201

Apple is locking down the iPhone App Store to comply with a new law in China (www.theverge.com)

submitted 9 months ago by Moonrise2473@feddit.it to c/technology@beehaw.org

58 comments fedilink hide all child comments

China forced Apple to remove any app where the developer isn't registered in China. Meaning they asked Apple to remove 95% of the apps and games available in the App Store.

Poor iPhone users, basically they will get a "wechat handheld" and that's it...

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de 98 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Apple is to blame too. They created a device that gives them so much power to make such lockdowns possible in the first place. The only proper response from Apple should be "we would really like to do it, but we can't be sure users won't install those apps outside of our store".

Something like that should not be possible with universal computing devices. This is why freedom to install any OS you want on mobile devices is more important than ever.

[-] antizero99@lemmynsfw.com 17 points 9 months ago

This is why I never had anything more than an original ipod classic. Android let's you do whatever the fuck you want with your own device. Don't like having Google all over your phone? You can install roms with no Google services and use other app stores.

[-] junezephier@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 9 months ago

Eh, not all android devices, unfortunately. Mine does not have the ability to unlock the bootloader. ;c

[-] antizero99@lemmynsfw.com 9 points 9 months ago

But, that wasn't your only choice for a device. Android runs on basically anything and you have plenty of options for devices that let you do what you want with it.

Basically, the bootloader being locked is a manufacturer problem and not an android problem. Buy a different phone, smartphones have fully matured at this point. Grab a pixel 7 or 7 pro for a couple of hundred bucks and make that device your biotch.

[-] junezephier@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 9 months ago

Yeah, I didn't look into it beforehand because i was naive and my previous devices were unlocked so i assumed this would be the same. And it's even more frustrating because while this phone in other regions is unlocked, specifically my canadian model is locked. I won't be getting another phone any time soon, but yeah, ill be more careful in the future. Just sucks that manufacturers still do this sporadically

[-] antizero99@lemmynsfw.com 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

That wasn't an attack on you specifically. Most people don't need to know nor care if they can unlock the bootloader. We need some kind of federal mandate/law/whatever that says that they have to be unlocked and people can do what they want with the $1k+ devices they buy. It's not even a question with a pc, you can even buy prebuilt systems with no OS or with linux installed if you choose.

This is why I have been a so called Google fanboy/super fan for what feels like a couple of decades. First nexus and now pixel because I'm guaranteed to be able to install whatever flavor of android exists for whatever phone I am using (if I so choose), I haven't played with roms in years but it's an option if I feel like it and I'm considering doing it for my work phone, get that shit running as lean as possible, no need for 99% of the Google apps that come with it.

[-] can@beehaw.org 1 points 9 months ago

Which phone?

[-] junezephier@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

It's a galaxy S20 FE, but the SM-G781W specifically

Last i checked on xda dev forums it was an exception to the bootloader unlocks

[-] abhibeckert@beehaw.org 1 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Android runs on basically anything

Sure, but lots of really great software doesn't run on Android. In fact, none of the apps I use regularly on my iPhone are available on Android.

[-] antizero99@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 9 months ago

I don't believe that for a second. Some specific apps are only on one platform or the other but every app has a ton of alternatives that do the exact same thing.

I'm not sure if you are trolling, shilling, astroturfing, whatnot but either way that argument is disingenuous at best.

[-] Empricorn@feddit.nl 4 points 9 months ago

none of the apps I use regularly on my iPhone are available on Android.

Uh, yeah. That's the point. It wouldn't be Apple's walled garden if you could just access those apps outside of iOS! You're just used to that being the status quo...

[-] averyminya@beehaw.org 3 points 9 months ago

In fact, none of the apps I use regularly on my iPhone are available on Android.

Okay, so... Apollo for iOS wasn't available on Android but it was far from the only android app for reddit available.

So you'll have to explain what you mean. I find it hard to believe that there are apps on iOS that have functionality that doesn't exist on Android. I can however definitely think of a few examples of what you're talking about. In iOS I want able to find a way to interface with car maintenance software, or to connect to USB devices, or to visualize WiFi signal strength in AR. Or loading songs onto an SD card... or use wired headphones while charging my phone.

Seems like a pretty weird limitation.