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by mathnmusic 2196 days ago
> 30% is terrible, till you consider the alternatives

Only in the Apple iOS land. If I don't like Google Play's revenue cut, I can list my app on any of a dozen or so alternative stores (Amazon, F-Droid etc) and all Android Users can install my app. Same story on Windows, Linux and even Mac devices.
2 comments
rusticpenn 2196 days ago
"all Android Users". IS it possible to get these alternative stores without rooting?
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OkGoDoIt 2196 days ago
Yes. You’ll get a whole bunch of scary warning messages from the operating system warning you not to do it, but to my knowledge all android phones allow you to. It’s possible that some corporate management software might prevent this, not sure. Also there are more and more android APIs which are baked into Google Play Services, which is another can of worms entirely. Still, Android is significantly more open to sideloading than iOS.
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perryizgr8 2196 days ago
Yes it is just another app.
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scarface74 2196 days ago
See how that works out in practice.....
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eloisant 2196 days ago
That works very well for services where the app is not the main product... Like Hey.com. They do their own market and don't need the "visibility" of the app store.

They would be pretty happy if they could have a link on their site to download the iOS apps, for their customers.

If Apple still wants to review every app that can be installed, they could propose an option to be in the App Store but unlisted - then the fees goes down to 2 or 3%, just like a credit card fee. But they won't, because they can get away with shaking businesses 30% so they'll keep doing it until someone forces them to stop.

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