Google claims sideloaded apps are dangerous, but the Play Store is where the real scams live

Google claims sideloaded apps are dangerous, but the Play Store is where the real scams live Credit: Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek By  Bertel King Published May 31, 2026, 1:45 PM EDT Bertel is a lifelong tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience writing thousands of articles about Android devices, Linux, and more. Before joining the How-To Geek team, Bertel wrote for the likes of MakeUseOf , MakeTechEasier , and Android Police —at the latter he wrote over 3,500 articles. He delights in helping others decide which tech to bring into their lives... and which tech to do without. Bertel graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2012 with degrees in History and Government. He has spent his entire career since as a tech journalist covering Android, Linux, Wearables, Web Apps, and more. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Add Us On Jump links Jump Links The Play Store is hardly a safe place to look for software Google could do so much more to educate users about threats Google is guilty of the things we need to be protected from follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Google is changing the way we install Android apps from developers that haven't registered with Google. There will be ramifications for those of us who use Android with open-source apps and alternative app stores. Google says these changes are in the name of security, and that's valid—but what about the far more numerous and far more dangerous threats that exist inside the Play Store? The Play Store is hardly a safe place to look for software It is not a store I trust my parents to navigate on their own Starting soon, Android users will need to wait at least 24 hours to install apps from developers who have not verified themselves with Google . Google says this move is to protect against ransomware and similar scams where people a