Android developer verification: Early access starts • Hacker News Board

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#691

Post by greycol » Mon, Nov 17, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

troyvit wrote: post #534

nirui wrote: post #499

Excuse me, what exactly is "sideloading"? If I wanted to run third-party code on a system through the means that's supported by the system, then it should be called "running", it's a part of normal operation. The word "sideload" made it sound like you're smuggle something you shouldn't onto the system. Subtle word tricks like this could sneak poisons into your mind, be watchful.

I keep hearing that here, and people have good reasons why they think of that but to me sideloading always meant having your phone physically next to the device you're pulling an apk from, in other words loading the app from the side.

I always thought of it as coming from side-channel. Which (until I searched just now and was only offered side channel attacks as a result) I generally construed it as a good thing because the system was assumed to be broken. Things like track 2 diplomacy or messaging the CEO/minister because customer service/bureaucracy was broken. You can go in the side door of a business if you own it or belong there, only dis-empowered customers are forced to go in the front.

Side loading was getting something to work because it should when the system hadn't caught up to the fact that it should work.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#692

Post by lopis » Tue, Nov 18, 2025, 4:00 PM UTC

bmacho wrote: post #469

fauigerzigerk wrote: post #419

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>...or to suddenly require network access... That's the most baffling thing to me. There is simply no option to remove network permissions from any app on my Pixel phone. It's one of the reasons why I avoid using mobile apps whenever I can.

It is solvable from user space. E.g. TrackerControl https://github.com/TrackerControl/tracker-control-android can do it, it is a local vpn which sees which application is making a request and blocks it. You can write your own version of it if you don't trust them.

I've been using a similar VPN solution. It works great for apps that absolutely should not be connected, like my keyboard. But it has an obvious downside: you can't use a VPN on your phone while you're using that.

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#693

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 18, 2025, 5:54 PM UTC

xigoi wrote: post #206

tjwebbnorfolk wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, so you're good with everyone having the "natural right" to turn handguns into automatic weapons simply because they find themselves in possession of the correct atoms? How about adding a 3rd story on the top of your house without needing a permit or structural evaluation? Note that adding "full stop" pointlessly to the end of sentences does not strengthen your argument.

The difference is that you can’t kill other people by installing an app.

[deleted]

Re: Android developer verification: Early access starts

#694

Post by tjwebbnorfolk » Tue, Nov 18, 2025, 5:55 PM UTC

xigoi wrote: post #206

tjwebbnorfolk wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, so you're good with everyone having the "natural right" to turn handguns into automatic weapons simply because they find themselves in possession of the correct atoms? How about adding a 3rd story on the top of your house without needing a permit or structural evaluation? Note that adding "full stop" pointlessly to the end of sentences does not strengthen your argument.

The difference is that you can’t kill other people by installing an app.

sorry i thought we were talking about "natural rights" here, not rights conditional on whether the hardware does something you like or not