Android will require a 24-hour wait before sideloading apps

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html

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@campuscodi Is this responding to an actual sideloading coercion problem, or just an imagined one? Most common scams seem like they are already possible without the need to get the user to install a malicious app
@tomw @campuscodi Nobody really believes this is about protecting anyone or anything other than Google's bottom line.

@bit101 @tomw @campuscodi

Programmers may choose to use that time productively.

@tomw @campuscodi I've been following Android malware and scams as a researcher since its inception and this is rarely a vector. There is far more danger in actual Play Store apps than through side loading by accident/trickery. Last big wave I can recall were fake Fortnight and Pokemon Go apps when they were not available on official markets (one of which is due to Google's own policies).
@chetwisniewski @tomw @campuscodi GoldDigger malware has been rampant in South Africa and Southeast Asia for the last year and a half or more. This will make a big difference.