For years, the ability to install apps from outside the Play Store has been one of Android’s defining features. It’s a simple function—you download an APK file, tap install, and you’re done.
Starting next year, Android will block sideloaded apps from unverified developers. If you’re thinking this sounds familiar, you’re right: it’s exactly the kind of control Apple has always exercised over iOS. And if Google’s going to act like Apple, I might as well just buy an iPhone.
Google says it’s about security
But less freedom
Google’s announcement frames this as a security upgrade. Fair enough, since sideloaded malware can drain your bank accounts or take other nasty actions. Under the new rules, any developer distributing apps outside the Play Store needs to verify their identity through a new Android Developer Console.
Yes, that’s separate from the existing Play Store system, meaning even more registration hoops to jump through. Google says they won’t actually check what these apps do or how they work, though.
But here’s the real issue: sideloading exists precisely because some legitimate apps can’t or won’t go through Google’s official channels. Ad blockers that cut into Google’s revenue, modified apps like YouTube ReVanced, tools from developers in sanctioned countries, or apps that help track government activities—these all rely on sideloading to exist.
While verification helps with security, it also means Google will have a complete record of every developer distributing Android apps. That kind of centralized control makes it much simpler to limit apps that compete with Google’s services or policies.
Why sideloading still matters to me
More than just alternative apps
I don’t sideload apps because I’m trying to pirate software or install malware. I do it because some of the most useful Android apps simply aren’t allowed on the Play Store.
Take AdGuard, for instance. It’s a system-wide ad blocker that works brilliantly, but Google won’t allow it on its store because the company bans apps that interfere with ads. Without sideloading, I’d have fewer options here.
Then there’s the hobby developer problem. I sometimes build small apps for my own use. Nothing fancy; just a few utilities that make my life easier. Under this new program, I’d need to register just to install my own creations on my own device.
F-Droid, the open-source app repository, could face an even bigger challenge. Currently, F-Droid builds and signs apps itself; the individual developers don’t. This new verification system could complicate how F-Droid signs and distributes these apps.
What happens to apps like ReVanced?
The tools Google doesn’t want you to have
Apps like ReVanced are the elephants in the room here. For those unfamiliar, it’s a modified version of YouTube that blocks ads and adds features Google refuses to offer. It exists in a legal gray area by modifying an app you’ve already installed, but Google isn’t very fond of it for obvious reasons.
This puts developers of these apps in a tough situation: they can register and risk legal exposure, or remain anonymous and lose access to most Android users. Neither option looks particularly promising for the future of these apps, and importantly, for the users who have more to lose.
The same question applies to dozens of other apps that exist in the grey areas. These include apps that block tracking, remove ads from other apps, or provide features that compete with Google’s services. These developers often work anonymously for good reason. Force them to register, and they’ll stop developing for Android instead.
Does this push me closer to iOS?
When Android stops being Android
The freedom to install whatever I want has kept me on Android despite the iPhone’s more polished experience. It’s the same reason why I use a Windows PC. My wife uses an iPhone. My parents and siblings use iPhones; so do most of my close friends.
The temptation to drop Android in favor of an iPhone gets harder to resist every year. But I stayed because Android respected my choice to use my device how I wanted, plus I couldn’t care less about the green bubble shame.
If Google goes through with this change, what’s keeping me on Android? I haven’t themed my phone in years, and I use the stock launcher. Sure, my Galaxy Z Flip 6 is interesting hardware that you can’t get from Apple, but the main aspect keeping me here is that I can install apps that I want. Remove that freedom, and even the cool folding screen might not be enough.
Apple built a walled garden and owned it from day one. Google marketed Android as the open alternative, but each year, it locks the platform down a little more. This verification system is just the latest step in that direction.
A year to decide
The question isn’t whether open mobile computing is dying—it’s whether Android users will notice or care. Most probably won’t. But for those of us who bought Android specifically for its openness, this change makes the platform’s future pretty clear.
For now, I’ll keep using my Android phone and the apps that make it worthwhile. But if ReVanced stops working and F-Droid becomes unusable, the choice becomes simpler: stick with an Android that’s increasingly locked down, or switch to iPhone and stop being the odd one out.
