this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
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[–] vortexal@sopuli.xyz 6 points 3 hours ago

While I understand that Google probably hasn't provided the answers yet, I have two questions about this. First, will I need to setup a pin for my devices? I don't normally use any form of a lock screen on my devices and I'd prefer to continue not having them but I know from personal experience that some android devices don't allow you to remove the lock screens after you set them up.

Second, during the 24 hour waiting period, is the device still usable? I know this might sound like a stupid question but Google's vague wording has me wondering.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 42 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

So it's on the same scale as buying a gun in the states.

I didn't realise it was so dangerous.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 7 points 2 hours ago

Not quite. The majority of states have no waiting period to buy a gun and there's no federal law, either.

[–] chortle_tortle@mander.xyz 8 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Political power grows from the barrel of f-droid

[–] sours@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 8 hours ago

It's so weird that they don't take comments on the android developer blog post... Almost like they think it'll be hugely unpopular.

[–] glitchdx@lemmy.world 28 points 9 hours ago (4 children)

google doing their best to make me move to a different platform for my next phone.

anybody know of other options?

[–] Chaser@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 hour ago

I've preordered my jolla phone a few weeks ago. It will arrive around september. Let's hope it don't suck 😉

[–] lb_o@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago

It feels that it is either Linux phones, or Fairphone, or GrapheneOS. We are somewhat fucked.

[–] Nalivai@lemmy.world 9 points 7 hours ago

I don't think anything other than degoogled Android is mature enough to recommend. And it looks like degoogled androids might extinct soon.

[–] muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 22 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Linux phones are about to get interesting.

[–] Nalivai@lemmy.world 17 points 7 hours ago (2 children)

I've heard that 15 years ago

[–] mech@feddit.org 1 points 8 minutes ago

They were interesting 15 years ago, too.
Still think the Nokia N900 was the best phone of all time.

[–] Zink@programming.dev 16 points 7 hours ago

Same with what we were hearing about the Linux desktop!

...yet here we are in 2026 and literally all my desktops have since become Linux, lol.

[–] Wizard_Pope@lemmy.world 126 points 12 hours ago

Stop fucking calling it sideloading. It is called installing an app

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 49 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Google is the epitome of living long enough to become the villain.

[–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 10 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

They changed their "don't be evil" motto years ago. I guess they must have kept two thirds of it.

[–] omarfw@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

A motto was never going to stop them from going sour. Any corporation that gets large enough and is publicly traded is going to attract sociopaths, narcissists and other Patrick Bateman wannabes to the positions of leadership within the corp like sharks to chum. It is a matter of when that gradual shift from good people to bad people takes place, not if.

The problem is that our economy and corporate structures reward the scummiest people because they're the best at making profits.

[–] njordomir@lemmy.world 29 points 10 hours ago

How about a 24 hour waiting period for me to harden my OS before Google slurps up all my data.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 32 points 11 hours ago (5 children)

In these scenarios, scammers exploit fear – using threats of financial ruin, legal trouble, or harm to a loved one – to create a sense of extreme urgency. They stay on the phone with victims, coaching them to bypass security warnings and disable security settings before the victim has a chance to think or seek help.

Does this actually happen? Or they just trying to manufacture consent to all this bullshit?

[–] some_kind_of_guy@lemmy.world 17 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Do calls like that happen? Unfortunately, yes.

Is it a reason to lock down and enshittify every computing platform, every OS, every Internet-connected device until we own nothing, control nothing and can't install what we please?

It's an age old tactic of manipulation to start with something true, exaggerate the threat, and apply it everywhere possible.

[–] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 hours ago

age old

Yeah for sure. I have to deal with a lot of tech-support and similar scam victims, and I always wind up explaining that this con is as old as civilization at least, it's just the location and props that are new.

Lure you in with a benefit or problem solved, ensure that you get lost or disoriented, manufacture fear/uncertainty/doubt, offer a way out, trap is set.

Once upon a time I had someone try to run this same scam on me in meatspace, a big ancient city. Offer a solution to a logistics problem, get me lost in the maze, create new problem of changed conditions, intimidate with new people arriving, and pressure with intense sales tactics on a bullshit product. I wasn't actually lost so just walked away, curiosity satisfied, but some people would have lost a lot of money.

[–] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 5 points 8 hours ago

That does happen. You can see stuff like that on scam baiting videos all the time.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 11 points 10 hours ago

Never seen it and I've worked in banking which I would have thought it would be most prevalent. Seen lots of traditional scams, but never stuff that involves side loading apps. I think the attack surface is just not big enough to make it worthwhile.

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[–] imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com 68 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

To those who think it is a fair compromise: It is not.

Android already had one layer of this shit before. When installid freshly dowloaded apk, android would prompt you to confirm that the source of the apk is trusted. This was not like this before. Before you'd just install apk.

And I agree to a certain amount. But thing is, it was added for no specific reason. People who install apks form outside source, will keep doing it and they 99% of the time know what they are doing or being told to do so by someone who knows what they are doing.

Adding another layer to this wont solve the problem, except make users annoyed for 24h wait time. And this is only adding 1 layer now. Who the fuck knows what is going to be 1 year later. 5 years later?

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 8 points 10 hours ago

No one thinks this is fair. Little old grannys don't side load apps, so they don't need protection.

[–] LightYagami@lemmus.org 11 points 10 hours ago

This is not a solution at all. They want to make sick of users who have to wait a whole day ust to install a fucking app. Fuck them.

[–] compast@lemmy.zip 38 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (11 children)

fuck google. We immediately need linux like alternative to android

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[–] BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world 8 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

So now what's is my motivation to move back to android from iPhone if they are gonna do the same bullshit as apple, hopefully some manufacturers switch to more open android versions like lineage or something

[–] LightYagami@lemmus.org 6 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

iOS is not any better than Android... We gotta wait for other operating systems to emerge.

[–] SethDove@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

Sailfish is an awesome OS. Unfortunately no phones currently support US radio bands. I miss using Sailfish. Ubuntu Touch is a good runner up. Options exist. People are clannish though and don't explore the options. Blackberry 10 OS also was awesome and yet everyone bailed on them. Now we have garbage for choices. I currently run e/OS/ on a Fairphone.

[–] Fizz@lemmy.nz 47 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

This would make sense if google play store wasnt full of malware. Scammers dont need you to sideload malicious apps they just get you to download it from the play store.

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[–] ProdigalFrog@slrpnk.net 31 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (1 children)

it's very clear we have to escape Android and Google entirely, there is no other option.

Please donate to PostmarketOS if you have the means, it gives us a true alternative that is completely community owned, it just needs our support to become polished and to add support for more phones.

We have to support software that's still made for us. While we still can.

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[–] osanna@lemmy.vg 34 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Remember when you used to own shit? Wow. This is beyond fucked. Right now, it’s “one day”. But this is only because they got a shit load of backlash for disallowing ALL installing software without their permission. They WILL enact it. They’ll just wait until people are used to this. Then they will disallow it all.

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[–] rainbowbunny@slrpnk.net 31 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (5 children)

"Sideloading"

Aka avoiding the monopoly app store with your own device

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