Android’s new sideloading guardrails are now official in four countries

Google announced a new process of sideloading apps on Android back in spring this year, and Android users had mixed feelings about it, to say the least. Google argues that the new rules prevent scammers from pressuring people into installing malicious apps, and four countries are now getting the changes.

Every phone running Android 7 or later in Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia now requires users to enable the option in Developer Options, authenticate, restart the device and wait 24 hours before being able to sideload unregistered apps. The setting allows users to sideload…