Google: Difference between revisions

|Description=Google is one of the most influential technology companies in the world originally known for developing the most widely used search engine.

[[wikipedia:Google_Play_Music|Google Play Music]] was a service that allowed users to purchase music, listen via streaming, and download to the local device; alternatively users could pay for a subscription to listen to all music available through streaming. It was publicly launched on the 16th November 2011 and later shutdown in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=Google Play Music, Music Play Store & Music Manager are going away – everything you need to know |url=https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=[[Google]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://support.google.com/youtubemusic/thread/62843644/google-play-music-music-play-store-music-manager-are-going-away-%E2%80%93-everything-you-need-to-know?hl=en |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amadeo |first=Ron |date=28 Oct 2020 |title=RIP Google Play Music, 2011 – 2020 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=ArsTechnica |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251214224205/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/10/rip-google-play-music-2011-2020/ |archive-date=14 Dec 2025}}</ref> Google Play Music further allowed users to upload their own songs to listen on all their devices, with a limit of up to 50,000 files.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Chris |date=11 Jan 2017 |title=How to Upload Your Music Library to Google Play Music |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=How-To-Geek |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://www.howtogeek.com/288231/how-to-upload-your-music-library-to-google-play-music/ |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref> Users were able to purchase songs individually or buy whole albums that they could then download and listen to, or stream through the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 Jan 2020 |title=How To Buy Music From Google Play (Now YouTube Music) |url=https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |website=Technobezz |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250805235415/https://www.technobezz.com/buy-music-google-play |archive-date=5 Aug 2025}}</ref>

====Manifest V2 shutdown====

====Google Jamboard shutdown====

===Pixel 4a battery reduction update===

===Banning domain-blockers from Play Store===

 

Google cites their own Developer Distribution Agreement (terms of service for devs), claiming that those apps are "disruptive", as if to imply hacking or cracking. Many people claim that's an invalid excuse, and that the ulterior motive was to increase ad-revenue.

 

===Pixel devices bricked due to confusing reasons===

Numerous Google Pixel phones have gotten bricked as a result of different use cases, such as accidentally switched slots, flashing custom ROMs or downgrading the bootloader version of the device after an Anti-Rollback (ARB) increment (accidentally or otherwise), or installing the June 2025 update.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simons |first=Hadlee |date=2025-08-26 |title=Some Pixels are bricked and Google apparently won't help revive them |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260108045933/https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-phones-bricked-3591218/ |archive-date=8 Jan 2026 |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Android Authority}}</ref> The device enters an emergency download state called Pixel ROM Recovery, which is a Google modification of Samsung's EUB mode on Exynos chipsets. In this mode, it refuses to enter Android recovery or Fastboot, making it near impossible to restore the operating system on the device. The only way to fix it is to use Pixel ROM Recovery to boot a special, Google-signed recovery bootloader into RAM and flash a working version of Android from there.

Numerous developers have worked on trying to find a solution to this issue, and have succeeded to varying extents. However, devices bricked due to the ARB trigger remain impossible to fix. Google has not provided any recovery images to resolve this issue, despite there being a sizable post on their bug tracker.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-10 |title=Pixel recovery bootloaders lack security reasoning for guarding |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251004223929/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/437705274 |archive-date=4 Oct 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-12 |title=Pixel devices getting bricked / stuck in Pixel ROM Recovery after flashing AOSP-based builds with Android 15 QPR2 (BP1A.250305.019) |url=https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |url-status=live |access-date=2025-09-11 |website=Google IssueTracker |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260205112358/https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/402455330 |archive-date=5 Feb 2026}}</ref> despite the fact that Google providing the recovery images for the repair will not compromise security, as explained by one of the developers in their report.<ref name=":4" />

 

Google prohibits tech support ads on their platform if they are not authorised by the manufacturer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graff |first=David |date=31 Aug 2018 |title=Restricting ads in third-party tech support services |url=https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |website=Google |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251112170608/https://blog.google/products/ads/restricting-ads-third-party-tech-support-services/ |archive-date=12 Nov 2025}}</ref>

===The chargeback incident===

 

====Rodriguez v. Google LLC (21 May 2021 - 3 Sep 2025)====

Google's "Web & App Activity" (WAA) setting had the ability to be paused. Reportedly, despite this setting being paused by consumers, Google would continue to collect consumer data regardless of consent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rodriguez v. Google LLC |url=https://www.googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ#faq1 |url-status=live |access-date=5 Apr 2025 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251011171640/https://googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/FAQ |archive-date=11 Oct 2025}}</ref> This case is currently ongoing and has yet to receive a judgment.<ref>[https://www.googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/Documents Important Documents] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250911091039/https://googlewebappactivitylawsuit.com/Home/Documents Archived])</ref> Google collected mobile device data for eight years from users who opted out of tracking under the WAA.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Staab |first=Theresa |date=18 Sep 2025 |title=Someone is Always Watching: Implications of Google's WAA Privacy Case |url=https://lawreview.syr.edu/someone-is-always-watching-implications-of-googles-waa-privacy-case/ |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Syracuse Law Review}}</ref> The dates of use/activity in question were between July 1, 2016 and September 23, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 Oct 2024 |title=FAQs: Google Web App Activity lawsuit |url=https://help.wfu.edu/support/solutions/articles/13000825158-faqs-google-web-app-activity-lawsuit |url-status=live |access-date=26 Mar 2026 |website=Wake Forest University}}</ref> On September 3, 2025, the San Francisco Federal Court jury held Google liable two of three claims of privacy invasion. Google was charged $425 million for invasion of privacy, but not for punitive damages since the jury found that Google did not act with malicious intent.<ref name=":5" />

 

====Epic Games, Inc. v. Google Inc. (13 Aug 2020 - 31 May 2025)====

*[[Google asserts the right to seize phones during repairs]]