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this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2024
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Apple and Google stores are classic rent seeker behavior.
Deny them profit.
You don't have to use the Google store though.
Apple forces you to the their app store, and they have a huge list of requirements they impose on apps to which dicks around developers
You don't have to use Google's store, but they've done a lot of anticompetitive shenanigans to snuff out competition and ensure they remain the dominant storefront.
After Google saw how much money Apple was making, they seemed to immediately regret having Android be an open platform. It was a convenience when they acquired the product early on because they could bring it to market quickly, but they've done everything in their power since then to close it up.
They've even start hoovering up stuff that was sideloaded so that it integrates into their store.
They tried to "update" my VLC but since my binary was signed by F-Droid it fails... and fails... and fails... No way to tell them to stop trying.
There are so many android devices out there that don't even use the Google Play store...
In fact, you're not even allowed to use Google services and play store in China and I thought Samsung ships their own store don't they?
Windows uses Amazon appstore for Android too
A lot of Android roms likely use different app stores too
In contrast, Apple has 1 store. And when pebble was released before their own watch, they delayed adding the app to the store 3 weeks which basically killed them.
You can also disable play store on pixel phones (I just checked).
Short of advertising competing app stores front page or offering to install them, not sure what else they can do?
Many apps rely on Play Integrity API now which means if Play Store is completely rid off, problems will arise. The latest example was Authy not working on Graphene OS.
Play Store can be disabled and alternatives like Aurora Store can be used however any paid apps can only be linked/used via the Play Store. Except for F Droid, other app stores like what Samsung ships are either full of even lower quality (and quantity) apps. (It has few exclusives but most can be sideloaded).
Only China is a proper example because they have a complete ecosystem outside of Google. From their social networking companies to payment mechanisms, they are usually done by Chinese companies. Huawei has a proper phone outside of Google services, I think, from a major Chinese OEM.
Proper feature parity will be achieved when users need not rely on Play Store as a single stop shop.
If they wanted to close it up, they'd just do it...
They’re not that stupid yet.
What's stupid about that? Apple's been doing it for decades and no one cares enough to actually do anything about it.
They’ve done with with platforms that were already created like that: which is iOS. They never closed macOS completely because the outcry would be huge and it would disrupt all the existing stakeholders of it and ultimately lose a significant market share.
It’s actually one reason they won’t allow macOS to run in an iPad: the iPad apps ecosystem is completely controlled by them, while macaOS’s isn’t.
Not only do they force you to use the App Store, developing an app for iOS is a nightmare. Without special tools you must have a mac and a $100/yr apple developer license.
After having to deal with that shit at my old place of work I've moved to never touch app development again.
Yep. Totally agree.
I only ended up with a Mac because edge kept hijacking my chrome tabs every reboot
But, it costs far more than a PC, and honestly, the hardware capabilities are worse
At least the M3 chips I think now have ray tracing. But still no nested VT so I can't even run the windows android emulator in parallels
Also, I keep coming across weird Mac os bugs with windows handling and device handling
I actually used to sell them. And got in an argument with a national sales manager over running windows on them. Apple released boot camp a week later and suddenly he returned to repeat the same arguments I used against him. Never got an apology
I don’t think this difference matters that much in Patreon’s case. Convincing users to sideload an app on Android is likely much harder than just getting them to visit the Patreon website on their phone and subscribe to users that way. Heck, they could probably make the mobile site virtually identical to the app anyway.
That's why they tried to kill PWAs too.
You also don’t have to use the Patreon iOS app. Most people just use the services and don’t search for alternatives. If you’re on Lemmy then you’re not in the “most people” category by default.
Yeah, you don't have to, but then nobody is getting your app. Most people don't have other stores and will look at you weird if you mention side loading. Samsung/Galaxy Store maybe, but even Samsung users mostly don't use it.
So technically your don't have to use it and your app is obtainable without it, but If you want to actually reach some users, you have to be on Google Play.
Google search was just declared a monopoly, when there are obviously other searched engines anyone can use. If that's a monopoly then Google Play is a bigger monopoly.
On Android you can distribute your app through the Play Store without being forced to use Google's in-app purchases. For example: Patreon.
You're not wrong about Google Play, but Apple's behaviour is objectively worse.
I absolutely agree Apple is worse in general.
But no, you can't use a different payment system (except in South Korea). And yes, there are big apps to whom magically rules don't apply, including Patreon or Steam. If you include the same thing in your app, you will be banned, and pointing to examples of other apps is not allowed in any appeal. Between anticompetitive rules being applied to everyone and them being applied selectively based on backroom deals, I'd rather have the Apple approach, since at least it's fair in that regard.
Official policy is that only payments for physical goods, physical services, utilities (water, gas) and credit card payments (paying back a bank for credit card usage) are allowed to use non-Google payment systems.
But again, rules don't apply if you are a big fish.
It’s probably just like shopping malls. Big brands pay less rent because they drive more people to the mall and thus have more leverage.
Yep. It just sucks when you are a smaller developer. I was told by Google Play Developer support I can't make the app I wanted to do, and no, the fact other big apps are allowed to do the exact same thing doesn't matter.
Patreon is also a platform taking 12% of their users money.