So Epic Games have 10 demans from Google. One of this demands is to allow third party stores to access applications that are hosted on Google Play Store:
If a Third-Party App Store’s User wishes to download and install an app not then available on that Third-Party App Store, Google shall have the Google Play Store download and install that app on the Third-Party App Store User’s device through a background process similar to the Alley Oop integration offered by Google to certain third-party Developers.
And the judge ordered Google to calculate the costs of developing such mechanism which will basically allow third party stores to list applications from Google Play Store in their own stores.
Google will file by June 24, 2024, a proffer stating in detail the tech work required and economic costs, if any, to provide “Catalog Access” and “Library Porting” to competing app stores for a period of up to 6 years. See MDL Dkt. No. 952 at 7. The proffer may also address tech work and economic costs for the distribution of third-party app stores through the Google Play Store.
I find that a silly demand. What’s the point of a third party app store if it depends on play store to install apps? Host the apps yourself
It blows my mind how differently the courts are responding to Epic vs. Apple and Epic vs. Google.
Ironically Google’s biggest argument against this is that it’s privacy invading because said 3rd party app store will have to know what you have installed on your device.
They clearly don’t care too much about that privacy leak or it would have taken them less than 13 years to fix it in the first place (yes really).
That makes no sense.
There is nothing about downloading an APK file which necessitates a scan for conflicting apps uploading that data to Mao directly.
Also, fuck off Tim Swiney, you greasy pig fucker, go make out with Steve Huffman and snort disappointment off each others limp dicks.
I think they’re saying that the 3rd party store would need to know if it can launch the app or if it needs to redirect to the Play Store for installation.
I’m just the messenger here, reead Google’s own words if you like: https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/epics-proposed-remedies-are-bad-for-everyone-but-epic/
Bruh
Dude
It’s that you don’t have to keep the play store app on your phone if you want to minimize google’s presence on it. Maybe this way you also don’t need to accept the ToS to be able to download those apps, but not sure about that one.
But you do need to have play store installed if the epic app store needs it to function