Please, let's not act like this is a real solution. It's definitely better than not having that option at all, but:
- 99.5% of users don't even know it exists or how to do it because it's intentionally hidden away
- Because of the above fact, it's generally not viable to develop an application that can only be sideloaded, anything that gets removed from the Play Store usually dies
- Google has recently been moving away from the traditional APK format and towards their new "split APK" structure meaning you cannot sideload apps that were downloaded from the Play Store without a third party app to handle it
They had that choice, and they've chosen not to. This, on one hand, keeps you from side-loading 2GIS, but on the other hand, keeps seniors' iPhones from crapware (as per TLA).
> That's not the problem with Android
The wider problem is what will happen when your side-loaded APK will need to make a TLS connection to 2GIS website, but its TLS certificate has been declared invalid by the cert authority (because sanctions). Or what will happen when the BGP routing protocol will direct the traffic to 2GIS website to go to a sinkhole (because sanctions). Or what will happen when 2GIS web servers from HP and Dell will be rendered inoperable by a remote command (because sanctions).
> it's funny that Europe pushing for side-loading could potentially help with by-passing sanctions.
No doubt Linux, OpenOffice, and RISC-V will be of tremendous help to Putin's Russia.
The crapware they install is from the official app store, not "sideloaded" apps.
PS it's funny that Europe pushing for side-loading could potentially help with by-passing sanctions.