Android 14 will block certain apps from running on Android phones, and sideloading them will be impossible – what you need to know.
Android is often praised for supporting sideloading for apps that don’t come from official sources like the Google Play Store. And the opposite is true with the iPhone, where Apple only lets users download apps from the App Store. But just as some put pressure on Apple to allow third-party app stores and even sideloading, Google is about to deliver a different approach with Android 14.
While Google isn’t about to take as hard a stance as Apple on sideloading, Android 14 will reportedly block outdated apps from being installed, sideloading included.
Apple has often cited privacy and security as the reasons why it prefers to curate the app experience on iPhone and iPad compared to the Mac. Apple wants apps to be safe for iPhone and iPad users, and the only way to guarantee that is to use its own staff to test and approve them.
