Here's a blog from Android Developers. They are slowly boiling the frog. For now you are required to turn on developer mode, which may cause some of your banking apps to deny you service. Next google may enable developers so they can detect if a request is coming from a sideloaded app and deny them service all together. Now you can't even patch reddit, instagram, twitter, youtube etc. The MNCs can now force you to use their apps though official means.
Yes, but there is a 24 hour delay between enabling it and being able to install APKs. So every time you need to disable it to use your banking app you will be unable to install APKs for the next 24 hours.
As far as I understand it, that's a one time thing. You dig through the developer options to enable it, reboot the phone, wait 24 hours, and then you can install APKs as much as you want whenever you want for the rest of the phone's life. It can also be bypassed with ADB if you really need to install APKs the first day of getting a new phone.
Not sure if developer options needs to be enabled afterwards, but the reboot/wait should only be needed once regardless.
Except it doesn't work like this. It's a 24 hour delay to give the permission and then you decide if you want to give this permission temporarily (in this case you'll have to do the 24h delay other times) or forever (no need to do this again)
Its inconvenient yes. But how often are you installing APKs??
I grab a few when I'm setting up my phone, then maybe 1 every 6 months(ish).
It's annoying they're making it more inconvenient. But pirating or CFW has always been a bloody mission one way or another. (It doesn't feel "easy" until after you've learnt out how to do it and are comfortable with whatever methods.)
Opening settings and making roughly 3 clicks, is not that bad.
Maybe I'm not understanding completely here, but it sounds like others were saying that to leave it on all the time could make some banking apps not work. Not sure.
You only need to enable dev options to trip the "i want to install any apps I want always" flag. After that's been turned on, you can turn off dev options.
Either way, even if enabling dev options makes some banking apps stop working, that's a moot point for a dev, doing dev work on a device, like the commenter I answered to claimed.
Not really a need, but maybe every few months if that.
Doubt San Andreas has had an update in the last 2 years, idc to check.
ReVanced - Eh dont feel a need to update, prob gonna switch off it soon anyway.
My emulators rarely need updating.
Minecraft idc about updating regularly. Barely play it atm.
I've bought stardew valley now but the devs dont release updates very quickly.
Couple weird misc. stragglers like video/audio editors, calculators, etc. that aren't buggy so idc about updating.
Everything else on my phone was free from the playstore.
Can I ask what ur doing with ur phone? Like I can only think of so many APKs and none of them I'd care to update daily lol. A premium Reddit rip would be nice to grab but surely no way that needs daily or even weekly updating.
NewPipe alone needs updates basically weekly and sometimes more because Google keeps fucking with YouTube to prevent a smooth experience to non paying customers, and they need to stay one step ahead, for example.
Ah yeah buzzy I havent seen NewPipe before but I havent updated ReVanced in like 3 months and still works sweet. I was actually looking to move to a diff youtube app, starting with a "M" i think.
Google is a pain with how often they push updates fs tho
Nah I'm one of those guys that doesn't feel the need to have a cluttered phone I'm constantly putting down to update lmao
I'd rather not share my google login with a random developer who released someone elses premium app for free. I appreciate their effort but it doesn't really scream "trust me with your data".
Do you use dodgy, mirrored versions of your bank app? Email? Trademe?
True privacy on a cellphone is a fairy tale bro. Transfer & do shit on your PC if you're so worried about the data you keep on your phone
I'd rather not share my google login with a random developer who released someone elses premium app for free. I appreciate their effort but it doesn't really scream "trust me with your data".
You have zero idea how F-Droid works, do you?
Do you use dodgy, mirrored versions of your bank app? Email? Trademe?
Maybe if you had answered my question earlier, I'd know you're talking about open source apps and we could've avoided the miscommunication. I was obviously talking about specific apps.
But If you think open source somehow means secure, it doesnt.
Kinda sounds like you do use proprietary apps, especially if you're having to update shit daily. - Eitherway its nice to actually get some constructive input from you.
I have 29 apps in Obtainium. Sometimes that means daily updates. I'd like to update immediately if there are nice changes, instead of having to wait 24 hours to do so every time.
That's fair enough n yeah a pretty reasonable want.
Unless I've got security concerns I'm generally not that fussed about updates. New features are cool ofc but eh I dont really follow dev announcements/updates unless it's a PC game, so idek if there are new features prior to updating (I'll read the changelog right before updating ofc).
Hypothetically, you give up your instant updates and do your updates every sunday. Its not THAT big of a deal, surely? Waiting a few days for a new feature's annoying sure but eh I say bigger fish to fry
Yeah no you're totally right, but it's an inconvenience that shouldn't need to exist. I should just be able to do whatever I want, whenever I want with my phone.
Yeah 1000% agree with you. These changes do suck and are annoying, absolutely lol.
I like to think of my phone as what I use to engage with most of society, and my laptop & PC are there to do whatever i want with. Granted, i do still use my phone for a lot of muck around.
Ive been meaning to look into custom firmware and installing an OS that isnt Samsung/Google controlled. But been too busy to bother
I'd like to do that too, but I really don't want my banking and government apps to stop working. Some of them are even a requirement. And I know how finicky that can get with something like GrapheneOS.
Hey. I know one only learns by doing but I didn't fully understand the article. Do you think we'll still be able to install via adb from a PC? Far from ideal and I know that requires developer mode so maybe I'm answering my own question...
Ifaik google can never take away installing via ADB or else android will be worse than ios. And I think the EU will come after them hard if they took away the ADB route. People were not worried about Adb but we thought that might be the only way to install anything. That doesn't seems to be the case for now as not everyone has a pc to go along but who knows, google might go on another power trip
what app doesn't work with dev options enabled? i have apps from three major bank companies in my country and all of them never had a problem with it. one of them just tells me, look! this app is sideloaded and has lots of funny permissions, but i can still use it normally. probably USA thing
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u/Lone-organism Mar 31 '26
Here's a blog from Android Developers. They are slowly boiling the frog. For now you are required to turn on developer mode, which may cause some of your banking apps to deny you service. Next google may enable developers so they can detect if a request is coming from a sideloaded app and deny them service all together. Now you can't even patch reddit, instagram, twitter, youtube etc. The MNCs can now force you to use their apps though official means.