Current Events > Android is removing sideloading for the sake of "security".

(+) Yeah! (+)

Gonna have to start rooting phones from now on.

Yeah, this sucks. The entire point of Android for me was being able to uninstall the inevitable bloatware that updates end up giving you so the phones can last longer.

Eh. Walled gardens are fine IMO. I dont want to install custom ROMs on my phone so I can get some funky emulator or weird app icons or something. But if Im picking between two walled gardens, obviously apples is superior

Getting rid of the one thing they had over Apple is... an intriguing strategy.

Android will still have a large base and it's not like iPhone jailbreaking is a thing anymore.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Gonna have to start rooting phones from now on.

you can barely do that anymore now either, and it's usually only phones that are shit to begin with

HashtagSEP posted...

Getting rid of the one thing they had over Apple is... an intriguing strategy.

Cheaper phones tend to be android and they probably think the sheep won't care. Which they won't.

Weird, the whole point was that the user was responsible for if their device became infected due to installing stuff outside of the Google store.
What's the point?
Is this a universal thing so even Samsung phones will be affected?

How dare you use your property in whatever way you want!?

Apps that block ads google will list as unverified eh?

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


ios will never be better than Android. Apple phones by default are at least 3 generations behind any Android phone. Also, just noting that while Google may remove this feature from its play store, Androids can have the option to go 3rd party.

Way to anger the wrong people. I expect this will exponentially increase Linux development on mobile.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/211bf3f0.jpg

Can companies stop making their products worse

Now's a good time to jump ship to the third wheel

https://puri.sm/products/librem-5-usa/

feraldrgn posted...

Weird, the whole point was that the user was responsible for if their device became infected due to installing stuff outside of the Google store.
What's the point?
Is this a universal thing so even Samsung phones will be affected?

Yep. Every Android phone. It'll be a software update, so even your current Android phone will have this.

Might kick off a spree for new smartphone OSes that never really took off. Samsung used to be trying to get their own unique OS, before they just gave up and kept Android - maybe that'll come back.

Ivany2008 posted...

ios will never be better than Android. Apple phones by default are at least 3 generations behind any Android phone. Also, just noting that while Google may remove this feature from its play store, Androids can have the option to go 3rd party.

But it isn't Play Store specific - it's Android specific. There aren't alternatives to running Android on your phone.

What's that going to mean for all the retro gaming android based devices?

PeteyParker posted...

What's that going to mean for all the retro gaming android based devices?

Aren't a lot of the emulators on the store?

HighSeraph posted...

Aren't a lot of the emulators on the store?

The emulators are but some of the devices use some other things that aren't part of the store.

PeteyParker posted...

The emulators are but some of the devices use some other things that aren't part of the store.

They don't have to be on the store, they just have to be signed by a verified developer.

Proto_Spark posted...

Yep. Every Android phone. It'll be a software update, so even your current Android phone will have this.

Might kick off a spree for new smartphone OSes that never really took off. Samsung used to be trying to get their own unique OS, before they just gave up and kept Android - maybe that'll come back.

But it isn't Play Store specific - it's Android specific. There aren't alternatives to running Android on your phone.

All Android is, is a form of Linux. With the right support, it can be jailbroken. Linux is specifically open source for that reason.

Everything sucks.

I just give up on phones. I'm not installing apps, it's just gonna do internet and text messaging.

Shit, I'd try a new Windows phone if they came out with one. Might be the play if you're Microsoft.

Ivany2008 posted...

All Android is, is a form of Linux

Only the kernel is used. They are not going to introduce a backdoor into the Linux kernel just for breaking into phones and even if they did, Google will just not accept the PR into their version control.

i don't like cell phones

If this gets rid of APK's imma crash out

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Age verification again, huh. It seems like they want to track people no matter the industry.

Ivynn posted...

Can companies stop making their products worse

Not as long as capitalism keeps rewarding them for it.

Rika_Furude posted...

Walled gardens are fine IMO

No.

Rika_Furude posted...

But if Im picking between two walled gardens, obviously apples is superior

Double no.

Side loading isnt even the problem. The OS is Swiss cheese in terms of security combined with Google maintaining its malicious organizational activities.

Robot2600 posted...

I just give up on phones. I'm not installing apps, it's just gonna do internet and text messaging.

Shit, I'd try a new Windows phone if they came out with one. Might be the play if you're Microsoft.

You could try a KaiOS device. It's the "smartest" OS that runs on flip phones. If not you could just use any smartphone but delete every app you don't use or care about. Windows Phones were so underrated too. Microsoft just shit the bed when it came to third party developer relations.

Sir_Will posted...

Double no.

The only real advantage Android has over iOS these days is more hardware options and more budget models being accessible.

Sir_Will posted...

No.

Double no.

Agree to disagree. Ive tried both and my opinion is based on the products themselves, not my opinion of the company

even the budget options holds little water due to an iPhone SE having 7 years of support and therefore is more value for money than an android half the cost but with only 1-2 years support

....This is why I stop using Android for years. My biggest issue with Android they have consistently removed features, and while not fixing issues their phone. We live in a timeline Iphone SE will granted more support then budget Androids for the same price point.

If Google blocks sideloading, there is literally no reason to buy Android anymore.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Android is doing this shit because Trump/GOP is enabling the courts to protect businesses with power grabs like this. Android has effectively aN unbreakable monopoly on Smartphone.

This and Chromium Monopoly is worse then Microsoft Windows/AD monopolies in 90-Mid 2000s.

We live in a timeline Iphone SE will granted more support then budget Androids for the same price point.

Well that's a lie. Current budget options from Galaxy or Pixel will give 5-6 years of OS upgrades and additional years of security patches through firmware updates and the Play Store.

The only real advantage Android has over iOS these days is more hardware options and more budget models being accessible.

How about capability? In the year of our lord 2025 an iPhone still can't split screen multitask, video record from front and rear cameras simultaneously or have a damn fixed numbers row on its default keyboard.

TheSuperSilver posted...

How about capability? In the year of our lord 2025 an iPhone still can't split screen multitask, video record from front and rear cameras simultaneously or have a damn fixed numbers row on its default keyboard.

no one in this topic cares about two niche things and one that doesn't really matter that much

TheSuperSilver posted...

Well that's a lie. Current budget options from Galaxy or Pixel will give 5-6 years of OS upgrades and additional years of security patches through firmware updates and the Play Store.

How about capability? In the year of our lord 2025 an iPhone still can't split screen multitask, video record from front and rear cameras simultaneously or have a damn fixed numbers row on its default keyboard.

Split-screen multitasking is inevitable based on a foldable iPhone being in development and the new iPad OS having straight up desktop-tier window management and split-screen multitaking and even the crappiest, oldest models handling it smoothly

There aren't many practical use cases for recording from both cameras at once and there are a shitload of third party keyboards you can easily swap between including Google's Gboard

Also Android phones don't have much of a shelf life unless you're buying from a very small amount of flagships whose manufacturers ironically encourage their own ecosystem

well on the plus side this will really push the jailbreaking scene i guess.

I can't imagine any scenarios where one needs to be recording from both the front and rear cameras at the same time that aren't like, somebody trying to make those dumb reaction Youtube videos.

Sonufuab....

I'm convinced this is because they want us to pay for youtube and they don't want us to use thirdparty content anymore to watch youtube without ads, only through paying for premium.

Anyway I thought this was already known/threatened a while ago right? God it's bad enough Samsung have become Apple in nearly every other avenue, from design, to display, to removal of features... this is like if Sony copied Nintendo

I was considering trying an iPhone out of boredom. This would certainly push me in that direction if it happens.

Losing Revanced would make me have to explore something else, at least.

CRON posted...

Also Android phones don't have much of a shelf life unless you're buying from a very small amount of flagships whose manufacturers ironically encourage their own ecosystem

This honestly is the main reason I buy iPhone at this point. Non-flagship Android phones tend to have a lot of problems after a couple years. Meanwhile there are still iPhone 6's floating around out there that work just fine for most things.

Even with sideloading...I get it for power users, but most people have everything they need from official sources (stock apps or official store apps) and don't really need to sideload on their phones.

Almost everything else Android does that iPhone doesn't is either easy enough to work around (copying music to the phone and photos off the phone for example) or just window dressing anyway (themes, using both cameras at once).

i have to stick with android, and it's specifically because of needing to side load an app

xdrip is not on the app store, and the official dexcom app is pure garbage

This is the only reason I'm still on Android. If the ecosystem is going to be locked down, I might as well go with Apple for their superior video quality and Face ID.

CRON posted...

You could try a KaiOS device. It's the "smartest" OS that runs on flip phones. If not you could just use any smartphone but delete every app you don't use or care about. Windows Phones were so underrated too. Microsoft just shit the bed when it came to third party developer relations.

The only real advantage Android has over iOS these days is more hardware options and more budget models being accessible.

Basically I already deleted all APPs from my phone. I have the Google suite so I can use Maps. I have Uber. Some emulators that I never play anymore. I don't do social media on it. I sometimes browse CE, and that's it. My phone battery lasts for days.

bover_87 posted...

This honestly is the main reason I buy iPhone at this point. Non-flagship Android phones tend to have a lot of problems after a couple years. Meanwhile there are still iPhone 6's floating around out there that work just fine for most things.

Even with sideloading...I get it for power users, but most people have everything they need from official sources (stock apps or official store apps) and don't really need to sideload on their phones.

Almost everything else Android does that iPhone doesn't is either easy enough to work around (copying music to the phone and photos off the phone for example) or just window dressing anyway (themes, using both cameras at once).

I own a budget samsung from 10y ago. Works great for something just over $100

vycebrand2 posted...

I own a budget samsung from 10y ago. Works great for something just over $100

I can believe that with Samsung, but every other Android phone I had from back then by Sony and Motorola crapped out within 3 years by either getting unusably slow or the screen not working (widespread problem with the Sony Xperia Play). Only my Google Pixel 2 lasted.

Isn't sideloading allowed on iOS these days? I thought I remembered hearing something about that.

Well I guess I bought my last Android phone.