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Samsung's AdBlock Fast Removed From the Play Store (androidheadlines.com)
New submitter Alexander Maxham writes with the news reported at Android Headlines that Samsung's ad-blocking Android app called AdBlock Fast "was apparently ousted from the Play Store for violating section 4.4 of the Developer Distribution Agreement, stating that an app cannot disrupt or interfere with devices, networks or other parties' apps and services. (Also noted by Engadget.)
The F-Droid app store allows ad blockers. These are just two:
https://f-droid.org/repository...
https://f-droid.org/repository...
F-Droid only contains free and open source apps. Each of them is fully built from source. https://f-droid.org/
app cannot disrupt or interfere with devices, networks or other parties' apps and services.
Oooh, ooh, can an app mess with my internet connection by loading many ads? So anything that uses the device bandwidth excessively could also be banned now?
This is why Android isn't really Open Source in spirit. It is as closed as Apple is.
Hardly. Even on a non-rooted device all you have to do is tick "Allow untrusted sources" in the settings and then you can install stuff outside of Play Market as much as you like. Play Market is closed, yes, but it's also a separate thing and not required for using an Android-device. iPhones and iPads and the likes, as far as I know, require doing a lot more than just ticking a single box to allow installation of things from outside of Apple's AppStore.
What's so crazy about it? Google makes almost all of their money from advertising and Apple makes practically none of theirs that way. Is it that difficult to see that one company would rather sell you a cheap device that serves plenty of ads and the other would rather you pay a premium for a device that will block all the ads?
No, you took stupid pills. As is so fondly said around here: Follow the money.
Apple's customer base want something that "just works" and lacks clutter. They'll pay a premium for this.
Google's customer base doesn't mind advertisements and are willing to put up with them as long as it keeps the apps and devices on the cheap.
While Slashdotters may disagree, these are the facts for about 95% of Android's user base. Most of them don't give a fuck about open source or custom distros, they like getting a cheaper device and free apps.
Oh yeah, all you have to do is this and that.
"This and that" is tick one box, that is present in the settings.
That is why I say "in spirit"
And you are wrong. If they were the same "in spirit" they wouldn't GIVE you the option to load apps from anywhere else on a silver platter.
Android is about as open as iOS.
No, android is a LOT more open than iOS.
Can I opt to use an alternative app store like fdroid or the humblebundle store on android? Yes, I can. Its officially supported. Can I do that on ios? No way, not without literally breaking ios.
Can I buy a game for android directly from the developer, on his website, download it and install it? Yup, I can do that if i want to. Can I do that on ios? Nope.
Can I download the source for android modify it and flash it to my device with the full support for doing so provided by the manufacturer (although obviously they'll no longer support the operating system I install). On some devices from some manufacturers: yes, you can. With Apple, on any device -- no. The software cannot be downloaded and modified, and no they do not support allowing you load any customizations you might make at all, period, ever.
To say they are the same even "in spirit" is simply... lying.
I'm in Google's customer base, and I want something that just works and lacks clutter, but which is also usable.
You're surprised that an advertising company pulls an ad blocker from their app store?
You realise that if you try to install something that would be blocked by not having this checked, the dialog box that pops up actually links to the place in the settings to change it, right?
If you can't find it then, you have no placed operating any piece of technology built in the past 30 years
Who could have guessed that Google, a company that exists primarily to serve ads, would have a problem with something that blocks ads?
It's shocking and was completely unforeseen.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
But you know what? Likely only 2% give a fuck about "The Open Source Spirit", have no interest in that, and don't want some screeching yowling loon telling them it's not open source enough.
So, before you keep going all RMS and howling about how it's not pure enough for you ... do kindly remember almost nobody else cares.
The rest of the world just rolls their eyes, tunes this shit out, and reaches for Candy Crush and Facebook.
Neither Google nor Apple are in the business of making phones to appease the rabid open source people. You may have to live with that fact.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Google's customer base is advertisers. Android users, which pay nothing to Google, don't mind the advertisements.
So, before you keep going all RMS and howling about how it's not pure enough for you .
Even RMS doesn't seem to care about the setting being 'difficult to find. Especially since you can install your own version of the OS. His biggest worry is that some drivers are binary blobs.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Buy a good Android device with an unlocked bootloader and use an AOSP based ROM with no gapps. Use Firefox mobile with your favorite blocking extensions as your browser. Use permission control to restrict apps that are a bit too curious. There you have it : premium device, no ads, no tracking. It may not be enough if you wear a tinfoil hat but nothing is good enough for tinfoil hats.
According to XDA, Sony seems to be the recommended brand because they are developer friendly and produce nice devices. Nexus have good support too. Also don't buy your phone through your carrier.
It is not as easy as buying a phone off the shelf and there are some downsides but you have understand that what you are asking is not what most people want. People want tracking because it allows plenty of nice features (like Google now), they like free stuff and ads are an effective way of financing free stuff, and they just want things to work out of the box rather than control all the details.
Available in the play store, and supports ad-blocking extensions.