It's the same system, it's all part of play integrity. And that also applies to this bullshit, why does McDonald's care if I didn't install their app from the play store?
Oh I don't know if mcdonald's specifically does this, I've never used the app, I just used it as an example because that's what the guy above was talking about as well.
IIRC they did coupons exclusively in their app a few years ago where I lived (haven't checked since), and they hiked the price of everything, so if you don't install the app, you get a 20% surcharge in effect.
That goes for every single shitty chain store as well.
If I had to guess, I'd assume it's because there's a payment system in their app and they don't want people monkeying around with it and stealing food.
McDonald's was just an example, the point is most apps don't need to do that at all.
I do happen to know how payment systems like that work, and thankfully those are all cloud-based, the only thing the app does is start transactions and check with the server if they're paid. If they implemented it well, as I suspect a big corpo like McDonald's probably would, their own order screen also checks server-side if orders are paid. Not much you can do from the app side to mess with that.
the only thing the app does is start transactions and check with the server if they’re paid
Yeah, but the whole PCI DSS thing means that the app must still be secured. That doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be tied to Google Play, but explain it to them.