Google has just revealed that Android users will soon have to wait 24 hours before they can install apps from outside the official Play Store \u2013 a dramatic change for a platform that has always prided itself on being more open.<\/p>\n
And while phones are the immediate target, the same restrictions could eventually land on your Android TV or Google TV streaming device, with legitimate apps \u2013 as well as \u201cdodgy\u201d IPTV apps.<\/p>\n
For the past few months, we\u2019ve been covering Amazon\u2019s ongoing crackdown on sideloaded apps on Fire TV devices \u2013 from the launch of the locked-down Vega OS on the Fire TV Stick 4K Select, to the active blocking of known illegal IPTV apps across all existing Fire TV devices, including here in the UK.<\/p>\n
Now Google appears to be heading in a similar direction on Android.<\/p>\n
What Is Sideloading, and Why Does It Matter? <\/p>\n
Sideloading simply means installing an app on a device from outside its official app store.<\/p>\n
Photo: Deposit Photos \/ Mactrunk <\/p>\n
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On an Amazon Fire TV, for example, you\u2019d normally install apps through Amazon\u2019s Appstore. Sideloading lets you bypass that and install apps directly from elsewhere on the internet.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not inherently illegal or even suspicious. Plenty of people sideload perfectly legitimate apps that simply aren\u2019t available in the official store for whatever reason \u2013 apps their TV\u2019s region doesn\u2019t support, media players with features the official versions lack, or tools for managing their home network.<\/p>\n
But sideloading is also how illegal IPTV apps end up on \u201cdodgy\u201d streaming sticks \u2013 and increasingly, it\u2019s also how scammers get malicious software onto people\u2019s phones.<\/p>\n
That dual nature is at the heart of everything that\u2019s happening right now.<\/p>\n
What Amazon Has Already Done <\/p>\n
Amazon has been under intense pressure from broadcasters \u2013 particularly Sky \u2013 to crack down on sideloading on Fire TV devices.<\/p>\n
Sky\u2019s chief operating officer Nick Herm publicly claimed in early 2025<\/a> that Fire TV Sticks accounted for roughly half of all Premier League piracy in the UK, and demanded Amazon do something about it.<\/p>\n Amazon\u2019s response came in two parts.<\/p>\n First, in October 2025, it launched the Fire TV Stick 4K Select<\/a> \u2013 a new streaming stick running a completely new operating system called Vega OS, built directly on Linux rather than Android.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Because it\u2019s a fundamentally different platform, Vega OS simply doesn\u2019t support sideloading at all. Only apps from Amazon\u2019s official Appstore can run on it \u2013 full stop.<\/p>\n Then Amazon went further by rolling out active blocking of known illegal IPTV apps<\/a> across its entire existing Fire TV range \u2013 every Android-based Fire TV Stick and Cube already in people\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n This was done in partnership with the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), a coalition of over 50 entertainment companies including Netflix, Disney, Sky, and the Premier League.<\/p>\n ACE identifies which apps are providing access to pirated content, and Amazon blocks those specific apps from working on your device.<\/p>\n That blocking reached UK Fire TV devices in February 2026<\/a>, with users seeing a message telling them their app had been \u201cdisabled because it has been identified as using or providing access to unlicensed content.\u201d<\/p>\n The important distinction is that Amazon isn\u2019t blocking sideloading entirely on existing Android-based Fire TVs \u2013 it\u2019s blocking specific apps it has identified as problematic.<\/p>\n You can still sideload other things. The new Select stick is the only Fire TV device where sideloading is completely off the table.<\/p>\n Now Google Is Getting Involved <\/p>\n Back in August 2025, Google announced it was planning to require all apps installed on certified Android devices to come from \u201cverified developers.\u201d<\/p>\n That means any developer distributing an app outside of Google Play would need to register their identity with Google, provide government-issued ID, and pay a $25 fee.<\/p>\n Apps from developers who hadn\u2019t gone through that process simply wouldn\u2019t install.<\/p>\n The reaction from the tech community was swift and pretty fierce. Developers, open-source advocates, and power users all pushed back hard \u2013 arguing it would effectively kill the kind of independent app development that has always been part of Android\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n A coalition of 37 organisations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, published an open letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai urging the company to reverse course.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also an elephant in the room worth acknowledging. The timing of Google\u2019s announcement was, to put it politely, convenient \u2013 coming shortly after Google lost a major antitrust case and was ordered by courts to allow third-party app stores within the Play Store.<\/p>\n Those alternative app stores all rely on sideloading, which led many observers to suggest the new restrictions were less about security and more about Google quietly clawing back control over its platform.<\/p>\n What Google Is Actually Doing Now <\/p>\n After months of pushback, Google has softened its position considerably \u2013 and last week published full details<\/a> of what the new system will actually look like.<\/p>\n The good news is that sideloading is not being killed off. Google has been explicit about that, with Android Ecosystem President Sameer Samat repeatedly stating that \u201csideloading is fundamental to Android, and it\u2019s not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n The less-good news is that sideloading apps from unverified developers is going to become noticeably more of a hassle.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how the new process will work for anyone wanting to install an app from an unverified developer. It\u2019s a one-time setup per device, but it\u2019s deliberately designed to be slow:<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to enable developer mode in your device\u2019s settings You\u2019ll be asked to confirm that nobody is coaching you through this process You\u2019ll need to restart your device Then you wait \u2013 24 hours After the wait, you confirm your identity using your fingerprint, face unlock, or PIN Finally, you can choose to allow unverified app installs for seven days or indefinitely <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve done that once, you won\u2019t need to repeat the whole process \u2013 though you\u2019ll still see a warning asking you to tap \u201cInstall Anyway\u201d for each unverified app you install.<\/p>\n Why 24 Hours? <\/p>\n Google\u2019s justification for the waiting period is actually more reasonable than it might first appear.<\/p>\n The specific threat Google is trying to address is a type of scam that\u2019s genuinely on the rise \u2013 particularly in parts of Asia, but increasingly elsewhere too.<\/p>\n A scammer calls a victim claiming to be from their bank, or claiming a family member is in trouble.<\/p>\n They create a sense of extreme urgency and walk the victim through disabling security settings and installing a malicious app \u2013 all while staying on the phone to make sure they don\u2019t stop and think.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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