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Breaking: Google is easing up on Android's new sideloading restrictions! (www.androidauthority.com)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Google: "Based on this feedback and our ongoing conversations with the community, we are building a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn't verified. We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren't tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure from a scammer. It will also include clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved, but ultimately, it puts the choice in their hands."

Thank god. I would've ditched Android for good if this went through, and while it sounds like it would be annoying for casual users to enable unverified apps, at least we can still install them.

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[–] 22 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (8 children)

They'll probably also release a new API to allow apps to check if user have enabled sideloading. Then overzealous apps like fucking mcdonalds will throw a hissy fit about it and refuse to work unless you turn it off. Also your bank too, just to really make it as hard as possible to include sideloaded apps. Sideloading will remain available, but so painful, most people just give up.

Just recently mcdonalds app stopped working when installed in a secondary profile. Long history of them trying to detect root hiding methods too. Fuck them. Once this sideload block thing arrives, mcdonalds would be the first to block it.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago (4 children)

    Let em all shut me down. If they don't need my business, I don't need theirs. I just found out that Casio makes a g-shock with Bluetooth and you can screw with it using python and an unlisted API.

    One more nail in the coffin for my smartphone footprint. I just want an 8" linux tablet, a watch that can give me messages from signal and a battery powered access point.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago* (1 child)

    The biggest problem are the banking apps. If you're standing at checkout and your payment app says

    "Unverified apps have been detected on your phone. Please uninstall and try again."

    99% of people will delete FDroid and never sideload anything ever again.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (1 child)

    Please tell me there is a video about this that is not on youtube.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago

    To be honest, it's probably the last thing that doesn't exist properly on YouTube.

    But like 99.999% of everything else, it's not on peertube either.

    If you hit a Google search, there are probably a handful of projects for Bluetooth, Casio, Python.

    There are a bunch of videos of people reviewing the watch, but they're watch reviewers. Other than the Android or iOS app, they hardly touch that it supports anything.

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  • [–] 3 points 11 months ago

    You know it's kinda funny that I can't even run the MC Donalds app without doing some fuckery. But my banking app will throw a hissy fit if I try to sign into my account without a rooted or custom ROMed phone because that's how they know it's me apparently. Also shame that my banking app stopped supporting Android 8.0 a few years back. I miss my LG V20.

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  • [–] 1 point 11 months ago (1 child)

    Why the fuck would a McDonald's app care?

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

    Who knows. Maybe they have that one dev on the app team that's on a crusade to detect every single abnormality.

    He might also be following the rooting/magisk scene. Back then whenever magisk updates its root hiding system and successfully bypasses apps, mcdonalds are the first to detect it again. He's so fast that back when I was still using a rooted phone, I've never successfully bought a meal with the app.

    Now they're blocking work profiles on non-rooted phones, which is a native android feature and not a security risk. But they're still blocking it anyway because it's slightly abnormal lol.

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