Don't worry guys, you can still sideload!

[Kioku]

People in GBATemp and XDA forums do it all the time. If you tell the average non tech savy person to sideload they get nervous about it

What it is is installing an application like people have always done. No need to make it sound weird.

What's weird is how intent you are on making this argument. Sideloading refers to the act of installing an application through unofficial/unsupported means. Installing an exe on Windows should be considered official or supported. An APK is not, as the store is viewed as the primary/official outlet. Anything beyond that is pedantic.

That's kind of what sets Android apart from the competition. Or at least it will be until Google decides to ruin it for everyone.

 

[Vixi]

Post automatically merged: Oct 5, 2025

An APK is not, as the store is viewed as the primary/official outlet.

That's what they want you to think.

 

[Kioku]

Right, you're clearly a troll then.

 

[Deleted member 705600]

That's what they want you to think.

What the heck are you on about? The primary source of installing apps in phones are through App-stores, there is people who don't even know what the hell an apk is, and that's probably the vast majority of phone users.

And also, just noticed it but, complaining a developers blog is using "technical terms" is so strange man, you expecting something for people who are actively involved in coding to not use words like sideloading?

 

[Vixi]

What's weird is how intent you are on making this argument. Sideloading refers to the act of installing an application through unofficial/unsupported means.

The great thing about android is it officially supports installing APKs out of the box through the OS's built in installer. No need to connect it to a computer and run terminal commands or load a corrupted Twilight Princess save file.

 

[spectral]

The great thing about android is it officially supports installing APKs out of the box through. No need to connect it to a computer and run terminal commands or load a corrupted Twilight Princess save file.

You have to install a separate app to do it. You literally can't do it "out of the box" Its a way of differentiating between apps from a devices official app store and those from outside of it.

 

[Latiodile]

You have to install a separate app to do it. You literally can't do it "out of the box"

no you don't, you just need to go into the developer options (by spam tapping a certain thing in the system settings) and enabling unknown sources, unless you mean having a file manager which yeah most phones don't have

 

[Vixi]

You have to install a separate app to do it. You literally can't do it "out of the box"

I can only speak for a Surface Duo running Android 12 and whatever old Samsung phone my dad has.

 

[spectral]

I can only speak for a Surface Duo running Android 12 and whatever old Samsung phone my dad has.

I guarantee if its installing apk's you/he got an app from the app store to do it.

 

[Vixi]

no you don't, you just need to go into the developer options (by spam tapping a certain thing in the system settings) and enabling unknown sources, unless you mean having a file manager which yeah most phones don't have

I only need to do that if I want adb

I can download a file from my browser and open it from the browser and it will ask me to authorize installing apps from my browser the first time.

I literally only use the default browser to install Fdroid, so I can install Aurora Store and Waterfox. It asks me to enable Fdroid, Aurora and Waterfox as sources to install from too.

 

[Latiodile]

I only need to do that if I want adb

I can download a file from my browser and open it from the browser and it will ask me to authorize installing apps from my browser the first time.

it must've changed then, the most recent android device i have is the anbernic RG slide (android 13) and it warns me about external apps and then asks me if i want to install it, my second most recent android device is a galaxy s10+ (android 12) and it had installing external apks disabled entirely and i had to go into the developer options to enable it

 

[Deleted member 705600]

no you don't, you just need to go into the developer options (by spam tapping a certain thing in the system settings) and enabling unknown sources, unless you mean having a file manager which yeah most phones don't have

To be fair (and pedantic), it is own app, is uhh, com.google.android.packageinstaller I think iirc, thought it could have been changed

But you can change the way you install apks with other installers instead of the default one

 

[Latiodile]

To be fair (and pedantic), it is own app, is uhh, com.google.android.packageinstaller I think iirc, thought it could have been changed

But you can change the way you install apks with other installers instead of the default one

in that case yeah, but as far as i know every android system ever has had that preinstalled with no non-hacky way of removing it (outside of special edge cases like hardened/secure phones for businesses and governments), except for idk android car and android go, i've never used those so i have no idea

 

[Vixi]

it must've changed then, the most recent android device i have is the anbernic RG slide (android 13) and it warns me about external apps and then asks me if i want to install it, my second most recent android device is a galaxy s10+ (android 12) and it had installing external apks disabled entirely and i had to go into the developer options to enable it

I hear Samsung is heavily locked down these days, at least the flagships.
I think my dad's Samsung is some $300 model from 2019. I don't know what Android version it's running.

 

[Deleted member 705600]

in that case yeah, but as far as i know every android system ever has had that preinstalled with no non-hacky way of removing it (outside of special edge cases like hardened/secure phones for businesses and governments), except for idk android car and android go, i've never used those so i have no idea

I just like the ecosystem... sadly the more time it passes the more it's less worth to do stuff on it. OEMs and Google has made it really hard to argue in favor of any sort of rooting or custom rom installations. I miss my Lineage OS phones

Play integrity has been digging the grave for some time now

Tho people don't realize how powerful ADB can be. You can clean a lot of bloatware with just a cable and some commands

 

[Vixi]

I just like the ecosystem... sadly the more time it passes the more it's less worth to do stuff on it. OEMs and Google has made it really hard to argue in favor of any sort of rooting or custom rom installations. I miss my Lineage OS phones

Tho people don't realize how powerful ADB can be. You can clean a lot of bloatware with just a cable and some commands

App Manager and DeBloater from Fdroid can also do that if given super user privileges.

 

[Deleted member 705600]

App Manager and DeBloater from Fdroid can also do that if given super user privileges.

That requires rooting, which inherently breaks the integrity seal on the phone (Unlocking bootloader without being able to lock it back unless a total OEM reset). Updates (Including security patches) may also just don't install too on certain systems. Even certain phones (Samsung with the KNOX counter) will do completely physical changes to your phone that are irreversible

This also messes up the Play Integrity checks, which means certain apps (like banking) will not work, among other side affects

There are measures and patches (Magisk) to try and fake all of this and some of them work, but Google has been so adamant against this that it has become harder and harder to pass the checks (some even impossible I think)

Rooting and using custom roms, at least while using Play Services, is becoming a big problem, and is made worst because sadly on this day and age, the ecosystem and Google are almost one and the same. No having Play Services is a big handicap, specially for online services

 

[Latiodile]

That requires rooting, which inherently breaks the integrity seal on the phone (Unlocking bootloader without being able to lock it back unless a total OEM reset). Updates (Including security patches) may also just don't install too on certain systems. Even certain phones (Samsung with the KNOX counter) will do completely physical changes to your phone that are irreversible

This also messes up the Play Integrity checks, which means certain apps (like banking) will not work, among other side affects

There are measures and patches (Magisk) to try and fake all of this and some of them work, but Google has been so adamant against this that it has become harder and harder to pass the checks (some even impossible I think)

Rooting and using custom roms, at least while using Play Services, is becoming a big problem, and is made worst because sadly on this day and age, the ecosystem and Google are almost one and the same. No having Play Services is a big handicap, specially for online services

not to mention on some phones it's completely impossible, like some models of the LG G6 (locked and encrypted bootloader)

 

[Vixi]

I've never had an android device before surface duo so I don't know how common it is, but Microsoft provides easy instructions to follow to unlock bootloader.

A ZTE Open from 2013 I used to own actually required me to install an update from bootloader. If the touch sensor wasnt so bad on that thing I might have stuck with Firefox OS longer instead of jumping over to Windows Mobile.

Thinking about Firefox OS makes me tempted to make a linux distro inspired by it