whole market of competition for themselves. All they've done is put restrictions on how people use their software they've licensed other OEMs to use. Again, not saying these restrictions aren't anti-competitive, but Apple does none of this, so how can Google be called anti-competitive while Apple is not?
Do you think there were no phone makers before Android or something?
We're not discussing "before Android". We're discussing today. If Apple opens their OS to other OEMs, or allows other developers to publish on iOS, I'll take back everything, but they've made it very clear they have zero intention of doing any of those things.
Apple. Is. Not. Imposing. Terms. On. Phonemakers.
They. Can't. Impose. Terms. For. Things. They. Don't. Allow. To. Exist. In. The. First. Place.
You can't claim one is being anti-competitive for imposing terms on a service they created and open-sourced while the other doesn't even allow for a service to exist to impose them on. That goes for iOS and it goes for alternative app stores.
Google is. Because their dominant market position allows them to.
Apple doesn't allow alternative app stores or alternative hardware because their dominant market position allows them to. A significantly larger market when we're talking about hardware...
It's incredible how you still don't get it despite me very clearly explaining it multiple times.
You're clearly unable to comprehend what I'm telling you so let's call it a day. Bye.
It's not abusing your market position to not open source your own software. If I make a game, I don't have to let people have the source code. How don't you understand this?
I've explained many times why Google's options are abusive of their market position and Apple's aren't. You're just unable to understand, it's like talking to a brick wall.
This is the clearest and most sensible explanation of the situation, but I'm still not sure what's meant by "opening the app store". The reality is apps can be sideloaded and distributed freely on Android, even unrooted. Sure, Google requires OEMs to push Google services and tracking, and that's evil and horrible and nasty, but do they actually force that onto app developers as well?
Perhaps they mean allowing android OEMs to ship with the play store without having to agree to all the other Google requirements.
Edit: Sorry! I misread your comment at first. Yeah, now that you say that, that makes the most sense.
But from the standpoint of anti-competitivity and Android vs iOS with Apple...
One's behavior is denying access to their app store without agreeing to a set of device restrictions, but everything on the app store is available without the app store at developer discretion.
The other is an app store which MUST be installed, and is in fact the ONLY way to get software for the device.
One is CLEARLY more anti-competitive than the other, and yet the one that's LESS problematic is the one that gets court action. It's a joke.
Google has also made unwelcome moves recently indicating they might crack down on sodeloaded app stores. So I'm glad this ruling happened.
Google is big enough to be considered a monopoly in mobile phone operating systems. Play Store is technically a separate service / business which enjoys unfair advantage of being installed by default. I think this approach might be good because it’s better for user experience (unlike EU web browser thing for example) and has a good shot at postiviely affecting power balance between app developers and platform owner.
I’m curious how this will play out. Apple should be next obviously.
Apple was first. And the courts ruled it no problem.
I meant "next big corpo beaten into submission by regulators". I don't think Epic gave up on them yet.
I wouldn't say Google has been "beaten into submission". They still interweave their crap services into every Android phone with no ability to remove or disable them, couple their apps with an intrusive, privacy violating, system degrading backend with special rules for its own apps versus everybody else... even force the default system web browser to be an unremovable Chrome installation, and not even a peep from regulators that any of this might be anti-competitive.
No company has been properly beaten into submission since Ma Bell. Even the big Microsoft browser decision in the 90s turned out to be a joke - they're right back to doing the same thing with impunity.
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Apple isn't on third party hardware.
They aren't controlling access to software on other manufacturers devices like Google is.
That's not actually true though.
Android is open source and many devices, mostly Chinese products, launch with custom Android builds completely free of Google services. This is not a Google constraint - manufacturers CHOOSE to use Android builds that use Google's services. Creating your own build simply stops you from integrating Google's services into the OS, which is actually a PLUS if you ask me.
Even if they WERE requiring it, that would have nothing to do with end user store front installation, which is already something you can do, as shown by the 2 non-Google app stores I have installed on my phone.
Again... I'm not defending Google as some kind of good company here. I'm simply stating there is no way to make an anti-competitivity argument against Google in mobile that doesn't apply at least as much to Apple. This is a nonsensical double-standard.
Because of their market dominance. That's what antitrust laws are about.
The fact that it's not just their own hardware completely changes the legal arguments in play.
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good. now do apple, microsoft, amazon, meta....
First Apple then Google. On Android you can at least side-load properly
Do PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo next.
Does this mean Aurorastore will be useful again?
when did it stop being useful?
A couple years ago, I used Aurora to install paid games on my Shield TV. Games that Google Play doesn't normally allow on the Shield (like the PS2 era GTA games). Well Google changed something, and it's no longer possible to download and install purchased apps or games through Aurora, even if you log into your Google account. This sucks, because I formatted my Shield TV expecting be able to reinstall these games, but it doesn't work anymore.
Yeah, Aurora is still good, but Google has been crippling it.
Is it the pro or the tube shield the tube is 32 bit only and most apps and games have moved to 64 bit only so the pro would be needed but I can still install paid apps on aurora on my phone just fine.
Aurora stores GitHub page states under the Limitation section that it is not able to install, or update paid apps.
Provides only base minimum features Can not download or update paid apps.
Odd I used it to install GTA: SA definitive edition purchased on the play store website then installed and updated via Aurora still works just updated it recently too.
It might be the kind of thing that works sometimes in some situations, but isn't officially supported.
Either way, it used to work for my ShieldTV Pro, but it doesn't work anymore. Doesn't matter how many devices I try to spoof, or how many times I reinstall the app, or how many times I re-login, etc.
Makes me really sad that I formatted the Shield TV. Oh well.
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