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A comment on Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet. Parent comment

Re:Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer m... by api on Monday October 13, 2025 @02:20PM (#45571652)
I always found this term utterly bizarre. It first showed up in the early days of the mobile "revolution" and felt astroturfed, since no developer would think we need a fundamentally new term for downloading software. It felt like something some dark patterns team came up with to discourage free installation of software on your own device.

Of course maybe I'm overthinking it. It's common for people deep in the bowels of an industry to invent pointless jargon, like "deplane" for getting off an airplane. Anyone know where the term "sideload" was coined or by whom?

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Re:Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer m... by ncr100 on Monday October 13, 2025 @02:45PM (#45571921)
No I don't know.

But: "side talking" Is a worthwhile distraction to Google and look at Nokia N-gage memes.

I prefer the term "unlocked install". Consumers are already familiar with the terms: locked phones and unlocked phones.

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