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this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2025
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"Sideloading" is their term, invented to make it sound like something it is not. We should not use this word. The correct word is "installing".
You don't "sideload" on Windows when you install software outside of the Microsoft Store™️. There is no real difference or distinction with software on phones, so there is no need for a special word.
I can see Microsoft moving to the same sort of thinking as well. Apple already made Mac OS users jump through hoops when you want to install something from the internet or even through a third party package manager like homebrew.
Microsoft has been trying this for years already. That eventually led to Valve incresing their efforts in the Linux gaming front and releasing the Steam Deck.
See this
I wonder if Valve would ever get into the Linux Phone market.
But for the platform itself to be open, I wonder how much would have to be recreated.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-and-windows-11-in-s-mode-faq-851057d6-1ee9-b9e5-c30b-93baebeebc85
Not to defend it, but the first time I encountered the term was when BlackBerry released their Playbook tablet. It ran their bbos10 and they created an android emulator so you could run some android apps. The process of installing the apk into the emulator was called sideloading.
I miss BlackBerry is all I really wanted to say.
Windows laready has something like this it's called S mode i think. IT makes it so you can only instlal stuff frmo the windows store, but you can disable it pretty easily.
"Install" includes installing from an app store no matter how closed down and exlusive. The correct term would be "install from other sources than an app store" which is just clunky. Calling it "sideloading" won't change that nor will calling it "your mom". Considering how many corporate-speak terms are in use and how many braindead abbreviations and terms shortened to a word's last syllable -completely distorting the original meaning- generally are in use, the term "sideloading" is pretty irrelevant. Either lose your mind listening to the bullshit people permanently are emitting or just live with it...