Samsung becoming more like Apple

Samsung Galaxy phones now stop you from sideloading Android apps by
default

Samsung is enforcing a new “Auto Blocker” on new Galaxy smartphones,
which, among other protections, blocks users from sideloading Android
apps on their device.

“Auto Blocker” has been a part of Samsung Galaxy smartphones since the
Android 14 (One UI 6) update. The feature initially was designed with
protections for malware or USB hijacking, but has since been updated to
include the blocking of sideloading apps on Samsung Galaxy devices with
One UI 6.1.1 (alongside a new set of “Maximum Restrictions” that are
turned off by default) as detailed on a support page.

As such, Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 are the first devices
to ship with this new sideloading restriction out of the box. We missed
this in our initial setup of Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6 (h/t Android
Authority for highlighting this), but have since confirmed it is
present on a fresh Galaxy Z Fold 6 during setup. During the initial
setup process, a page appears that informs users of Auto Blocker
restrictions, and allows them to be turned off.

This setting is turned on by default, so if you don’t turn it off, your
Galaxy device will block sideloading of APKs (as well as unapproved app
stores).

If you happen to miss that page, though, you’ll be met with an error
message when trying to sideload an app as pictured below.

But, thankfully, this isn’t a permanent change.

By going into Settings > Security and privacy > Auto Blocker, you can
toggle the feature off quickly and easily. From there, you can go back
to Android’s default sideloading behavior, where each app is
individually allowed to sideload after you’ve given it permission.

This same change will likely apply to other Samsung devices running One
UI 6.1.1 which, so far, includes the past few generations of Samsung
foldables and Galaxy S devices. For previous versions of One UI, this
change won’t apply, at least for now.

https://9to5google.com/2024/07/23/samsung-galaxy-sideloading-android-apps/

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"A zebra does not change its spots." ~ Al Gore