Post #2549443

I tried to install LineageOS on my Pixel 8 because I care about privacy, but most importantly, I hate when they sell you a smartphone with a lot of preinstalled apps. I also love to tinker and personalize every piece of electronics I own. Long story short, I can’t install WhatsApp and Revolut if I don’t use the stock OS. I even tried installing them using Google Services and the Play Store. This is like forbidding the installation of Teams on Linux. Insane. It’s not a matter of hardware compatibility; it’s Google actively imposing its OS on the server side. It’s very hard for me to give up those two apps; therefore, I went back to the stock OS for now. But this really makes me angry and sad. How is this even legal? This is similar to when Windows monopolized the PC's OS market. Now Google wants to impose that apps must be downloaded only through the Play Store, making other stores like F-Droid useless ( https://keepandroidopen.org/ ). I really hope the EU will do something about it in the future, as these consumer's rights are being actively denied.