AU Mobile Operator Optus Blocking Paid Android Apps

APC Magazine details how Optus, an Australian mobile phone operator, has for months been deliberately blocking access to Android paid apps. "Optus is the exclusive Australian mobile carrier for the HTC Dream and Samsung Galaxy Android phones, and yet people who signed a long-term contract for these phones have to date been blocked from buying paid Android apps and getting the full Android experience. ... APC found many angry and frustrated comments on the Whirlpool community forums by Optus & Virgin Mobile customers." The article speculates, reading between the lines of the opaque comments offered by both Optus and Google, that the carrier is "demanding a cut of the sales revenue from Android apps if it is to remove its restriction on accessing them."

Different from Canada?

[sarhjinian]

So this is different from how you can't get paid apps from the Android Market in Canada, Sweden and such? Or are the restrictions in those markets the result of malice, too, instead of incompetence or laziness?

Re:Screw Optus, go Vodafone

[jnnnnn]

Agreed. Their internet sucks too - we switched to ADSL with iinet recently (no Internode available here) and haven't looked back. Optus' upload speed is about 22kbyte/s even with 1Mbyte/s download speeds.

Optus is a good example of how not to treat your customers.

Re:Screw Optus, go Vodafone

[BrokenHalo]

Vodafone care a heck of a lot more about their customers...

Yeah. Pity their coverage sucks, though. And they're expensive. I'm on Vodafone currently (I had a couple of years with 3, and it was with relief that I dropped that to go back to Voda) but I'm going to have to go to Telstra to get the coverage I need when I move to Tasmania...

Not the only country, get in line.

[w0mprat]

I have Android phone in NZ and the paid apps were unavailable for months on the Vodafone network, even with after market firmware which should have enabled paid apps. For a long while Vodafone could not provide any information when asked about this. This was/has also been occuring in China South Africa, Ireland, Brazil, Israel, Switzerland, and a few other countries. However the reasons vary and one should not attribute to malice what could be attributed to red tape (um.. same thing?).

Re:Proxy?

[unfunk]

No. It's a network setting that Optus needs to change. You can get around it by using the "Market Enabler" app that's available on the net, but you need to root your phone* and void your warranty etc to use it.

*and in Australia, this phrase is rather amusing because "rooting" something is usually vernacular for "have sex with"...

Another reason to keep Optus on my blacklist

[jonwil]

I have already blacklisted Optus for other reasons (including their crappy ads and the fact that at the time I was looking, they didnt include data in their caps but Vodafone did) and this block is even more reason not to purchase anything through these idiots (their fixed line and internet services arent any better either)

Re:Wifi?

[yahwotqa]

Huh, I only download apps via wifi on my HTC Hero. Just as well, as I only have a 10MB/month data plan.

Re:This should be interesting

[Nazlfrag]

Optus is Singtel who was to Singapore what Telecom was to Australia. They do have experience being a monopoly carrier, just not here.

There ARE ways around it

[Rennt]

Market Enabler [google.com] allows you to fake your network to the Market (root access required).
I've been buying payed apps in Australia since Cupcake, using Markets in the US and EU.

Screw them...

[dsouza42]

Just install market-enabler [google.com] and you can use any paid apps you want

Optus

[Anonymous Coward]

They are the same scummy people that charge you $10 a month to be able to tether and use up the bandwidth you have already paid for. So they'll sell you internet, but you need to pay $10 a month to use it as you see fit.

Then there is the problem with the quality of their service. It happens on a weekly basis that I cannot get 3G or any internet connection on my iPhone in the middle of Brisbane CBD. Then the amount of dropped calls when I am at home in one of the Eastern Suburbs, not more than 10Km from the CBD. It is almost impossible to rely on Optus.

why would they do this?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's probably something to do with the fact that they're running their own App Store.

See http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/326534/optus_launches_mobile_application_store/ [idg.com.au]