I won’t write some sort of crude pirate analogy as my onlookers made when I started writing. Instead, I’ll start with a rule of thumb generally accepted in the mobile app industry: Google plays catch up to Apple. That’s the consensus around the mobile industry now when referring to the two rival app marketplaces. However, the reality is that Google gave developers a lot more time to prepare apps prior to their grand launch, yet they still seem to suffer at the hands of iOS. There are several factors that may dissuade developers from joining the Android Marketplace, with one of them being pirating.
One of Android’s major selling points is that it’s entirely open source and not a closed ecosystem like it’s Cupertino (or Canadian) rivals. However, this introduces the ability to plunder apps. As pirates learn the system, they also learn how to pirate and of the ability to install these apps without the need to manipulate the phone, like jailbreaking an iPhone.
Why Do People Download Pirated Apps?
It mainly comes down to ease of use. For one thing, Android’s marketplace is based entirely on the handset itself. Some will find it actually easier to download a bunch of pirated apps than install them through their handset. And whilst this kind of activity on iOS requires a thorough jailbreak, Android’s open-source ethos makes it easy to do so.
DRM, or Lack Thereof
Google offers a layer of DRM to developers but it is not a necessity for inclusion onto the Marketplace. Apple employs the FairPlay DRM method as a mandatory standard to the apps it approves. FairPlay limits apps to be installed on no more than five devices, so as to avoid people sharing apps around their friends, even though Apple has its home sharing feature built directly into iTunes.
Developers do not need to employ DRM for the Android Marketplace. This backs up the open source ideals of Android. However, some third-party store managers, such as Amazon, have been rumoured to force the DRM strategy as a compulsory measure for developers wanting inclusion into their stores.
The DRM strategy helps both the retailer and the developer by encouraging more sales, but may push consumers away when they can opt for a free, DRM-free method, albeit illegally.
Also, the DRM employed by Google is seen by some as a primitive method as apps are mainly written in Java, which has many de-compilers available, as well as other, established ways of breaking in. This availability allows pirates to bypass Android’s licensing system and access the app’s backend coding a lot more easily.
Android has had trouble with licensing in the past.
People Expect Free Stuff
The open-source community that Android appeals to – over iOS – expects free stuff. Open-source indicates that something is free, both in the sense of freedom and the software being without charge: “free as in free speech and free as in free beer”. While both are true on the part of Google, it’s not a constant in third parties. They can employ the DRM tactics we discussed just a moment ago, and can charge for it if they want. Therefore, those who choose Android for its open-source background don’t expect a bunch of extra charges levied onto them, so they may well choose to opt for the free method.
Google has done a fair bit to encourage the idea of free apps too. Android didn’t support paid apps until February 2009 — and, for some countries, it still doesn’t. Apple’s app store kicked off with both free and paid apps, attracting big developers like EA and Rovio. Google killed their chance to get a head start over iOS by having a lack of support for this class of apps. Not only did it obliterate the opportunity for big name developers to get on board, it dramatically reduced the quality of some apps on the marketplace. Now, even with paid apps launched, the method of paying for apps via Google Checkout is still primitive compared to the integration of iTunes payments on iPhone. (However, Google has said it’s not happy and aims to address the bad purchasing methods this year).
Pirates Save the Day?
So, people want free stuff. Pirates were offering to allow it. The fact is, Googleallowed it, with their lack of mandatory DRM and even the option for the pirates to return the app for a full refund, once copied (although the refund window is now only 15 minutes rather than the 24 hours that it used to be).
Final Thoughts
It seems that, for developers, the patrolled environment that iOS offers is a guaranteed way of gaining more sales as they join hundreds of thousands of apps also on Apple’s store. However, the customer is always right and their lack of a desire to pay encourages more pirates to offer free (or even paid) bundles of apps that they’ve unlawfully breached.
It’s arguably a more developer-friendly option to choose iOS, but the question is whether Android is necessarily a more consumer-friendly OS for those not willing to illegally acquire their apps.
Have you ever used an “alternative method” to acquire your apps? Let us know in the comments!
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