Thread

The Google Play app review process now regularly takes longer than a week

374 points · 352 comments · inputmice

Gareth321 · 1789560773 · focus · HN ↗
MAYBE operating systems shouldn't have gatekeepers which can deny access to billions of customers for any and no reason at all. Apple and Google are WELL past due for regulation in this space. The fact that we cannot download and install software from the internet onto our phones JUST like we can do with our computers is a symbol of our inept and ineffective politicians.
And before someone says "well akshully you can technically do it on Android," Google has been working tirelessly to make it as onerous as possible for both developers and customers. For example, users need to separately authorise each app (browser, files manager, alternative store, etc) to install an APK from outside the Play Store. Google also does background scans using "Play Protect" which will periodically delete apps Google doesn't approve of. This happened to me with SmartTubeNext. I have a dozen other ways Google ensures users are discouraged from stepping outside the Play Store.
1. setgree · 1789563659 · focus · HN ↗
  And what should we do about apps' getting hacked, sending out malicious updates that get auto-updated and thereby infecting tens of millions or billions of phones simultaneously?
  I'm not saying we have the perfect system but anything that slants the system towards "easier downloads" or "less gatekeeping" brings large, obvious risks. I don't see how regulation would address them.
  1. Maskawanian · 1789564144 · focus · HN ↗
    How about treating people like adults for a start? How about starting public awareness campaigns about proper digital hygiene. Not everything has to be nanny state garbage.
    pjmlp · 1789564224 · focus · HN ↗
    Many of us have routinely cleaned computers from adults that installed several Ask Jeeves and Yahoo toolbars.
    compass_copium · 1789565525 · focus · HN ↗
    At some point computers need to stop being treated as magical boxes that no reasonable person can learn how to use safely. We expect people who use cars to learn how to use them safely, we expect people who use lawnmowers to not stick their fingers in them. Computers have been a part of daily life for normies for decades at this point, it's infantilizing to suggest that average, non-tech savvy people can't learn to use (not necessarily build, repair, etc.) them properly and need to be protected from them.
    pjmlp · 1789566348 · focus · HN ↗
    People have to successfully get through a state exam in order to drive cars in first place, can be jailed, get fined when not driving them safely, or forbidden for life to ever drive again.
    People that accidentality cut their fingers in lawnmowers due to lack of safety features are allowed to sue the lawnmower company.
    What I would agree is that it is about time computing gets the same liability laws that the rest of the world already has in place and no EULAs that work around local laws should be considered valid in any form or shape.
    voakbasda · 1789568124 · focus · HN ↗
    Do you hate open source and want only projects where their authors can afford liability insurance and are willing to put themselves in the firing line of a legal system that can be both arbitrary and capricious? Because that’s what you seem to want.
    pjmlp · 1789570821 · focus · HN ↗
    Even people selling on the street or doing charity work have to account for liability of their actions.
    Lets stop talking about open source as special snowflakes where everything is excused.
    voakbasda · 1789572912 · focus · HN ↗
    And that’s how you prevent bake sales, lemonade stands, and more. You create a barrier to entry that gets raised little by little until only the biggest players can afford the game. Software liability would end all small open source projects.
    pjmlp · 1789573708 · focus · HN ↗
    Bake sales and lemonade stands are perfectly fine as long as people don't land on hospital urgency, due to careless work on preparing them with spoiled ingredients or lack of hygiene.
    Lets strive for quality in software.
    Dylan16807 · 1789580474 · focus · HN ↗
    Now do that again without careless work or spoiled ingredients. Do you still want them punished or facing so much regulation they can't exist? Because you'll definitely get that with software; even really good development will have flaws, and single flaws can lead to a thousand or million hacks.
    pjmlp · 1789582783 · focus · HN ↗
    All humans face scrutiny in their interactions with others.
    Software only got this bad, because we educated users broken tools are acceptable and fixable with computer reboots and anti-virus.
    Dylan16807 · 1789584719 · focus · HN ↗
    I dunno, people seem to accept most kinds of tool being fussy or flaky.
    But the special thing about security flaws is that they turn a one in a billion error into a guaranteed attack. It's moderately hard to make something that doesn't feel buggy, but ridiculously hard to be secure. If you hold to the standards of a bake sale it's the former. If you want full security then nobody releases anything outside very strict contracts.
    pjmlp · 1789592710 · focus · HN ↗
    Thankfully industry is changing,
    - <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019R0881" rel="nofollow">https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32...
    - <a href="https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/News-Highlights/Article/Article/4523810/five-eyes-cyber-security-agencies-statement" rel="nofollow">https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/News-Highlights/Article/Artic...
    And I could keep listing several other world regions.
    esikich · 1789572962 · focus · HN ↗
    The problem is it's literally speech. Selling something isn't speech, you do not have the right to do charity work or run a business. It goes even beyond speech, it's closer to pure math/logic and I feel very uncomfortable about regulating that. I also think it's literally impossible.
    pjmlp · 1789573825 · focus · HN ↗
    Speech is subject to laws in most jurisdictions.

Open on Hacker News to reply ↗

Unofficial Hacker News client; not affiliated with Y Combinator.