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Google Charging OEMs Licensing Fees For Play Store
An anonymous reader writes "Google has begun charging OEMs for access to its proprietary Play Store applications for Android though the reported amount is as low as 75c per device. Between charging OEMs for Google Play apps, showing ads within these apps (Search, Maps and GMail) and profiling users with the data it collects this does show that Google is willing to leverage their stranglehold on the mobile market to control and monetize wherever it can. Add that these proprietary applications and the proprietary Google Play Services are the primary areas for Android innovation and development and you end up with an operating system that is less and less 'free' in the freedom and cost senses of the word."
It's an important service which needs decent maintenance. 75c is cheap for providing Google with the funds to moderate and protect users.
You know, where Android supplants all other OSs and electronic-based lifeforms?
Yeah, not going to happen. Google is now going to monetize, so you'll see forks like Amazon FireOS. Or you might see a resurgence of WindowsPhone Yes Android will continue to dominate, but it's not going to become some monoculture.
And somewhere in Cupertino, Tim Cook is laughing quietly...
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I thought they were already charging for access to the Google Play store and Google Apps like Maps. I thought that was why Android based devices like the Nook, Kindle; and Cyanogenmod releases didn't include access to Google Apps and the Store. Is that just a licensing restriction?
Is a 75 cent fee really significant to anyone that wants their Android device to have access to the Google Apps and Play store? It's not like there aren't alternatives (though the Google Maps alternatives are lacking).
Nonsense. Google Now voice activation only works on a few models (and can be switched off), plus the launcher with Now integrated is solely available for the nexus 5. Please stop the FUD.
Cooking up Android costs money. You expect Google to pour all that money for nothing?
Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
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Samsung can't (realistically) fork. They've agreed not to as part of their membership in the OHA. To fork they would have to leave Android compatibility behind. Meaning whatever OS they create cannot be Android compatible. Its not going to happen. Nor can Google get rid of Samsung as they have become the dominant player in Android. I think both companies would prefer the relationship were different, but neither is in a position to do anything about it.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but I don't see what the big deal is. Like it or not, Google exists to make money. If they feel they have enough leverage to charge people for stuff that used to be free (be them consumers or OEM's), then so be it. If the market can't bear it, the endeavor will fail.
Too often I hear the people complaining about products or companies are the same ones buying their stuff. We are asking for companies to regulate themselves and do what's in our best interest, when we can't even regulate ourselves. I think that's the whole reason government regulation even exists for things like this, is because people know they lack the willpower to make a chance on their own (stop buying the product), thus need some kind of external force to demand it.
What they are closing off has nothing to do with the ability of OEMs and others to make custom home screens and launchers nor are they going to block that.
I'm sorry sir, would you like a free streak to go with your phone?
Dear God, no. Keep your pants on.
There are the SELinux policies that got checked into 4.5 a few days ago which make it impossible for even a program running as root to extract and run files in the /data filesystem. Not an impossible task, but it will require all root apps to be re-engineered.
I don't think Google did this to lock out root apps, but plug some vulnerabilities, but there is a lot of bellyaching about this. It would be nice to have some switch to allow root apps (or just the su binary) to have their own SELinux security contexts, or a way to turn SELinux off without changing kernel arguments.
$0.75 cents for what is essentially a collection of apps. Wow!
Despite have a tremendous number of Android smart phones active world wide and over 48 billion apps installed the Apple App store blows away Google Play revenues.
that's like saying people who own $1M+ homes also spend more on cars. duh? apple sells high-end devices, and it's users spend for money on add-ons such, peripherals, and cases.
google doesn't care. they want people using their search and services. sure, they are happy to earn $ from the play store, but search profits dwarf what apple makes on their app store. the are about getting the largest # of devices in the most hands, not add-on sales.
Samsung can't (realistically) fork. They've agreed not to as part of their membership in the OHA. To fork they would have to leave Android compatibility behind. Meaning whatever OS they create cannot be Android compatible. Its not going to happen. Nor can Google get rid of Samsung as they have become the dominant player in Android. I think both companies would prefer the relationship were different, but neither is in a position to do anything about it.
AOSP is freely available for anyone, including Samsung, to take and fork. It's what Amazon did.
Unless you know of specific contractual terms Google and Samsung have agreed to, Samsung is free to do what they want.
If you do know of specific contractual terms Google and Samsung have agreed to, please post them, read them, then realize that Samsung is still free to do what they want - they'd just have to pay any penalties stipulated in the contract if they breach it.
Hint: You don't know of any specific contractual terms Google and Samsung have agreed to.
The terms of using the Android trademark require that you can't distribute any kind of fork of Android. This is why Amazon makes sure to NEVER use the word Android anywhere on its products, nor can they ever have anything to do with the Play store.
Android the OS itself is still very much open, but the Android trademark isn't (nor is any trademark for that matter - the whole point of a trademark is to be exclusive rather than open.)
Careful with names containing L slashdot.org/~AiphaWolf_HK slashdot.org/~AlphaWoif_HK slashdot.org/~AiphaWoif_HK
> apple sells high-end devices, and it's users spend for money on add-ons such, peripherals, and cases.
Apple sells expensive devices, but there's nothing high end about the 5S; it's in the same class as the Nexus 5, only for twice as much money.
All-New Fire OS "Mojito"
New Kindle Fire tablets are powered by the latest version of Fire OS—Fire OS 3.0 "Mojito", which starts with Android and adds cloud services
As far as I understood the restrictions, they could use the word Android, but they can't use the Google logo or Google Apps (Mail, Maps and others) without Googles permission. For Samsung, they might not be allowed to fork Android, but they do invest in Tizen. I'm looking forward to finally see the first devices.
Trolling is a art!
Nice to actually be able to see the damn source though, isn't it?
No problem. Of course, the phone will cost approximately twice as much, as the worldwide market for such a phone is maybe a couple of thousand, versus phones with the full Google experience.
Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
And the fact that Samasung, is working VERY hard to replace all the Google apps with their own versions.
calendar, googleNow, and mail ALL are either off or not installed by default on the S4
S-voice
Scalender
and plain mail being the defaults
It will be interesting to see what Samsung does on the S5 (openmaps maybe?)
Samsung WILL either switch to Tizen OR fork Android in the next couple years, its coming...
Personally, I hate the Samsung apps, I'll never buy another unless I can get a version without touchwiz(horrible) and Samsung's crapware
This. I think Samsung was waiting to see how well Amazons and others did. The biggest threat to Android was never Apple & iOS, but Samsung. The question in my mind has always been, what happens if Samsung forks and derives their own OS without google...
"The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
Then your problem is with the OEMs, not the open source components. And if you're in the US, the carriers.
Not terribly relevant, especially when you consider that Google created all of the open source bits of Android.
Do you even know what you're talking about?
Which is neither here nor there with respect to the software being open source. Perhaps you would be better off with an iPhone?
Which, again, is irrelevant. Of course, that you're at +5 just shows there are people with mod points that have equally poor understanding.
You have mistaken Nexus 5 for Moto X
http://www.ibtimes.com/why-nexus-5-lacks-touchless-control-moto-x-always-listening-voice-gestures-1487038
Here is how to set it up on Moto X https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/prod_answer_detail/a_id/94881/p/30,6720,8696/action/auth
really, because I find googles apps on iOS to be among the worst. Its even hard to say that the G+ app is better than the abomination that is the facebook app.
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson
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This. I think Samsung was waiting to see how well Amazons and others did. The biggest threat to Android was never Apple & iOS, but Samsung. The question in my mind has always been, what happens if Samsung forks and derives their own OS without google...
What is Samsung going to do for apps if that happens? No one is going to buy a Samsung phone if there aren't much apps available. The window to defeat Google has closed. Motorola and Google Nexus line of smart phones and tablets have made Samsung not as important to Android's success as in the past.
that's like saying people who own $1M+ homes also spend more on cars. duh? apple sells high-end devices, and it's users spend for money on add-ons such, peripherals, and cases.
Its more like saying people who dont know much about cars, spend more on cars.
Someone who doesn't bother to learn about how their car works will pay $500 for a oil change and brake check, someone who does and just cant be arsed doing it themselves will pay $100.
The person who doesn't know much about cars pays full list price for an Infiniti G37, a person who knows the Infiniti is just a Nissan Skyline 370GT with a different badge and bigger price tag gets the Nissan with a few thousand off the asking price.
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.