Google to Charge Phone Makers for Android Apps in Europe

Re:Google to Charge Phone Makers for Android Apps in Europe by GeekyBear on Tuesday October 16, 2018 @03:55PM (#18232654)

Also, Google used their position to keep Android forks from gaining a competitive foothold in the marketplace.

>Google allegedly ran afoul of EU rules by deterring manufacturers from using Android forks. Google "has prevented manufacturers wishing to pre-install Google apps from selling even a single smart mobile device running on alternative versions of Android that were not approved by Google," the commission said.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/07/eu-google-illega...

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Re:Google to Charge Phone Makers for Android Apps in Europe by zmmmmm on Tuesday October 16, 2018 @04:36PM (#18233011)

As far as I can tell that was a lie. Google allows OEMs to sell devices running "alternative Android versions", but it insists those versions must be fully Android compatible. It prohibits incompatible forks, which to me seems like an extremely good thing which they have relatively few ways of enforcing given the open source nature of Android.

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Re:Google to Charge Phone Makers for Android Apps in Europe by bubblethink on Tuesday October 16, 2018 @07:12PM (#18234094)

You are missing the distinction between AOSP's license and google play services' license. You can do as you wish with AOSP. If you want google play services (which all OEMs do), a whole new set of things kick in.

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Re:Google to Charge Phone Makers for Android Apps in Europe by olvo on Tuesday October 16, 2018 @05:55PM (#18233634)

I don't understand what you claim is a lie? I also don't see how effectively subverting the license, presumably including code of outside developers, would make that any less shady.

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