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Remember that #PlayStore wanted to update/replace a bunch of apps installed from other sources such as #FDroid recently? Well, turns out someone found what triggers it and how it can be avoided, see https://github.com/jamie-mh/AuthenticatorPro/issues/1054#issuecomment-1867484763 for details.

Basically, the reason there was that AABs (the #Android App Bundles uploaded to Play) had a higher versionCode than the APKs distributed by the other sources. Still does not explain why Google ignored the "installer" property, though.

in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

FDroid also ignore that property, no?
Atleast FDroid often suggests to upgrade apps bundled in my OS as system apps.
in reply to vanitasvitae

@vanitasvitae might depend on the client you use. I remember in the past it suggested such updates (e.g. UnifiedNlp as update to GMS, as they had the same packageName). As my devices no longer have the G-stuff installed, I no longer see that.

I know @grote just works on a big overhaul of the official client which will even honor the repo you've installed an app from. Torsten is probably the best person to answer your question (would you please, Torsten?).

in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

@vanitasvitae F-Droid is and will be suggesting updates for system apps as long as the update has the same signature. Nothing wrong with that.
in reply to Torsten Grote

Thanks @grote – and nothing wrong with "suggesting", I fully agree. But would it auto-update apps installed from a different installer even if that installer is present (packageInstaller being a special case)? That would be even heavier than "not the primary repo" IMHO, and should be dealt with in a similar manner. @vanitasvitae
in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

@vanitasvitae This enters the realm of how app updates work on Android. Unattended updates can only happen if the (non-privileged) app doing the update is the installer of record.
in reply to Torsten Grote

@grote right, and that covers 90%+ of the cases here I guess. But what if privExt comes into play? Like LOS etc. having that included by default. Would that then auto-update even if the installer does not match? That's the one to compare here, as GMS come as privileged, too. @vanitasvitae
in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

@vanitasvitae I am no expert on priv-ext (which I consider legacy), but I imagine that it would auto-update whatever it can.
in reply to Torsten Grote

@grote Thanks! I thought so. Maybe that could/should be addressed as well when dealing with "repo priorities" – though probably not by you. Override of "installer" should be possible of course, but should require user interaction. @vanitasvitae
in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

"Still does not explain why Google ignored the "installer" property, though."

My first guess is that Google gives a fuck about what the user wants.

in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

The same with Tor Browser Alpha:

Installed with FFupdater, Google Play Store wants to update it!

What the f.......

This entry was edited (4 months ago)
in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

Sort of deviating for the topic a bit, I know, but this has me worried about people still using the Simple Mobile Apps given something like this could easily happen to them and then without the user noticing, your FLOSS apps now have invasive ads that likely track everything it can on the user and a paywall after two weeks of use. This is an extreme case, but not the only one where Play Store apps have tracking that isn't allowed on F-Droid and doesn't exist in the F-Droid version.
This entry was edited (4 months ago)