Google confirms 'high-friction' sideloading flow is coming to Android • Hacker News Board

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

#101

Post by direwolf20 » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:11 AM UTC

londons_explore wrote: post #30

silisili wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That website will have an IP address and a registered owner. Taking down piracy websites is routine for governments, server providers, and domain registrars now, and they don't care whether the site is actually illegal. You can only get away with this long-term if the site is hosted in Russia, but Russia is sanctioned so how will you pay them?

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

#102

Post by wiseowise » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:11 AM UTC

karlgkk wrote: post #80

onli wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see any iOS advantage with the apps anymore. That was maybe true in the very beginning, during the gold rush time of the app store. But not since then. In which category are there better iOS apps? Browsers? No, strictly worse. Youtube app? No, worse. Texting? Worse or equal (Whatsapp). Podcast client? I assume worse, since there is no Antenna Pod. Social media apps? The iOS variants of those apps are afaik in…

Honestly, you’re so wrong about the app situation that it’s almost staggering. iOS apps tend to be more stable, better polished, have better integration with system features (like the Dynamic Island), and even often have more features. This isn’t even an unfounded opinion, it’s a material problem for Google and led them to vastly investing in automated testing and quality efforts App addressable user base is another…

> browser is deemphasized on iOS, and so it’s weaker feature set matters less

That's precisely the OP's point. They gimped their browser so there's bigger incentive to use their proprietary system frameworks.

> iOS is generally easier to develop for because of less device differentiation

That's nonsense. What year are you from? I've heard this like 10 years ago when there only 1 or 2 current iPhone models in circulation.

> on average iOS has significantly wealthier users who tend to be higher return or paying customers (seriously, look it up). This in turn leads companies to invest more heavily in iOS.

If you offer subscription service, like Netflix/HBO/Nest or whatever, your main goal is volume, not how wealthy your demographic is.

> easier integration due to a narrow system services ecosystem (no Google vs Samsung slapfights)

Easier integration with what?

> unified platform advantage (apps written for iOS easily port to the watch and tablet, unlocking larger markets, and justifying greater spend in developing apps)

That's like Android's moat from the start, not bolted on during some 10+ major versions like on iOS. And it works much better, Android apps are truly the same apps. Not gimped, cut off things like Instagram on iOS (is it even fixed now?).

> apples review process is significantly stricter (for better or for worse)

Both are shit these days due to volume of shovelware produced.

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

#103

Post by StopDisinfo910 » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:11 AM UTC

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…

> Apple has had better mobile hardware for years.

Well no, Chinese phones are above Apple material-wise (better battery, better cameras, better cooling) and on par SoC-wise since last year. That's what makes Google's strategy so baffling.

> Apple has better app selection (for most people).

It's entirely the same. I have gone back and forth regularly for the past 10 years. Android is completely on par app-wise. Apple has the iMessage lock-in in the US obviously but not in the rest of the world. Apple might have a slight advantage on the pro segment with the iPad but I don't think it has a huge impact on phones.

The really baffling thing to me is that while they lock down Android, they pay to put Gemini on iOS. Google has a real competitive advantage with IA and they just gave it to Apple.

It's clear to me that they are two companies fighting each other inside Google: the ex-Motorola who wants to be Apple and the service side who wants to be Microsoft.

I personally fear that they are making the bed of the regulators who will probably come for Play Protect at some point to open the door for alternative OS providers at least in Europe. But maybe they think it's coming anyway and are strengthening their position and trying to milk what they can in the meantime.

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

#104

Post by direwolf20 » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:11 AM UTC

nine_k wrote: post #42

londons_explore wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Do you have an estimate of how much would be needed to mirror? BTW PeerTube is a thing.

1GB per video

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

#105

Post by direwolf20 » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:14 AM UTC

max_ wrote: post #76

rich_sasha wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the EU should pile in as well. It's basically an oven-ready independent mobile OS.

Europe is hostile towards Graphene users.

Source: https://boingboing.net/2025/07/23/your-google-pixel-might-ge...

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

#106

Post by necovek » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:15 AM UTC

jhanschoo wrote: post #67

As TFA does not mention it, and I don't see any top-level comments discussing it, this is a continued rollout of a "feature" first piloted in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. See: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-... https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/11/android-de... https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/google-android-dev... Of course, HN reaction has always bee…

There is no doubt that sideloading by uninformed users can be used as a backdoor.

It's also not a surprise that banks/industry that's accountable to recover the losses for tricked customers is looking to someone else to solve it for them.

However, if this was "piloted", do we have the numbers of how much has it decreased the number of scams or their impact?

I wouldn't go as far as to say that it is impossible to "educate the public", but it is indeed extremely hard. But click-through pop-ups have succeeded when?

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

#107

Post by direwolf20 » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:15 AM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #92

jhanschoo wrote: post #67

As TFA does not mention it, and I don't see any top-level comments discussing it, this is a continued rollout of a "feature" first piloted in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. See: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-... https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/11/android-de... https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/google-android-dev... Of course, HN reaction has always bee…

Yeah for every HN user complaining about it there are hundreds of people sideloading apps (not realizing what they're doing - under promise of loans or other advantages) and then getting their phone ransomed

For every person getting ransomed by a sideloaded app there are ten people getting ransomed by apps they installed from the Play Store.

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

#108

Post by swiftcoder » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:18 AM UTC

gambiting wrote: post #58

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…

>>Apple has had better mobile hardware for years Are you joking? Look at the latest Xiaomi, Oppo and other Chinese manufacturers, Apple would love to have the hardware they are shipping right now. From batteries to cameras and screens, apple is way behind on hardware tech. Yeah they are better than Samsung - but Samsung has also massively fallen behind what's the state of the art. >>is another customer Google has to…

> Last time I checked, it's apple paying Google, billions of dollars a year?

You checked wrong. Google pays Apple on the order of $20 billion to be the default search on iOS - this is so significant it accounts for ~5% of Apple's annual revenue

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

#109

Post by ulfw » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:18 AM UTC

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…

Thinking Apple hardware is better is utterly laughable when you look at non-US Android devices.

Much better camera sensors, much better silicon carbon batteries etc in Oppo, Vivo, Honor and Xiaomi devices than anything Apple produces. Form factors Apple still hasn't figured out, such as 7th gen Foldables, Flip foldable phones etc, Camera zoom lenses that can be attached...

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

#110

Post by necovek » Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 10:19 AM UTC

swe_dima wrote: post #37

hexfish wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

F-Droid and derivatives are really popular in the FOSS community.

oh, right! Didn't have my coffee yet :-) But one difference is Rustore actually has payments and subscriptions, which hurts Google more.

I was expecting Google has stopped doing most of the business in Russia due to sanctions. Do you still see Russian-company ads in Google Search results or Youtube? Similarly, I thought they were not selling apps or ads in Google Play store in Russia either (they might be showing ads from non-Russian companies because, well, that just increases the show-count and absolute number of clicks).