Apps are Now Capable of Blocking Sideloading and Mandating Downloads Through Google Play

Sideloading apps refers to installing apps on a mobile device from sources other than the official app store. It can be done by transferring files between devices or downloading and installing software packages from a website or other unofficial source.

Sideloading apps on Android phones is done for many reasons, but developers also have the right justification to block this. The developer can’t curate which devices can use their app because a sideloaded app won’t contribute to their Play Store stats.

Initially unveiled at Google I/O 2024, the “Play Integrity API” provides developers with novel tools to enhance the safety and security of Android applications. Android Authority has pointed out that the API can also effectively block the sideloading. The Google Play Integrity API is an interface that helps developers “check that interactions and server requests are coming from [their] genuine app binary running on a genuine Android device.”

Also, one of the recent capabilities of play integrity is to verify whether an application is licensed, referring to its installation from the Google Play Store, or not.  

In the past, developers did have alternative methods to detect if their applications were sideloaded before the launch of this feature. However, this modification facilitates the implementation of a simpler type of check for them. 

For now, there is no significant likelihood that how many applications have utilized this particular feature yet; however, some games will probably adopt it. It appears that both the Tesco and Bey Blade X apps seem to be working with this application at present.