It is interesting (as well as being five years old ).
For the apps mentioned where the original Android version was open but is now closed (Search, Music, Calendar, Keyboard), and for the apps mentioned as being “in the firing line” (Gallery, Messaging, maybe Hangouts - I don’t know what that is or what it does), there are now perfectly usable FOSS alternatives (including DuckDuckGo, Qwant etc, loads of music players, ETAR, Simple Calendar, AOSP Keyboard, QKSMS, Simple Gallery, Open Camera). All of them free and open, and available to be used in Custom ROMs that are also free and open.
Then there is a lot of stuff about locking in device manufacturers. That doesn’t affect custom ROM developers, and I don’t have a problem with Google doing what they can to make sure that they get a cut of
- whatever revenues companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, LG, Motorola, Sony etc. are making from selling products based on Google’s (open source) operating system
- whatever revenues app developers make from in-app payments or buying apps in the play store.
In short, if anyone is making money from using Google’s (open source), Google are taking a cut. I really don’t have a problem with that
There are also now open source implementations of many of Googles APIs - that’s what microG is all about.
The other way (not covered in that article) that Google make money is by using the data their apps collect (if you are signed in to your Google account, and if you allow that collection in your account settings) to sell targeted advertising to corporations who want to buy targeted advertising. Again I don’t have a problem with that: I have disallowed data collection in my Google account settings, I never look at online advertising, and I only use Google apps that work without me signing in to my account (mostly Google Maps).
So, I am quite happy that
- Google continue to make AOSP available for use in great custom ROMs like /e/OS, LineageOS etc. AND
- they make the money they need to do that by taking a slice of the revenues of other big corporations (which would happily charge the same or more for their devices even if they weren’t paying Google a percentage).
It would be easy enough for Google to do 2 with doing 1. It’s what Apple do, it’s what BlackBerry did. Nokia and Motorola and Sony Ericsson also made phones with open source OS’s (Symbian, Meego), but they didn’t find ways of making enough money to carry on making phones. Those manufacturers that still have viable mobile phone businesses, mostly do it by paying Google to use the proprietary bits of Android. Again, I don’t have a problem with that.
And the alternative is iOS