Well, I’ll be damned. They finally won one it sounds like.

  • candle_lighter@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    So odd that the open source platform that allows sideloading and doesn’t even come with an app store by default is the one that is a monopoly but the locked down one with total control over your device is not.

    Some Android flavors even come with other app stores. Samsung phones have their own Samsung app store that even includes Fortnite.

        • agitatedpotato@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Welcome to law, Apple is less monopolistic than Google legally simply because Apple built a better monopoly, by denying competition in the first place.

    • Kbobabob@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They do control Play Services, however. That’s not open source and includes proprietary apps basically essential for an operating smart phone such as Google sign in, Maps, and of course the Play Store. Google used their market dominance in those fields to prevent third parties from launching or installing competitors to the Play Store by denying Play Services to those who didn’t comply; paying them off directly or brokering sweetheart deals. That’s appears like an obvious abuse of their market position.

      • nevemsenki@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        They do control Play Services, however. That’s not open source and includes proprietary apps basically essential for an operating smart phone such as Google sign in, Maps, and of course the Play Store.

        Wtf is this? You do not need google sign in for running a smart phone. Hell, one of the features of stock AOSP Android is being in no way tied to Google.

  • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    ITT: lots of people wondering why Apple won and Google lost, but not reading the article, which explains the difference of the cases.

      • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Yeah, fuck that. I definitely don’t agree with the ruling. iOS is far more restrictive than Android, because at least Android provides the ability to easily install alternatives (F-droid app store is an awesome alternative for many types of apps and it’s all free). Sure, Android dominates the market globally, but in the US–nd many other countries-- Apple has the majority of marketshare. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ios-vs-android-market-share-135251641.html

        It’s just bullshit to me that Apple gets a free pass for clearly being anti-competitive. I’m glad this trial struck down Google’s app store monopoly, but all phone OS’s should be forbidden from doing it.

        • bigFab@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Totally agree with your idea, but so you know Apple has lost another legal fight. Europe condemnes it for monopoly of not only App Store, but also Safari and other services. About a month ago.

          • yamanii@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            The browser monopoly really is a stupid thing, what even is the point of installing any other browser if they have to be reskins of safari?

      • inverted_deflector@startrek.website
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        1 year ago

        Yeah and honestly Im fine with courts opening up the platforms more to make at ths point, but the issue is that apple got the win. People cite incentives and back doors dealings on googles end, but apple doesnt need to they just control everything by default no questions asked.

    • deweydecibel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      No it doesn’t, it just says that the case was different and that it wasn’t in front of a jury, it doesn’t give the details of the difference. You have to go read the entire article from a few years ago

  • cybersandwich@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    This is so wild. Google allows side loading and 3rd party app stores…and that is the reason they were found guilty.

    Unlike Apple, Google allows people to download apps onto phones running its Android operating system without going through its official app store, but the company strikes deals with phone manufacturers to favor Google’s official app store.

    So because they strike deals to favor their store, even though they allow 3rd party stores to begin with, they’ve violated the SAA.

    Meanwhile, Apple who refuses to allow competition or 3rd party app stores is sitting pretty because…well, they haven’t “favored” their own store over rival stores. BECAUSE RIVAL STORES CANT EXIST. I don’t know how you could favor your store any harder than that??

    The legal shenanigans around all of this are frustrating to watch as a lay person.

    • Killer@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      looks at epic “striking deals” to have games on their storefront

  • inverted_deflector@startrek.website
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    1 year ago

    While I understand the concern over the single appstore monopoly that we have on any device, I think it’s worth remembering what ecosystem android and IOS came into.

    The old multimedia phones that were sold in the mid 00s were effectively “smart”. Many of them ran java and you could install programs, and freely install ringtones, and browsers that actually worked like opera mini/mobile. The thing is you couldnt by default. At least not in the US. The devices were locked down and everything you did went through the carrier’s store. And US telecom services are some of the greediest and scummiest companies out there so you couldnt even use your own mp3 files as a ringtone.

    Apple combated this with their closed off ecosystem, but android did face issues with fragmentation in the early days and needed a way to prevent the telecoms branded phones from stinking up the ecosystem. They did this by leveraging the play services and play store. From the playstore they can also since mainline release various peacemeal updates which helps resolve their other issue with fragmentation and thats android device being abandoned.

    Sure enough you can still release your own version of android without it, amazon’s tablets and tv sticks do pretty well.

    That said I do think it’s a good to help people move past the default and open up the platforms more, I just wish it would apply to all smart devices,

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Yup. I was part of Verizon’s app development program and it was a fucking joke. Even if the dev tools and build chain wasn’t a complete mess, and even if the dev license wasn’t expensive, and even if it wasn’t almost impossible to even get test hardware… Even if you managed to build something more useful than snake, you’d still have to wait months and months and months for Verizon to sign your apps and then months more before they’d be available on any handset. I’m legitimately not sure it was even possible for a small dev to get anything approved.

      Open app stores were and still are amazing. I get that people want even more freedom, but coming from the trauma of feature phone development, I find it hard to get upset about this, especially considering Android makes it dead simple to sideload.

        • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Thanks, ChatGPT.

          I don’t think so

          Sure smells like it.

          Nobody was asking for a history lesson of the past that doesn’t draw any real conclusion to the current situation, at the end of the comment.

        • unexpectedteapot@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          Absolutely worth the downvotes. It is a paragraph worth of nothing. Literally nothing of value or relevance added to the thread.

            • StuffYouFear@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              I thought it was a good read and reminded me of the garbage I did at one time live through involving non-iphones

              Sorry people are being mean on the internet, they may not be aware they dont have to consume all information that is posted in front of them.

            • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Well thats just mean for no particular reason.

              Your comment was a nonsensical history lesson, and didn’t serve the current conversation of the topic being discussed.

            • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Nah, call them as you see them. No need to F around when it comes to people polluting the Internet.

          • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Absolutely worth the downvotes. It is a paragraph worth of nothing. Literally nothing of value or relevance added to the thread.

            Agree. Smells like a ChatGPT flavored comment.

  • TheMurphy@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I’m pretty sure this has nothing to do with the EU lawsuits, right?

    Both Google and Apple would still have to open up soon (at least in EU)

    Sorry if it’s a stupid question.

  • 👁️👄👁️@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Finally a big W. Google backdoored Android with Google Play Services and gives itself special permissions that no other app can do. They should be under the same limitations that other apps are reserved to. That’s why projects like Sandboxed Google play is really awesome.

  • SCB@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Epic never sued for monetary damages; it wants the court to tell Google that every app developer has total freedom to introduce its own app stores and its own billing systems on Android

    This seems like a poor choice instead of monetary damages. I have the Epic Games Launcher free game downloader for games I forget I own. I’m very unlikely to start using Epic’s services over Google’s.

    I’d have taken the money and run

    • nul9o9@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I think their goal is to let people buy in game currency for fortnight without the play store cut.

      • SCB@lemmy.world
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        Ah ok that’s def a good move for them then. That would probably be more than any payout, long-term.

        Hadn’t considered it.

    • Cosmic Cleric@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’d have taken the money and run

      That would have been penny wise, and pound foolish.

      Sometimes it’s okay to swing for the fences, even if you end up missing, it’s usually worth the try.

  • cley_faye@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    'It’s a win for everyone" except if Google (and Apple) were to start playing “fair”: no more restriction on apps, but they charge full price for the service of hosting and providing a searchable store to something million users. That way, only big business that can pay for that kind of service will be able to use each platform’s “main” store, and every (big business owner) will be happy.

    There’s no free meal in there. Not for the majority of users, at least.