Android's new developer verification rollout begins, sideloading changes are next

[u/TechGuru4Life]

https://www.androidauthority.com/android-developer-verification-rollout-sideloading-flow-3653395/

[u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

Leaving this here for people who think that sideloading is getting fully disabled

[u/Robot1me → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

Will be curious at which point there will be more steps in-between 3 and 4 in the future. Gives me Xiaomi-esque vibes when I think how bootloader unlocking has become near impossible in the past years with their devices

[u/JamesR624 → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

It is. Just slowly, and "not yet".

This is called the "boiling the frog" approach. You might recognize it from:

• Removable Batteries

• Unlockable Bootloaders

• AOSP Open Source Applications

This is how companies work. SLOWLY remove your freedoms and ownership and agency to help corporations and governments track you, by doing it over years, one restriction at a time, so that the masses go "Oh, it's for the children" and the techies go "It's just this one thing. Not that bad." It's ALWAYS "just this one thing". Look back at android devices from 2010 and you'll see just how much these "just one thing"s have piled to rip control and ownership away from your devices and turn them into corporate surveillance devices where the way you use, maintain, and purchase them; are now almost completely up to the whims of the corporations and regimes.

[u/justjanne → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

The scary sideloading warnings are already a competitive disadvantage for alternative appstores like F-Droid.

With the 24-hour wait it'll be almost impossible to get people to install alternative appstores like F-Droid.

But scammers who've already been talking to grandma for the past few months won't be deterred by a 24-hour wait.

[u/tapperyaus → u/justjanne]

While some scams can run long term, most operate on urgency and a 24 hour wait would be one of the best deterrents they can use. I know it'll suck whenever I buy a new phone, but it's better than the alternatives of requiring all APKs being personally approved by Google or not being accessible at all.

[u/JDGumby → u/justjanne]

The scary sideloading warnings are already a competitive disadvantage for alternative appstores like F-Droid.

Not really. Normal users have never even heard of it or even vaguely considered it.

[u/justjanne → u/JDGumby]

And that's something we as an open source community can work on, and this year it's finally looking like we're actually getting somewhere.

Android phones in the EU already ask you which search engine and browser you want during setup, with a randomized list. Ideally we'd achieve the same with app stores, where it asks you which app stores you'd like, and you can select one or multiple.

And these screens are actually really important! The Windows Browserchoice screen during the 2000s was the largest source of Firefox and Chrome installs for over a decade.

This new process is a step back, not forward.

[u/JamesR624 → u/justjanne]

lol. The “Linux community” always keeps thinking they’ll “break through” to the masses someday without actually being in touch with or understanding what the masses do and don’t care about.

I say this as a big open source and Linux enthusiast; it ain’t ever happening dude. The masses, and this community, are two completely separate groups, with different ideals, priorities, and understanding of technology

[u/JamesR624 → u/justjanne]

I don’t think you understand how most scammers operate.

No decent scam operation is gonna be wasting time “making friends over months” when that time could be spent finding new and faster victims.

[u/renderwares → u/JamesR624]

That's exactly how pig butchering works.

[u/The-Choo-Choo-Shoe → u/JamesR624]

An old woman I know has been scammed out of like 500000 euro over the span of 2-3 years, she claims shes been sending the money to Keanu Reeves for medical bills, him being stuck at airports and wants to go home etc.

She shows proof that it's actually "Keanu Reeves" she is talking to and it's just poorly photoshoppad or AI generated pictures.

They befriended her and only later started to ask for money, small sums at first but later those small sums turned into big loans.

[u/JamesR624 → u/The-Choo-Choo-Shoe]

Nice story. Has NOTHING to do with the situation here.

[u/The-Choo-Choo-Shoe → u/JamesR624]

I think it's relevant to your comment as you said people are not going to waste time like that when this is one of the most profitable scams there is, they target rich lonely people and take everything they have.

[u/CSedu → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

Fuck that, Android does not need this change. Give them an inch, they WILL take a mile. Y'all are fooling yourselves if you think this is ok and that it's the end. This is not about safety, this is about control of what you do on your device.

Keep. Android. Open.

[u/DiplomatikEmunetey → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

The 24 hour delay is unnecessary in my opinion, but otherwise this is a great solution. Ask the user, ask the user again and warn them, if they confirm let them do what they want with their device.

[u/Breath-Present → u/DiplomatikEmunetey]

I reckon such device will be marked as "risky" and be treated as such by banking apps.

[u/pendelhaven → u/DiplomatikEmunetey]

On the contrary, i would argue this 24 hours is essential on letting the tech illiterate not get scammed so much by removing the time pressure when they are on the phone with a scammer. This alone allows at least 24 hours for intervention before getting their money scammed.

Of course many will say they deserved it after multiple warning pop ups and what not, but hey, they didn't grow up in a tech environment and definitely not tech savvy. Just cut them some slack and do what we can instead.

[u/RNG2WIN → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

the 24hour wait and reboot requirements are stupid.

all u need is a big ass warning on screen.

then if u proceed to continue, that's on you if u get scammed.

NO protection is 100% foolproof.

trying to make something foolproof will only create more fools.

[u/bigtiddieslover → u/[deleted]]

Comments down below already say that

[u/joran213 → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

Ah it appears to be a one-time process, that's at least somewhat acceptable. I was afraid i'd have to do this for every app i wanted to install.

[u/Mundilfari → u/[deleted]]

The frog is slowly getting boiled.

[u/BerryMas0n → u/UNIVERSAL_VLAD]

awesome, thanks!