Google rolls out controversial new Android sideloading process with 24-hour wait

Full text

TL;DR

Google has started rolling out Android’s advanced flow for installing apps from unverified developers.

The sideloading process includes a restart and a 24-hour wait, while ADB remains exempt from the verification requirement.

The rollout comes ahead of developer verification enforcement, which starts September 30 in four countries.

Google’s controversial new rules for installing apps from unverified developers are getting very real fast. We first learned in March that Android would introduce a new process for users who still want to sideload those apps, complete with a 24-hour waiting period. Google has now started rolling out that “advanced flow” ahead of the first checkpoint for developer verification.

The news comes from Google’s Android Community Engagement Manager Mishaal Rahman (formerly of this parish), who announced the rollout in a post on the r/Android subreddit . Google is calling this the first version of the advanced flow and says it’s rolling out gradually, so you may not see the new setting immediately. The post also fills in several important details about how the system works in practice.