c/android · by ryujin470@fedia.io · 320d

Google tries to justify Android's upcoming sideloading restrictions

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-tries-to-justify-androids-upcoming-sideloading-restrictions/

Starting in 2026, sideloaded apps will have to come from "verified" developers.

169 points · 32 comments · view on lemmy.world

32 Comments

Jestzer@lemmy.world · 97 pts · 320d (7 replies)

And before you know it, Android will no longer be open source for “security” reasons.

HazardousBanjo@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 319d (2 replies)

I have absolutely zore faith AOSP is long for this world. The GrapheneOS folks need to find a way off yesterday

Sertou@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 319d

The beauty of open source is that Google can't take it back. The worst they can do is close source their own future development. Meanwhile, the community can fork the last open source release of AOSP. Look at what open source devs did with Audacity, for example.

The real fly in the ointment here is Google already did with device trees and driver binaries for Pixel phones; no longer sharing these with AOSP will have a very chilling effect on custom ROM developers who must now reverse engineer needed configs and drivers.

Electricd@lemmybefree.net · 1 pts · 319d

I’ll worried for GrapheneOS because I know the dev doesn’t really want to implement QoL improvements or design updates, so we’re currently only relying on Google's good will with AOSP for that, and we can’t expect much I’m afraid

Don’t get me wrong, GOS is good and all, but some nice features are bugged or getting killed. It might be worth delaying casual updates to fix those

Now we have a new threat: no more third party stores. At this point iOS would even be better, at least there’s some very limited sideloading

Jaysyn@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 319d (3 replies)

Just like Apple, there will be no way to run apps like ICEBlock. Or anything else they don't want you to run.

It's time to make Pine rich.

Electricd@lemmybefree.net · 1 pts · 319d (2 replies)

You can currently sideload a bit on iOS, but it’s a massive pain

Jaysyn@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 319d (1 reply)

Can you sideload ICEBlock?

Electricd@lemmybefree.net · 3 pts · 319d

If they upload the .ipa file, yes

Sanctus@lemmy.world · 38 pts · 320d (10 replies)

So like what mobile OS is there now? Graphene which itself is forked from Android? Like we have barely made it to 20 years with this tech and its locked the fuck up with no options for the people. Boutta be using a dumbphone for sure.

skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de · 13 pts · 320d (2 replies)

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heythatsprettygood@feddit.uk · 9 pts · 320d (1 reply)

There's still a surprising amount of devices made by HMD (who own Nokia's consumer phone brand, so you'll sometimes see them as Nokias) that run Series 30+ (think old Nokia software with some very slight modern enhancements) but have 4G hardware to play ball on modern networks.

skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 320d

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guy@piefed.social · 9 pts · 320d (2 replies)

If you want a half functioning phone I've seen something called PostmarketOS. Seems nice and barely working

heythatsprettygood@feddit.uk · 15 pts · 320d (1 reply)

I really want PostmarketOS to succeed, even to be good enough as a secondary device. The long term support and software flexibility seems so promising, but it is still nowhere near ready for most people.

guy@piefed.social · 5 pts · 320d

Me too! I find the concept thrilling, and while I am usually an early adopter of these things, I could never use PostmarketOS as my daily driver. My phone needs to work..

ZombieMantis@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 319d

There are Linux Mobile OSs making promising developments, like KDE-Mobile. I'm planning on tossing it on a second-device, just to test it for myself.

NinjaTurtle@feddit.online · -8 pts · 320d (2 replies)

Graphene is not a fork. They just harden the code published by Google. This is why the recent changes by Google have been causing them more work.

artyom@piefed.social · 37 pts · 320d

It is absolutely a fork.

ChairmanMeow@programming.dev · 9 pts · 320d

Yes, that is what a fork is.

cazzmaniandevil@discuss.tchncs.de · 26 pts · 319d (1 reply)

Stop calling this sideloading, it's just installing software on a computer. The term makes it an easy 'other' to be distrusted. And this concerns all apps not just apps coming from a different app store. Google wants to control all the apps you're allowed to install by them

caseyweederman@lemmy.ca · -3 pts · 319d

Sideloading is a perfectly good word for a legitimate act.
It's not "just installing software on a computer". It's installing software on a tethered device.
Don't let them twist the word's meaning in order to demonize people.

6nk06@sh.itjust.works · 23 pts · 320d (1 reply)

And we have to pay for this? I thought it would be free. What a scam.

flippinfreebird@lemmy.today · 11 pts · 320d

Think of the shareholders!

cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone · 20 pts · 320d (2 replies)

problem is that you can fork android or make a new linux based os but with manufacturers continuing to lock down bootloaders, good luck getting it on there without making a deal with a phone manufacturer.

skuzz@discuss.tchncs.de · 6 pts · 320d

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TheEighthDoctor@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 320d

plus you can say goodbye to all your banking apps and others that enforce integrity and stuff like that

ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com · 13 pts · 320d (2 replies)

At this point I think the only thing that may save Google is Larry and Sergey firing Sundar and hitting the reset. Google has been consistently doing the wrong thing for a long time.

Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 320d (1 reply)

It's also worse in every way. All services. All products. They are failing spectacularly.

jol@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 320d

Users don't matter. They are making more money than ever.

InnerScientist@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 319d

I read their justifications but I must've missed the part where it justifies anything.

Electricd@lemmybefree.net · 6 pts · 319d

Google calculating: