The Google Play Store might soon have a new feature that allows users to update third-party apps, making it easier and more convenient for users. Normally, people download and update their apps from the Google Play Store. It’s an essential part of the Android experience, used by many for smartphones, tablets, Wear OS devices, and Android TVs.
Even though Google prefers users to get their apps from its Play Store, Android users can still install apps from other places. This is called sideloading. While there are some risks if you’re not careful, it’s another way to get apps on your device.
If you’ve never tried downloading apps from third-party sources, it might be worth exploring. While the Google Play Store is the default for most people, there are good alternatives out there. Just be sure to download from reputable sources to avoid any issues.
Google knows that people sideload apps and has added warnings in Android 14 to inform users, though some find these warnings annoying. Now, Google might actually support this behavior by introducing a new way to update these sideloaded apps.
This new feature that allows users to update third-party apps was noted by Android Authority when they looked at the latest version of the Google Play Store app (version 42.0.18). The code in this version hints at a new feature called “Update from Play.” This feature would let users update sideloaded apps through the Play Store.
In practice, this means the Play Store will show which apps weren’t downloaded from it and offer the option to update them either from their original source or directly from the Play Store. This could have several benefits, like making it easier to keep all your apps up to date in one place. However, it will be up to the user to understand what is being updated and how.
Right now, this feature is just in the code, so it’s not yet known when or if it will be available to everyone. If it does become available, it would help users see clearly where their apps come from and provide a smoother way to update them.
