Since third-party app installer packages do not come from official channels, sideloading lacks quality control. Virtually all apps downloaded from the Play Store are secured with Google Play Protect, which monitors your library for potentially harmful apps and runs security checks before they’re installed on your Android device, as Google explains; sideloading via APK files leaves you without that safety net. Pirated apps are also distributed through APK packages, which means the developers who created the titles don’t get your support if you download them that way. However, piracy is not the only concern when sideloading APK files. Malicious vendors can inject adware or malware into a standard app, compromising the health and security of your Android smartphone or tablet. Adware can make the user interface experience boring at best or unusable at worst, and malware delivered via APK files can spy on you and steal sensitive information like passwords and personal files.
Because of this real risk, Android has built-in security features to prevent downloading malicious apps, i.e. Android does not allow app installs from unknown sources by default. On Android 7 and earlier, this access had to be enabled globally, but newer versions of Android give users finer, more granular control over which apps can be installed using APK files. Either way, you should stick to more trusted APK repositories such as F-Droid if you want to operate outside of the Play Store, and you should also avoid shady hack-focused sources. If you need to install an app from a third-party source, try running the APK file through a virus scan before installing it to make sure it’s (hopefully) safe.
Since third-party app installer packages do not come from official channels, sideloading lacks quality control. Virtually all apps downloaded from the Play Store are secured with Google Play Protect, which monitors your library for potentially harmful apps and runs security checks before they’re installed on your Android device, as Google explains; sideloading via APK files leaves you without that safety net. Pirated apps are also distributed through APK packages, which means the developers who created the titles don’t get your support if you download them that way. However, piracy is not the only concern when sideloading APK files. Malicious vendors can inject adware or malware into a standard app, compromising the health and security of your Android smartphone or tablet. Adware can make the user interface experience boring at best or unusable at worst, and malware delivered via APK files can spy on you and steal sensitive information like passwords and personal files.
Because of this real risk, Android has built-in security features to prevent downloading malicious apps, i.e. Android does not allow app installs from unknown sources by default. On Android 7 and earlier, this access had to be enabled globally, but newer versions of Android give users finer, more granular control over which apps can be installed using APK files. Either way, you should stick to more trusted APK repositories such as F-Droid if you want to operate outside of the Play Store, and you should also avoid shady hack-focused sources. If you need to install an app from a third-party source, try running the APK file through a virus scan before installing it to make sure it’s (hopefully) safe.