Peter

@campuscodi

A *one-time* delay when you seek to turn off the protection that stops the user from side-loading apps.

To be honest, given how many security-blind people use Android now, I can live with this.

Time was when Android users were all "power users", like Linux used to be. Those days are long gone.

A bigger issue is Google closing Android off from side-loading apps at all.

Mar 20 at 11:24pmWeb
Show threadv6d ago
@PeterLG @campuscodi if i thought it would stop at this I wouldnt mind much. given their starting position was banning sideloading completely and they only retreated to this after immense backlash, im worried
Show threadalxvstheworld6d ago
@PeterLG @campuscodi you do realize that closing Android off and this nonsense is the same thing, right?
Show threadPeter6d ago

@alxvs

No, it's not.

The current concept stops a user turning off the side-loading protection and *immediately* loading and running an app from an unknown source — for example, the great-grandfather mentioned — when they don't understand the risks. I have zero problem with that.

Google's ultimate plan is to close off the ability to side-load completely — delayed due to pushback, for now — a funtion that is the biggest differentiator between Android and Apple.

@campuscodi

Show threadwikiyu6d ago
@PeterLG @campuscodi meanwhile Xiaomi: 30 days delay to unlock bootloader about google: Amateurs
Show threadGreenDotGuy6d ago

@PeterLG @campuscodi I don't recall a time when using Android implied some sort of expert status; it's been a globally popular platform for general purpose smartphones for about two decades.

Also, this is about the principle of the thing. If I had to get permission from Mazda to change my own oil, I'd be furious.

I don't think sideloading presents a practical security risk. I don't see how this makes things safer. I do see how it moves a line of control from 'in my hands' to 'a distant megacorp'.