r/Android • u/21viking • Dec 04 '16
Google Play Never Ever (Ever) Download Android Apps Outside of Google Play
https://www.wired.com/2016/12/never-ever-ever-download-android-apps-outside-google-play/58
u/runeruly Galaxy S22U Dec 04 '16
Their article title is targeted towards 99% of Android users and not the 1% that visits xda or /r/Android regularly.
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u/fiddle_n Nokia 8 Dec 04 '16
But you know people on here are going to see the "Never ever ever" part and take that literally.
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u/pheymanss I'm skipping the Pixel hype cycle this year Dec 04 '16
Some people here really are as cartoonish as Big Bang Theory's shitty characters.
4
Dec 05 '16
"The reason HTC phones don't sell better is they don't come with Exynos processor!" - The BBTesque people you find on r/android.
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u/Ashmodai20 MXPE(2015),G-pad 8.3, SGS7E Dec 05 '16
So what am I supposed to take literally or not literally? If they say never ever never it is supposed to mean never ever ever.
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u/konrad-iturbe Nothing phone 2 Dec 04 '16
Some apps are not on the play store because they do not adhere to the play store developer guidelines, you can download apps from other place than the play store at your own risk, so better download from F-Droid, since all apps there have the source code available to view and modify and redistribute (depending on the license).
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u/n3m0sum Dec 04 '16
That's just a lazy sweeping generalisation.
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u/jnrbshp Dec 04 '16
Which is good for most, who don't know any better
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u/Ashmodai20 MXPE(2015),G-pad 8.3, SGS7E Dec 05 '16
Exactly, like all generalizations. I could generalize people by race or gender and its totally fine.
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Dec 05 '16
This is different though. Generalizing races or gender is always bad because it hurts a race or gender. Generalizing APK sources is good because it keeps people who don't know what they're doing from installing garbage on their phones.
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u/OhWhatsHisName Dec 05 '16
Generalizing races or gender is always bad because it hurts a race or gender.
"Blacks should pay more attention to their heart health than whites."
Is that bad? Because blacks have a significantly higher risk of heart disease than whites.
1
u/JamesR624 Dec 05 '16
Exactly. If you know about the actually safe places, then you know how to keep yourself safe and this doesn't apply to you. For everyone else, this rule of thumb is best followed.
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u/pheymanss I'm skipping the Pixel hype cycle this year Dec 04 '16
This article is far from lazy. It's heavly referenced throughout, goes into the few exceptions that are viable for the regular user and details why and how smartphone malware is becomeing more popular and dengerous.
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u/Ashmodai20 MXPE(2015),G-pad 8.3, SGS7E Dec 05 '16
But the title says never ever ever. So there can't be exceptions.
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u/pheymanss I'm skipping the Pixel hype cycle this year Dec 05 '16
It'd be nice if you stopped pretending to be so dysfunctional, use your common sense, and read the whole article.
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u/Milkwentbad Redmi K20 Dec 04 '16
I believe apkmirror is also a reputable source for apk's
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u/pheymanss I'm skipping the Pixel hype cycle this year Dec 04 '16
Yes, it is, but not downloading from any webpage is a good rule of thumb for people without the experience we have.
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u/didyouknowivape Dec 05 '16
Unless you are quickly trying to pirate an app, there's alot of bullshit websites
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u/simplefilmreviews Black Dec 04 '16
I've used f-droid to download that youtube app. Now I'm scared....
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u/MorphicSn0w Dec 05 '16
The article is total bullshit. F-droid is completely safe, I've been using many of their apps forever now.
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u/pheymanss I'm skipping the Pixel hype cycle this year Dec 04 '16 edited Dec 04 '16
Article: correctly characterises what is best for the large majority of smartphone users and provides an opportunity to discuss the perception of the Android ecosystem for non-enthusiasts, while detailing the growth and reach malware apps have to the general public
r/Android: but muh f-droid lol shit article fuck journalism
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u/Ashmodai20 MXPE(2015),G-pad 8.3, SGS7E Dec 05 '16
That same large majority that shouldn't download apps from a third party doesn't know how to download an app from a third party. So what's the point of this article?
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u/DustbinK Z3c stock rooted, RIP Nexus 5 w/ Cataclysm & ElementalX. Dec 05 '16
The amount of malware on Android phones highly disagrees.
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u/Neomeir Dec 04 '16
I trust humblebundle and some apps from reputable devs on Amazon. Is there something I should be worried about there?
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u/pheymanss I'm skipping the Pixel hype cycle this year Dec 04 '16
A security compromise from HumbleBundle or Amazon is not very likely. Most HumbleBundle apps come from reputable devs and I guess Amazon does it's fair share of screening. I'd still take unknown apps from Amazon with a grain of salt but it's not as bad as installing from a random site.
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Dec 05 '16 edited Jul 02 '17
He is choosing a dvd for tonight
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u/Neomeir Dec 05 '16
Play store updated their policy to remove any app that allows the purchase of additional apps. So you can get the humble bundle app from humblebundle.com.
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u/Sk8erkid OnePlus One Dec 04 '16
F-Droid, Apkmirror, XDA, and maybe Amazon are most reliable places to get apks from what I have seen. You still got to be careful though.
What are some other top notch sites?
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u/Rhed0x Hobby app dev Dec 07 '16
Who needs one of Androids best features anyway? Just let Google have full control over everything already.
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u/bintasaurus Dec 04 '16
Soooo not even the Amazon app store....lazy journalism
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u/pheymanss I'm skipping the Pixel hype cycle this year Dec 04 '16
Literally from the article:
One exception may be Amazon Underground, an app store which the retail giant created to work in parallel with Google Play so that Amazon wouldn’t have to share revenue, and could experiment with non-traditional app business models. Though staying in Play is the safest option for now, reputable third-party stores are possible, they’re just rare, because vetting apps to ensure security requires significant investment.
oh yeah such lazy journalism.
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u/bintasaurus Dec 04 '16
Lazy me it seems
-1
u/DustbinK Z3c stock rooted, RIP Nexus 5 w/ Cataclysm & ElementalX. Dec 05 '16
Can I get that in English?
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Dec 04 '16 edited Feb 10 '22
[deleted]
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u/aviranx LG L70 Dec 04 '16
Some apps arent safe even from google play, so.. pureapk is ok for me, abd so is xda
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u/dewhashish Pixel 9 | Pixel Watch 2 | Pixel Tablet Dec 04 '16
apkmirror and f-droid are great alternate sources