I can sideload .apks just fine on the current version of Android. I don't know if you can still grab the .apks from the Play store or not, because I haven't tri

I can sideload .apks just fine on the current version of Android. I don't know if you can still grab the .apks from the Play store or not, because I haven't tried that in years, but you don't have to get your apps from the Play store. I don't think that's relevant to MarkusWandel's question anyway because he was asking about what to do if you don't have access to Google's ecosystem, which would include the Play store. If Google does do something to prevent sideloading, it would just mean you'd have to install a de-googled Android to restore that functionality. That's a bigger hassle, but not the end of the world.