• KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 months ago

      So no banking apps for you? I agree that this is shit, but pretending we are not hit by this is not helping.

      Also, I don’t really use banking apps anyway because they already pull similar shit and I can get around it. For now.

      • Mr_Blott@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        Is there any reason anyone would want to use an out of date banking app?

      • themachine@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Correct. I’ve never used banking apps in the first place anyway. If my bank doesnt have a functional website then I would change banks.

        And i say this not to be difficult or contrarian. I just really hate using apps for every business in existence and simply refuse to do so. Yes I have absolutely sacrificed convenience on many occasions due to this principal.

        • KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de
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          2 months ago

          Very good. I don’t like using apps for every little shitty website like discord or WebEx either.

          Just know that this is a step forward in the direction of making it technically possible to force people to usw the app. Ask yourself if you trust them to not try and profit from this.

          • themachine@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            Just know that this is a step forward in the direction of making it technically possible to force people to usw the app.

            I disagree. There is nothing stopping that as it is. What this really does is remove one more level of control from the end user on their device.

            Ask yourself if you trust them to not try and profit from this.

            Im not sure what you are getting at here. Of course i don’t trust “them”. Nor do i trust any corp. It’s those reasons among others why i have completely removed google from my computing life and almost exclusively use open source software as well as self host functionally all network services.

            • KomfortablesKissen@discuss.tchncs.de
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              2 months ago

              I disagree. There is nothing stopping that as it is. What this really does is remove one more level of control from the end user on their device.

              That is exactly what I meant with that. Less control for you means more control for the banks/app creators.

              I myself also want to let go of the likes of Google. It’s a pretty bumpy ride, but better than a future where the Tech Bros are in control.

      • henfredemars@infosec.pub
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        2 months ago

        With banking apps in particular this lock down is ultra-stupid.

        Like, I have to use your super secure app, or I can just… visit your page in a web browser running on god-knows-what with whatever extensions in any computing environment or OS of my choosing? But not using Google Play is where they draw the line.

  • cleverusername@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    What if I sideload purely to downgrade a bugged app? Just seems like yet another kick in the teeth by Google.

    • Chozo@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      Google’s only providing the option, it’s up to individual devs to enable it on their app. If the app developer has chosen to block sideloading, then they probably have a reason for going out of their way to do so. Whatever you find that reason to be should inform your decision whether or not to continue using their app.

      • doctortran@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        Their reasons mean nothing. It’s my device. I shouldn’t have to worry about an application installed on my device being policed because the developer got a hair up their ass about people downgrading.

        The phrase “more secure” is becoming meaningless as it keeps being used as a blanket excuse for literally every user hostile change.

        • Chozo@fedia.io
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          2 months ago

          Sure, it’s your device. But it’s their app. Ultimately, it’s the developer’s call to make. You don’t have to use their app.

                • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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                  2 months ago

                  Sounds like you’re using a phone that doesn’t meet the requirements specified by your employer. Might I suggest asking them for a company phone?

                • Chozo@fedia.io
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                  2 months ago

                  Sounds like the app developer does not want to support you as a user. You should take it up with devs that do this if that’s a concern.

          • woodgen@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            We can still use their app with a little help from my reverse engineering tools.

      • Virkkunen@fedia.io
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        2 months ago

        Explain to me what would be the good reasons McDonald’s has to block their app from running on a rooted device because it doesn’t pass SafetyNet or whatever Google is calling it now

  • Nawor3565@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 months ago

    Aw shit, it says this is supposed to detect when an app’s binary has been tampered with… That means it’s probably gonna be used to block stuff like ReVanced. I hope they can find a way around this that doesn’t require root.

    • lud@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      This is the individual app’s fault and not Googles. It’s like getting mad at Steam for allowing apps with DRM. Is feature is entirely optional and requires extra effort to implement.

      Also didn’t Google already get sued in the USA for Android not being open enough or something like that.

  • Zak@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    The whole tech world saw Microsoft Palladium as a nightmare scenario, but was quiet ten years later when Apple and Google did the same thing to our phones. That was a mistake.

    • jbk@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 months ago

      Maybe everyone was just OK with mobile devices being locked down heavily from the start, and now it’s more or less the same level for most

      • Zak@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        We had several years of Android that mostly wasn’t. Now it’s hard work to get Android that isn’t.

    • Clent@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Are you suggesting such an app can be purchased outside Google play but not used?

      Having an app check a license server isn’t exactly new. Google play is simply a third party license server.

      • accideath@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        No, but you can download the APKs anyways. Which is most likely exactly why this is being implemented. I doubt many developers of free apps are going to turn this feature on.

        • doctortran@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          Yes they will. This tool would force users to always use the Play Store which would increase the download count on their app, which would help its ranking in the Play Store. Every last single developer is incentivized to use this.

          • accideath@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            On the other hand though, the amount of people who sideload free apps is very small because that’s only really interesting for people with degoogled smartphones.

      • Wanderer@r.nf
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        2 months ago

        The App Lounge from /e/OS has access to the play store if you choose to log in to Google. It is possible (but not recommended because of a possible ban) to purchase stuff, I haven’t done that yet, but some apps want to talk to Google to see if it was purchased and that gives an error.

        For example, Wavelet can’t unlock paid status, All-In-One Calculator gives the option to link an email so it can restore paid status, Nova Launcher uses a different app to restore paid status so it works as well.

    • jbk@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 months ago

      Kinda makes sense. A paid app on Google Play is a license to download the .apk file(s). Then a user could make copies, and without DRM, it’d be the same situation as with copyrighted movies and whatnot.

      I’m not saying I support them, it’s just that they are like this for a reason

  • Xenny@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    That’s fine I rarely download apps that want to be on the Play store anyway