Hello,

what i mean by that is that if it’s possible that some companies like Xiaomi, Realme etc will continue allowing sideloading the apps? I mean they have already modified the Android source code, how hard it could be to just allow sideloading, isn’t it just something like allow_sideloading=true.

my guess is that Google services will refused to work on phones that allows sideloading, that could prevent other companies from allowing sideloading.

what are your thoughts?

  • yessikg@fedia.io
    7·
    2 days ago

    The only thing that might work is a Linux distro that becomes the new base for an Android-like ecosystem, maybe PostmarketOS or Ubuntu Touch?

  • gigachad@piefed.socialEnglish
    22·
    2 days ago

    I guess that’s exactly it, Play Services. Google outsourced more and more basic features into Play Services over the years. For example without Google Play Services you do not have

    • access to the Play Store
    • assisted GNSS via the cell network
    • Push Notifications
    • Maps engine
    • Basic integrity / SafetyNet

    …and other things. A device without Play Services / microG is basically useless for the majority of users.

    So I guess Custom ROMs are not necessarily affected by this change by Google, but all devices running Android + Play Services will (99.99% of all devices). And it is questionable if it’s worth to develop for a very very small crowd of people, especially as custom ROMs are being in danger for years now. This move by google is by far not the first one against the open source community.

    • Semperverus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      8 hours ago

      Pixel phone with grapheneOS has been an interesting ride. Not having push sucks but I still get notifications for SMS, signal, xmpp, and Matrix. Only one I miss is Discord.

      Maps gets replaced with Organic Maps or its fork CoMaps.

      I access my bank through my browser.

  • BCsven@lemmy.ca
    141·
    2 days ago

    GrapheneOS can be installed without Google Services, and sandboxed if you want them. I guess it depends on if Google bakes a lock into their android binary blobs tyqt downstream OS makers have to use… Unless they start developing their own. A Linux Phone is going to be the sensible move going forward.

  • Lucy :3@feddit.org
    12·
    2 days ago

    Those chinese companies already don’t have the certs/rights for google verified/“protected” Android, they only use AOSP. Which means no App Dev verification anyway.