Unfortunately, the path that Google seems to have chosen to change Android is putting a strain on one of its greatest attractions. And everything indicates it. will now prevent APK files from being installed on mobile phonesThe intention is for apps to be downloaded directly from the Play Store.
It’s curious, then. It looks like a role reversal between Google and Appleas the latter is about to allow parallel installation of apps on their mobile phones. In the meantime, Google withdraws this same possibility. In any case, this is a change that has been noticed in one of the functions of the Google Integrity API and that its developers will be able to implement it as they wish. We tell you all the details below.
Google Play Blocks APKs: All Apps Must Be Installed From Play Store
From Android Authority They say that the Integrity API now has a new feature. This allows developers It may occur while installing APK files on a mobile phone. This gives them the freedom to stop or block the file from downloading and even installing it if they managed to get there.
The inner workings of this novelty, I would analyze any APK file you try to install from an alternative library to Google Playto give developers the option to block or not block the said app. The user will see a warning that says “download this app from Play”. If you ignore it, you may or may not be able to continue installing the app, depending on what its creators prefer.
If the decision is to block the app, The only way to reuse it is to download it from the Play Store. This will erase all the data from the previous APK file. It seems that several popular apps are already adopting this measure. TikTok is one example and in the case of popular apps like ChatGPTIt is impossible to download them from other sources.
Does this benefit Android users? While the Play Store is the “official option” for downloading apps, does not eliminate the main defects. It is often home to malware despite its security protocols (up to 600 million viruses were downloaded from this library in 2023) and application ratings can be purchased, to name a few of its current problems.
The ability to opt for other application libraries as alternatives to the Google Play Store has also allowed users get updates that would otherwise be difficult to install if they downloaded it from the Play Store. The freedom to install APK files is undoubtedly one of the major attractions of Android, and With this measure there is no doubt that it is in danger.
And you, What do you think of this news?
