A new layer of security for certified Android devices
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Thanks for bringing this to attention. I hope there will be still ways to side-load if I want to. I’m a developer, and if I turn on developer mode I want to install whatever I want.
The article also mentions “we are building a new Android Developer Console just for developers who only distribute outside of Google Play“. I wonder about those developers who distribute both on Google Play and also other stores (Samsung Galaxy Store, Huawei App Gallery, etc). That’s me BTW.
I understand the crave for security, but simply keeping up my apps in my account is so much work I can hardly afford. I actually already lost some WearOS watch faces in the store due to some trumped up charges (suddenly a screenshot of the watch face which was OK for many submission failed. It’s a screenshot of the the actual face FFS).
On a positive note: the Pixel Watch 4 has an official way of replacing battery:
- With Pixel Watch 4, Google takes a major leap for repairability (Update: Self-repair details) - Android Authority
- Exclusive: Google Pixel Watch 4 Teardown Shows Easy Repairability | WIRED
I cannot put into words how glad I am they are not following the bad practices of Apple like almost every phone manufacturer. You can still preserve water proofness, and phones can have headphone jack or SD card extension without sacrificing water proof rating. I hope the progress towards Right to Repair continues.
Guess they’re going for the Apple way of things. Sideloading will still be possible as they say, just like you can install an .ipa app in iOS with a temporary certification… I just hope they don’t do that, its just annoying
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