Sideloading & FossApp's from F-Droid etc.

derDennis

I would like to know how you deal with the fact that Goggle will force this ‘great’ new big update on us in September, eh offer? That Google massively deprives us of our freedom by restricting the possibility of sideloading and making life really difficult for the developers of really good alternative software.

For example, I use the F-Droid AppStore a lot, because I don’t trust many apps from Google. Be it the phone/messageapp from Google or just a system widget. I prefer it from there and can be sure that Google does not receive any data from my phone or SMS app.

But that will be over in September.

My way will be that I will switch to GrapheneOS, as long as my N2a is reasonably supported by then.I have no nerve to let Google dictate what I do with ‘my’ device and what software I have installed there.

I’m interested in how you’re going to solve the problem.

DJ

derDennis Nah, it’s not that extreme. Sideloading isn’t going away just a bit more friction. ADB still works, Google confirmed it.(You can use the commands without the pc also)

F-Droid will still work too, just less smooth maybe. Not the end tbh.

Mr Steel

derDennis you probably want to read the latest updates on this topic, because it is not over like you said.

derDennis

What me off the most is that I am being curtailed in my ‘freedom’.

It’s nice that ADB is still working. Not interested, not not.

Here’s another example to help you understand why I’m so mad at Google

I use my money to buy a phone or a car, a watch, a house, no matter what, “I pay for it and it becomes my property”. So far understood?

Jetut comes along Goggle and determines that I can no longer do what I want with ‘my things’ with my paid property

It’s like buying a house and living in it for 1 year. Suddenly someone stranger comes from the outside and forbids you to use the kitchen.

Or you buy a car and after 1 year the manufacturer comes and deactivates the airbags from the factory.

It’s just an absolute impudence that Google will introduce this.

If Goggle had announced at the market launch of the N2a that it would later take the openness of the system, my purchase decision would have been different.

Conclusion : It is and remains a turning point!

It is my property, which I can now only use to a limited extent from September. That’s a fact.

And the fact that ADB still goes is due, it doesn’t matter. Google has taken the liberty of taking this step.

And I certainly won’t be the only one who finds it an impudence that Google cuts such a massively.

Absolute impudence

Mr Steel

derDennis I completely understand your frustration. The feeling of losing control over your device is a very common complaint in the tech community right now.

However, the examples you used about a house or a basic watch apply strictly to physical objects.
In modern technology, ‘ownership’ works differently because a smartphone is made of two separate things: Hardware and Software.

When you bought your Nothing phone, you purchased and 100% own the physical hardware (the screen, the battery, the cameras). However, you did not buy the Android software. What you received with your purchase was a license to use Google’s software, which is governed by Google’s Terms of Service. Because Google owns Android, they have the legal right to change how their software operates, usually citing security reasons.

Modern cars actually work exactly like smartphones now. You buy and own the physical car, but the manufacturer owns the software. Many car brands today are locking physical features like heated seats, battery capacity, or navigation behind software licenses or subscriptions. You own the physical seats, but you do not own the software required to turn them on. When I had to change the car battery on my BMW, you would think it was as easy as buying a new car battery and installing it. But no… BMW implemented in their software that you had to tell to the car that a new battery was installed, so it could adjust the system and calibrate it. For a regular user, this means you need to go to a dealer and pay them for a simple job like this, all because of software. If you have a bit of technical knowledge, you can still do it yourself, but the majority of people are still in the ‘average-consumer’ group.

It is definitely a frustrating shift in what ‘ownership’ means in the digital age. It is completely fair to be mad at Google for restricting sideloading, but it is important to understand that you are using Google’s software, and they set the rules for it. You accepted these rules when you purchased the hardware, that came with the software license.