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There's one group of Android users Google's new sideloading rules won't affect
(www.androidauthority.com)
this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2026
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The funny thing is this will kill the premium android phone market harder than any other move Google could make.
Incompetent losers, Google is such a massive waste of resources.
I feel like you're overestimating the number of people who buy a Google or Samsung device because they want to install third party apps. A lot of them buy an Android device because they just don't like Apple. Most folks don't install anything from anywhere other than the Play Store because they don't even know there are other choices.
In general, people's preferences are most often born from whatever their first device was, and nothing more, with little interest in what they can do with it other than what's required of them.
I do not understand this statement.
You mean if it's not possible to easily sideload apps, people won't buy premium android phones?
Because if that's the reason, iPhones would be a massive failure.
If everyone in the world was like me and you, yes, the most popular phone would be the fairphone and maybe they would even sell it with a Linux ROM, while iPhones and other phones with locked bootloaders would be impossible to sell even at 95% discount, but we account for the 0.0001%
Installing any apps I want is the only reason I'm on android, if I have to suck it up and bend over backwards for my phone company, I'd buy apple, it's a much better phone most of the time, better build quality, lasts a few more years both hardware level and security update level.
I mean I'm not switching, but some family members who rely on me for advice on what phone to buy, I don't think I can recommend android in good faith.
Yes but ther's dozens of us.....
This isn't going to move the needle at all. Most normal people don't give a shit, and unfortunately the normal people out number us by a lot.
This won't even dent the premium phone market.
People are too fucking stupid. Honestly, why even bother if we're a small fraction of the community.
I wish that were true. But most consumers buy a phone based on a few metrics - the screen (large, bright, vibrant), fast CPU/GPU (mobile gamers), cameras, storage capacity, software support longevity, battery life, general bling (colors, shiny), and pre-chosen platform/cult (Android, iOS).
Techies like us care. But we're very much the exception, not the rule.
And if sideloading can be unlocked and available after a 24-hour wait - as Google suggests - then it'll matter even less.
Frankly most consumers only consider screen size from specs, brand and price (not value necessarily).
almost nobody i know irl installs apps outside google play through direct APK installs (or f-droid)
I run custom apps so its going to slow me down a little having to go through the google dev stuff now. Ive already got a account, I just hope it doesnt slow down the testing phase of the projects.