Google says sideloading on Android is not going anywhere, but it feels otherwise
  • 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘬@lemmy.mlEnglish
    14·
    3 days ago

    Imagine Microsoft forcing all application developers to send them their ID for approval before users are allowed to install their application on Windows.

    Sounds absurd, right?

    But Google doing the exact same thing on Android? I wonder how this is not downright illegal. Why is there even a discussion about this?

    The correct term is “installing” btw. Not “sideloading”. “Sideloading” is corporate speech for framing the installation of applications outside their walled garden as something shady/illegal/questionable.

    You wouldn’t call it “sideloading” when installing an application on your desktop or laptop computer, why call it “sideloading” when installing an application on your pocket computer?

    • Swordgeek@lemmy.caEnglish
      4·
      3 days ago

      Notice how MS has been aggressively been pushing their app store and xbox live, more with each update to the OS.

      Now consider that Win12 will probably come out in a year or so.

      It’s gonna be the same shit as what Google is doing.

    • balsoft@lemmy.mlEnglish
      3·
      3 days ago

      Actually, I’d argue that google isn’t banning sideloading apps, but it is banning installing them.

      IIRC they will still let you do adb install from a PC (which I would say can be reasonably called sideloading, since you’re pushing the app in from an external device), but banning installing unsigned apks from the device itself (which I agree is silly to call sideloading).