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Like hacking, sideloading is now a loaded & misunderstood term. It is considered as something only nerds or bad actors do. Let's just call it alternate install
by devsda 11mo ago
Like hacking, sideloading is now a loaded & misunderstood term. It is considered as something only nerds or bad actors do.
Let's just call it alternate install.
- mrighele 11mo agoOr manual install.
- exe34 11mo agoHow about calling the other one "installing from the play store"? installing was there first.
- miroljub 11mo agoExactly. Let's invent a word for "installing from play store". Playstoring? So we can rewrite the story to something like: Google wants to prohibit app installation on Android phones. The only way to get an app would be through playstoring.
- fainpul 11mo agoCorpoloading
- amelius 11mo agoNannyloading
- rkachowski 11mo agoOr "open install", correctly implying the alternative is closed.
- cbolton 11mo agoIt's bypassing the usual channel for app installations, so the term is technically fitting and the loaded meaning is also appropriate since it's mostly used by nerds (maybe too strong a word) and bad actors. There are legitimate uses of sideloading for regular users, for example if you have solar panels that work with a Huawei app, they can't put it on the Play store because of US sanctions. But that's not Google's fault, and that does mean the app is more risky since it's not monitored by Google. (I'm not saying sideloading is otherwise illegitimate, it's an important feature but it's not something I'd normally recommend to a non-technical user that already chose to use a phone with Google's system.)
- dpoloncsak 11mo ago>and that does mean the app is more risky since it's not monitored by Google. This implies the play store isn't hosting tonnes of malware right now
- cbolton 11mo agoYeah maybe it gives the wrong idea. It's still better than no monitoring at all. It gets tricky with alternative stores like F-Droid. I guess if you use F-Droid as a trusted source then it shouldn't be called sideloading.
- immibis 11mo agoThere is currently zero evidence that the "monitored" Play Store is better or safer than the open internet.
- cbolton 11mo agoI'm curious what's your actual opinion in absence of hard data. If your grandma tells you a website gives her instructions for sideloading Candy Crush, you'd say yeah fine or advise her to go through the Play store?
- __MatrixMan__ 11mo ago
- NooneAtAll3 11mo agoit's not "alternate" install - it is install it's google's monopolized install that needs to be called by a long name