Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Feb 24
Rogue devs of #sideloaded #Android #apps beg for freedom from #Google’s verification regime
37 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside #GooglePlay
Including Article 19, #EFF, #FSF, #FDroid, #Fastmail, & Vivaldi, on Tuesday published an #openletter to Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, founders and board members Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and Vijaya Kaza, general manager for app and ecosystem trust, to voice their opposition to the plan.
https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/24/google_android_developer_verification_plan/
Rogue devs of sideloaded Android apps beg for freedom from Google’s verification regime

: 37 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play

The Register
PrivacyDigestAug 27, 2025

#Google Will Make All #Android App #Developers Verify Their #Identity Starting Next Year

With claims that #sideloaded apps are 50 times more likely to contain #malware , Google is tightening restrictions for developers distributing apps outside the #PlayStore.
#privacy #security

https://www.wired.com/story/google-will-prevent-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-from-next-year/

Google Will Make All Android App Developers Verify Their Identity Starting Next Year

With claims that sideloaded apps are 50 times more likely to contain malware, Google is tightening restrictions for developers distributing apps outside the Play Store.

WIRED
AatubeMay 30, 2025

new exploit allows writing to data (containers) of existing apps in all versions since 16.0

new exploit allows writing to data (containers) of existing... #jailbreak #sideloaded #ios

https://github.com/34306/writetosymlinked

Show threadaoAug 26, 2024
@evankstone @arcticleo @jimmylittle

On my #metaquest 2 my tplink router has #ftp n #samba which I can access via #sideloaded #fxfileexplorer

As for #iOS and probably visonos:
The apple file explorer can access my router also 😺,
as my #ipad 8 can do so also
Kevin Karhan Feb 18, 2023

@krzyzanowskim considering the fact that bulk SMS cost less than 1/10th of a cent even of expensive platforms like Twilio, that's just greed.

Worse if the App is #GooglePlay exclusive and refuses to run when #sideloaded onto another device.

THIS is why I refuse to do #OnlineBanking and espechally #MobileBanking!

CK's Technology NewsMay 4, 2022

#Android 13 blocks use of accessibility services by restricting #sideloaded apps

https://www.androidpolice.com/android-13-blocks-accessibility-services-sideloaded-apps/

anonimnoJun 28, 2021
Wow ... Got some free #ebooks I wanted to read. Figured out that reading on the #laptop is not a good idea, because I always get distracted. Then I remembered I have an old #nexus7 which has some #touch problems and is because of that not much usable. Found the thing, #sideloaded unofficial #lineageos17, installed #librerapro and #quickdic from @fdroidorg, connected the tablet to my #debian10 powered laptop and synced the #calibre library to it. Now I have and #ebook reader which is SUPERB!!