The latest strategy of technology companies is to prevent you from installing their Android applications outside of the Google Play store

Some Android applications are starting to block the sideloading of APK files, forcing users to install them from Google Play. This recent measure particularly affects those who use customized versions of Android that do not include the official Google store, leaving them with few alternatives if the application they want to install is not available in the Play Store or is no longer maintained by its developers.

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One of the main causes of this blockage is the new feature of the Google Play Integrity API. As reported by Android Authority, this tool, presented at Google’s I/O conference in May, is already appearing on users’ devices. Specifically, those who tried to load applications like the British store Tesco, BeyBlade X, and ChatGPT, received the message “Get this app on Play”, which cannot be avoided.

The Play Integrity API allows applications to verify if a phone has a “trusted” software environment, which includes checking if Google Play Protect is enabled and if the system has been modified. This way, some popular applications have blocked access on devices with rooted systems, such as the recent case of a two-step verification application that does not work on GrapheneOS, a security-focused operating system.

System developers like Graphene have questioned the reliability of this API, suggesting that applications should not be completely blocked, but only during sensitive actions. However, the lack of connection with Google Play also affects developers, as they lose metrics and could receive bad reviews if their application is installed on incompatible devices.

Both Google and Apple continue to argue that sideloading poses a security risk, while European regulators have already forced Apple to allow it, albeit with certain restrictions.

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