• dev_null@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    And then after doing all that you still need to confirm a scary warning every single time you install an app. As if it wasn’t enough.

  • gegil@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    Graphene os is a good alternative to android. Its privacy and security focused, and also does not come with google serviced preinstalled. The only problem is that its only supported on google pixels, and porting it to other devices is impossible.

      • gegil@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Thats it, planned, and not yet released. But its good that at least in future there will be more options for a smartphone with foss operating system.

        Also, while in practice it would propably never happen, i hope that in the future, more smartphone makers will put alternative operating systems on their phones, or at least make it easier to install third party operating systems on their phones, like it is done on googles own pixels.

        • TheChargedCreeper864@lemmy.mlEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          I’m hoping for a MicroSD card slot. I’m on a Note 20 Ultra which I planned to run for far longer but it got the infamous “random green line out of nowhere” problem. I think Sony is the only one who still puts it in flagships

          • PrincessTardigrade@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            6 months ago

            Shoot I also recently got the freaking green line a few weeks ago. Yeah I also refuse to have a phone without a microsd option, why TF are they doing away with that?

          • Addv4@lemmy.worldEnglish
            0·
            6 months ago

            Pretty much. On a Sony Xperia 1 V and it works great (best phone I’ve ever had). Downside is that the bootlocker for the US version is locked (AT&T thing) so I can’t just put lineageos on it or something, so I’ve been on the lookout for a replacement recently, and the pickings are pretty sparse.

            I’m probably gonna have to ride out the stupid Google bullshit for a few months until there is a decent alternative, as the graphene phone from Motorola probably won’t be released this year (and even then it probably won’t have a headphone jack and a micro SD card slot) and pretty much all of the Linux phones available now don’t really meet my needs (also no headphone jack on something like the jolla phone, which as someone used to Linux for years, I know Bluetooth headphones aren’t much of a solid option).

  • python@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    I mean, getting verified as a developer is a similar pain in the ass in other ecosystems. I recently got an LG smart TV and the developer mode there automatically runs out and deletes all unofficial apps after 9999h if you don’t manually go into the developer app and extend the time.

    My hot take is that you shouldn’t have to claim that you’re a developer to sideload content. It should be allowed for normal users 🤷

  • selokichtli@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    Confirm with biometrics… WTF?!

    People should have the universal right to live a cellphone-free life. In my country, it is assumed that everyone uses an iPhone or a Google Android phone as if it was part of your own self.

    • Jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.mlEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      I’m confused by this comment. The outrage is that if you want to use your phone, in the modern smartphone sense of the word which uses apps, then you have to do so by Google’s rules which excludes a lot of apps you might want to run, or jump through ridiculous hoops apparently including biometrics to do so with your own device. That’s terrible, but, this particular outrage is quite separate to one’s ability to live a cellphone free life. I’m not going to pretend like that’s not increasingly unfeasible, but this issue with identified developers doesn’t have much to do with it since it’s only an issue for you if you’re even using a phone in the first place and then it just makes using it a much shittier time then it ought to be, it doesn’t lessen or increase the dependency upon phones in general.

      • selokichtli@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        It’s about control, in the end. Citizens are now linked by the governments to their phone numbers, as well as companies make it a priority to get your phone number and data.

        Somewhere in the middle of not using a mobile at all and having a device that monitors everything you do, non stop, are owning a dumb phone and having some control on the apps you install in your smartphone.

        • titanicx@lemmy.zipEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          They used to publish a whole book that had your name, and often address linked to your phone. B don’t perfect that this fake outrage by you is anything but disingenuous for what phones and any other hundred identifiers of you as a person to the government or anyone else. Your argument is infantile in it’s temper tantrum for it’s argument.

          • selokichtli@lemmy.mlEnglish
            0·
            6 months ago

            If you are fine with it, more power to you. You can call me whatever you want, I don’t know you and couldn’t care less. But when I see older people struggling with bank representatives demanding them to comply with ridiculous policies, well, I’ll keep myself damn angry as long as it takes.

      • wanderer@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Do you use mostly Android apps?

        I heard that the native browser is still some ancient Firefox fork. There is surprisingly little information about native apps anywhere, it strongly feels like they are mostly focusing on Android app compatibility. SailfishOS also has more closed source than I’d like to. Most often it does not end well.

        I preordered the new Jolla phone, but after looking around the app side of things for a while, I cancelled. I’m not switching from Android to “sort of Android” -phone. If (or rather when, as I think it will happen) Google kills F-Droid and other ways to get apps, I will take another look on what’s available. Ubuntu Touch maybe, but I understand their browser is also quite old, and that’s one thing that should be up to date, at least, in my opinion. Or maybe just a dumb phone, and a separate camera. For maps, maybe a “prices-begin-from” Wahoo for finding routes. Sure, this approach will cost more, take more space, but I’m not going to go into the walled garden of Google or Apple.

        About Jolla and SailfishOS, I am no expert. I ended up cancelling knowing that if I change my mind I will have to pay a lot of extra. Anyway, for the moment I am happy with my decision.

        • A_norny_mousse@piefed.zipEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          Do you use mostly Android apps?

          No.

          ls -1 /usr/share/applications/
Pacpac.desktop
csd.desktop
fingerterm.desktop
google-maps-geo-handler.desktop
harbour-2048.desktop
harbour-allradio2.desktop
harbour-android-offline.desktop
harbour-barcode.desktop
harbour-colortubes.desktop
harbour-crest.desktop
harbour-fbreader.desktop
harbour-file-browser.desktop
harbour-fivinarow.desktop
harbour-heebo.desktop
harbour-ieligimage.desktop
harbour-ieligweb.desktop
harbour-lonewolf.desktop
harbour-meecast.desktop
harbour-molecules.desktop
harbour-org.gpodder.sailfish.desktop
harbour-osmscout.desktop
harbour-ownkeepass.desktop
harbour-paketti.desktop
harbour-patience-deck.desktop
harbour-pipes.desktop
harbour-pure-maps-uri-handler.desktop
harbour-pure-maps.desktop
harbour-qml2048.desktop
harbour-sailpipe.desktop
harbour-sailtrix.desktop
harbour-sailtube-open-url.desktop
harbour-sailtube.desktop
harbour-sailtuner.desktop
harbour-seabass.desktop
harbour-sfos-forum-viewer.desktop
harbour-simplemahjong.desktop
harbour-sshazam.desktop
harbour-storeman.desktop
harbour-stppc.desktop
harbour-talefish.desktop
harbour-taot.desktop
harbour-wireshark.desktop
harbour-wordle.desktop
hosts-block-add-to-blacklist.desktop
hosts-block-add-to-whitelist.desktop
jolla-calculator.desktop
jolla-calendar.desktop
jolla-camera-lockscreen.desktop
jolla-camera-viewfinder.desktop
jolla-camera.desktop
jolla-clock.desktop
jolla-contacts.desktop
jolla-email.desktop
jolla-gallery.desktop
jolla-mediaplayer.desktop
jolla-messages.desktop
jolla-notes.desktop
jolla-settings.desktop
l2tp-import.desktop
mimeinfo.cache
new-mail.desktop
openconnect-import.desktop
openrepos-books.desktop
openstreetmap-geo-handler.desktop
org.kde.angelfish.desktop
ovpn-import.desktop
pptp-import.desktop
qCommand.desktop
qt-runner.desktop
quaeditor.desktop
retroarch.desktop
sailfish-archive.desktop
sailfish-audiorecorder.desktop
sailfish-browser.desktop
sailfish-captiveportal.desktop
sailfish-installationhandler.desktop
sailfish-office.desktop
sailfish-share.desktop
sailfish-tutorial.desktop
sailfishos-chum-gui.desktop
simkit.desktop
store-client.desktop
systemdatascope.desktop
uk.co.piggz.harbour-supersonik.desktop
voicecall-ui.desktop
vpnc-import.desktop
webcal-import.desktop
wheelmap-geo-handler.desktop
wireshark.desktop

          None of those is Android (but not all are actual “apps”).

          I heard that the native browser is still some ancient Firefox fork.

          I wouldn’t say ancient; it’s based on FF ESR98 or so’s embedlite. But yeah, this is a topic of much discontent. Natively, it’s relatively easy to install Angelfish (KDE) based on a much more timely webkit. Via Android appsupport many current browsers are available.

          There is surprisingly little information about native apps anywhere, it strongly feels like they are mostly focusing on Android app compatibility.

          It’s one of their main selling points, but native apps are definitely abundant. There’s the offical store, which does not have a browsable web frontend, and 2 unofficial stores: https://openrepos.net/ and https://sailfishos-chum.github.io/.

          SailfishOS also has more closed source than I’d like to. Most often it does not end well.

          I understand, but it has been going well since 2013. IMO the closed source thing is historical: they are the heirs of Nokia’s Linux-based OSs. But slowly they are opensourcing parts of the OS.

          Ultimately, this is a European company I can trust. The devs are active on the forum, too.

          BTW, it is still and always will be possible to download & install SFOS on your own device, for €0.

      • Owl@mander.xyzEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Their website has this dishonnest “99€” for their flagship

        It’s a trap, you need read the fine print to find out

  • ReallyCoolDude@lemmy.mlEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    I welcome this shit as I hate having an app forced on me for every web service available. Use the web. Or another OS

    • GalacticSushi@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      When have you ever had an app that needs to be sideloaded forced on you? This isn’t going to affect any of the apps on the play store that big companies try to push you into installing.

    • Jimmycrackcrack@lemmy.mlEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      I’m with the other guy here. Have you run in to web services that ask you to sideload apps from outside of the play store?? I hate that Google’s doing this but even I find that idea an inherently sketchy security nightmare.

      Are you sure you’re not just referring to apps generally including those from the app store? Because web services redirecting you in to using their unnecessary and unwanted apps on the play store is very much still going to be happening. These new measures just make it so you can only get apps from the play store and not elsewhere.

    • musubibreakfast@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      I don’t know if you’re kidding but the post is about phone operating systems, so unless DuckDuckGo launched an OS you’re talking out of your ass.

        • musubibreakfast@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          6 months ago

          Android, one of the largest phone operating systems is owned by Google. Android used to be somewhat customizable but lately Google has been putting a stop to this in a lot of ways, like what’s described in the post above. This has very little to do with DuckDuckGo.

  • JojoWakaki@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    6 months ago

    Ok this sucks, but there is something that seems to be not implied. Wait one day, then confirm with biometrics, then decide if you want this only this time, or 1 week, or forever. You have to only deal with this one time if you choose forever (as long as you don’t reinstall, I assume).

    This is by no means ideal, but I think I’m ok with this. In a way I believe the rhetoric they are framing, to protect the vulnerable populace (e.g. the elderly) from frauds. For your phone, you can get the hurdle over one time, if you are installing for your parent you can do “don’t ask me for a week, or ask me again everytime”, so they don’t install something malicious as part of a guided “tech support”. Not saying that will prevent all and any spams but it will add some barrier. Just my opinion though, I could be off base with this.

    I do wish that 1 day waiting was a bit shorter.

    • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      This would mean something if the old people google is pretending to give a shit about couldn’t already download all sorts of scammy shit from google’s official store.

      • JojoWakaki@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Yes exactly.

        The same with “oh we need the app creator/publisher to register so people don’t submit random shitty apps”. <looks at google’s play store populated with bunch of random shitty, scammy apps>

    • orioler25@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      You’re off base with this. Almost unbelievably so.

      They know they aren’t concerned with scams, why are you pretending? The move is to restrict competition and improve surveillance capacity as much as possible with as much legal protection as possible for Google. “Vulnerable people” don’t typically know how to use F-Droid, and scammers would take a week to find out am effective alternative even if this was somehow their main tactic; which it is not and they did fine before it was an option.

      I own my phone. I get to pick what is installed on it. The fucking mandatory Google apps were already too far, this is straight up telegraphing intent to commodify as much of my life as they can get access to. Even beyond how fucking bad this is for the overall health of tech development and sovereignty, I dont want a company that is complicit with a fascist state to force me or anyone else who would challenge that state to register our fucking identities with them. For all I fucking know, they’d get me thrown into a camp as readily as they’d cut off my access to pirated media. You think it’s a coincidence they’re doing this shit at the same time liberals and fascists are desperately trying to seize some kind of control over the internet? It’s for grandma’s safety? The fuck it is.

      • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        I dont want a company that is complicit with a fascist state to force me or anyone else who would challenge that state to register our fucking identities with them.

        Now in fairness to google, they’re complicit with multiple fascist states.

    • Xatolos@reddthat.comEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      Apple was the canary in the coal mine for this behavior in the EU. Apple was forced to allow third party apps, so Apple mandated that everyone had to register with them, and pay them their yearly fee, and then developers had to pay Apple another fee (core technology fee, still double dipping), and governments were completely fine with that. (And developers will happily jump through more hoops to develop on iOS).

      Google saw this and decided if they can, so can Google. And this technically is the easier of the two as at least this doesn’t require every developer to register with Google this way.

      • orioler25@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        Really good point to illustrate how liberal reform efforts just redirect capitalist control into an increasingly contrived legal system.

    • NickwithaC@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      Because there are more iPhones in America.

      Ignore that Apple also makes it impossible to side load apps.

      • JackbyDev@programming.devEnglish
        0·
        6 months ago

        I’m not criticizing you because that’s the typical term, but we really need to stop calling it side loading. It’s just installing. Calling it that makes it sound like something special and different.

    • PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      The public institutions responsible for tearing apart monopolies would have a field day with google if they were even remotely as powerful and willing as they used to be.

    • Avid Amoeba@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      Doesn’t matter when the CEO sits at the table with the US president. If it’s illegal it won’t be enforced. Or it’ll be made legal. Or it won’t be made illegal. And if you want to make it illegal in your country - there’s punitive tariffs coming your way from the US president.