Comment by VLM | Hacker News Reader

Comment by VLM | Hacker News Reader

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The distinction is that a mostly sane person decided to stock Hot Pockets at the grocery store and will likely continue doing so and if they stop it won't be for a random reason.

The way it works with Android apps is if some random code quality shell script of questionable quality flags your app, the app will be removed and you will get a lifetime developer ban from Google. There is no human in the loop and no appeals process.

Because there's a monopoly for Android apps, there is no reason for them to ever improve customer/developer service.

An excellent analogy would be getting banned for life by a programmers union if anything you write ever fails a valgrind test. Doesn't matter if its a bug in that revision of the valgrind test and there will never be any human contact in the process.

"I've been banned from google and I don't even know why" is a weekly discussion topic on android development forums.

Even funnier is Google implements guilt by association. So if you have a similar email address or ip address to someone who gets banned, the same shell scripts will lifetime ban your account under their ban evasion policy.

Google Play does not have a monopoly on Android apps. It's not even included on phones sold in some countries. Numerous apps, including high profiles one such as Fortnite, have not been distributed in the Play Store and there are several alternatives appstores around.

Fortnite just launched on the Play Store because of how impossible Google has made it to distribute Android apps outside of Play.

> because of how impossible Google has made it to distribute Android apps outside of Play.

Or because of how much of a larger audience the Play Store has.

Installing an APK from a website has never been an easier process. I do not see how Google can simplify it any more. You are asked 2 things:

- Can we allow your browser to download files?

- Can we install this app on your device?

> You are asked 2 things [...]

Can you provide references?

On at least four Android phones to allow installing unsigned APKs I've had warnings about "Scary Stuff"[tm]* if I proceed...

* I paraphrase...

The “Scary Stuff” warnings are important because anyone competent will ignore them and anyone not competent will be scared away. As they should be, because potential for abuse here is rife.

It works.

Google set Project Zero on finding exploits for the Fortnite installer and then engaged in a media campaign to promote how scary installing it was.

I would say in addition to the "scary stuff" warnings Google employs on devices, they went out of their way to harm any serious contender for outside distribution.

Epic also went on a significant campaign to be allowed to distribute through Play, but utilize their own payment provider, but Google's monopoly wouldn't budge:

Google's Play Store demands aren't about security, they're about the 30% taxation.

Every time a banned developer makes the front page of HN, it turned out that the company had hired a contractor or employee who had been previously banned for malware.

So the algorithm decides that an app you wrote was "malware" by some arbitrary bullshit screening process.

Now you've lost your job and you're banned for life from making android apps?

SOUNDS UTTERLY FANTASTIC! (actually sounds totally evil)

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