Another Developer Slams Google Over Android Piracy

[hoofhearted]

I don't think it is piracy that is killing these Android devs sales, but rather the crappy kiddie-ish cartoony shovelware trash they keep releasing. I would rather a good game along the caliber of some of the top Nintendo DS or Sony PSP titles and would gladly pay the $30 if I know I could get into it and get 20 or so hours of gameplay out of it. Come up with some real games people.

And if you think iOS is so safe, what about that Russian DNS hack where you just replace certain digital certs, that is supposed to even work with non-jailbroken phones, and Apple isn't supposed to have a fix until iOS 6?

 

[nebun]

there reason for this so called piracy is because people don't want to pay for junk....the app store and google's play store are full of trash....they really need to reconsider what developer they allow to post these so called games and useful apps....JUNK

 

[wemakeourfuture]

[citation][nom]izmanq[/nom]if even at 0.99 people rather pirate than buying it legally, perhaps there's something wrong, may be it's harder to buy it legally than to copy/pirate the app, OR the app is not worthed 0.99 USD[/citation]

Or maybe they do not purchase digital media at all? Maybe these are the same people who don't pay $0.99 for a song, not because they don't like it but they download it for free and simply do not support the creators of software or artists?

 

[wemakeourfuture]

[citation][nom]hoofhearted[/nom]I don't think it is piracy that is killing these Android devs sales, but rather the crappy kiddie-ish cartoony shovelware trash they keep releasing. I would rather a good game along the caliber of some of the top Nintendo DS or Sony PSP titles and would gladly pay the $30 if I know I could get into it and get 20 or so hours of gameplay out of it. Come up with some real games people.And if you think iOS is so safe, what about that Russian DNS hack where you just replace certain digital certs, that is supposed to even work with non-jailbroken phones, and Apple isn't supposed to have a fix until iOS 6?[/citation]

So the same devs that are making money off iOS and aren't making it off Android its because of the quality of the app?

Or are you saying Android has completely inferior apps to iOS thus Android apps make 6X less revenue and profit than iOS?

Third, people do get 20 hours of game play off free apps, $0.99 or $1.99. Just because you don't does mean other don't.

$20 for a mobile game? LOL this is the reason why Nintendo and Sony handheld devices are losing huge market share. You're living in the past here. People are paying $20-$40 as they did previously for handheld games. This business model has been shedding huge market share the past 5 years and may become a small niche market or extinct.


So much is wrong with what you have said I don't have time to even nit-pick it.

 

[killerclick]

So it's either lock down the device so it's as open as a toaster, or they move to iOS?

 

[aggroboy]

[citation][nom]Razor512[/nom]releasing a proper demo reduces piracy.How many people do you think pirated Duke Nukem Forever?[/citation]
Do you have figures to back that up, or did you pull that from uranus?

Seriously, people who have zero first-hand experience developing for the apps market thinking they know better.

 

[netadmin]

This article is incorrect based on this simple fact.

Matt Gemmell is an iOS and Mac developer. Based on a quick search, he has never developed any apps for the Android platform. Thus it is incorrect to state that he's an "Android developer" and his statement can be flushed down the drain as a rant and nothing else.

The only way he can be classed as an Android developer is if I'm classed as an iOS, Android and WP developer when I've never written any apps for any of the platforms specified.

 

[chomlee]

I think this example sums up the pirating situation perfectly. If you look back at arguements about priating console/PC games, the excuse is always "if they wouldn't charge an arm and a leg to buy the game people wouldn't pirate". In this case, the game is $0.99. REALLY? YOU CANT AFFORD $.99? Sorry but pirates have no reason to complain when a game is that cheap. Either buy it or not. If they don't offer a demo and you buy it and don't like it so what?? It's $.99!

I do agree with tobalaz. I know just as many people who own hijacked apple phones as hacked android phones and both groups are just as guilty in terms of pirating. So, I don't understand how the author can say that IOS is that much safer.

 

[zak_mckraken]

I love my Android, but I have to admit it's true that apps are really easy to pirate. Not that I did, but I installed a "non-market" GBA emulator and it was a piece of cake. Sure, you can also jailbreak an iPhone. Maybe it's easier on Android? I don't know, I never had an iPhone.

Powerusers WILL jailbreak any system/phone, no matter what. They just have to make it a bit more complicated for the average user so that they prefer paying $0.99 for an app instead of going through the hassle of pirating it.

 

[Supertrek32]

"You’re spending today to pay for tomorrow, and we all know how that usually turns out."

Uhmm... Usually, pretty well, from what I've seen.

Isn't that like paying for schools, research, etc?

Did you know that for every $1 that we paid NASA, we got roughly $14 back in the form of new technology?

 

[Espionage724]

"Android is designed for piracy from the ground up because users can simply enable non-Market apps, copy the apk file onto the device, install it, and then run it without any kind of DRM."
Are you serious? Android has a built-in DRM system, and I've seen plenty of apps that do a simple license check upon first start.

Sounds to me like lazy developers who either won't or can't integrate Android's built-in DRM system...

 

[math1337]

Um, android has DRM for apps. Most devs are just too lazy to enable it.

 

[hate machine]

People need to quit making crappy games, include lite versions on the market, use El Goog's DRM system and stop making crappy apps.

I have an iPad and a Samsung GS3. Android Games pale in comparison to iOS games. Maybe if people quit pushing their shovelware buy to play + micro transaction time management craplications on the market they might make money instead of jumping on the piracy scapegoat.

 

[deaddis]

Dead Triggers original price was 7$, and on top of that u had to buy some stupid in game currency if u wanted to get good weapons! thats just fucking bullshit, no wonder people pirated the game.

 

[deaddis]

[citation][nom]deaddis[/nom]Dead Triggers original price was 7$, and on top of that u had to buy some stupid in game currency if u wanted to get good weapons! thats just fucking bullshit, no wonder people pirated the game.[/citation]
got the price wrong, its +6 dollars if u want to get all the extra weapons.

 

[eddieroolz]

People can stay in denial about Android piracy and how it hurts the average programmers that want to monetize their skills. People can downplay the complaints of a valid developer by stating that most apps suck anyway, and whatnot.

However, the reality is that Android isn't a money-maker platform for many developers. Heck, even Angry Birds is free on Android - because $0.99 was too much to ask for most people.

 

[Kami3k]

[citation][nom]lamorpa[/nom]I see the game stealers use the same BS arguments at the music and movie stealers.(now watch the nonsense arguments to follow: 1) It 'crap' so I shouldn't have to pay (then what business do you have getting it?) 2) I'm only making a copy so nothing it taken (just point-blank stupid) 3) 'they' make too much money (no one cares about your childish envy)Can you add any more?)[/citation]


Another idiot who doesn't understand copyright infringement =/= stealing.

 

[Kami3k]

[citation][nom]eddieroolz[/nom]People can stay in denial about Android piracy and how it hurts the average programmers that want to monetize their skills. People can downplay the complaints of a valid developer by stating that most apps suck anyway, and whatnot.However, the reality is that Android isn't a money-maker platform for many developers. Heck, even Angry Birds is free on Android - because $0.99 was too much to ask for most people.[/citation]

Blah blah blah.

 

[nocteratus]

I haven't read all the comments but let me say, piracy with computer base software exist since the launch of computers. Just think of the old times when you had a IBM compatible PC with DOS or windows 95/98, ME and so on. You could do the same thing as with android.
Now with Windows 7 and all the DRM stuff, it's harder but people find a way to do it anyway.
They tried to do the same with CD (music) and DVD (movies) but there's still ways to make copies.

Companies who are selling the software need to adjust themselves not blame the OS.

 

[eddieroolz]

[citation][nom]Kami3k[/nom]Blah blah blah.[/citation]

Congratulations, you have just proven my theory about Android fanboys being in denial.

 

[teh_chem]

[citation][nom]zak_mckraken[/nom]I love my Android, but I have to admit it's true that apps are really easy to pirate. Not that I did, but I installed a "non-market" GBA emulator and it was a piece of cake. Sure, you can also jailbreak an iPhone. Maybe it's easier on Android? I don't know, I never had an iPhone.Powerusers WILL jailbreak any system/phone, no matter what. They just have to make it a bit more complicated for the average user so that they prefer paying $0.99 for an app instead of going through the hassle of pirating it.[/citation]
I think it's much simpler to jailbreak an iphone than it is to root + install a custom rom on an android phone. Most jailbreaks are essentially a single-click process, whereas with rooting+rom, you have to download files, copy/extract/mount, then go through the draconian UI, selecting the various settings necessary to first back-up your settings and then install the rom.

Saying this as a primary android user with an aging ipod touch that's been jailbroken (to be honest, I never saw the benefit of jailbreaking my ipod touch, but that's beside the point).

Now, that being said, I never realized that piracy of android apps was an issue--do you have to have a rooted phone to illegally acquire an android app? Because you can get apps without paying on iOS (and LOL @ Apple's lame response by the way...).

 

[teh_chem]

[citation][nom]chomlee[/nom]I think this example sums up the pirating situation perfectly. If you look back at arguements about priating console/PC games, the excuse is always "if they wouldn't charge an arm and a leg to buy the game people wouldn't pirate". In this case, the game is $0.99. REALLY? YOU CANT AFFORD $.99? Sorry but pirates have no reason to complain when a game is that cheap. Either buy it or not. If they don't offer a demo and you buy it and don't like it so what?? It's $.99!I do agree with tobalaz. I know just as many people who own hijacked apple phones as hacked android phones and both groups are just as guilty in terms of pirating. So, I don't understand how the author can say that IOS is that much safer.[/citation]
Just to clarify, the game did cost $0.99 to download, but then the player was subjected to in-game purchases to actually get in-game items. So the "price" of the game itself was not $0.99--it's "significantly" more (relative to one dollar), so this "the game is cheap" argument doesn't apply. I'm not condoning the "piracy" of the game, but it's not as simple as "since the game is cheap, people wouldn't be pirating it if piracy weren't a problem."

 

[zak_mckraken]

[citation][nom]teh_chem[/nom]I think it's much simpler to jailbreak an iphone than it is to root + install a custom rom on an android phone. Most jailbreaks are essentially a single-click process, whereas with rooting+rom, you have to download files, copy/extract/mount, then go through the draconian UI, selecting the various settings necessary to first back-up your settings and then install the rom.Saying this as a primary android user with an aging ipod touch that's been jailbroken (to be honest, I never saw the benefit of jailbreaking my ipod touch, but that's beside the point).Now, that being said, I never realized that piracy of android apps was an issue--do you have to have a rooted phone to illegally acquire an android app? Because you can get apps without paying on iOS (and LOL @ Apple's lame response by the way...).[/citation]
I know exactly what you mean. I rooted my Galaxy Nexus in order to get Jelly Bean (and future updates from Google, not Samsung). It was a bit scary having to flash up to 6 different roms and rebooting in-between (sometimes manually). I felt like a hacker while all I wanted was having an up-to-date version of my OS!

Anyway, I don't think you need a rooted Android to load "illegal" apps. Those apps simply have to ignore Android's built-in DRM, like other users noted earlier. I'm not exactly sure what is the big deal with jailbreaking/rooting. Sure, it gives you absolute control over your device... but to do what? There's nothing I can't do with my factory Jelly Bean rom.

 

[Skippy27]

So dont make apps.... someone else will and they will be happy if 20k people pay for them and 40k "pirate" them because they werent greedy asshats only making it to make money.

I personally buy all the apps I like, if they are good. I do that to support developers. However, I also know people that would never buy apps, even in a so called closed system. So either way, you get nothing out of them. Be happy with the ones that do buy it and quit your whining.

It cracks me up how all these people think they are entitled to everyone else's money just because you did something. Or that no one would ever do it if they can't make money. The entire OS is based on people that enjoy coding, enjoy the challenge of overcoming and enjoy helping others took their time to create it.

 

[hetneo]

[citation][nom]sylvez[/nom]As an Android user (and lover) the first thought that ran through my mind was 'shut up and stop whining' but we can cover our ears and sing 'lalalalalalala' all we want he does make sense. A completely closed system like Apple is definitely not the way, but Google needs to make installing external apps a little bit harder. This can also weed out those peeps who just download everything off the net without thinking and running on their phones and then crying when something bad happens to their phone.[/citation]
Or maybe just maybe app developers should... you know... code some freaking DRM in their apps? Yeah I know it's strange idea.