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Google removes adblocking apps from Play store

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Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭maggy_thatcher


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Not impressed with this, my Adaway removed itself from my phone during the night. As soon as Ubuntu is anyway near stable I'll be off

    http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/internet/3435092/google-removes-ad-blocking-software-from-play-store/

    You can still install them from sources other than the Play Store. Technically, they are correct - ad-blocking apps violate the licence agreement that app developers agree to when publishing them (i.e. interfere with the operation of other apps). In the past, Google has been ignoring this fact, and is now sticking to their own rules. I don't see what they're doing wrong?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    Eh? If these apps directly affect the revenue stream of other developers they can't possibly continue hosting them, just means you'll have to bypass the Play store.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    You can still install them from sources other than the Play Store. Technically, they are correct - ad-blocking apps violate the licence agreement that app developers agree to when publishing them (i.e. interfere with the operation of other apps). In the past, Google has been ignoring this fact, and is now sticking to their own rules. I don't see what they're doing wrong?

    That's not the point. Android is touted as being open. They are in the Chrome store much longer than on Android and have not been removed as they are fighting a browser war.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    It is open, you can install the apps from another source. If it was iTunes you'd have no other option unless you jailbreak.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭maggy_thatcher


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    That's not the point. Android is touted as being open. They are in the Chrome store much longer than on Android and have not been removed as they are fighting a browser war.

    It is open - that's why you can install it from other sources. If it was iOS, if Apple pull it from the store, it's gone and, without jailbreaking, it won't come back. With Android you can just go to a different appstore and download it from there.

    Re: the Chrome store - I haven't read the developer licence agreement, but I know that fiddling with other pages is what many other apps do, so it's probably not as big a deal.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Hold on, I installed this app. Regardless of where I installed it from, I do not like the fact that they removed it from my phone


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭maggy_thatcher


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Hold on, I installed this app. Regardless of where I installed it from, I do not like the fact that they removed it from my phone

    Did you have auto-update enabled? If the "latest" version of the app was a non-existent one, I can imagine that would cause the app to disappear. I don't know if it's possible for the app to be remotely uninstalled any other way (though maybe it is).


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,007 ✭✭✭✭thebman


    Their store, their rules


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 51,054 ✭✭✭✭Professey Chin



    Did you have auto-update enabled? If the "latest" version of the app was a non-existent one, I can imagine that would cause the app to disappear. I don't know if it's possible for the app to be remotely uninstalled any other way (though maybe it is).
    Market apps have a killswitch that's usually used for when people download malicious apps so that they get deleted from users phones when they're taken off the store. The killswitch can be disabled and is in a lot of custom roms but is on by default


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Hold on, I installed this app. Regardless of where I installed it from, I do not like the fact that they removed it from my phone

    It can only be removed/updated if linked to the Play store. I have a few 'sideloaded' apps, never get an update notification because the Play store doesn't even know I have them.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    It can only be removed/updated if linked to the Play store. I have a few 'sideloaded' apps, never get an update notification because the Play store doesn't even know I have them.

    I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

    What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

    What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?

    Really? Without your knowledge? :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 51,054 ✭✭✭✭Professey Chin


    PogMoThoin wrote: »

    I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

    What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?
    First I've heard of that permission :/


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Really? Without your knowledge? :D

    Where did I say without my knowledge? The app asked for new permissions, I didn't accept


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Chinpool wrote: »
    First I've heard of that permission :/

    Maybe you're enjoying those new features
    http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/google-plus-updates-ios-android-events-hangouts/


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 51,054 ✭✭✭✭Professey Chin


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    I don't see anything there about it using the camera at any time


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    Calm down, every app that can take a photo has that permission (check if you don't believe me) - the 'without confirmation' bit just means you don't have to click 'OK' every time to allow it to access the camera, that is all.

    The phone isn't taking photos whenever it chooses to. :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭maggy_thatcher


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    I have it in Titanium and can restore and detach from market.

    What's next, Chrome? Ubuntu just couldn't come quick enough for me, I'm itching for a change. The last update for Google Plus allowed it permission to take an image with the camera at any time, wtf?

    Why do you think that Ubuntu-Phone will be any different in terms of what the apps can/can't do? Reading through the Ubuntu App development guide I don't see any security considerations being referenced...which is a little concerning!

    Regarding the camera permissions - it's a requirement for any app that can take photographs to allow access to the camera; it's not any different to the Facebook app, the Skype app, the "make you look fat app" that people have, etc. Why pick on Google+ for it?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Chinpool wrote: »
    I don't see anything there about it using the camera at any time

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.plus&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5nb29nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5hcHBzLnBsdXMiXQ..
    Click the permissions tab
    HARDWARE CONTROLS
    TAKE PICTURES AND VIDEOS
    Allows the app to take pictures and videos with the camera. This permission allows the app to use the camera at any time without your confirmation.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins




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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,807 ✭✭✭✭Orion


    Interesting - I've adfree on my phone installed from Play Store. It's gone from the store but still on my phone. It does nothing you can't do manually anyway - edit the hosts file on the phone to route all ad providers to 127.0.0.1


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 51,054 ✭✭✭✭Professey Chin


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Oh that. That's for any app that uses the camera. Plus uses it for hangouts and crap


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭maggy_thatcher


    PogMoThoin wrote: »

    So I assume your phone doesn't have Facebook, Skype, Viber, Flickr, Firefox, Camera, Goggles, etc. installed either? These are the apps that from the top of my head I can think of that use that same permission.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    So I assume your phone doesn't have Facebook, Skype, Viber, Flickr, Dropbox, Camera, Goggles, etc. installed either? These are the apps that from the top of my head I can think of that use that same permission.

    Only Dropbox, but I use that for camera upload


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭maggy_thatcher


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    Only Dropbox, but I use that for camera upload

    Yeah I double-checked - Dropbox doesn't actually require it. How do you use Camera upload though if you don't have the Camera app to take pictures with?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 34,152 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Reads like a tad like hysteria, Android is still very much open.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 13,874 ✭✭✭✭PogMoThoin


    Yeah I double-checked - Dropbox doesn't actually require it. How do you use Camera upload though if you don't have the Camera app to take pictures with?

    You're being smart now. That is probably the only one that has permissions. I didn't download it


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,061 ✭✭✭Kenny Logins


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    You're being smart now. That is probably the only one that has permissions. I didn't download it

    You don't have any apps that can use the camera installed? Is this permission an issue for you? Why exactly? I'm curious to know what the problem is...


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,049 ✭✭✭maggy_thatcher


    PogMoThoin wrote: »
    You're being smart now. That is probably the only one that has permissions. I didn't download it

    The "Camera" app is written by the same people who write the "Google+" app. If you don't trust the "Google+" app because you feel like it can take photographs without you knowing, how do you know the Camera app won't do the same?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 51,054 ✭✭✭✭Professey Chin



    Yeah I double-checked - Dropbox doesn't actually require it. How do you use Camera upload though if you don't have the Camera app to take pictures with?
    Dropbox doesn't access the camera directly. Just the storage after the pictures been taken


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