Apps can now block sideloading more easily and force downloads through Google Play
The Google Play Integrity API makes it easy for apps to detect when they weren’t installed from the Google Play Store.
JoriPress
- The Google Play Integrity API lets apps check whether your account is “unlicensed,” meaning you didn’t install or buy the app from Google Play.
- More importantly, the app can then show a remediation dialog that tells you they have to download the app from Google Play to continue using it.
- This remediation feature was introduced back in May during Google I/O and is already being used by some games to block sideloading.
There are many reasons why you may want to sideload apps on your Android phone, but there are also good reasons why developers would want to block sideloading. A sideloaded app won’t contribute to the developer’s Play Store metrics, for one, but it also prevents the developer from curating which devices can use their app. Improperly sideloaded apps can also crash due to missing assets or code, or they might be missing certain features because you installed the wrong version for your device. Whatever the reason may be, developers who want to stop you from sideloading their apps now have an easier way to do so thanks to the Play Integrity API.
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.” It looks for evidence that the app has been tampered with, that the app is running in an “untrustworthy” software environment, that the device has Google Play Protect enabled, and more. If you’ve heard of or dealt with SafetyNet Attestation before on a rooted phone, then you’re probably already familiar with Play Integrity, even if not by that name. Play Integrity is the successor to SafetyNet Attestation, only it comes with even more features for developers.
