https://nitter.net/MishaalRahman/status/1696202317853343922
An ex-Google employee working on Android security also commented on this.
Not gonna like, this has me a little apprehensive due to the fact that my preferred keyboard hasn’t updated in years. You know what would be good, if apps that didn’t update in 5+ years were automatically open sourced.
If you’re a hacker, please update Minuum Keyboard.
I will copy a comment I made a week ago in another thread:
It was five years after her first Android phone that I noticed that when asked to install an app, my aunt proceeded to download an APK from a random website and installed that rather than using the Play Store. In fact, I think she didn’t even know the Play Store was a thing, and she was on her third android phone already.
She isn’t tech-savvy, she did that because that is how she did on Windows. After that, I just accepted that things need to change in a way that might annoy me.
That is to say that while the solution found by Google has a bunch of drawbacks, and I’d prefer if old games and unmaintained apps were left alone, I don’t think it was a totally wrong decision (this time).
I had to borrow an iOS device for some IoT setup because of this issue.
That’s not a great sign about the software and network security of the device itself either. Inb4 IoT botnet.
I don’t disagree. They are Stitch by Monoprice.
@Rouxibeau isn’t it possible to download the apk? Like on APK mirror or other reputable source on the web? I remember there was also a website that grabbed the apk straight from the Play Store if the app was free.
Or you can use Aurora Store if possible. That’s how I got Instagram Lite.
Part of the reputability of APKMirror is that you can verify the integrity of its offerings by comparing their signatures to their counterparts on Google Play. This change removes the ability to do that if you don’t already have a known good copy with which to compare.
Didn’t see it on apkmirror.
@Rouxibeau Oh, alright then.
APKMirror is a great option as alluded in the post, but it doesn’t have every single app, and it’s limited to free apps.
Aurora Store is a good option too, but you can only get free apps with an anonymous account. Those accounts are often rate limited as well.
@FragmentedChicken Of course. If the app is free, I thought there shouldn’t be an issue.
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