Android 14 Might Block Sideloading For Some Apps

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Android 14 Might Block Sideloading For Some Apps

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Android is often praised for supporting app downloads that don't come from official sources like the Google Play Store. For the iPhone, the opposite is true: Apple only allows users to download apps from the App Store. But as some push Apple to allow third-party app stores and even unpublished downloads, Google will take a different approach with Android 14.

While Google won't be as strict about sideloading as Apple is, Android 14 appears to be blocking the installation of older sideloading apps.

Apple often cites privacy and security as reasons for developing iPhone and iPad apps on Mac. Apple wants apps to be safe for iPhone and iPad users, and the only way to make sure that's true is for their own employees to test and review.

Therefore, installing apps from an untrusted source (unpublished download) is not supported on iPhone and iPad. At least it's not officially supported by Apple.

It looks like Google is considering a similar approach for Android 14. The company wants to improve privacy and security on Android. One way to do this is to block potentially malicious apps from running on Android devices, regardless of their source.

ALSO READ:Meta Uncovers 400 Malicious Android, IOS Apps Designed To Steal Logins

According to 9to5Google , Google updated the Play Store policies earlier this month. They require new apps from the Play Store designed for at least Android 12.

For now, these requirements only apply to Play Store apps. This means that developers can create any application and allow users to download it at any time.

However, the new code change suggests that Android 14 will tighten up the API requirements. Therefore, older applications cannot be installed on Android. This affects both Google Play Store apps and third-party app stores and apps that users choose to download;

If the minimum installable version of the SDK application is enabled, block the installation of applications with a target SDK version lower than required. This helps improve security and privacy because malware can target older versions of the SDK to forcefully avoid new API behavior.

Android 14 will only block apps that target older versions of Android, at least initially. However, the threshold will increase in Android 6.0. Google may continue to update its minimum requirements as new versions of Android are released.

ALSO READ:Android 13 Update Disrupts Android Auto In Some Pixel Phones

This is not a total ban on app downloads. Google is just trying to prevent malicious apps from running on Android phones.

However, Android 14 hasn't been released yet and won't be released for several months. When it arrives, it will be in a very early developer beta, which most Android fans can avoid. The first public beta will arrive in the spring, with the final version of Android 14 expected this summer.

It will be interesting to see how regulators who want to allow app downloads on the iPhone react to Google's plan to restrict downloads of unpublished apps.

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