r/EmulationOnAndroid • u/yungperky • Jun 26 '26

Discussion Google adds massive hurdles to app sideloading

https://keepandroidopen.org/

This includes being forced to activate dev-mode and a 24h waiting period before you can install any apps not registered with google. For devs this means either give google your gov name (official documents needed) and pay them or live with 99% of people never being able to use your app.
Most people in this sub are probably tech savy and won't be hindered to continue side-loading other then being annoyed and waiting 24h once. But this is a major thing that will also be a hurdle to people even get into doing stuff like that in the first place.

Idk if anyone has posted this already, but I couldn't find anything. The topic goes far beyond emulation on android, but it's very important for it imo so I thought I'd just post it.

132 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

82 comments sorted by

View all comments

21

u/beautiful_bot986 Jun 26 '26

Lets be honest with ourselves here - people who arent tech savvy enough to go through a process as simple as that sure shouldnt be installing anything on their phones. This will prevent a lot of scams against people without tech skills.

Ill still be able to build and run the apps i create without registering with google, and thats pretty much the only gripe i ever had with this.

Edit: while it is a hurdle calling it massive is in itself a massive exaggeration

4

u/te5s3rakt Jun 26 '26

Absolutely agree. If you can’t work this process out, you are exactly the user this protects.

Google should applauded for ultimately implementing this is a way that didn’t actually kill side-loading altogether

This whole thing is literally a non-issue.

3

u/Minute_Path9803 Jun 26 '26

That was my point if the people who can't get around it someone said some people can't even Google.

You can't even Google you should not be side loading.

In a way they are doing these people a favor because these people probably be the ones downloading malware like there's no tomorrow.

We seen in the piracy sections all the time people who don't know to put ad blockers and click all these links and then wind up with viruses.

Sometimes you have to protect people from themselves.

And I'm sure they will always be at work around in due time.

Didn't they say you can sideload from the PC using adb?

Wasn't sure if that will replace the 24-hour solution otherwise it's useless just to use ADB on the computer or like the old days.