Google extends support to help developers prevent app sideloading: Report

Google has upgraded its Play Integrity API to assist developers in preventing the sideloading of their apps, according to a report by Android Authority. The Play Integrity API is an interface that "helps you check that interactions and server requests are coming from your genuine app binary running on a genuine Android device." The interface checks for signs such as whether the app has been modified, tampered with, is running in an unreliable software environment, or if the device has activated Google Play Protect.

Essentially, Google allows developers to prevent sideloading of their apps on Android devices. Play Integrity is the successor to SafetyNet Attestation and offers additional features for developers.

According to Android Authority, similar to SafetyNet Attestation, developers can invoke the Play Integrity API at any point in their app and receive an Integrity Verdict to decide their next steps. Some apps invoke the Play Integrity API upon launch and, depending on the verdict, may block access, while others trigger it only during sensitive actions and issue a warning to the user. With the Play Integrity API, it is easier for apps to determine if the device and software environment are "genuine," and with the recent API update, apps can also detect if the user is "genuine."

Sideloading of apps on Android devices is common, but developers prefer to avoid this practice. A sideloaded app is not counted in the developer’s metrics on the Play Store and limits the developer's control over which devices can use their app. Sideloaded apps may experience issues such as crashes or missing features.

In related news, Google has made it slightly more challenging to sideload apps by allowing developers to break their apps into smaller components, such as different files for languages, device types, and Android versions.