The last one is probably true, though. Most Android users don't care about sideloading. Those who are being pressured to do so will face the 24 hour lock.

On the other hand, I'm an iPhone user who knows Android as well as anyone. So if I were to pick up, say a Pixel 11 Pro or a Galaxy S27 (so, looking at next year's lineup), the first thing I'm gonna do is hit that developer option to enable sideloading. I know where it is. I know how to unlock it. And I know the risks. In the meantime I'm gonna set up Nova Prime, I'm gonna put Poweramp on it, I'm gonna be setting up KLCK and KLWP (and maybe KWGT) and all the other apps. By the time I need to sideload anything, I'll have the important stuff out of the way and shouldn't have to wait that long.

[–] 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

In the meantime I’m gonna set up Nova Prime

https://www.androidauthority.com/nova-launcher-acquisition-ads-update-3633871/

[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I said Nova Prime. That's the paid version.

I know what they're doing to free users, and it's a shame. No one ever said anything about the paid version.

[–] 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 days ago

it is still the same company. if you think they respect your privacy just because you paid them, that is on you. but bragging about it publicly in a comment where you try to sound like super experienced user seems funny.

[–] LeapSecond@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This means though that now the important stuff HAS to come from the play store or you have a 24-hour penalty every time you get a new phone.

[–] cerebralhawks@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

How often do you get a new phone? My Galaxy S10 from 2019 still kicks ass. It doesn't do any of the Galaxy AI stuff, and I'm okay with that.

I really don't think the 24 hour thing matters all that much. If it's the first thing you do when you get the new phone, and then you start setting stuff up, by the time you want to go looking for stuff to sideload, a lot of that time's down the drain.

It also begs the question of — and magnifies the silence of the lack of answers to a deafening roar — what actually needs to be sideloaded, let alone what is so crucial the 24 hours is any kind of a pain point. Worst case scenario, you hold onto your old phone for those 24 hours, before wiping it and selling it (or whatever you do).

[–] LeapSecond@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago

I change every 3-4 years but that's not the point. A 24-hour delay plays into the "sideloading" thing. You could theoretically "sideload" all your apps, it shouldn't be a secondary thing. Waiting 24h doesn't matter in normal cases. Now if your phone breaks and needs to be switched immediately it could be an issue.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

The way I understood it is you have to wait 24 hours every time, not just for activating dev options.

Edit: apparently I was mistaken.

[–] hdsrob@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

The Google page I read was the opposite of that. The first time you unlock sideloading, they'll warn you and make you wait for a day. From then on it's unlocked.

While I hate Google with a passion, and don't trust them at all, this seems like a reasonable way to handle the issue of non tech people being coerced into sideloading unsavory apps by scammers.

[–] fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 4 points 3 days ago

It just sounds like they came up with an excuse to try and be non-compliant with the European Union's ruling that they're an illegal Monopoly

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 4 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Okay, if that's indeed the case, it's at ~~best~~ worst patronising, yes.

(This leaves of course the other, bigger issues of added hurdles to developers)

Edit: Worst is the word.