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A hot potato: Apple's infamous "walled garden" approach is often cited as an example of limiting consumer freedom, but it seems the Android ecosystem is erecting restrictive fences as well. The most recent development in this direction is Google supercharging its Play Integrity API to give developers more power to block apps installed outside the Play Store.
For the uninitiated, sideloading means installing apps from third-party sources instead of Google's official app marketplace. There are reasons why users go this route: maybe an app isn't available on the Play Store in their country, or they want an ad-free modded version. App makers have criticized this practice since it allows piracy.
Additionally, sideloaded apps don't contribute to Play Store metrics like download counts and ratings. There are also stability concerns – improperly sideloaded apps can crash due to missing resources or device incompatibilities.
Whatever the motivations, Google has handed developers a big new stick via some Play Integrity API updates, as reported by Android Authority. The API, which checks for signs of app tampering, untrustworthy software environments, and more, now lets developers easily determine if an app was legitimately downloaded from the Play Store. If not, they can hit users with forceful "remediation" pop-ups that ask them to "get this app from Play."
One new remediation flow called "GET_LICENSED" prompts users to obtain the official Play Store version if it detects the app was sideloaded. Close the dialog and the developers get notified, following which they can block all functionality. Users must either back out entirely or initiate a process that removes the sideloaded version and any associated data and reinstalls the app from the Play Store.
It's worth mentioning that developers have previously been able to detect sideloads, but this implementation streamlines the whole process significantly.
While these countermeasures were announced at the Google I/O developer conference back in May, it looks like they're rolling out now. A few apps have already deployed them, including popular games BeyBlade X and Diablo Immortal.
For the average user, these restrictions may be no big deal; they could even be a blessing in disguise, protecting people from sketchy sideloaded apps. But for tinkerers, modders, and power users, it could be a major blow.
In other related news, Google is reportedly working on functionality that would let the Play Store update sideloaded apps – likely to eliminate any security issues associated with third-party downloads.
Inline image credit: Android Authority