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Comment by dspillett | Hacker News Reader

This sort of thing is why I intend to never write a mobile app for Google/Apple/other devices.

Though as I never get around to writing my many desktop or web-based app ideas, maybe this isn't much of a problem for Google/Apple/other!

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Yeah. I bought a Mac, an iPad and an iPhone to do mobile development for ios. And then I realised how screwed up and exploitive the whole Apple ecosystem is for developers - they not only want us to pay them annually for the "privilege" of developing on their platform (even though we add value to their platform by creating software for it), but they also want to charge us a commission on each sale (with the bar that we can't tell our customers that the price is higher because of the "Apple Tax"). I decided not to support their platform. And after reading many tales of developers struggle with the illogical bureaucracy of the "app stores", I feel that I made the right decision.

I understand the Google ecosystem is similar, but slightly more bearable because Android allows side-loading. Waiting for the day when legislation / regulation upholds our consumer and computing rights to develop, install and run software on our own devices without ever needing permission from the device makers.

Never? Unless you give up on NFC, banking apps and all those goodies.

We've had NFC, banking, etc on rooted phones and even on windows desktops loaded with malware for decades now. Clearly there's a tradeoff that can be made here and the banks still find it worthwhile to offer the extra features and save money on staff even if it occasionally causes fraud.

Yes but it is troublesome and AFAIK getting more difficult each year.

> Never?

As the post you directly responded to never said the word never, I'm thinking you where actually responding to the previous comment. In which case: yes, never.

> Unless you give up on

I don't refuse to install apps, I have apps for both my primary banking organisations on my phone, I don't intend to write apps, I don't intend to provide extra fodder for their platforms and claims of their size. Most apps don't need the things that not being a native app means they can not support. NFC there might be uses for, but not that are irreplaceable that I can immediately think of, and you can access things like the phone's camera so other features like NFC might happen in that realm too.

Banking apps tend to refuse to run on custom ROMs, even if unrooted.

iOS allows sideloading too. Also just because Apple gains value from developers, the developers also gain value. It's a mutually beneficial relationship.

It is not real sideloading though. Any app that iOS installs needs to be signed with an Apple-issued certificate. You can't install an app on your iOS device without Apple involvement.

Android is not Google.

They do control the default app repository, so from the PoV of many users, at least with respect to apps, the two are pretty much equivalent.

There are Android phones sold at least in Russia without Google services at all. People use them mostly fine.

And no, it's not mandatory for developers to use Google Play. It's a bit more work to DIY your app distribution, but you get total independence in exchange. It's ultimately developer's choice to make.

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