Through an updated Google API, Android app developers can now effectively block sideloading and force downloads from the Play Store.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19650358

Through an updated Google API, Android app developers can now effectively block sideloading and force downloads from the Play Store.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
64M

Lucky patcher will fix this.

Pasta Dental
link
fedilink
English
144M

I wonder how that will work for graphene os devices with the sandboxed Google services

Chewy
link
fedilink
English
94M

This DRM is built in to Play Integrity, and GrapheneOS only passes the basic check, so apps using this DRM won’t work.

Stronger levels of Play Integrity don’t work on GOS anyway, so hopefully devs won’t use this feature either.

Spoofing Play Integrity works with rooted phones, although it breaks from time to time.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
664M

Isn’t that a textbook monopolistic practices lawsuit?

Flax
link
fedilink
English
364M

Sounds more like DRM, since it’s for developers to choose whether or not to disable side loading their apps

Well, that will make it easy to uninstall apps.

All my homies download from fdroid

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
114M

Apps on F-Droid are not using proprietary Google APIs and won’t be affected.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
14M

Okay good. That was my main concern since I opt to download the same app from F-droid over Google play if it is an option.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
24M

It’s a problem if you need a fucking banking app for example, and the bank won’t let you sideload it and you’re running a deGoogled OS. Then you suddenly need a backup phone with the full surveillance Android just to do banking.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
24M

But the picture I saw said “get this app from play” not, “get this app from a trusted store”. That to me does not read DRM.

Flax
link
fedilink
English
24M

So you’re saying it should allow for developers to allow exclusive installation from third party stores as well? Like amazon? Fair.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
24M

But is there anything stopping them from implementing that?

Afaik this is just a Google play API and the app checks using the API if the current user is licenced or not. Why couldn’t just any other store just do the same thing?

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
34M

They can. IIRC, Amazon apps would check to make sure the Amazon App Store was still installed. And I’m pretty sure Netflix games stop working when you unsubscribe from Netflix

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
84M

Because the developers want to check whether you got the app from the Play Store.

If the developers don’t care where you get the app from, then they won’t check.

Pasta Dental
link
fedilink
English
84M

Not really since it’s opt in for the developers who chose to distribute only on the play store

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
10
edit-2
4M

This is going to be a pain in the ass for sometime. Almost all the apps that has sell something through google play will use that API now.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
254M

I guess the next step in piracy is to change the apk enough that it doesn’t get recognized correctly, if that’s possible? Though then everyone will have to worry about malware-ridden apps.

I think this is horrible, aside from piracy, because you may want or need to stay on an older version of an app. I have had to for devices at work that require a specific version or just an easy way to manage the device and ensure devices only got updates we approved through our MDM.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
44M

The app checks if the current user is licenced so you would have to crack the DRM to bypass it. It’s not like the DRM is simply a filehash and all you have to do to avoid it is to change a byte or two.

ohellidk
link
fedilink
English
144M

I wonder if the latest “play integrity fix” module could solve that problem. Its already allowing me to use bank apps on my rooted phone, so I assume it would let me sideload too if the integrity was “fixed”. Google is making more problems with paid solutions.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
54M

Fucking hell just when I decided to get my first pixel after leaving Samsung

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
24M

Pixels have really good custom Roms available.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
1
edit-2
4M

But what breaks though? I heard android auto is broke with Graphene. AA is a requirement for me

Edit: apparently AA broke on a crap ton of Custom Roms including CalyxOS

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
14M

That might be a showstopper and I don’t know anything about AA when it comes to custom roms.

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
14M

This isn’t just a pixel thing tho?

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
1
edit-2
4M

Yeah but I was thinking about iOS again since I could upgrade phones. If google is going to make android like iOS why stay,…?

Edit: FYI I had a jailbroken Dopamine iPhone

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
54M

The comeback of crack and medicines!

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
214M

Right in the monopoly back you go

katy ✨
link
fedilink
English
64M

laughs in revanced

@[email protected]
link
fedilink
English
164M

Google made this available so they can encourage developers to use it and say “we’re not a monopoly, the developers are adding the check” and see how long they can get away with it.

Create a post

DROID DOES

Welcome to the droidymcdroidface-iest, Lemmyest (Lemmiest), test, bestest, phoniest, pluckiest, snarkiest, and spiciest Android community on Lemmy (Do not respond)! Here you can participate in amazing discussions and events relating to all things Android.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules


1. All posts must be relevant to Android devices/operating system.


2. Posts cannot be illegal or NSFW material.


3. No spam, self promotion, or upvote farming. Sources engaging in these behavior will be added to the Blacklist.


4. Non-whitelisted bots will be banned.


5. Engage respectfully: Harassment, flamebaiting, bad faith engagement, or agenda posting will result in your posts being removed. Excessive violations will result in temporary or permanent ban, depending on severity.


6. Memes are not allowed to be posts, but are allowed in the comments.


7. Posts from clickbait sources are heavily discouraged. Please de-clickbait titles if it needs to be submitted.


8. Submission statements of any length composed of your own thoughts inside the post text field are mandatory for any microblog posts, and are optional but recommended for article/image/video posts.


Community Resources:


We are Android girls*,

In our Lemmy.world.

The back is plastic,

It’s fantastic.

*Well, not just girls: people of all gender identities are welcomed here.


Our Partner Communities:

[email protected]


  • 1 user online
  • 26 users / day
  • 151 users / week
  • 423 users / month
  • 2.03K users / 6 months
  • 1 subscriber
  • 1.73K Posts
  • 33.1K Comments
  • Modlog