this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2024
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You have to go out of your way to install non play store apps on Android and for the average user there aren't a ton of use cases so most users don't side load apps anyways. I don't understand what they're so afraid of. They don't even have to worry about other marketplaces being installed by default since they have a hardware monopoly
I find the term "sideloading" funny. It seems artificially created to be a derogative phrasing for something which was and is completely normal and advantageous.
There was a time, when internet and computers weren't that old, where you would just visit a website to download and install a program.
It's still common on the desktop market. At least for Windows and Linux systems.
Google used the brilliant idea to chain users up to their own eco-system, by - very successfully - creating the illusion that using the Play Store and a tremendous amount of Google services and apps are the only way to go on Android devices. Apple does the same. Users aren't used to "the old ways" anymore like on PC for example. And while it might seem like a win-win situation for the company as well as for users (it is easy for most and auto-updates are nice), situations like these highlight how dangerous it can be to allow a company to have complete control over a market.
In other words:
Teach people how to download and install stuff from the web again!
Its not hard at all really, just one setting and you can install any app from the browser. Even better, when you try to install an apk file and it isnt enabled, you will even be taken straight to the related setting, so you dont even need to search it.
It's not hard, but it will still stop pretty much any non power user.
That's...just not true. It's like dumb easy if you know that an android app is an APK file. Or even just a quick web search about the subject. The situation has always been that it's harder to sideload on apple vs android.
Dumb easy for you and likely most of Lemmy. I think you over estimate the capabilities of the general public.
That's completely fair.
It's easy but it's extra steps, thus out of your way. I don't know any non power users that don't use the play store exclusive. I think Apple is putting up a big fuss about nothing, they've probably wasted more money fighting this than they'd lose. The built in app store has such a ridiculously huge home field advantage.