Google has news on what you will need to do for still being able to sideload apps:
* enable developer options
* confirm that you are not tricked
* restart phone and re-authenticate
* wait one day
* confirm with biometrics that you know what you are doing
* decide if you only want unrestricted installs for 1 week or forever
* confirm that you accept the risks
* enjoy the few apps that still have developers motivated to develop for a user-base willing to put up with this
@grote Something tells me LineageOS is about to suddenly get 100x more popular....
Of course then they'll have to start more obsessively locking down bootloaders and probably even remove the unlock option in anything they can. We've begun an age where even the open devices are now going to soon be closed and locked down.
And yeah, it's past time for a real OS.
EDIT: Wow, amazing levels of hate and fear towards the idea of using something more open that gives the user control over their own devices just because it's not as easy as simply buying something and it's already there...
You, uh, might want to look a little deeper into why you feel that way. Seriously, I'm not kidding. Think about it.
@FifiSch @grote I don't really understand that. The instructions are so simple and detailed and the "new OS" is basically exactly the same thing right down to having the same basic startup configuration and etc. The only difference is the Google connections are optional and one can decide for themselves how far they want to go.
It's pretty much just tapping a few things, then copying and pasting two lines or so. Once it's booted you wouldn't tell it apart from stock other than its cleanliness. It's easier than installing Linux on a PC and that's actually a lot easier and less scary than people have been convinced.
I bet if people didn't let Google, Apple, and etc convince them that they are so scared of installing third party options we never would have reached this point.
@nazokiyoubinbou @FifiSch @grote First problem: The user needs to know what an OS even is and that they're using one.
Second problem: The user needs to realize that they can use a different OS.
Third problem: The user needs to know the exact model/codename of their phone, find a suitable OS, unlock bootloader, probably install adb and/or other tools (if there is no WebUSB option), etc.
Should I continue?
The user needs to know what an OS even is and that they're using one.
No... Not really. "Install LineageOS" or whatever is all they need to know.
The user needs to realize that they can use a different OS.
That's the second part of the first problem repeated. Again when people say "just install LineageOS" they know they need to install a different thing.
Third problem
Oh we do agree on parts of that and that is a huge part of what I'm saying is NOT ok in this ecosystem. It's not to the extent that you say of course, but it still applies a lot.
I get it. You're terrified of something different and really really don't even want it to be a thing. But that doesn't mean it's ok to be 100% behind letting Google and Apple do this.
@nazokiyoubinbou @FifiSch @grote
> "Install LineageOS"
Oh, is that an app or something? Can i download it from the Play Store?
You're naive. I'm not saying it's okay for Google and Apple to do whatever they're doing. I'm just saying that the whole process to switch OS is hard and claiming otherwise isn't helping anybody. Also, the thing is, users shouldn't be forced to switch OS just to install an app they want. The same way they shouldn't be forced to self-host a whole-ass cloud stack just to keep their privacy (see https://neilzone.co.uk/2022/07/self-host-it-is-not-the-answer/). It simply isn't a viable solution for regular users. There should be much stricter regulations in place to prevent these kinds of things in the first place.
@Razemix @nazokiyoubinbou @FifiSch @grote
Just to add some anecdotal experience:
I'm developer. I use Linux as my daily driver for laptop for 15 years.
I installed multiple desktop OSes.
I installed LinageOS on older phone (~7 yrs ago).
And still I'm afraid of reinstalling OSes in phones.
Will I brick it? Will all apps work? What amount of Google should I use? How do I backup/restore? What's adb? How much time do I need to set aside for this?
It's intimidating for me.
@nazokiyoubinbou @Razemix @FifiSch @grote Okay, I'm sorry, but you can't really say that installing LineageOS is easy and "just a few clicks". For most people that. Is. Not. Easy. I've installed it on three different OnePlus phones and one Samsung tablet and that was an extremely conscious effort. You need to read the documentation really carefully and know what to ignore in it. Installing the SDK is not self-explanatory, you have to make sure it's properly installed with plenty of pitfalls along the way. You need to make sure to have a USB cable that will work to get the phone recognised (if you even know that that's a factor you need to consider). Don't even get me started on the mess with the Samsung device and running Odin _several_ times before getting the patch applied. Unlocking bootloader, booting into recovery, following all those steps. That is not something you can expect people who aren't _really committed_ to do. Add to that the huge mistake LineageOS recently made where you had to reinstall everything, and based on pretty lackluster documentation regarding what you actually had to do and what you could skip (since it wasn't as device-specific as they led you to believe). Or the rather annoying upgrade process when bumping a major version number (eg. 21 -> 22)
Installing GrapheneOS via WebUSB was surprisingly easy, but don't make the mistake that this is something a lot of people will even dare to try. "Just install LineageOS" is unfortunately not a sensible thing to say. It's not too different from saying that anyone could just replace the brake discs on their car on their own if they want, "it's just some bolts". I'd love it if there was some easy fix for us, but this is a huge problem for all of us.
Torsten Grote
Nazo
FifiSch
Radomír Žemlička
Joe W
Jan Peterka
S