Catalin CimpanuAndroid will require a 24-hour wait before sideloading apps
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html
PeterA *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.
GreenDotGuy@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'.