A crackdown on Magis TV has led a judge in Argentina to order Google to remotely uninstall the sideloaded IPTV app from Android devices.
In instructions to Google, Judge Rossignoli says that the company must “adopt the necessary technical means to immediately uninstall from Android systems that report IP addresses in the territory of the Argentine Republic (which can be verified by the IP addresses assigned to this country), the application named Magis TV.”
"What was achieved is an unprecedented court order, which is in the process of being analyzed by Google – we understand that they cannot deny it – which is to uninstall, through the Android operating system update, the application on all devices that have an IP address in Argentina,” [prosecuter Alejandro] Musso says.
Honestly, I hope Google just stops doing business in Argentina. Let their courts tussle with phone manufacturers that sell Android devices until they do the same. Not the end of the world if your citizens have to buy such things grey-market or keep using what they already have, or buy devices with other operating systems.
Before you say Apple, Apple would have to handle it pretty much the same as Google if/when they get sued/prosecuted like so.
Even if you are a EU citizen, apple will remove your ability to sideload if you leave the EU for an extended period (I dont recall if it is 30 or 90 days)
It’s not separate builds, but the App Store already checks your location when you access it, and it uses that location data along with other hints you are under EU jurisdiction to decide whether to allow you to sideload or not.
Or you can use the developer tools to perform a more limited form of sideloading in any country.