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Android/Google don't make it easy though. Installing an APK requires a security setting change. Search results for "install f-droid on android" on google are

Android/Google don't make it easy though. Installing an APK requires a security setting change. Search results for "install f-droid on android" on google are very unhelpful for a general user compared to search results from DDG or Bing.

xnyan 7y ago
I’m fine with that being difficult. My grandmother, bless her wonderful heart, clicks on everything no matter what you tell her or do. I like being able to give her a lockeddown android device and I know that she has no reasonable way to escape the android market (which is what she wants) but I can still drill into the menus and do as i will
- anoncake 7y ago
  Nudging non-technical users to a trustworthy default store without actually restricting alternative sources is a pretty good solution for protecting non-technical users without limiting users' freedom. But it still gives the store operator an extremely strong market position, making meaningful competition very unlikely. In fact, for non-technical users it's a monopoly because they aren't in the market for apps but for apps they can trust aren't malware. So this is no excuse for Google banning apps to protect their profits at their users' expense.
codazoda 7y ago
I've never used f-droid, but decide to try it on my (original) Pixel XL. I clicked "Download" and the file saved. I pulled down the top drawer and opened the file with "files". I clicked the APK and got a security warning with a link to the exact "settings" page where I change it. I clicked the security option off. I returned to files and clicked the APK again and it installed. This is very wordy and sounds a bit complicated, but it was simply a few extra taps and it installed. A pretty good balance of not too easy that a novice might do it by accident and still accessable.
- drcoopster 7y ago
  This requires users actually reading warnings and messages, which we know they don't do.

xnyan 7y ago

I’m fine with that being difficult. My grandmother, bless her wonderful heart, clicks on everything no matter what you tell her or do. I like being able to give her a lockeddown android device and I know that she has no reasonable way to escape the android market (which is what she wants) but I can still drill into the menus and do as i will

anoncake 7y ago
Nudging non-technical users to a trustworthy default store without actually restricting alternative sources is a pretty good solution for protecting non-technical users without limiting users' freedom. But it still gives the store operator an extremely strong market position, making meaningful competition very unlikely. In fact, for non-technical users it's a monopoly because they aren't in the market for apps but for apps they can trust aren't malware. So this is no excuse for Google banning apps to protect their profits at their users' expense.

codazoda 7y ago

I've never used f-droid, but decide to try it on my (original) Pixel XL. I clicked "Download" and the file saved. I pulled down the top drawer and opened the file with "files". I clicked the APK and got a security warning with a link to the exact "settings" page where I change it. I clicked the security option off. I returned to files and clicked the APK again and it installed. This is very wordy and sounds a bit complicated, but it was simply a few extra taps and it installed. A pretty good balance of not too easy that a novice might do it by accident and still accessable.

drcoopster 7y ago
This requires users actually reading warnings and messages, which we know they don't do.