Starting next year, Google will begin to verify the identities of developers distributing their apps on Android devices, not just those who distribute via the Play Store.

    • yeehaw
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      1825 days ago

      How many great apps will we lose because of this, though?

      • NekuSoul
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        25 days ago

        What’s extra funny is that I already did all of this, and yet, I’ve been informed that my developer account is subject to deletion because I’m not active enough. Since my game does not get regular updates I said F this, let them delete my account. It’s still available for sideload on itch.io anyway. Jokes on me for believing that.

        So yeah, it seems like Google is actively hostile towards building a library of software/games that just work and intentionally only wants live service garbage apps on their platform because those make more revenue.

        • yeehaw
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          221 days ago

          That’s wild, I made a developer account in like 2010 and released an app and forgot about it. I still get developer emails about my account lol. I never touched it.

    • @[email protected]
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      1525 days ago

      Can Nintendo request Google revoke authorization for emulator developers? Or publishers requesting revoking any of the hugely popular manga aggregator apps. Or maybe they’ll just outright refuse them from the start, like they will with revanced.

      • @[email protected]
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        825 days ago

        I’m on your side and you are correct, besides Google amassing a ton of money (each registration costs $25) they will have total control and we know that Google is far beyond “not evil”.

      • @[email protected]
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        24 days ago

        none of those apps would receive authorization in this scenario. you would not be able to use them

    • @[email protected]
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      1325 days ago

      I highly doubt they’ll sign Torrent clients.

      (Yes I torrent on my phone, cuz why not lol :P)

      • @[email protected]
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        325 days ago

        Torrent client is just an application, author shouldn’t be responsible - naive thinking I suppose

          • @[email protected]
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            25 days ago

            Right sorry. I thought you meant developers won’t sign them. Obviously you mean Google.

            I hope Google at least will only sign identities, e.g. you really are DeathByBigSad and this is your key which you can sign apps with. Not look at the apps themselves. That may be too much to hope for. :(

    • @[email protected]
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      124 days ago

      We just need to find a way to fake it, I guess anyone that wants to sideload has to root.

      • @[email protected]
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        324 days ago

        The only way to fake it would be to use a “public” signature, but then again, I’m sure google will revoke them eventually. I guess rooting won’t be enough, one would have to change some internal binaries. Perhaps it’s time for a ungooglified android OS 🤷‍♂️