Post #723579

2026-03-19 17:24 UTC

Google has news on what you will need to do for still being able to sideload apps: * enable developer options * confirm that you are not tricked * restart phone and re-authenticate * wait one day * confirm with biometrics that you know what you are doing * decide if you only want unrestricted installs for 1 week or forever * confirm that you accept the risks * enjoy the few apps that still have developers motivated to develop for a user-base willing to put up with this https://goo.gle/advance-flow

Replies (5)

@grote@chaos.social 2026-03-19 18:01

They even have a video up where they try to make this all sound nice and positive:

Open ##1620072
@LexYeen@plush.city 2026-03-19 17:35

@grote remember, kids: "sideloading" is just "installing software that isn't on the app store." the corpos are just calling it "sideloading" because it sounds shadier.

Open ##1620073
@TimWardCam@c.im 2026-03-19 17:47

@grote But what about companies that develop their own internal apps to interface with their own internal systems to be installed on company-supplied devices?

Open ##1620114
@stw@mastodon.social 2026-03-19 17:48

@grote I guess anyone willing to jump through all those hoops has already installed Graphene or Lineage or whatever.

Open ##1620125
@terminaltilt@climatejustice.social 2026-03-19 17:57

@grote The irony of the biometric requirement. In many jurisdictions, a PIN is "content of the mind" (legal protection), but your fingerprint is "physical evidence." By forcing biometrics into the sideloading, they are pushing users toward a security method with weaker legal safeguards.

Open ##1620133