I agree. I don't like the idea of Android being locked down, but the conversations around this topic are tipping into disingenuous.
Your phone is still yours, you can still install third party apps, and you can still develop apps without a verification. But now there's a one-off hurdle to install them.
Not ideal, but when we think of the people that it's trying to protect, this feels like a reasonable middle ground.
Exactly. Nuance and good faith is in desperate need here. Google hasn't been perfect here by any stretch, but they are clearly responding to feedback. This side however seems to stick its head in the sand over security, "I wouldn't fall for it therefore it's not a problem" sort of stance, which is just talking cross-purposes. By all means push back on security being a concern, but the numbers don't support this.
You mention nuance and good faith, but on your profile, and on your website, you claim to work on Android at Google. Previously on Google Play. I don't see that mentioned in your comments about this issue, I do think it matters a lot.
> This side however seems to stick its head in the sand over security, "I wouldn't fall for it therefore it's not a problem"
Which is also a total misrepresentation of the arguments made on the website, and made by many people opposing these changes. Again, since you mention good faith and nuance.
> By all means push back on security being a concern,
The website does not seem to push back on security being a concern in general, if I'm reading it right. It does however push back on the idea that changes made by Google will actually increase security of the users.
> but the numbers don't support this.
Can I see these numbers? I would seriously love to.
It's funny to see all of these dramatic articles coming out about Claude Design, when Google's Stitch[0] has been around for at least 6 months and no one has batted an eye. https://stitch.withgoogle.com/
I'm not sure how much of that is overhyping Claude, or Google's poor marketing of their own products.
On an iPhone, when I scroll down a bit to the templates and start pressing the right arrow to scroll through, the templates quickly shift off-center. Not a good look.
Very interesting! It would be great to see some pictures of the IDE in action (maybe some demo videos?) in a prominent place so I can see what I am paying for!
And it's only getting worse with the waves of vibe-coders.
I actually wrote about this recently after poking around a popular extension that Antigravity users were installing. It's wild what people are doing with your credentials, and you'd have no idea! https://opista.com/posts/blind-trust-in-vs-code-extensions
I got in an argument with someone the other day that said their vibe coded app was more secure than something hand written because the ai “knows all exploits”.
That's why any repo with a README ridden with emojis (and other telltale signs) is just an instant nope nowadays.
(One of the only good things about GH is, that if you block some account, it will tell you if that account contributed to some repo at the top. Makes it very easy to filter out slopcode.)
Your phone is still yours, you can still install third party apps, and you can still develop apps without a verification. But now there's a one-off hurdle to install them.
Not ideal, but when we think of the people that it's trying to protect, this feels like a reasonable middle ground.
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