I've been dismayed to see the news in the past few weeks about Android effectively killing "true" sideloading (i.e., entirely out of Google's control). One recent post did suggest they'll provide an escape hatch for "advanced users" but I'm not super optimistic about how that gets implemented.
My current phone is old and getting slow so I've been pondering how to prepare for this change. I use (and need to use) a mix of F-Droid and Play Store apps, so I'm not such a die-hard that I insist on using only FOSS. But I'd like to do what I can to keep that option open. I've considered various options when getting a new (but fairly cheap, mid-grade) phone: trying to disable OS updates; trying to find a reasonably cheap phone that's compatible with an alternative like Postmarket; doing nothing and hoping the "advanced" escape hatch is actually workable. Switching to Apple is a bridge too far for me. :-)
I'm curious if other people here are thinking about how to react. What will you do if this goes through and sideloading becomes impossible or impractical? Also curious from a developer perspective for those who have apps on F-Droid or the like: how will you distribute your apps in the future?
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Ask HN: How are you preparing for the impending Android sideloading changes? · HackerTrans
My current phone is old and getting slow so I've been pondering how to prepare for this change. I use (and need to use) a mix of F-Droid and Play Store apps, so I'm not such a die-hard that I insist on using only FOSS. But I'd like to do what I can to keep that option open. I've considered various options when getting a new (but fairly cheap, mid-grade) phone: trying to disable OS updates; trying to find a reasonably cheap phone that's compatible with an alternative like Postmarket; doing nothing and hoping the "advanced" escape hatch is actually workable. Switching to Apple is a bridge too far for me. :-)
I'm curious if other people here are thinking about how to react. What will you do if this goes through and sideloading becomes impossible or impractical? Also curious from a developer perspective for those who have apps on F-Droid or the like: how will you distribute your apps in the future?