And you'd still have the choice to install it or not. Android still allows their users to sideload apps, and it hasn't been the apocalypse.

The core idea is choice.

Are you that dense? The point is that currently one can use facebook (Sadly necessary for many people) and NOT give them all the data. In your world it would not be possible.

The PC is an open platform and that's allowed for things like Firefox with UBlock Origin and Facebook Container. That's much better than what Apple's doing isn't it?

Apple isn't some altruist protecting you from Facebook. The most likely scenario is that Apple wants to be the sole owner of your data so they can sell it instead of Facebook selling it. I bet Apple's ad business grows substantially over the next 5 years.

Despite Android allowing Facebook to create its own store, you can use Facebook on Android and not give them all your data. Even better, you can install apps that aren't allowed in the Play Store or the App Store (like ReVanced, Instander, and Blokada) that change the behavior of the Facebook app to collect less data.

My solution for the FB problem is to not use any FB app at all, and just use FB in the mobile browser. Why do I need an app?

If you want to use facebook, you either use the app or the web site.

If you don't want to use the app or the website, don't use facebook.

They made it so you have to use an app to use facebook messenger even though before you didn't have to, so I stopped using it and let everyone know you can't find me on facebook messenger.

Problem solved.

First of all, a bit insulting. Secondly, that same freedom also allows you to install a patched Facebook client that doesn't track you at all. On Android you have such freedoms... Recently i wanted to capture app traffic with a man in the middle proxy but for it to work i had to patch the certificate pinning in the apk. In your world however you also might just give all your data to Apple, falsely thinking that Apple is actually protecting you in some way.

> Android still allows their users to sideload apps, and it hasn't been the apocalypse.

"Not being the apocalypse" is a pretty low bar. Is it not the case that Android has a much worse history of problems with third-party software, including security, privacy, battery life, etc.?

Indeed, it is not the case. Android has far more apps that respect privacy than iOS has, and (unlike iOS) it lets you set them as defaults.

I don't really see the difference between Facebook leveraging their social network platform to strong arm users into using a Facebook store and Apple leveraging their hardware platform to strong arm users into using the Apple app store. Both of them are bad for users.

I think the way things would shake out is that most app developers would want to have their app in as many stores as possible. Combine that with stores competing to have the largest app selection and you have a much healthier market. Having app stores compete for developers and users would be amazing for everyone except the current app store owners.

I don't think we should avoid demanding a better market for developers and users just because there are a couple of companies like Facebook that might try to abuse their market position to popularize their own app store.

The difference is that Facebook is in the market of mining your soul so whatever store they would create it would be targeted to that and the rules and policies will make sure that they are able to reach that goal.

Apple is in the business of selling phones and has decided that a good strategy for them is to protect the privacy of users against data miners. So their store and payment system by default protect users against practices of data collections.

> Having app stores compete for developers and users would be amazing for everyone except the current app store owners

It would be good for developers, not for users. I don’t think a single non-developer user is grasping for having multiple ways to download and install an app, and having to search for multiple stores with multiple payment systems to get one software. For users, the “iPhone” allows to download apps; none of them gives a thought to the fact that it happens via a single “store”.

Apple is in the business of selling your eyes. They just also happen to sell the glasses, too.

I don't think Apple's strong arming me into using their store. I understand the deal, and I'm happy with it!

I struggle to see how a free market for stores would improve my situation. Clearly the big software vendors won't pay someone a cut unless they have to. So they would either need their own stores, or they'd need an alternative store that didn't take a cut. But if the alternative store doesn't take a cut, how do they afford to moderate the content? It would clearly be a race to the bottom.

Has that happened on Android?

Why does Google Play charge 30% and why are the apps there?

This does not happen on Android. 3 eryine uses Google play store or the phone manufacturer one that gets pre-installed.

Making Apple the cop to fight your fights is not going to solve anything, nor teach anyone anything about privacy. Its the milk bottle that will keep people pacified sucking at the teat of a corporation, while the executives line their pockets setting up a toll booth on the app store.