PieFedAndroid Is Becoming iOS: The End of Sideloading?
Henry Fishertechlore.tv/videos/watch/dbf6d683-2ad8-4e72-b59…
Google just announced that starting in 2026, ALL Android developers must verify their identity - even if they never publish to the Play Store. This means sideloading apps, F-Droid, and third-party APK installation could fundamentally change, making Android more like iOS than ever before. Techlore empowers individuals with practical digital privacy knowledge, security tools, and advocacy resources. Discover how to protect your online data and regain control of your digital identity.
📱 RESOURCES IN VIDEO: • https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year/ • https://developer.android.com/developer-verification • https://f-droid.org/ • https://techlore.tech/resources/#android
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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Intro to Google’s Android Verification Policy 00:20 - Current Android App Installation and Examples 01:08 - Details of Google’s New Verification Requirement 02:49 - Security Justification & Negative Implications 03:54 - Context of Legal Battles and Google’s Android Control 05:01 - Android Moving Towards a Closed Ecosystem 05:55 - Impact on Third-Party App Stores like F-Droid 07:07 - How F-Droid and Custom ROMs Are Affected 07:46 - Uncertainties About Unverified Apps and Workarounds 08:19 - Advice on Preparing for the Changes 08:50 - Signs of Increasing Restrictions in the Android Ecosystem 09:29 - Concerns About User Freedom Versus Security 10:14 - Conclusion and Call to Stay Informed YouTube Mirror: https://youtu.be/PxGjwtiI8uM
This is one of the reasons why i bought a pinephone. If google disable sideloading, i'll remove my android apps from google Play and promote true linux on mobile
Great, now phones are ruined too.
I hope MS doesn't copy this for Windows and start forcing this type of binary signing on executables outside of the MS Store.
If that happens, not only will that effectively kill WINE and Proton over on Linux, but it'll also cripple Windows itself given how deeply ingrained within that OS sideloading is.
@dfx4509b@peertube.wtf Windows already flags unsigned executables as malware
A silver lining is that (for now) this doesn't affect custom ROMs. However, with how Google is behaving, I wouldn't be surprised if future generation pixels come with a locked bootloader, thus pretty much killing off any escape from this stuff.
Perhaps privacy on phones is a lost cause. Instead of de-googling or Custom ROMs (I hardly believe they'll allow it in the future), I think we need to start maintaining phone minimalism - where we install as few non-stock apps and have as little data stored on our phones as possible. This doesn't prevent the issue, but at least reduces the data that is collected. With how things are, I see this as the only long-term solution other than picking between Android OEMs and Apple. But I don't know how many people can do this as most people's primary device is a phone...
@basil_disco@spectra.video PCs aren't locked down yet, you can still run whatever software and OS you want on them for now.
There's also non-Android Linux phones.
@dfx4509b@peertube.wtf I wasn't talking about PCs, I was talking about the two major smartphone ecosystems. PCs are great because they have Linux as an option, but its not like that with smartphones. Android vs iOS is now about picking the lesser evil.
People say Linux phones are an option, but its a different operating system and thus can't run .apk apps. I heard about Waydroid, but I don't know to what extent it can run apps without issues. Another thing to consider is that Android OEMs other than Google are now making it impossible to flash a new ROM onto their phones, and phones which come with Linux aren't available everywhere in the world.