transistor
transistor copied to clipboard
y20k
POLL: Should Transistor leave Google Play?
A couple of month ago I installed LineageOS for microG on my phone. LineageOS for microG is an Android distribution that comes with the F-Droid store preinstalled. I must say, since I was using mainly Open Source apps before, I really did not miss the Google Play Store much. That made me think: Should I pull Transistor from Google Play. I personally like F-Droid a 1000 times better than Google Play. F-Droid for me is by far the better home for my app.
I am interested in your thoughts ...
Ditto on your comments - I have not used Google Play Store in years - people can grab the app from F-Droid or the GitHub release pages.
That decision is of a higher scope, i think. I'm not using Google at all (not even GSF), so i'm pretty pissed that many apps, even publicly funded ones aren't published outside Play Store.
As a means to keep apps updatable, a repository model is favorable to publishing APKs directly on the net and the F-Droid client is by far the best choice here since you can add third party repos. On the other hand, publishers will not invest in solutions without any billing model. Another problem here is that in order to publish on F-Droid's repo requires opening their sources; in many cases, authors rely heavily on closed-source frameworks.
I keep writing authors about releasing their apps outside Play Store and getting rid of closed source dependencies, which will eventually end up in the portfolio of global players who will subsequently abuse them to commercially collect user data.
So to answer your question: Bear in mind that you might loose a lot of user base in the beginning, but to boycot Play Store (and other commercial gate keepers) helps establishing a culture of free trusted repositories.
I'd say: "YES, let's get the hell outta there. Tell the others!"
The benefit of the play store is that it has is a much wider audience. If you're fine with losing discoverability with most of the general population then I'd say go for it. Mobile app stores are poison.
The Play Store version seems to be the only one that works with Android Auto.
@y20k No. Keep it there. The Play Store needs more open source apps like yours.
The Play Store version seems to be the only one that works with Android Auto.
A valid argument.
What can be done to make the fdroid build work with android auto?
As far as I know: Android Auto will only run apps that are certified to run. An app gets certified for Auro during the Play Store app submission process. So I think: F-Droid apps will never run on Android Auto.
Not all people have (or are able to install) F-Droid. So while it's not complicated for you to put in on GPlay, please put in on GPlay.
Thanks for participating. I will keep Transistor on GooglePlay. Although I do not like GooglePlay, it does not hurt to have the app there.
I am reopening this issue. Things have changed. I do not feel comfortable with the upcoming Play Store requirement to use App Bundles instead of APKs for app distribution. XDA had a good article about the pros and cons of this change. Anyway. I would like to continue to sign my apps using my own signing key. Therefore again I am considering to leave the Play Store.
I immediately read the article you're linking. Follow me on Twitter to learn what i think about it. As the developer of Transistor you shouldn't waste any energy on broken architectures. Android is about to become a fossil since a couple of years already. I'm looking forward to see something less fucked-up.
I checked out you twitter account.
In one of your tweets you wrote:
Listen, Google. A private key outside my infrastructure can't be called "my key" anymore.
I am 100% with you.
Moving out of Google play, motivates developers to create altenative to it services. If I have alternative services to chose from, I feel, it is a good thing for me. I definitely vote yes for me. You should consider though that your app may lose some potential users of it.
Just for the record: My Work Phone has a locked Installation from Unknown Sources. (And adb and so on)
So PLEASE - stay in playstore.
