Google's new Advanced Flow is Another Step Towards Killing Android
After the terrible addition of forced Developer ID Verification, Google is now introducing yet another ingenious idea to combat scams; named Android Advanced Flow, it puts in place additional steps and hoops for the user to jump around if they want to install applications from outside of the Play Store. This new mechanism - which replaces the simple and logical "Install Apps From Unknown Sources" which we've been accustomed to - consists of tedious and unnecessarily long 10 steps:
Enable Developer Mode by tapping the software build number in About Phone seven times
In Settings > System, open Developer Options and scroll down to “Allow Unverified Packages.”
Flip the toggle and answer a scare screen confirming that you are not being coerced
Enter your device unlock pin/password
Restart your device
Wait 24 hours
Return to the unverified packages menu at the end of the security delay
Scroll past additional scare screen warnings and select either “Allow temporarily” (seven days) or “Allow indefinitely.”
On the next scare screen, confirm that you understand the risks.
You can now install unverified packages on the device by tapping the “Install anyway” option in the package manager.
Although it helps reduce scamming of tech-unsavvy individuals, it is an overkill approach, and the idea that Google is closing the Android ecosystem more and more overshadows their good intentions in caring for its users. Between this change and developer ID verification starting next year globally, most users will not bother to go through all the trouble to install an app that is not from the Play Store. Which is precisely what Google wants.
