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If you read HN you might know what sideloading is and how to do it. If you're anyone else and you even get as far as trying it (which isn't likely) you get a bi

If you read HN you might know what sideloading is and how to do it. If you're anyone else and you even get as far as trying it (which isn't likely) you get a big scary warning about how obviously everything sideloaded is a virus and Google won't be able to scan it and you should use the play store (I don't actually know what it says, but the point is that it's a big scary warning). The point is that sideloading presents several barriers to entry and at every extra step you'll lose a few more users. very few people will get all the way through enabling sideloading, figuring out how to actually do it with ADB or something, ignoring the scary prompts, and get all the way to actually installing and running an app. This is a nice workaround for a few people, not a solution to Google applying their policies in an aggressive way to remove apps they don't like that clearly aren't themselves dedicated to hate speech.

scarface74 6y ago
If you're anyone else and you even get as far as trying it (which isn't likely) you get a big scary warning about how obviously everything sideloaded is a virus and Google won't be able to scan it and you should use the play store (I don't actually know what it says, but the point is that it's a big scary warning). So now you want both side loading and you don’t want warnings about the possible risks of doing so? So on one hand you’re arguing that users are too ignorant to figure out side loading but they are smart enough to not download apps that may be malware? It’s not like any mainstream vendors have had side loading and introduced a security vulnerability.... https://www.cnet.com/news/just-as-critics-feared-fortnite-for-android-came-with-an-epic-security-risk/ https://www.cnet.com/news/just-as-critics-feared-fortnite-fo...
- SamWhited 6y ago
  I did not say we should get rid of the warning, I said it will scare some users off. That's the point of the warning, and it's a good thing, but it means sideloading isn't a viable solution.

scarface74 6y ago

If you're anyone else and you even get as far as trying it (which isn't likely) you get a big scary warning about how obviously everything sideloaded is a virus and Google won't be able to scan it and you should use the play store (I don't actually know what it says, but the point is that it's a big scary warning). So now you want both side loading and you don’t want warnings about the possible risks of doing so? So on one hand you’re arguing that users are too ignorant to figure out side loading but they are smart enough to not download apps that may be malware? It’s not like any mainstream vendors have had side loading and introduced a security vulnerability.... https://www.cnet.com/news/just-as-critics-feared-fortnite-for-android-came-with-an-epic-security-risk/ https://www.cnet.com/news/just-as-critics-feared-fortnite-fo...

SamWhited 6y ago
I did not say we should get rid of the warning, I said it will scare some users off. That's the point of the warning, and it's a good thing, but it means sideloading isn't a viable solution.