The two security features Google Play provides beyond web-installed APKs are the malware scanner that runs during app submission, and the ability to quickly delist apps that are discovered to be bad. Both could be opened up to all software sources rather easily.
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The malware scanner could run as an web-based APK-signing process, and those certificates could be revoked if malware is later discovered. This untying of Android security features from the Google Play Store would greatly advance Android’s safety as an open platform.
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And that’s it! There isn’t any magical security pixie dust achievable only with a smartphone app store monopoly. Any talk of this by platform companies is just silly propaganda.
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Replying to @TimSweeneyEpic
Honestly, I'm sure the reason Google hasn't done this sooner is because it would guarantee a loss of money. Think about it: if you could see if an apk was no good before you install it, that would make companies more confident in distribiting apps from their own sites.
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Replying to @TheBot_Official @TimSweeneyEpic
Not sure where I was going with this. Sounded right in my head.
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It’s a tradeoff between ensuring users can trust the Android platform as a whole, and protecting Google Play revenue. I’m sure it’s a big topic of discussion over there right now!
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