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Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

arstechnica.com

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Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#731

Post by tengwar2 »

iqandjoke wrote: post #715
lelandfe wrote: post #497

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An actual example of this lives in the Gmail iOS app. Click a link in an email and every x days, a sheet appears: https://imgur.com/a/nlGS4Yk 1. Chrome 2. Google 3. Default browser app (w/unfamiliar generic logo) They removed the option for Safari some time in the last two years; here's how it looked in 2024: https://imgur.com/1iBVFfc And the cherry on top of dark UX patterns: an unchecked toggle rests at the bottom.…

If you use iPhone, you can use iOS Mail app (and with iCloud mail) if you really care. Apple dark UX pattern is that there always has badges on Settings app if you do not subscribe to iCloud even if you have manual backup. You cannot dismiss it.

I don't subscribe to iCloud, and have never seen these. Where do you see them?

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#733

Post by lopis »

focusedone wrote: post #5

I'm generally OK with this, but the 24 hour hang time does seem a bit onerous. Most of the apps on my phone are installed from F-Droid. I guess the next time I get a new phone I'll have to wait at least 24 hours for it to become useful. I'm seriously considering Graphene for a next personal device and whatever the cheapest iOS device is for work.

Most of your F-Droid developers will leave the ecosystem if forced to pay Google to publish outside the Play Store.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#734

Post by contingencies »

This is destroying and devaluing the app ecosystem on all platforms, discouraging companies from treating it as a stable target, right when Apple is gaining dominant market share.

Is it really worth executing payments, maps, geospatial APIs, etc. on one platform if >30% of your customer base can't use it and it changes every 6 months (because that's what they've engineered)? No. Who wants to maintain that?

Then what is the interface people are pushed to? The browser, where Google historically dominates.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#735

Post by bonoboTP »

A big problem that causes gullible people to follow scammers guidance is that real software with legit and important functionality is often utter crap and requires regularly dismissing various big red warning screens like expired or misconfogured ssl certs on the web, etc. People are taught to not take warning screens seriously because they often have to be bypassed for legit reasons.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#736

Post by alextingle »

GeekyBear wrote: post #409
tom1337 wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

so Apple then? They require you to pay the $99 yearly fee to sideload for more than 7 days

Apple was clear that they were offering the safety of a walled garden from the start. Apple didn't lie about supporting a user's freedom to run anything they like, only to execute a rug pull after they successfully drove the other open options out of the marketplace.

No. Apple's phones started out with only web apps. They only add the walled garden later.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#737

Post by yoavm »

sneak wrote: post #631
armadyl wrote: post #410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GrapheneOS phones are still an option, it’s unaffected by these rules.

Used Graphene as a daily driver for a year. It’s an unserious toy.

Can you elaborate? Why? I think many of us were hoping we could switch to it if/when Android becomes intolerable.

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#738

Post by anhner »

NotPractical wrote: post #490
GeekyBear wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People who are unwilling to figure out the risks just should not use smartphones and the internet People who aren't technically sophisticated should choose the smartphone ecosystem that was designed to offer the safety of a walled garden from the start. Google sold Android as the ecosystem that gave users the freedom to do anything they like, including shooting themselves in the foot. Google should not be allowed t…

Choosing an iPhone is not sufficient to avoid the risks of technology. The majority of online scams require nothing more than two pre-installed apps: Safari and Phone.

in 2 years: you will have a wait period of 24 hours or pay a yearly fee if you want to access a website that is not on $COMPANY's whitelist

Re: Google details new 24-hour process to sideload unverified Android apps

#740

Post by creshal »

iamcalledrob wrote: post #699

> Restart your phone and reauthenticate: This cuts off any remote access or active phone calls a scammer might be using to watch what you’re doing. This is smart. But putting my design hat on here: couldn't this be the whole approach? When enabling the "unverified apps" setting, the phone could terminate all running apps and calls before walking the user through the process. Why do you even need the rest of the compl…

> But putting my design hat on here: couldn't this be the whole approach?

No, because protecting users is just an excuse. The overreach is the goal.

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