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Comment by TheBrokenRail | Hacker News Reader

At least on Android you can install alternate app stores like F-Droid. All you have to do is allow apps to be installed from unknown sources.

If you use Apple, you're just out of luck unless you want to mess with whatever hacky workaround is popular this week.

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I've been using altstore successfully, minor hindrance of resigning side loaded apps every week, but if you can leave your PC on it does that automatically.

This is not “minor hinderance” for 99.9% Apple users. It’s absolutely unusable unless you are an “enthusiast”.

With a free apple developer account, you're also limited to only three "active" sideloaded apps. It's a huge hindrance. If you want more, you've got to shell out those 100 bucks per year.

I have never felt the need to do so on iOS. I cannot say the same about Android.

Lucky! I felt it very early on in iOS and that does not seem to have abated.

Your use case might be fine for their app store only, but it doesn't mean thats true for others.

Can you share more about your experience with android?

Death by 1000 cuts of little frustrations, lags, etc.

because you're an consumer and not a power user.

there's nothing wrong with that, but a very wide array of preferences different than yours does exist.

You mean aside from when you see every free android app cost $6.99 on iOS?

I’ll take a 6.99 price over android craware loaded with ads.

What if I told you there are blockers that work through the Android VPN API that can strip out ads out of every app. Using Blokada 5 myself.

Having an ad blocker is a core essential on today's internet. Even Apple makes $4B/year in just ads.

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