#Google's competition lawyers claim that uninstalling is the same as "disabling" even though Android itself says they are not the same:
"If you disable this app, Android and other apps may no longer function as intended. Keep in mind, you can't delete this app since it came pre-installed on your device. By disabling, you turn this app off and hide it on your device."
There is no such warning when uninstalling:
"Do you want to uninstall this app?"
@rene_mobile @eighthave Which is exactly what we have been recommended the European Commission to require gatekeepers to do.
🇺🇦
@ilumium
Are OEMs classified as gatekeepers? Because they decide what goes into the system images.
@eighthave
@rene_mobile No, OEMs are not considered gatekeepers under the current DMA (see graphic). But I think the law should be amended to also cover device makers and firmware in order to ensure full, permissionless vertical #interoperability. Else we will never break the #Google / #Apple duopoly.
@ilumium
I agree that on a technical level, OEMs are the parties that control the system.images (including the preloaded apps). Android is open in the sense that any apps can get privileged permissions that the OEM chooses to put on the image and sign appropriately. The OS itself does not privilege or discriminate against any specific apps. Same for reinstallation vs. disabling.
@eighthave
@eighthave
Uninstalling is indeed technically impossible if an OEM bundled the app into any of the (read-only, compressed, integrity protected) system/OEM/vendor partitions. Disabling is functionally equivalent with the only exception of the storage space not being freed.
So the real option is only for OEMs not to pre-install these apps in the first place, but potentially only during first setup wizard.