#appstores — Public Fediverse posts

Engadget: Google must make it easier to install alternative app stores, judge orders . “Google began distributing third-party app stores through its Play Store earlier this week, but not everyone is happy with the company’s approach. The Verge reports that Judge James Donato, the US District Court judge who oversaw the company’s antitrust case with Epic, believes Google has introduced […]

Lilbits: Ploopy’s A+ trackball has eight buttons (two are also dials), Xteink X4 discontinued, and more

A company with a funny name has made some of the most interesting computer input devices of recent years. Ploopy got its start with trackballs, at a time when bigger companies were exiting the space. Since then, the company has made trackpads, pointing sticks, and dials.

Now the company is bringing some of those gadgets together with the new Ploopy A+. It’s a trackball mouse with eight […]

Google now lets you download third-party app stores from the Play Store... but it doesn't make them easy to find. Following a judicial order, Google plans to fix this issue (of its own making). https://www.theverge.com/policy/979852/that-is-not-acceptable-judge-orders-google-to-make-rival-app-store-installs-easier #Google #GooglePlay #AppStores

Moscow Times: Apple Removes Yandex’s Payment Service App. “Major Russian digital wallet and payment service Yandex Pay said Wednesday that its application had been removed from Apple’s App Store. The removal means iPhone users in Russia can no longer download or update Yandex Pay. The app allows users to store cards, make contactless payments and split purchases across Yandex’s suite of […]

Ars Technica: Following Epic loss, Google has started hosting rival app stores in the Play Store. “A new day has dawned in the Play Store, and it’s one that Google tried very hard to avoid. The first third-party app store has arrived in Google Play as a result of the long-running antitrust lawsuit with Epic. Those in the US can now head into Google Play and download Aptoide, a game-focused […]

TechCrunch: Google Play adds Venmo as a payment option. “Google Play already offers other digital payment methods including PayPal and Cash App along with cards from American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and JCB in the United States. Outside the U.S., the company has also experimented with allowing users to pay for digital purchases using cash at a nearby store.”

#Appstores tauchte zum ersten Mal im Protokoll der 73. Sitzung des 21. Deutschen Bundestages am 22.04.2026 auf. Das Protokoll findet sich unter https://dserver.bundestag.de/btp/21/21073.pdf

Android vor dem Umbruch? Neue Regeln setzen F-Droid und Open Source unter Druck - fosstopia

https://fosstopia.de/android-vor-dem-umbruch/

#fosstopia #fdroid #opensource #appstores #Entwickler #apk #Playstore #Google #KeepAndroidOpen

https://winbuzzer.com/2026/07/24/eu-fines-google-890-million-over-search-and-google-play-xcxwbn/

The EU has fined Google €890m over Search self-preferencing and Google Play anti-steering, with 60 days to end both practices or risk periodic payments.

#DigitalMarketsAct #Google #GoogleSearch #GooglePlay #EuropeanCommission #EuropeanUnion #Antitrust #BigTechGatekeepers #AppStores

Engadget: Apple and Google ordered by San Francisco attorney to take action against ‘nudify’ apps. “As reported by Wired, San Francisco city attorney David Chiu ordered the two tech giants to take down a total of 13 apps that can be used to create AI-generated deepfake nude images. The letters appeal to Apple and Google to stop ‘aiding and abetting’ the spread of nonconsensual intimate images, […]

9to5 Mac: Investigation reveals dozens of disguised gambling apps on the App Store in Brazil. “A 9to5Mac investigation has uncovered more than 60 apps that behave exactly as depicted in their App Store screenshots when accessed from virtually anywhere in the world, except Brazil. When opened from a Brazilian IP address, the same apps instead reveal online betting platforms.”

Ukrayinska Pravda: Google Play removes Russian apps Max, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki. “The removal of the apps appears to be linked to the recent EU sanctions imposed on VKontakte and its subsidiary, Communications Platform, the investment company that developed Max. The EU says the messaging app was created under the control of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and includes surveillance […]

San Francisco Orders Tech Giants to Remove AI Nudification Apps

📰 Original title: San Francisco Demands Apple and Google Delete AI ‘Nudify’ Apps From App Stores

🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Users: It's clickbait ⚠️

View full AI summary https://en.killbait.com/san-francisco-orders-tech-giants-to-remove-ai-nudification-apps.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world

#justice #ai #deepfakes #appstores

Google could begin distributing third-party Android app stores in the Google Play Store as soon as July 22, as Google and Epic agree to give up on an attempt to modify a court injunction. https://www.theverge.com/policy/965792/google-epic-withdraw-injunction-third-party-app-stores-coming-google-play #GooglePlay #Epic #Google #AppStores #ThirdPartyAppStores

The Verge: Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week. “Epic Games and Google have just jointly withdrawn their attempt to retroactively settle the lawsuit that’s changing how Android app stores work in the United States — and that means Google will be forced to carry rival app stores inside of its own. In fact, Google tells the court, it’s […]

In a recent Cybersecurity Law & Strategy article, Zach Lerner and Rushil Mehta detail how app store accountability laws are forcing developers to confront a new children's privacy reality.

#AADC #AppStores #ChildrensPrivacy #Privacy

https://www.zwillgen.com/publication/age-data-app-developers-primed-trigger-cascading-effects/

Yonhap News Agency: Watchdog launches review on Google’s alleged fair trade violation. “Seoul’s antitrust watchdog said Wednesday it has launched an investigation into U.S.-based Google LLC, as well as its Singaporean and South Korean offices, over allegations of violations of the fair trade law involving game developers on its app marketplace.”

9to5 Google: Google opens the Play Store to external billing in the US, UK, and Europe next week. “In a post on the Android Developers Blog, Google details changes being made to Play Store billing rules on Android, changes made in the aftermath of a years-long legal dispute with Epic Games that (mostly) wrapped up earlier this year.”

Remember, kids: platform-specific AppStores are tools of monopoly which prevent free choice!

Instead of sending you to the official Google Play Store, these malicious sites push you to download the app directly, a process known as sideloading. After you install it, the fake app poses as Google Play Protect and quietly downloads and installs the malware that carries out the attack.

https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/mobile/2026/06/rokarolla-android-malware-can-take-over-your-phone-and-steal-banking-logins

"America's tech giants' #margins are now everyone else's #opportunity. The trillions that US tech companies extract could be someone else's billions – all they'd have to do is offer the #interoperable goods and services that disenshittify America's tech products. They could sell the tools that let anyone in the world use independent #appstores, or fix their cars and tractors, and put generic ink in their printers. A year ago, no country could afford to allow a company headquartered in its borders to get into this business, lest they be clobbered with tariffs. Today, any country that isn't thinking about this is a #sucker that will end up buying these tools from another country that gets there first."
@pluralistic
https://pluralistic.net/2026/05/05/three-is-a-magic-number/

wait wtf? Things escalated from protecting to kids to going after burner #phones with age verification. The last reliable form of #privacy internet users had was the isp. There really is no reason if we have websites age verification, #appstores age verification, and #os #verification .

They don't want anyone to be #anonymous #fcc

#ageverification #idverification

sources:

https://www.404media.co/fcc-wants-to-kill-burner-phones-by-forcing-telecoms-to-get-all-customers-ids/

alternative source: https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/06/fcc-proposal-anonymous-burner-phones-identity-rules.html

AppleInsider: App Store overhaul gives developers new ways to sell subscriptions. “Apple is overhauling the App Store with new subscription tools, personalized recommendations, and marketing features that give developers more ways to attract customers and grow their businesses.”

Engadget: Apple begins requiring age verification for App Store use in Texas . “New Apple Accounts in Texas will be subject to SB 2420 and will need to verify their ages. A parent or guardian will need to provide consent when minors download apps or significant updates to apps and when they make in-app purchases. Developers will also need to support parents or guardians revoking that consent to […]

The #internetchannel is also a #browser that doesn't have a browser history log from what I remember. But it does save cookies. (it better save cookies if i'm talking about possibly using mastodon web client on it) But I do know that it does save cookies.

I plan on buying #Nintendo #Wii at some point. To get a few games, and try out the new open source Wii homebrew appstore #libre shop appstore. which basically revised the older #homebrew browser appstores and modernized it.
if you're curious do Google or YouTube search for the #libre shop #appstores for the #Wii.

ABC4: Utah-led coalition finalizes $700 million settlement with Google; consumers to receive settlement funds. “A Utah-led coalition involving attorneys general for all U.S. states announced today that they have reached the final steps in a $700 million settlement with Google, with the majority of funds going to impacted consumers.”

Engadget: Apple and Google are reportedly pointing users to ‘nudify’ apps. “Earlier this year it was revealed that Apple and Google were offering ‘nudify’ apps on their stores despite having clear policies barring such content. Nearly three months later, such apps are not only still available, but being actively promoted on the iOS App Store and Google Play, according to a new report from the […]

https://winbuzzer.com/2026/04/17/apple-google-steered-users-to-nudify-apps-report-xcxwbn/

Report: Apple and Google Steered Users to Nudify Apps

#AI #AppStores #Apple #Google #NudifyApps #AppleAppStore #GooglePlay #BigTech #AIImageGeneration #AIgeneratedContent #Deepfakes #AIEthics #OnlineSafety

Ctrl-Alt-Speech: The Silence Of The LLMs

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.techdirt.com/2026/04/16/ctrl-alt-speech-the-silence-of-the-llms/

TechSpot: Google adds search to Play Store reviews to improve app discovery. “Most Android users rely on Play Store reviews to decide which apps to install. But sifting through hundreds – or even thousands – of reviews has rarely been convenient. Google is addressing that with a new search function that lets users find specific information within app reviews, a small but meaningful […]