I use FreeFileSync and it syncs whatever files I point at it, not just videos and music. I installed it from the Play store.
Yeah this is Google cockblocking
Google works on making Android shit for the past few years. For example idiotic green dot showing me “something is using gps”. Why don’t I have a choice to remove it? Or not allowing apps to get a process list? It will end up dumb as iOS to within couple years.
To be fair, not allowing the user to remove an indicator that something could be tracking them is probably not the worst idea. Otherwise it’d be too easy for someone to install an app like that and hide it.
It’s been in the corner of my amoled screen practically nonstop for 3 years now. I’m really surprised that i don’t have burn-in in that corner.
Hmm, Apple intelligently hides the dots, I’d be annoyed too
It seems that Google just gave them back the permission, 2 days after they publicly complained about it and after 6 months of ignoring it. What scumbags.
Great, thanks, otherwise would not have clicked:
Hacker News commenters were really skeptical the new call/feature was insufficient. Anyone know whether these APIs would’ve been OK after all?
Storage Access Framework (SAF) or MediaStore API
So, all the family phones that are using this feature for handset backups. They’re just gonna stop backing up?
Thanks, Google. Thanks for protecting me from free software that scans files on my own phone and transmits it across my own network to my own server. Such a privacy nightmare. /s
Guessing they want you to use Google One, eh.
Thankfully the full feature will still work if you get the app from F-Droid
Hopefully this will motivate more people use F-Droid
I noticed that in their info text shown to their users, they don’t mention F-Droid. I wonder if google doesn’t allow them to mention other stores as part of their “security” policies.
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Upvote the comments in the Google play reviews that mention full features in fdroids version so they climb to the top of most helpful reviews.
Interesting, Yes I think users should be made aware that if they get the app from F-Droid it will work as intended.
This must be why I never noticed the issue because I have always gotten my apps from fdroid
I agree with the sentiment, but wouldn’t necessarily recommend F-Droid, see https://privsec.dev/posts/android/f-droid-security-issues/
The signature and the random updates issues can be solved (partially) by using the izzyondroid repo. A lot of the applications on fdroid are on it. It compiles from sources, doesn’t change signatures, and fetch updates on a daily basis.
It doesn’t solve all the issues, but it can help
Indeed, as mentioned in the article.
“Oh no, an issue that will only affect an extremely narrow spread of people who would already be aware of it, therefore F-Droid bad”
If you’re that concerned about being surveilled, you already have bigger issues.
What? You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about. I recommend informing yourself before spewing nonsense.
Great news. Maybe someone else will think about the rejection of Google.
When I switched to iOS, the biggest pain point for me was Apples stranglehold on background processes meant file syncing didn’t work very well. Now it looks like Android has completely killed it?
As the article mentions, this isn’t a security “feature,” it’s anti-competetive. The worst part is that Nextcloud isn’t even really in competition with Google. Setting up a Nextcloud server isn’t hard, but it’s not a trivial task. Sharing it outside your local network also requires a bit of skill, especially if done securely. That is to say, Nextcloud users probably tend to be more tech-savvy.
The people using Nextcloud aren’t going to suddenly decide to switch over to Google Drive. I’ll get it from FDroid before I downgrade to Google Drive. If that wasn’t an option, I’d set up an FTP server or even WebDAV.
The worst part is that Nextcloud isn’t even really in competition with Google. Setting up a Nextcloud server isn’t hard, but it’s not a trivial task. Sharing it outside your local network also requires a bit of skill, especially if done securely. That is to say, Nextcloud users probably tend to be more tech-savvy.
That’s only true for those who self-host this. There are lots of companies offering Nextcloud hosting. That’s probably why Google doesn’t like Nextcloud. I’m not saying Google is right. Actually what Google is doing here is quite pathetic.
There are lots of businesses hosting their own nextcloud as well, this is a serious problem for them.
Actually what Google is doing here is quite pathetic.
So business as usual then?
I never use a Play Store version of anything I can find on F-droid or other repos I trust. Then I try it using Aurora Store. Only as a last-resort I try Google. Play Store is only for things I cannot obtian or replace another way.
Learned the hard way that android auto compatibility (on GrapheneOS) works only with the playstore Version of an app because andoid auto checks the install source. Thats the same gatekeeping at play…
Thanks I hate it.
AA is also EXTREMELY vpn-unfriendly. It fails to work period of I’ve got a wireguard VPN without app restrictions, even if there are only a handful of routes using the tunnel. Then, if I restrict the VPN to just certain apps, it’ll still give me the big ol’ middle finger running those apps via AA, which means I can’t stream from my home media host over VPN while using AA because Papa Google apps no.
Really? I’m set up for always on wireguard when not on my home network. And android auto works fine. And yeah, I’m doing full tunnel.
It seems likely you are using it tethered, vs wireless.
Oh this is a good callout, I’m definitely using wired and not wireless.
What apps are you using? It refuses to connect to my phone period of on globally, and won’t work with stuff like FinAmp if used app-specific
You can fake the install source
Link to how to?
Obtainium has a toggle to set the install source to Google Play. It uses shizuku
Obtainium has to be the best software name ever
Can’t fake googles key signature
You mean original app signature?
Yeap, same. I have given up on Android Auto because of that. I am not going to let Google hold my phone hostage so they can force me to pay ransom (with my data.)
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Some other sideloaded apps work but everything with a map seems to be blocked. I had EV charging apps not show in Android auto.
Oh look, Android users suffering the same bullying behavior they accuse Apple of inflicting on its users!
Yeah, that’s not right, in either case.
Kind of?
Google is definitely eager to be as shitty as apple, but android users still have a way easier time avoiding corporate abuse than apple users.
Except, Android users can still install apps outside the Play Store.
I was talking about this with one of my friends a couple weeks ago and bitching about how I can’t find a phone to replace mine that wouldn’t be a massive downgrade in terms of what I can do with it. He was joking and said “Maybe you should just get an Iphone” and I was like… at this point maybe I should what difference would it make?
Android gets all the cool hardware but the software and play store is dogshit. Apple has a better store and good software but not INTERESTING hardware. It’s stale and dead.
Apple’s iOS 18 was wildly buggy for months after release. (macOS latest a tad buggy too, really stupid bugs.) “software quality crisis” someone penned
Hardware is phenomenal (if “uninteresting“)
Yea, they’re racing to the bottom or whatever’s beneath the bottom. Nothing innovative for the customer. Just controlling them to harvest their data.
The more tech-savvy of you are certainly able to use the alternative app store, such as F-Droid. But for our user base of roughly one million users on the app store, this will hardly be an option.
They have the merit to link to F-droid, but damn they are not selling it well…
I don’t even know if they get any remuneration from Google anyway?
By the way fuck GoogleUnhappy with the recently uploaded file feature load function occasion app…? Would you like… BETTER recently uploaded file feature load function occasion app…?!
I had no idea this was going on. Is it because I’m running Lineage?
F-droid bitches
I check for all apps on f-droid first, play store second.
does that issue not exist in the f-droid version? if so, i’m glad there’s a workaround when i try graphene😅
The issue does not exist with the version installed from F-Droid. I think the Play Store version is a different build with the feature disabled as a condition of hosting it on the Play Sore.
The Android app itself still works with the permission, and we released new versions on the external F-Droid store. So the limit is a “purely” Google Play Store-related problem.
This is my question. I didn’t read into it much, but isn’t the problem a permissions level thing in android, or is this specific to the play store?
I’m assuming that Nextcloud handles all it’s moneymaking outside of the app (indeed it appears to be free if you host the server yourself).
If Google were making 30% on a ton of in-app purchases, they’d let it harvest your fucking organs.
