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Google reveals its solution for true Android sideloading: a mandatory waiting period

The Verge / 3/20/2026

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Key Points

  • Google unveiled an advanced flow for sideloading Android apps that will be required after upcoming mandatory developer verification later this year.
  • The move is framed as a concession to critics who argued Android was losing its openness by banning sideloading with unverified developers.
  • The advanced flow is a one-off process rather than a repeated action for every sideload, but it includes a mandatory one-day waiting period.
  • The change signals Android's attempt to balance security and openness in app distribution, affecting developers, device makers, and downstream product decisions.
The Android logo on a black backdrop, surrounded by red shapes that resemble the Android mascot.

Google has revealed the "advanced flow" that will be required to install certain Android apps once the company introduces mandatory developer verification later this year. The company had initially announced that it would no longer be possible to install apps from unverified developers, and the process announced today is its concession to critics who accused it of killing off app sideloading and making Android less open.

The good news is the new advanced flow is a one-off process that won't need to be repeated every time a user wants to sideload an app; the bad news is that part of that process includes a mandatory one-day waiting period.

Read the full story at The Verge.