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  • Hacker News
  • I am not sure I am against app verification. I almost installed an APK that was a banking infostealer. Is there really no other way? Microsoft fixed this with a built in virus scanner on Windows
    by alightsoul
  • > Microsoft fixed this with a built in virus scanner on Windows

    Oh, Android has this already! Third-party apps will still be subjected to the Google Play Protect scanning. Making sideloading needlessly difficult is done for business reasons, not device safety.

    by crote
  • Android, at least those with Play Service, already have built-in scanning for APKs right now. The main problem is currently only Google can "trust" the dev signature for apps they release, so if an app or dev is in Google's naughty list, either for outright malware or for an adblocker, they're out.

    At least there will be a setting for users to allow any app from any dev, which those who know about it will enable right away, and those who don't know about it have no business to use it anyway.

    by martheen
  • There's definitely no way to prevent crime except for putting a surveillance camera in everyone's bathroom.
    by inigyou
  • That is exactly the problem a choice of app stores solves. Instead of downloading APKs you se stores you trust, and some store apps support multiple repos. Its a Linux like solution.
    by graemep
  • Anyone else noticed that every single other company that had a bone to pick against Apple or Google (companies like Match and Spotify) haven't been saying shit lately about any of this?

    It's always still just Epic Games being whiny and pissy?

    Kinda weird. I guess once Spotify got 300+ million paid subscribers they lost the plot themselves on what they were fighting for (and haven't given us things like promised AirPlay 2 support still). I guess the Match Group found other ways to pry and extort money out of sad lonely people.

    But Timmy? Oh, Timmy needs his 63% developer take of in-game purchases inside Fortnite. The kids need their skins!

    by kotaKat
  • They're probably afraid to get banned by Google (which is guaranteed to happen and they did ban Epic), lose all their revenue and go out of business before the lawsuit finishes (Epic's is still going after years and years)
    by inigyou
  • Quoting BoJack Horseman ``You've been adjudicated''
    by p0w3n3d
  • > “Have it done by a week from today”, he ordered

    I’m glad judges are sick of their feet dragging. I’m sad it’s not happening to Apple too though.

    by digitalPhonix
  • Love it. The only problem is that they can just make this changes region-specific, like Apple has been doing with everything they didn't like being ordered to do. So in the end these international companies are minimally affected.
    by skeledrew
  • https://archive.is/1G6uQ
    by Jimmc414
  • That's not a trusted source anymore: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/wikipedia-bans-a...
    by bl4kers
  • What a day for app store regulation: when it rains it pours as the saying goes.
    by benoau
  • what else did I miss today?
    by sgc
  • I don't know, here in the real world, so far the EU's regulations of Apple has shown Google that it can safely make Android a closed platform. Before there was uncertainty that Google didn't want to test. This is possible because EU don't care about "sideloading" and accept the security argument to allow gatekeeping by the device/OS makers.

    Meanwhile Apple is having fun how to creatively pass the EU regulations while defeating every point of it in practical terms.

    Maybe in a decade or two there will be something useful from this, but in the meantime it will be worse.

    by jezek2
  • Why doesn't google just approve verified app stores? Like how a linux repo can be verified and not require the app developer to have to?
    by pintert3
  • It is funny how we have two storm fronts here. Google trying to lock down apps to only Google approved developers, and legal decisions to open up alternative app stores that would potentially use apps that are not Google approved.

    One wonders which side will win this one? All I know is, I still want my F-Droid with apps that Google doesn't have power over.

    by ColdStream
  • HN in general has completely misunderstood app verification. App verification is what allows rival app stores to be installed without a warning, even if they aren't installed from a system app store. It is a direct result of this ruling.

    It's still possible to install any app with a warning. A future Google Android build will require developer mode to be enabled to install those apps. That is the problem to address, not app verification, which will be rolled out as a Google Play Services update to existing Google Android builds and makes it strictly easier to install apps than before.

    by lern_too_spel
  • These appear to be related. The requirement to open up to other app stores also came with a requirement that Google support those app stores with their (admittedly messy) malware detection. Suddenly Google is looking at requirements to review apps that they have way less information about. I can only imagine that the developer identification efforts are an attempt to make that easier.
    by UncleMeat
  • This storm fronts are really just Google trying to dig in as deep as possible.

    On one end they are trying to fight the requirements for alternative app stores and making them as hard as possible to use.

    On the other end they are trying to put hooks so that they can block installations of apps from other app stores.

    Then they hope that regulation will take longer to dislodge the various methods they are using to retain control.

    by kevincox
  • Both. If they copy Apple, which they will, you'll be able to install any app store but the app store will only be able to install Google-approved apps.
    by inigyou