Sideloading has always felt like something of a guarantee with Android. In fact, some argue it’s one of the primary appeals of using Android over other operating systems — a sentiment even Google seems to agree with. However, last year Google announced it would be making big adjustments to sideloading apps on Android. The gist was that Google planned to make the act of installing third-party apps “safer” by limiting how you could install them. This, of course, upset many users, leading to a ton of backlash on Reddit and other online forums. The sheer community response led Google to clarify that no, it wasn’t doing away with sideloading. It was just trying to make things safer by offering developers a way to verify their apps.
However, users still weren’t happy with these changes, which eventually led Google to announce that it would let “experienced” users sideload applications, thus taking the risk on themselves. Of course, Google still has yet to share any real information on how it determines if someone is experienced enough to trust with sideloading. But it seems the company was not finished with making changes to how sideloading works. Because instead of just allowing you to sideload, Google has now announced it will be opening the door for what it calls “qualified” third-party app stores, allowing users more ready access to other app stores beyond Google Play.
While this change might sound good on paper — especially since Google notes it will simplify the installation process of registered app stores — I also have concerns about how Google might expand on it going forward.
A precursor to more Google control
I want to start this next section by stating that all this is pure speculation on my part. I don’t work for Google, and I don’t have any insider information on what Google might do. However, considering the stance that the company appears to have been taking on sideloading and wanting more general control of it, I feel these concerns are not unfounded. I am also not alone in this thought process, as others have shared comments with their own concerns about how Google is approaching this change.
A lot of the crux of this issue falls under the concern that Google will use this opportunity and more like it to start closing in Android access. What I mean is that the company will start to operate in a more walled-garden type approach, similar to what we’ve seen with Apple over the years. Now, it’s important to note that Apple and Google both have been ordered by judges to start opening their platforms more — which is why Apple now offers sideloading on iPhones in certain countries.
However, the current push is far from perfect, and with a registration system like this, it could open the door for Google to crack down on third-party app stores that decide not to register with them. And there are reasons that these stores might not want to register with Google, such as the required cut that Google will take from any in-app purchases, as well as the fact it will require Google’s verification and approval in some fashion.
An issue that won’t affect everyone until it does
Of course, not everyone is going to care about sideloading applications. In fact, I know several people who have owned Android phones for years and have never once sideloaded an application. However, for the users that do rely on this ability — especially those that may want to de-google their phone in some way — being able to sideload is a huge boon, and the only way that such a feat is possible on mainstream devices like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 10.
With Google’s ongoing moves to push some of these limitations on sideloading into place come September 2026, the concerns about just how far the company plans to go in its bid for more control are only growing, even leading to an online petition to “keep android open.” Eventually, those lengths could expand to something that does affect the wider Android community.
Unfortunately, we won’t really know what Google plans to do for sure until it does it. Even all the announcements we’ve seen could change, and while Google says apps will continue to work as they always have even without the stores being registered, it makes sense for people to be worried that won’t be the case. Especially since Google says that only verified apps will be available to sideload on certified phones — a list of devices which includes many of the biggest, mainstream brands and device manufacturers.
