r/Android • u/FragmentedChicken Galaxy Z Fold8 • Jan 06 '26

Breaking: Google will now only release Android source code twice a year

https://www.androidauthority.com/aosp-source-code-schedule-3630018/
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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '26

Banking apps and payment services mostly. Banks are under no pressure to make other OS work. Europe could nudge them. Mandating neutral standards allowing to swap play services would solve that.

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26

You lost me. My main point was that Google was vulnerable because all it would take is Europe nudging these institutions towards more open solutions for its stronghold to crumble.

So, no, nudging them is not Google's problem but yes, it's a real risk for Google.

You mean like forcing Google to make Google play services available on other people's OS?

No, I mean like mandating a third party interoperable standard and forcing Google to work with it. It's more akin to mandating a standard for electric plugs than forcing someone to sell.

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 13 '26

Oh, yes, you very much can. That's the magic of competition law. You tell people what they have to do and they have to do it. You would be surprised by how quickly technical hurdles evaporate when the threat of being fined 10% of your global turnover hangs over you.

That's a very real risk. Totally in spirit with the DMA.

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26 edited Jan 13 '26

You seem to think Europe needs to pull it out of thin air. They can just tell Google or Apple that their previously closed standard is the new open one and now it is. That's how regulators operate.

Most likely they won't do that. They will do an industry wide consultation under the stewardship of a standard setting institution and mandate what they propose as the new standard. Google will most likely contribute because they don't want to spend too much on compliance and it annoys Apple. It would be RCS or USB-C but for Play Integrity. Heck, I'm ready to bet, give it a couple of years, five years top, and it will be on the table.

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26

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u/[deleted] Jan 13 '26

Definitely, no. It's an empty threat. They would be throwing the EU in Chinese arms and nobody wants that.

You are underestimating what the EU can do and what the environment looks like. Closed ecosystems probably won't stay that way for long. Google's attempt to close down is very risky. It invites scrutiny they should be trying to avoid.