What is sideloading?

Sideloading is the process of installing an app directly from the app developer and not from an official app store. For eg., installing an android app by opening an APK file given by the app developer, installing an app in windows by opening an exe/msi file given by the app developer.

Why do we ask you to sideload our android app?

These are some of the reasons why we distribute our android app as an APK file instead of publishing it on the Google Play Store.

  • There are some policies imposed on us developers by Google on publishing app on Google Play which restrict us from providing you the best experience.

  • Google allows us to accept payments only via its Google Play Billing system in the app that is published on Play Store. Actually, there are policies which allow us to use an alternate payment system other than Google Play Billing to accept payments, but these policies are really complex and hard to follow. By looking at these policies, it seems that Google really does not want us to use any other payment systems.

  • There have been some issues recently in accepting payments via Google Play Billing.

  • Google Play Billing system is very limited in terms of the way we can accept payments and provide services which limit us from giving you the best experience.

  • Google Play Billing system provides us with very limited info about the users who have purchased our services. It makes it difficult for us to contact our users in case of issues related to payment and also makes it difficult to provide you the best experience.

  • The purchases you make via Google Play Billing cannot be used outside the android platform.

Risks of sideloading

It may be possible that an app that you sideload is equipped with malware, spyware and viruses as the app is directly provided by the developer and is not checked by an entity you trust like Google.

Before you sideload any app, make sure you trust where you are downloading the app from and the developer of the app. When you open the app, do not allow any permissions that you think should not be required by the app.