Google has decided to copy one of the worst things about iPhones and iOS, announcing plans to make it significantly harder to sideload apps onto your phone. In fact, it might even be impossible in some cases, because Google wants to restrict the feature to "verified" developers.
Which, if you can read between the lines, means sideloading will only be possible if Google actively approves the apps and developers in question. So if you have something Google doesn't like, such as Fortnite or some kind of ad-blocker, then odds are you're not going to be able to install it on your Android phone.
Google says that this change is all in the name of security, after finding that "over 50 times more malware from internet-sideloaded sources than on apps available through Google Play."
But by doing so, it removes one of the key things that makes Android such a great platform — the fact that you can install whatever the heck you like without a big tech company dictating what is and isn't allowed.
Apple-ifying Android
We've already seen what will happen in those instances. Apple has long used "user security" as an excuse for keeping iOS as a closed system. Either forcing users to use the App Store for all their software needs, or, in the case of the post-DMA EU, forcing developers to stick to strict Apple-dictated guidelines about third-party installation.
Google likens the changes to an ID check at the airport, and insists that this is just to verify the identity of the developer in question — not to judge the contents of their app. It also insists that developers will have "the same freedom to distribute their apps directly to users through sideloading or to use any app store they prefer."
Which doesn't sound so bad, but there's no telling what such a measure might lead to in the future. Google may start trying to police apps, as it already does in Google Play, and there's no telling what might happen if it ends up feuding with another developer — as it has been doing with Epic Games for the past 5 years.
Most importantly, though, this move takes the choice away from the users. Google has done a lot to help secure Android and make sure apps are sideloaded accidentally or without direct user intervention.
Android has always been about choice
But ultimately, all Google should be able to do in these situations is warn users about the risks, not control what they can and can't install. Policing software that isn't distributed on Google Play is not Google's responsibility, and it should not be attempting to cross that line. If the user is adamant that they want to install something malicious, despite all warnings, then that isn't Google's problem to deal with.
You can't claim to have an open platform, which Google mentions multiple times in its announcement post, while controlling what people can and can not do with it. That's not how any of this works.
This change is set to take place sometime in September 2026, starting in Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, with a global rollout scheduled for an unspecified later date.
While I don't have much hope that Google will change its mind, I'm hoping that the timeframe is enough for it to reverse course after seeing how unpopular this decision will actually be.
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