this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2026
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This is why "side load" is annoying to me. It's installing. It is not special or different. They aren't "blocking side loading" they're "restricting what you can install."
I'm 100% okay with how my Samsung Galaxy handles it: You access the Developer mode by pressing on the phone info screen in the settings for several seconds, and then there's a switch that allows execution of random .apk files.
"Yes, do as I say."
There was talk about Google changing this, but I'm not sure if that was something that would only affect Pixel phones or all of Android as an ecosystem. Well, to be specific, the change is to not let people run unsigned APKs at all and devs can only get them signed by giving their identification to Google.
I think they're testing out different regions to see if they'll get sued before trying to do this globally