Google is making sideloading harder, but Android fans aren’t giving it up

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Installing apps from sources beyond the Play Store, or sideloading as many refer to it, is a practice that I undertake daily. Dozens of apps on my phone are installed from alternative app stores , be it GitHub, F-Droid, or beyond, and usually offer unique features and functionality that you simply won’t find on apps listed on Google’s platform. Just look at Breezy Weather , an app that, while appearing similar to Pixel Weather, offers a wealth of additional functionality. However, I will admit that downloading and maintaining apps from external sources is certainly more difficult and tiresome than simply getting them from the Play Store.

Google is also rolling out more stringent measures to introduce additional friction when sideloading apps. While these measures, which include a new series of checks, a 24-hour delay, and a mandatory phone restart, are intended to make it more difficult for scammers to target vulnerable users, they also make it more cumbersome for power users to install safe apps from reliable, external sources.

This begs the question: Is it still worth sideloading apps from alternative sources? We wanted to know how our readers view sideloading apps, so we ran a poll; the results are below.

We received just under 2,200 votes in this poll, and the results certainly suggest that installing apps outside the Play Store isn’t a practice that’ll fade away any time soon. In fact, 47.5% of respondents say that the “hassle” of installing apps beyond the Play Store is “always” worth it. A further 36.6% of voters say they’re happy to undertake sideloading, but “only for certain apps.” In summation, more than four in every five respondents don’t mind jumping through a few hoops to install non-Play Store apps. That’s a number that’ll give Google a headache.

It’s worth noting that many users haven’t yet received Google’s advanced flow for sideloading apps, so I’d expect the results to change considerably once this rolls out to more users. Nevertheless, it’s clear that the majority of voters still believe the Play Store isn’t the be-all and end-all of Android apps. That’s arguably a more pertinent problem for Google to solve in the years to come.

Notably, there is still a loyal Play Store user base. 16% of respondents exclusively use the Play Store for their Android app diet.

Have you received the new Android advanced flow for sideloading apps? What is your favorite app that you’ve downloaded from beyond the Play Store? Drop your comment down below.