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by jdiff 902 days ago
Not stamping out side-loading, although that is heavily impacted by many of the same issues, but stamping out aftermarket software stores.

Apps installed from aftermarket stores:

- Cannot auto-update themselves, it requires user intervention for every individual app for every individual update.

- Cannot update at all if they were initially installed from the Play Store without uninstalling and losing all data in the process.

- Require multiple hoops and scary messages for the average user.

- Require extra maintenance burdens for the developer who essentially has to maintain two forks of the same application, further complicated by point 2.

- The payment issues mentioned upthread.

All of this makes aftermarket stores second-class citizens, all the while Google claims it welcomes them with open arms. Aftermarket stores aren't the only area where Google does this, either. Plenty of Android-of-yesteryear's customizability and openness has atrophied heavily while Google continues to profit off the bitrotting scraps that are left.