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Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

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Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#21

Post by jacquesm »

vee-kay wrote: post #15
bigyabai wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The threat model doesn't work. It depends on Apple doing their job, and even $99/year doesn't prevent Apple from signing a Trojan horse of your competitor: https://blog.lastpass.com/posts/warning-fraudulent-app-imper... You want to talk about confusing Grandma? Why isn't Lastpass the first entry on the App Store when you search for it verbatim ? At the going rate, installing signed software is more deceptive than sea…

Not sure if anyone should be installing Lastpass. It's been massively hacked in 2022 and 2024, and there's currently an ongoing attack (Jan 2026).

That's true but does not detract from the GPs main point: if you are curating your app store then you should do a proper job of it or you lose the curation argument.

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#22

Post by whyagaindavid »

> Matthew Forsyth, Director of Product Management, Google Play Developer Experience & Chief Product Explainer, said the system isn’t a sideloading restriction, but an “Accountability Layer.”

And... What about accountability for hosting distributing spyware, malware loaded apps from Google Playstore and hundreds of copy cat, misleading apps?

Why can't they pose a question when the phone is setup?

- Yes, I want to sideload

- No I dont want

If the user says NO then to later enable it to allow sideload Yes, the user needs to factory reset phone. Done.

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#23

Post by teruakohatu »

whyagaindavid wrote: post #22

> Matthew Forsyth, Director of Product Management, Google Play Developer Experience & Chief Product Explainer, said the system isn’t a sideloading restriction, but an “Accountability Layer.” And... What about accountability for hosting distributing spyware, malware loaded apps from Google Playstore and hundreds of copy cat, misleading apps? Why can't they pose a question when the phone is setup? - Yes, I want to side…

> And... What about accountability for hosting distributing spyware, malware loaded apps from Google Playstore

This is no joke. The Playstore is filled with malware that pretend to be a different app. It takes days if not weeks to remove these apps.

I have twice now had to recover the devices of family members when they installed malware on Samsung phones running up to date firmware.

That malware to this level is even possible is another matter.

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#24

Post by MrDresden »

When this whole thing got announced, I purchased a new Pixel 9 and flashed it with GrapheneOS.

I am hoping that in about 6-8 years (when I realistically need to update) the landscape might be a bit better. Or who knows, maybe I'll just continue using GrapheneOS.

So far I have not had a single issues with it. Apps the rely on attestation do not work, but honestly it's only two applications out of hundreds so I can live with it.

I also financially support GrapheneOS on a monthly basis (15$). This is just too important of an project not to.

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#25

Post by chii »

jacquesm wrote: post #20
AlotOfReading wrote: post #12

Google's long term strategy with Android is baffling to me. Apple has had better mobile hardware for years. Apple has higher consumer trust. Apple has better app selection (for most people). Apple has been increasingly implementing the core features that differentiate Android devices, like USB-C and RCS. Every Android user lost to the increasing iOS market share is another customer Google has to pay exorbitant fees t…

Why the surprise, they do the same with search, they do the same with their Google workspace (the degree to which they are pushing AI is really hurting the product). Google stopped being aware of their customer's needs a really long time ago, they are so arrogant they think the audience is now fully captive.

> they think the audience is now fully captive.

the audience is captive. Do you have a choice to move from android, if you didnt want to have an apple device? Do you want to use a different search engine other than google? Is there another email provider than gmail (for the non-technical person - i know you can run your own). Is there another browser other than chrome (and dont say firefox or edge - because both don't compete)?

Google behave in ways that they think makes them more profit. When users cannot migrate (nor even threaten to), then it simply means they can do this.

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#26

Post by londons_explore »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #17
3abiton wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their strategy is growing markets, especially in india, and africa, and of course China. It's where the chinese oem dominate. Beside chinese OEM, i think the only other player is Samsung. So google strategy seems to be to circumvent people from misusing their OS by blocking certain services (mainly ads). This is done via apps from fdroid, and rooting and what not. If google can control how people uses their devices (…

> [Google's] strategy is growing markets, especially in india, and africa, and of course China. Really? China? Where Google services are banned and Android phones come with local OS versions that cut them out? "High-friction sideloading" won't affect anyone in China. It won't be part of their experience at all.

I think OP is suggesting that the ability to sideload is what is preventing their phones being distributed in China.

If you can present a "locked down" phone to regulators, you might be more likely to get permission to sell large volumes of them - like iPhones in China.

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#27

Post by szundi »

chii wrote: post #25
jacquesm wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why the surprise, they do the same with search, they do the same with their Google workspace (the degree to which they are pushing AI is really hurting the product). Google stopped being aware of their customer's needs a really long time ago, they are so arrogant they think the audience is now fully captive.

> they think the audience is now fully captive. the audience is captive. Do you have a choice to move from android, if you didnt want to have an apple device? Do you want to use a different search engine other than google? Is there another email provider than gmail (for the non-technical person - i know you can run your own). Is there another browser other than chrome (and dont say firefox or edge - because both don'…

[dead]

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#29

Post by shscs911 »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #18
vee-kay wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

NewPipe (FOSS available on F-Droid) is nice alternative to ads-infested YouTube. I disabled YouTube and YouTube Music apps on my mobile, and I use NewPipe instead. You can even download YT videos or audio from YT videos using it.

What's going on with NewPipe? Their F-droid repository is down. Their domain is down. Their github repository is up, but it links to their domain, which isn't. Are they dying?

Seems like a DNSSEC screw-up. You can find more details here.

https://github.com/TeamNewPipe/website/issues/420#issuecomme...

Re: Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android

#30

Post by londons_explore »

silisili wrote: post #14
AlotOfReading wrote: post #12

Google's long term strategy with Android is baffling to me. Apple has had better mobile hardware for years. Apple has higher consumer trust. Apple has better app selection (for most people). Apple has been increasingly implementing the core features that differentiate Android devices, like USB-C and RCS. Every Android user lost to the increasing iOS market share is another customer Google has to pay exorbitant fees t…

I have a feeling, despite Google's communications, this is all an attempt to thwart the numerous ad-free YouTube apps. Another reason it should have been broken apart years ago. It's laughable that the biggest ad company in the world owns the largest video site in the world, largest browser in the world, largest search engine in the world, and largest mobile OS in the world.

If google push too hard, someone will make a "youtube mirror" - ie. a complete copy of youtube at a different domain.

The actual data could be hosted p2p across all the users devices, and any missing data retrieved one-time-only from real youtube servers.

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