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“By making Android safer, we’re protecting the open environment that allows developers and users to confidently create and connect,” Google said in its announcement. “Android’s new developer verification is an extra layer of security that deters bad actors and makes it harder for them to spread harm.”
Then they would have to spend billions each year develop this Qualdroid fork. Which probably wouldn't even succeed, given the near competitors on the high end, and many competitors on the low/mainstream end.
Even if it does succeed and gets a small part of the market, what would be the benefit to Qualcomm?
Then they would have to spend billions each year develop this Qualdroid fork. Which probably wouldn't even succeed, given the near competitors on the high end, and many competitors on the low/mainstream end.
Even if it does succeed and gets a small part of the market, what would be the benefit to Qualcomm?
You'd have to explain yourself more.
"They don't have to develop a competition": then what is the Qualdroid you mentioned?
"just prevent it from running, and exact astonishing fees": prevent ppl from using your chips unless they pay extra fees?
You'd have to explain yourself more.
"They don't have to develop a competition": then what is the Qualdroid you mentioned?
"just prevent it from running, and exact astonishing fees": prevent ppl from using your chips unless they pay extra fees?
Yes, I am saying they can make a 1-to-1 Android fork of the current version of Android and, over the years, divert everything from Google, by denying Google's, or anyone else version of Android from running on their chips.
What would be the benefit of that to Qualcomm? Google would still control the whole ecosystem as they would be the only ones developing Android. Which, like you said, Qualdroid would be essentially identical to, other than the name and the restriction.
In the bottom level, Android is open source, and GPL, which can be altered trivially. And after a trivial modification, they can just deny newer Google's Android versions from loading, appropriating the app store revenue, ads, and making a youtube clone. And then they can just built in an adblock to add an insult to injury.
Sure they can make a fork not compatible with Google Play Services and add their own app store instead. But then none of the google apps or major apps from other publishers would work on it.
Making a Youtube clone is pretty much impossible. Just take a look at the ones that exist today. Same with making a GMail clone, google docs clone, etc...
It's technically trivial to make it backwards compatible only for your version of Android, but not forward. So eventually they can wrestle publishers to only support "Qualdroid" over original
(I disagree that making a replacement for Play Services is trivial, but let's forget that for now). Which app makers would use the surrogate API? Google certainly won't. And so you'd have a phone that can't run YouTube. And other google apps at least, in addition to many other apps. But let's just say it's only YouTube. Who would buy a phone that can't run YouTube?
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