So, we will have to enable developer mode for that? How long before banking and government apps refuse to run if you have "sideloaded" apps installed? This will be the same as not allowing the majority of people to sideload. No win in here, just an advanced strategy from google to make us conform
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
112 points (95.2% liked)
Technology
82810 readers
4059 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related news or articles.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
This is already the case if the developer mode toggle is enabled for some. I have to turn it off any time I'm traveling for work because the app we have to use to file expense reports refuses to run with developer mode enabled.
Or if you're rooted, or run something other than your OEM image. I use grapheneos and I'm lucky that my bank doesn't enforce that like some do. I still can't use cards to tap with Google wallet because it's not certified by Google.
At that point you should tell your work to get a work only device for you... I always refuse to use my phone for work shit. I used to explain to them why, now I just lie and say my device is too old to have anything installed on it.
lmao, no arguments here. My boss's phone got bit by the construction site so I think we might finally be getting some movement on that front, at least for anyone who finds themselves in the field doing shit.
For what it's worth, I don't generally mind using my phone for work shit because it's convenient to do so. MDM on android works in a container, so I don't even care about that if they want to implement it.
Yeah I get the convenience of it.
My dad was complaining out loud to his boss, not requesting anything, just complaining about having to bring two phones with him when he was out and about. So his boss got him a dual-sim work phone lol. The convenience can work out that way as well :)
But what if they starting requiring that you remove the sideloaded apps? We're getting trapped
We will win when nobody can tell you what you can or can’t put in your own fucking device.
Making users wait 24 hours doesn't improve security; it's an anti-competitive change designed to make the Google Play store seem like less of a hassle in comparison.
I can actually see where it can improve security against scammers trying to scam elderly and non-tech savvy people.
- Scammer tries to get someone to install malware from their site
- Victim isn't familiar with sideloading, but scammer instructs them
- Victim hits the first time 24 hour block and has to restart and wait
- The restart alone breaks contact with the scammer, scam thwarted
For the rest of us that know our way around Android, it's just a one time annoyance, after completing all the steps to enable sideloading, you won't have to wait 24 hours anymore.
I'd believe that if most Pig Butchering scams weren't using apps from Google Play already.
Fair enough, you have a point. Although, I do think the developer verification thing will make it easier for Google to weed out bad actor developers altogether from the Play Store.
Sure there's no perfect solution, but at least they're trying to make it a lot more difficult for the scammers out there, while still leaving power users a path to keep using Android the way we want.
I think it is absolutely delusional to assume any of this actually has anything to do with security or safety of users. Google just wants more power and control over, well, everything they can get.
It’s going to be effective, but it’s a sad world where you have to create a total nanny state because there exist a subset of users who are INCREDIBLY stupid.
Is it still a subset when it's the majority?
And to be honest, the level of effort scammers are willing to go through is shocking, and AI's just making it easier for them.
Anything less than the whole is a subset, yes.
I want an extra day added to the warranty of any device I purchase, as it will be useless during that time
- enable developer options
- confirm that you are not tricked
- restart phone and re-authenticate
- wait one day
- confirm with biometrics that you know what you are doing
- decide if you only want unrestricted installs for 1 week or forever
- confirm that you accept the risks
- enjoy the few apps that still have developers motivated to develop for a user-base willing to put up with this
No we didn't win. This is Google making it harder to install the programs you want, rather than the programs Google wants you to have.
Still worse than it was before. There's no win in that
The square app will not run on a phone that has developer mode enabled. I turned developer mode on to disable annoying animations, so now I can't take card payments unless I carry around a second phone.
If Google goes through with this, my payment phone won't be able to run any third party apps.
This isn't a win, this is Google making things shitty for the benefit of no one but themselves.
Time for another OS. Android is over.
"side loading" == installing
I haven't read the article yet, but I'm about to. But no matter what, I'm still looking a lot more seriously into Linux on mobile, such as PostmarketOS than I was before.
"Scammers" also exist on the Play Store. Google should start by cleaning it up.
If the process doesn't include any phone home stuff, and is just a one-time cool off period to prevent scammers, this is acceptable to me. That should be enough to get potential victims to self-question, ask more knowledgeable people of what's going on to avoid being unknowingly hacked, without being naggy every time for users that want to do what they want.
Making a software "foolproof" will probably invent a bigger better fool, hoping for some sort of free crypto app jumping through these hoops, but this should weed out most of the basic scams.
It still sets your phone in a state that marks it as security compromised. This could lead i.e. to banking apps not working. I'm not so sure about the "acceptable" state of things here.
Sounds to me like you're willing to give up liberties in exchange for comforts, that's always a bad idea
What do they mean reauthenticate after 24h? I can't authenticate as I don't have a Google account. Although I do unfortunately have Google play installed, my phones can't have it removed.
Software freedom or demise. While Google is capable of imposing anything then Android is already dead to me.
I don't care if it's android or anything else, the moment my phone does that is the moment I switch to something else.
Yup, I got a pixel 10a that I will be putting graphene on as soon as it releases.
What if both android and iOS do this?
Is there a non-lemmy.ml variant?
I mean it's been around the longest and has the most subscribers. Most people only look at that, and I feel like arbitrarily splitting communities is actively harmful to the fediverse. Competing communities confuse and drive away new users.
lol one of the first things I read here, after making my account, was that everyone should block .ml apparently because communism? I dunno, its all very confusing and new for me.
No, because the people there are generally obnoxious, trolls, tankies, or all three. Nothing to do with their views on government economic policy.
Yeah I wasn't being completely serious with the "communism" bit.
Yeah people are weird about it. I've never had any systematic issue from .ml
Usually takes a few decades after a world war for systematic issues to arise from that stuff.
Huehuehue.
You win by disabling software updates at Android 15.
Not if it's implemented in the Google Play Services, then every device will refuse to install unverified apps after the deadline, even if it's not on the newest Android versions.
Its seems fine, other than the whole "coaching" thing. Like, nobody knows how to do this today, so someone will have to "coach" them through it, even if it's Google themselves.
But I would wait and see exactly how it's implemented before calling off the resistance. And I wouldn't call it a "win", that would be then backing down entirely back to what they were already doing.
I think the 24 hour wait is at least a sensible alternative. Anybody who's going to be seriously installing apps on their devices like this is probably going to be using Lineage OS or Graphene OS or /e/OS or something like that anyway. And in that case, they will be using AOSP and not be subject to this because they're not running a Google certified device.
While I'm not particularly happy about this change, I think it could be way worse.
Something tells me that Google drastically underestimated the amount of pushback they were going to get when they announced this. I mean, very drastically underestimated.
Nah, American companies cannot be relied upon by definition. Even if the people running one are fine (and many are), they are still based in what is essentially a pro-crime, pro-corruption jurisdiction.