Beta 1 (12) works fine. I installed it as soon as available. I generally avoid the Developer Previews after getting burnt several years ago with Google Pay, but the last couple of years have seen surprisingly stable DP’s.
Beta is fine to install. It looks great and all (my) apps work without issue - including banking and payment apps.
I did go through the new privacy options they have available at the moment and I’ve set things like my search history to automatically delete after 18 months
If so I’d like to see them offer more options here. I’ve personally grown fond of having my data purged from services every 30 days. That allows stuff to stick around just long enough in the event I need to find something, but not too long that it puts my privacy or security in jeopardy. Anything I need for longer I can save in a more permanent manner on an ad-hoc basis.
You have always been able to manually install apps on Android via sideloading the .apk file, so a third party App Store is less of a stretch.
Apple have only ever allowed apps to be distributed through Testflight for testing, or loaded directly onto a test device via Xcode (a limited form of enterprise-managed sideloading is also available, via tools like Apple Configurator, but this is not the same thing as they quickly clamp down on any use which isn’t internal-only).
It looks like Google are trying to leverage the whole Epic Games saga to have a pop at Apple, while touting their newfound open approach to app stores as a benefit.
I have been known as something of a Google fanboy for a number of years. Although I’m still firmly an Android man, I’ve found myself using fewer Google services these days for privacy reasons. I no longer use Chrome, for example, and I’m in the middle of switching my main mail account away from Gmail. I’ll still use Google products and services, but it’s no longer my go-to default.
I think Google’s hand has been forced by (a) Apple’s changes with respect to privacy, and (b) the general public’s increased understanding of online privacy, ads, tracking, etc.
Forced or not, I’m glad to see them making changes either way. It’s refreshing in the face of Facebook’s stubbornness, and certainly leaves me open to the idea of either returning to some google services or continuing to use the services I currently do such as Google Search, and YouTube.
Apple’s ads have been especially clever at educating regular folk exactly what’s happening, by replicating what privacy violations would look like in the physical world. It’s a little hyperbolic, but very impactful, and if it’s transforming public opinion enough that Google are starting to make changes then I am so here for that.
Ditto here @Dan - where will you go for email and why did you select them? Just thinking about transferring gives me the shivers, so many institutions have my Gmail address. R-
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