Misread this and thought they were deleting the Play store app itself, not apps in the store lol
this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2024
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Android
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For those who dont know these already:
Aurora Store - Install Google Play Store apps without a Google account - I recommend to switch all non-paid apps to be installed with this, and use an anonymous login if possible.
F-Droid: Install apps from centralized repositories (like a package manager) - I recommend to gradually switch all FOSS apps to be installed with this (not all Google Play apps can be installed with F-Droid of course). Other repositories can be added.
Obtainium: Install apps from the 'releases' page of the app's Github/Gitlab - I prefer this to F-Droid if possible, but there is little difference and it is slightly harder to set up, so I don't recommend this initially.
And last of all, installing an APK manually from the internet (works similar to an EXE installer).
Each of these options should work on all Android distributions or ROMs.
P.S. Please consider using a FOSS android ROM, such as GrapheneOS, LineageOS, /e/, CalyxOS, etc.
Start with the YouTube app, it's unusable now and may actually convince me to cancel.
Instructions unclear, YouTube Messages begins active development.
Libretube (currently flaky but that's temporary), Clipious and Newpipe
Reminder that if they can forcibly delete the app from your phone, you don't own your phone
I run LineageOS on my phone (with gapps) and my tablet (sans gapps). If Google tries deleting stuff it doesn't own on my phone it's LineageOS sans gapps for my phone and probably buying a phone for GrapheneOS.
Can't you just not use Google apps?
Possibly, eventually. Right now I'm using some useful proprietary things from the Play Store, as well as GMail, shared calendar and Maps.
I'm getting too old to self host All The Things, but if Google insists to be a dick I'll let most of it go and self host the rest.
I think these were the ones I installed https://wiki.lineageos.org/gapps/ My Poco X3 Pro has been having annoying ghost touch issues for a while, perhaps the time has come to look into an alternative.
So what do you have or are you gonna get?
You did before?
Cue the imminent Play Store mass app deletion which Google has just previewed and confirmed is now just six weeks away: “We’re updating the Spam and Minimum Functionality policy to ensure apps meet uplifted standards for the Play catalog and engage users through quality functionality and content user experiences.”
From August 31, the type of apps in Google’s crosshairs will include those “that are static without app-specific functionalities, for example, text only or PDF file apps, apps with very little content and that do not provide an engaging user experience, for example, single wallpaper apps, and apps that are designed to do nothing or have no function.” Of which there are literally millions—some no doubt on your own phone.
For developers, Google warns apps must “provide a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience… Apps that crash, do not have the basic degree of adequate utility as mobile apps, lack engaging content, or exhibit other behavior that is not consistent with a functional and engaging user experience are not allowed on Google Play.”
Pretty sure useful apps will be deleted too. What does even "engaging" mean?
I hope someone will try to make an archive, e.g. the ArchiveTeam.
It's a generic term they can use to justify removal of any app they don't like, which I'm sure is what this is really about
I guess the log of "apps we want to kill but can't justify it in a way that courts would find more acceptable" got too large.
Those apps would be free software anyway. F-droid is the way
basic degree of adequate utility as mobile apps, lack engaging content, or exhibit other behavior that is not consistent with a functional and engaging user experience are not allowed on Google Play.”
They couldn't define it any broader couldn't they?
For developers, Google warns apps must “provide a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience… Apps that crash, do not have the basic degree of adequate utility as mobile apps, lack engaging content, or exhibit other behavior that is not consistent with a functional and engaging user experience are not allowed on Google Play.”
They kind of just described nearly all of their own apps [as unfit for the Play Store]...
meet uplifted standards
Lol, Play doesn't have standards.
That's why it's disabled.
I mean, I know lemmy has an open source hardon and hates anything walled, but is this really such a bad thing? Google is getting rid of a bunch of shitty apps and risky apps. Nothing is stopping you from still sideloading them if you really need them.
I really fail to see the actual issue aside from "google bad"
Google's not been very open source for a long time.
Android continues to remove open source from their OS over the years for proprietary binaries. They are also continuing to abstract away openness. Stock file managers can't see inside the /sdcard/Android folder anymore. Only via USB on a computer. USB on a computer won't copy some kinds of files into that part of the filesystem. ADB still allows you, for now.
If you try to go to the Android File Transfer app page, it now redirects to Quick Share.
Low level stuff continues to be taken away from the OS. Samsung Android phones in the US aren't even allowed to turn off 5G on some carriers. All Android phones are having carrier select and network mode menus neutered in the US. Apple has more flexibility there, hilariously.
Fun fact: Back when it all kicked off, iPhone had a pretty big open source component in the underlying Mach microkernel and supporting software and there was a whole slew of OSS on their platform.
I hane lost the use of so many Android app I paid for because they were delistd from the Play store. Not happy.
I now resort to creating a backup apk for my most usd ones. I also create a backup befors updating. Never know if an update will break something or even worse, remove a feature.
That final part isn't really Google's fault no? But just the devs cutting functions?
They've already been actively doing it. The paid live wallpapers from KittehFace software from yeeeears back just disappeared from my purchased software history 2 months ago, and the APKs will no longer install. Not even malicious software. Just. Old and outdated, but it worked.
Meaning, simple apps which are doing one thing well are targeted too for deletion in play store?
Does anyone have a list of which apps are going to get the axe?
... if an update suddenly enables Play on my phone I'm calling EU. Will I still be able to uninstall stuff via adb?
Until I can reasonably have a Linux phone again (my beloved N900, oh how I miss you), I need to find out which of the Lineage/Calyx/e(/Graphene) supported phones has the best cam system.
I'm running Graphene on a pixel - google camera works as it would normally. The only issue is the preview-click-to-open-gallery bit not working. It needs the Photos app which I have not installed on purpose.
If you add the Calyx repository to F-droid, you can install their shim that will allow you to use a different gallery app.
Oh, that's great, thx for sharing. One of my concerns (with other brands I mean) is how much better the manufacturers camera app is.
This is kind of insane. I personally am not affected as I don't use Google play or even have Google software but I know people who use a lot of these apps. I guess it is time to tell people about F-droid.
great android getting ruined what am i gonna use Roms? My phone does not support them