this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2026
614 points (98.9% liked)

Technology

79061 readers
2764 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.

Our Rules

  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related news or articles.
  3. Be excellent to each other!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
  10. Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.

Approved Bots

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
L3s@lemmy.world
enu@lemmy.world
technopagan@lemmy.world
L4s@lemmy.world
L3s@hackingne.ws
614
Android won't kill sideloading after all, but new verification rules will make it harder (www.techspot.com)
submitted 2 days ago by Gsus4@mander.xyz to c/technology@lemmy.world
116 comments fedilink hide all child comments
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] adavis@lemmy.world 29 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Nah screw needing adb, that absolutely kills free and open source software stores like fdroid, and fdroid have said as much that Google's then planned signing requirements would lead fdroid to stop.

The only way I'd even be remotely OK with another adb requirement is if

  1. it's a requirement to unlock the ability to install unsigned apps, ie it's not to an install an app but set a flag
  2. #1 becomes a requirement for Google certification so all manufacturers have to allow it
  3. It doesn't cause other types of attestation to fail that we see with unlocked, rooted and third party roms failing certain checks preventing some apps, most commonly banking ones from working
[–] UnbrokenTaco@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I think whatever is required for third party apps and stores should also be required for play store. No special treatment for their own files.

Eg: "Warning: Are you sure you trust GooglePlayStore.apk? This software might be harmful."

I reckon that Google would magically get the messaging exactly right with that requirement.

[–] Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

At least with something like shizuku one can effectively adb to your own phone, so even if adb became required to install non-google-approved apps on one's own phone... It will not block FOSS for long.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

and how do you enable shizuku? you need a PC for that too

[–] Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You do not, it can connect with your own wireless debugging session. https://shizuku.rikka.app/guide/setup/#start-via-wireless-debugging Works since android 11

[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Couldn't they just refuse to sign shizuku and you'd be stuck in a recursive loop of needing a pc anyways?

[–] Fiery@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Then you'd need to run adb once for the first install of fdroid/shizuku. Admittedly not great, but doing that once will not stop many OSS enthousiasts. It would widen the gap between power user and normal user considerably which also isn't great.