1w ago

Google Play Store gets a smarter way to handle sideloading third-party apps

Google is taking the stress out of sideloading apps on Android phones with a new feature rolling out to Google Play Store.

TL;DR

Google Play Store has started rolling out a new “Pause” feature for Play Protect, allowing users to temporarily disable app security scans.
Unlike the previous “Turn off” option, the new feature automatically reactivates Play Protect the next day, reducing the risk of users forgetting to turn it back on.
This update should help protect Android users from malware and scams while still allowing them to sideload apps without long-term security risks.

34 comments

If I'm sideloading apps, it is usually because I want nothing to do with their storefront or nonsense.
- Yeah I straight up don't understand this. People install non play store apps THROUGH the app store?
  
  It's odd, really. I always check for an F-Droid entry or other means of installation before going to the play store.

Fuck Google. If I sideload app I known what I'm doing. I never saw anyone getting malware from fdroid especially the official one. I don't use any Google services. And I never faced any issues
- Anyone that's put an app on Fdroid can attest to the stringency of their testing process. They sandbox and monitor all apps to make sure they aren't calling out to other services. Their reproducible builds tags are a huge advantage to anyone wanting ground truth about the apps they get from the store. If you have a clean tagged app from them, you can be pretty certain it's clean.

I hate this post so much, I unconsciously downvoted it (Already undo the downvote tho)

Not sure the problem been side loading for years and never turned this off and haven't had any issues.

34 comments