The freedom to get software from third-party sources on smartphones has become an issue that has gained enough buzz that governments and regulators are getting involved as if it’s the right thing to do. Although Apple is usually the main target on these issues, and there are indications that it may back down in the near future, Google is also taking similar steps. improve the third-party store experience on Android 14.

That iOS has been criticized more than Android on the level of freedoms gives all the logic in the world if we see that the latter has always allowed the installation of third-party stores, even if it was in exchange for deactivating certain barriers and leaving them. with some limitations compared to the Play Store. Added to this is the Open Source nature of Android, which allows you to create branches of the system by removing all Google technology.

In addition to what we all already know, Google added an API to Android 12 that allows third-party stores to update apps without user interaction, resulting in less friction with the Play Store. However, this was not a complete match as it still put third-party stores at a disadvantage as there was no mechanism to easily check that updates could safely proceed. Fortunately, Google seems to have fixed this the implementation of a new API in Android 14 that would allow third-party stores to update securely.

A new API that Google added to Android 14 will allow third-party stores to verify that certain conditions are met before proceeding to auto-update apps. API whose name is PackageInstaller.InstallConstraintsexplains through its documentation that it “can be used in app stores provide automatic updates without interrupting the user experience (what is known as a soft update); For example, an app store can delay updates when it detects that the app to be updated is communicating with the user.

Among the things the API can check is whether the app has an active service in the foreground when the update is attempted, whether it’s communicating with the user in some way, or whether it’s currently being projected across the screen. It will also allow you to check if the device is inactive or make a phone call, and specify verification conditions, all with the intention of making the update experience as smooth as possible.

In addition to smooth updates, another feature introduced in the API is the update owner, which will allow third-party stores to be the exclusive source of the app. For example, this would prevent the Play Store from updating an app from F-Droid since it’s in both stores. With this mechanism, if the app comes from F-Droid, that store will be responsible for updates, even though new permissions will need to be granted to third-party stores to do so. ENFORCE_UPDATE_OWNERSHIP.

As a final outstanding feature PackageInstaller.InstallConstraints it is? third-party stores require user consent before performing an installation sessionwhich could be useful, possibly to prompt the user before refreshing the app in the background.

One likely situation is a security-focused app store that wants the user to know when an update adds new permissions instead of an automatic and unattended update. In case the user is not present when the update starts automatically, the third-party app store will have to monitor the installation session and notify them later.

As we can see, Android 14 aims to incorporate important and useful changes for third-party stores that will be able to work in the system in a more organized and functional way. However, this does not absolve the user of the responsibility to ensure that the third-party store is trustworthy.