You can still sideload apps. While the change is ridiculous, you still can sideload apps. They just make it significantly more painful to enable sideloading.
this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2026
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Android
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Yeah, except for developers who don't want to give their ID to Google. Those apps won't be able to be installed on standard android devices at all as far as I can tell.
The situation is pretty confusing, but you're still gonna be able to side load unverified apps. The "advanced flow" that makes sideloading obnoxious to do is specifically for unverified apps, whereas verified apps (where devs have to fork up their ID to google) can be installed without any hassle.
I see. Safe to assume the confusion is part of the design.
The other problem with this is that this is all controlled through the Play store API, not your device, so they can yank your access to all of those unverified apps any time they want and say "actually, no verification = no run, fuck you, pay me"
If you don't think they will, that they're not just dying to do exactly that and squeeze people just that little extra bit more for YT Premium subscriptions or whathaveyou, ask the people who had their movies yoinked from their library with no warning by Sony (over fucking licensing costs, at that, not even hurting their profits directly) if they thought that would ever happen and how it worked out for them.
And apps that google simply won't approve, like ReVanced.
I'm lucky I bought a Pixel some years ago, I have been using it stock but I've been backing up all my shit this last month in preparation to put graphene on it. It'll be a cold day in hell before they force me to watch YouTube with ads and no sponsorblock, I'd sooner read a book.
Buy a phone supported by LineageOS. If the phone doesn't have bootloader relocking, you're pretty much trading security for privacy, but it really depends on your threat model. Lineage does support a much wider array of devices, whereas GrapheneOS only supports Pixels (until their partnership with Motorola kicks off), and CalyxOS supports Pixels, Motorolas, FairPhones and the Shiftphone 8.
CalyxOS, huh? I haven't heard of that, and it seems to support some fairly reasonable devices.
Fun fact, the guy begins calyx was the first ever to successfully challenge A national security letter ever. The current darknet diaries episode tells that story.
Oh, wow, that's actually super interesting to me. I'm gonna have to look that up, thanks.
I used CalyxOS prior to GrapheneOS, and I'd say Calyx is just as reliable as GrapheneOS. Give it a shot if you have or can purchase a phone that supports it.
I've been thinking about this a lot too. Hard to draw any other conclusion than "the bastards won this round"
Maybe I'll buy a fairphone
Using any other ROM, not made by chronically abusive narcisissts living in their dream world where their own ROM is the only acceptable choice.
Eg. LineageOS. Good chances are it already works on your device.
I'm stupid. Does this mean I can install a new operating system on my phone?
On many Android devices, yes. Which phone do you have?
In addition to the options below, I highly suggest Backmarket pretty good deals on refurbs there too :)
Do they have some kind of deal with Samsung? I looked, and as far as unlocked phones go, the only thing they have for less than $300 is various models of Samsung Galaxy.
Edit: Nah, there's definitely something going on there. I went to the site, clicked Android phones on the first page, and got a listing of strictly Samsung phones.
They have pixel phones as I just checked when I wrote the reply, you just have to scroll or search
EDIT: But i can agree that it's pretty annoying for user interface stuff that they automatically go to samsung :/ the android smartphone category though is bountiful for pixel / motorola