I fear that Google will eventually force Android users to use Google Play only

Do any of you fear that Google will force Android users to the Google Play only? No more third party app installs. I mean if they try this I’m sure that organizations such as the EFF will try to prevent this I mean Android is an open source OS and making it into an iOS like environment would technically violate that open nature of Android. But it just seems like Google is gradually moving in this direction.

Do I think I’m concerned about nothing or do you think there’s something to my concern?

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That’s a possibility…but by that time they might not have Android (as Linux kernel+stuff) at all… Fuchsia comes to mind.

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I think your concerns are justified especially, as the way our freedoms are being encroached upon & eroded

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As least there are other up and coming options, like CalyxOS, Librem/Purism, PostmarketOS, PinePhone, etc.

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Yeah I was kinda thinking the same thing those OSs/platforms are truly open source.
But its nice to know I’m not the only one who is worried about Google restricting Android to Google Play only.

@Licaon_Kter
Good point I almost forgot about Fuchsia.

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fear that Google will force Android users to the Google Play only? No more third party app installs.

For apps using google services, yes. Go ahead, give me another reason to stop. For apps not using google services, I don’t see it happening soon. Or go ahead, give me another reason to use a dumb phone.

I’m as concerned about their general domination of the internet.

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We had a related discussion previously @

It’s even worse than you think. Once you’ve tried an iPhone or iPad, you’ll immediately realize that the App Store isn’t the only compulsion.

There’s one thing that shows you immediately what the iOS system is. When you buy an iOS device, you have to do a device activation via the Internet in setup. It’s generally not possible to set up and use iOS devices locally. Internet Compulsion. There is no way around it yet, not even with jailbreak (because jailbreak can only be done after device activation).

The jailbreak scene is a controlled scene anyway, even if Apple is only indirectly involved. You can do some things more after the jailbreak, like local app installation via file, customize the system design, Tweaks etc.

But basically nothing more than playing into a proprietary system where only Apple has control anyway. Apple knows that people, or humanity in general, want a freedom system, but the illusion of the jailbreak scene makes users with little experience believe that this is enough.

What Apple does with this data I don’t know, but one thing is for sure. Apple knows how many iOS devices are activated worldwide.

I expect Apple will add this method for its Mac devices in the future if they use the ARM CPU. Then Apple can restrict it even further. This also automatically means that you will never be able to set up and use these Mac devices locally again, as is the case with iPhones and iPads.

In case you don’t know it yet, even the first iPhone and iPad cannot be set up and used without the Internet. Apple has been doing this for more than 10 years for their mobile systems. This also applies to the other iOS based systems for Apple Watch, Apple TV etc.

I could imagine that Google will make the first step in their systems, and that is for Fuchsia. In setup, add a forced device activation over the Internet, similar to iOS. In Android itself I don’t believe this, but maybe in a future Android One version.

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What triggered you fear this time? Something special happened this time around I have missed?

In general I’m not against those tight integrations, they add you a lot for free, but as a professional I’m concerned about the security. It really sucks when I see a suspicious behavior but the system doesn’t let me in to check it. The only thing we can do, when we suspect malware is to turn off your phone immediately, factory reset it, but then we are still not assured the phone is safe to use again.

Recently I have upgraded my phone. Really wanted the Huawei P40 Pro for the excellent camera but eventually decided that P30 Pro’s camera is good enough but it still has Google services. Anyway the Huawei does well on the phone market despite being banned by Google. I’m sure soon the HMS (huaweii mobile services) will mature enough and could be a better alternative to GMS. Whom would you trust more, a Chinese company or an American one? In recent years my opinion really re-adjusted seeing how much American government interfere in American companies and how much it is hungry on spying. I am not concerned about Google or Apple using the data for improving their offering (mostly advertisement) but I am aware that the data leaks to the government, i.e. who knows how many companies and how it is being used.

I like F-droid is about privacy and freedom while CCP and their mobiles are clearly against these two.

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Good question.
From an ideological point of view (I’m talking about political power here) Google would like to stop F-Droid from creating a free space for users and developers. Google hates that kind of freedom and pushes society in only one direction: algorithmic prediction and total control. Google possesses the power, the knowledge and the science to force their will upon governments and institutions. If only they could decide about what applications users can and may choose from we should ask ourselves: ‘who decides about democratic decision making, who owns and organizes knowledge, who decides who decides?’
It’s right to mention EFF, because that’s the broader context where your question belongs I think. Bits Of Freedom, their Dutch sister organisation, is on the same line.

I guess Google shouldn’t ask too much from its users, because, even if not much people, many ones would migrate to alternatives, like Ubuntu touch, Maemo, PostmarketOS, KDE Plasma mobile, and so.
IMHO, when the jar will be full, many people will discard Android for one of these.

Pardon my spelling.

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