Google is making it a bit more difficult to sideload certain apps.

I've been writing about Android since 2011, with a focus on device reviews, Samsung and Google Pixel hardware, and the latest ...

Google’s new Android verification flow adds a 24-hour wait for apps from unverified developers as broader identity checks ...

Google rolls out Android's new advanced sideloading flow with a 24-hour delay and restart requirement, expanding globally in ...

Google is adding a stricter sideloading process on Android, preserving app installs from outside Google Play while making scam-driven abuse harder. Google is changing how Android users install apps ...

Benjamin is a business consultant, coach, designer, musician, artist, and writer, living in the remote mountains of Vermont. He has 20+ years experience in tech, an educational background in the arts, ...

Android developers using third-party app stores will soon need their identity confirmed by Google. Android developers using third-party app stores will soon need their identity confirmed by Google. ...

This is not a sideloading ban. Google is preserving the ability to install apps from outside the Play Store, but wrapping that ability in identity checks, warning screens, and a waiting period. The ...

I'm not saying you shouldn't, but it may be more trouble than it's worth.

Sideloading has always felt like something of a guarantee with Android. In fact, some argue it's one of the primary appeals of using Android over other operating systems — a sentiment even Google ...