”Prisoners of Google Android Development” (article about API level 33)

peacemaker

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I have understood this already several years ago - "indie" Android development is dead, without teams with thousands bucks for marketing.
And development of only special free corporate apps (and "tools") makes any sense, but Google Play as the store is not required for it.
And recent years i'm ready for any apps deletion by Google from Play account.

But it's also logical - old outdated apps that do not need any updates - do not bring money anymore for Google, so, why to store them
p.s. but the article author made tests after update very carelessly anyway...
 

Sagenut

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It's an endless game between Guards and Thieves, but every here and then something change:
"Now you can run only left direction!"
"Now only with one leg!"
...........
 
E

ernschd

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Google's increasingly strict requirements have led us to take our app out of the PlayStore and only offer it for direct download (for example, access to the app is secured by unlock code - Google wanted the unlock code at some point to be able to "scan and check the app for security reasons").
Fortunately, we can do this because it is a special app for our partners. If we depended on revenue from advertising, it would all look different.
 

hatzisn

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zed said:
The best way is to use LINUX as the operating system instead of Android and goodbye Google.
It's my phone, it's my app and it's Google that says whether I can or not.
It's really not normal.
Click to expand...

It gets worse, it's your phone and you paid for it, it's your power to charge it and you pay the bills for it, it's your mobile network and you pay the bills for it, yet Google Maps in the background tracks your position and sends it to their servers, wherever you are. From these data Google calculates the traffic, and you get the minimum gift of the right to use it... in Google Maps only. But if you want to use the same data in your app, Google tells you: "OK, that will be 7 euros per 1000 requests..."
Did I make your day, or not? An equivalent is I work for you and I give you salary and benefits for the right to work for you... ???
 

Sandman

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Erel said:
There is an important technical point here, in order to test the changes related to targetSdkVersion=x you must have a device with OS x. It is not enough to set targetSdkVersion to 33 and test the app with Android 12 (sdk=31).
Click to expand...
Yep, as demonstrated by your code sample in this thread:

Notifications permission with targetSdkVersion = 33

There is a new "dangerous" (runtime) permission On Android 13+ devices required for showing notifications. When targetSdkVersion < 33, the OS will show the permission dialog automatically before the notification is displayed. Once we switch to targetSdkVersion=33 we are responsible for...
www.b4x.com

Sidenote:
Erel said:
you must have a device with OS x
Click to expand...
First I thought "Oh no, Erel has fallen and bumped his head! Why would he tell the forum that you need OS X to work with Android!?" Then I realized it was a variable.
 
C

copanut

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If it's an app dedicated to a specific customer, why bother with Google Play in the first place? Just allow direct download/install of the app.

But if it's a utility app for a general worldwide audience, Google Play cannot be escaped. Marketing such an app is difficult and expensive - completely impractical for a small developer. By putting the app on Google Play (with the right keywords), people will find it. The marketing value of listing on Google Play or Apple App Store, or even Windows Store, is undeniable.

I know there are third party app stores, but does anyone use them, other than maybe for games?
 

JakeBullet70

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copanut said:
I know there are third party app stores, but does anyone use them, other than maybe for games?
Click to expand...
You will find the 3rd party app stores being used outside of Western countries. My last Android TV box did not come with the Google play store but another app store.
 
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