| ▲ | opan 2 days ago | |
I think I have an old comment about this, but there is an actual `adb sideload` command for installing an apk on your phone from your computer. Since it's from your computer and not the phone itself, it's sideloading and not frontloading, I guess. Weirdly, and wrongly, people have also started to use the term to refer to just installing apps from outside the official appstores, but that's not sideloading. It's just installing an app. It's a normal Android feature. You can just grab a .apk file with your browser and install it like you would a .exe file on Windows. iOS on the other hand historically required a jailbreak for this. I think that's where the confusion started. Android doesn't need a jailbreak, it doesn't need root (privileges), it doesn't need a custom ROM. You can just install stuff, it's normal. I think iOS users don't realize how different Android is and they just start repeating words like sideload and root without knowing what they mean, assuming it's just Android-speak for a jailbreak. They don't realize there's no jail in the first place. I am aware English is a living language, and if enough people are wrong for long enough, they stop being wrong, but it's certainly painful to witness. | ||
| ▲ | ptx 2 days ago | parent | next [-] | |
I always used "adb install" to install programs on my phone from my PC. I never heard of the "adb sideload" command, but my search results [1][2] indicate that the second command is for installing things from the recovery mode, when you don't have the full Android system running. So "install" is the command for installing programs under normal circumstances using the Android installer. [1] https://android.stackexchange.com/a/84248 [2] https://www.androidauthority.com/how-to-use-adb-android-3260... | ||
| ▲ | rpdillon 2 days ago | parent | prev [-] | |
Yeah, words just change meaning and it's frustrating because people generally change them in ways that make their usage more sloppy, less precise. I've had multiple arguments on HN about this with the term open source, but unfortunately you've already lost the battle with sideloading, at least according to Wikipedia. > When referring to Android apps, "sideloading" typically means installing an application package in APK format onto an Android device. Such packages are usually downloaded from websites other than the official app store Google Play. For Android users sideloading of apps is only possible if the user has allowed "Unknown Sources" in their Security Settings.[1] | ||