Bait-and-switch: Difference between revisions

(3 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)

Line 14:

Android smartphone manufacturers used initial respect to user freedom to gain market share. For example user-replaceable batteries. After they gained enough market share, they switched to non-replaceable batteries.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Louis Rossmann |title=EU votes to mandate removable batteries in smartphones in a landslide; no more glued together junk! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Android used to be a freedom-respecting operating system. That changed when Google added restrictions over time that the user could not opt out of without extreme measures like bootloader unlocking and root access, including MicroSD writing restrictions in Android 4.4 and USB on-the-go media restrictions in Android 6.0, breaking compatibility for applications created over years.<ref>[https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project]</ref> The most severe restriction so far is the planned [[Android Developer Verification]] program, making it impossible to run software by developers not personally identified and approved by Google. It can be safely assumed that Android would never have gained their user base, had these restrictions been in place since the beginning.

Android used to be a freedom-respecting operating system. That changed when Google added restrictions over time that the user could not opt out of without extreme measures like bootloader unlocking and root access, including MicroSD writing restrictions in Android 4.4 and USB on-the-go media restrictions in Android 6.0, breaking compatibility for applications created over years in addition to making new applications such as file managers less useful.<ref>[https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project]</ref> The most severe restriction so far is the planned [[Android Developer Verification]] program, making it impossible to run software by developers not personally identified and approved by Google without taking extreme measures like bootloader unlocking, rooting, and potentially flashing an alternative operating system. It can be safely assumed that Android would never have gained their user base, had these restrictions been in place since the beginning.

Reddit added a paywall to their API in 2023 after it was free of charge for many years. This change rendered third-party clients like "Apollo" unuseable and made archiving the history of Reddit far more difficult ([[Reddit#API_paywall,_June_2023|more details]]).

Line 21:

*[[Post-purchase EULA modification]]

*[[Retroactively amended purchase]]

*[[Retroactive policy enforcement]]

*[[Pay-walling]]

==References==

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 Android smartphone manufacturers used initial respect to user freedom to gain market share. For example user-replaceable batteries. After they gained enough market share, they switched to non-replaceable batteries.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Louis Rossmann |title=EU votes to mandate removable batteries in smartphones in a landslide; no more glued together junk! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |url-status=live |access-date=21 Feb 2026 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=Yn-R39-dtc0 |archive-date=21 Feb 2026}}</ref>
-Android used to be a freedom-respecting operating system. That changed when Google added restrictions over time that the user could not opt out of without extreme measures like bootloader unlocking and root access, including MicroSD writing restrictions in Android 4.4 and USB on-the-go media restrictions in Android 6.0, breaking compatibility for applications created over years.<ref>[https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional Traditional storage  &#x7C;  Android Open Source Project]</ref> The most severe restriction so far is the planned [[Android Developer Verification]] program, making it impossible to run software by developers not personally identified and approved by Google. It can be safely assumed that Android would never have gained their user base, had these restrictions been in place since the beginning.
+Android used to be a freedom-respecting operating system. That changed when Google added restrictions over time that the user could not opt out of without extreme measures like bootloader unlocking and root access, including MicroSD writing restrictions in Android 4.4 and USB on-the-go media restrictions in Android 6.0, breaking compatibility for applications created over years in addition to making new applications such as file managers less useful.<ref>[https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional Traditional storage  &#x7C;  Android Open Source Project]</ref> The most severe restriction so far is the planned [[Android Developer Verification]] program, making it impossible to run software by developers not personally identified and approved by Google without taking extreme measures like bootloader unlocking, rooting, and potentially flashing an alternative operating system. It can be safely assumed that Android would never have gained their user base, had these restrictions been in place since the beginning.
 Reddit added a paywall to their API in 2023 after it was free of charge for many years. This change rendered third-party clients like "Apollo" unuseable and made archiving the history of Reddit far more difficult ([[Reddit#API_paywall,_June_2023|more details]]).
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 *[[Post-purchase EULA modification]]
-*[[Retroactively amended purchase]]
 *[[Retroactive policy enforcement]]
+*[[Pay-walling]]
 ==References==