226
NewPipe, other open-source apps are preparing users for Google's sideloading crackdown on Android
(www.androidauthority.com)
this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2026
226 points (99.6% liked)
Android
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TL;DR
- Developers of open-source Android apps, including NewPipe, have begun warning users about Googleβs upcoming sideloading restrictions.
- NewPipeβs developers refuse to comply with Googleβs proposed verification rules.
- The app has started to inform users of ways to bypass hurdles, including the proposed 24-hour lockout period before installing βunverifiedβ apps.
Also; fuck Google.
How the fuck are open source apps a "legally grey area"!?
Yeah I am pretty pissed off that this article is conflating issues by even suggesting this.
The legal grey area they are alluding to is ad blocking. I don't think it's grey but that has to be what they are saying.
But the article is about third party apps and Google being a fuckwit.
This waters down the discussion, and is a unnecessary diversion.
Ad blocking isn't even a legal grey area, it's legal (as it should be, ads are a major attack vector for malware and scams).
I agree with you, yet I am sure there are lawyers who will argue that it would be against their terms of service.
I am with the old school crowd: you put stuff on the internet however you like, and I will render it however I like.
Their TOS can get fucked and it's certainly not law: They're free to deny service or ban users if they like, but I'm sure that'd go over like a lead balloon.
~~side~~loading (or: installing)
I feel like if I paid a thousand bucks for a device I should be able to do whatever the fuck I want with it. Fuck Google.
Crackdown? Cracking down on installing applications? These articles perpetuate Google's bullshit framing.
Your fault for assuming crackdowns are good or well-intentioned.
Laughs in GrapheneOS
Honestly, this still worries me. There is no telling how many apps I rely on will evaporate over the next year. Several devs have already announced sunsetting their projects.
There are a number of projects that rely on on user installs, either because they are small passion projects (it costs money to be on the Play Store), or because they provide a function that is not permitted by Google Play. Without a vibrant community outside of the play store supporting them, it's hard to see how they will all survive.
What if a proxy dev account offered to put up a bunch of devs' apps on the store? Could at least some of them be satisfied by pseudo-anonymity?
This is a double edged sword. You risk hostile takeover if the Dev has bad intentions and you risk suddenly being off the store if the Dev account gets blocked for one of the other apps. For me it would not be worth the hassle.
I suppose if somebody could organize a team of volunteers to pay for the Play Store fees, and take care of the logistics for small devs to get their apps approved, then it might be possible.
Play store charged a one time fee for lifetime. I didn't see it changing.
Graphene is insanely good. It's even better than classic custom roms, since you can actually easily install google play. I'm avoiding Google's stupid crackdowns, getting additional security, all while having most of my stuff still work.
Most apps just work. My games and paid apps still work. Google wallet doesn't work, but I just used my physical cards. McDonald's app doesn't work, but that might've been a benefit to my health.
Overall, couldn't believe a security focused product had such good usability.
I can't get any banking apps to work. I just use their web version in a pinch. Only loss I've experienced.
Have you tried enabling exploit compatibility mode for your bank app? I know that's what fixed it for mine.
My banking app works without use issue.
I really haven't had any issues with graphene.
Hoping that the Motorola partnership will produce some great phones by the time I need to upgrade.
I wish there were a way to easily back my shit up before flashing on my pixel 10 fold.
It used to be "get root, Titanium Backup, wipe & flash, selectively restore app backups". I even paid a whole dollar for TB Pro.
Me too. So easy. Because of that rooting was my first step when I got a new phone. Now I'm dealing with not being able to run bank apps or other things I need. So fun...
I'm confused. Has Graphene said they're not going to comply with Google's policy for installing 3rd party apps?
The policy is mandated for "certified" Android devices. Those have Google apps preloaded and pass Google's remote attestation.
GrapheneOS is not certified and has no plans to be.
This crap from Google requires Google Services (Play, etc) - OS's like Graphene and Lineage don't have those services pre-installed.
I wonder how long it'll be before google services/play refuse to install on anything that is not "Google Certified".
It's already like that on Xiaomi phones for a while. They don't let you install anything outside of Play Store. Even if you install them via unlocking developer options and using adb, they just won't run.
I'm not a GrapheneOS user (yet). However, as I understand it GrapheneOS does not obligate the installation of "Google Play Services" but does permit the installation of the service in a sandboxed environment (or separate profile).
You understand correctly.
Yep. GrapheneOS provides the Google apps that you wouldn't be able to easily get otherwise, but allows you to install them or not. And they come with additional privacy protections.
Join us...
side loading is a dumb word.
Fuck Sundar Pichai.
Tbh, I don't like the coverage they're giving to this issue. It feels like the new restrictions to sideloading are being done in a vacuum (and as though Google had always offered the "advanced workflow" mentioned, which was not the case. It came after popular outcry, IIRC), and not as a new chapter in a history of encroaching on users's freedoms done by a profit-driven company. It feels like the concerned users are overblowing the situation and that "reasonable" users need not preoccupy themselves.