16
May
139387-attlogo

AT&T Sending Out An OTA Update To Allow Sideloading On Select Devices

Posted by in Aria (Liberty), AT&T, Captivate, Inspire 4G (Ace, Stallion), News

If you happen to own a Samsung Captivate, HTC Aria, or HTC Inspire 4G, then the dream of many, many Android owners on AT&T is about to be yours - the ability to legitimately sideload apps. AT&T lifted its sideloading-barrier on the newly released Samsung Infuse 4G, and naturally, the question arose: What about older Android devices? Now we have our answer.

att-sideloading

This means that you will be able to enjoy the little pleasures that other Android users currently have - like the Amazon Appstore and non-market apps like wireless tether. According to the above document obtained by Android Central, the OTA update should start rolling out today to the aforementioned devices, so make sure to let us know when you get yours.

05
May
at&t

Hell Freezes Over: App Sideloading Coming To AT&T - Maybe The World Really Is Ending This Year

Posted by in Android OS, AT&T, News

AT&T has taken a lot of heat from Android fans, and for good reason - they were the last of the four major US carriers to truly embrace it, and even then they made the controversial decision to block users' ability to sideload apps - i.e., install apps not offered on the Android Market. Their intentions were only to protect users from "bad apps," but of course this also meant that users have been unable to install any type of beta apps or, more notably, the Amazon App Store. Fortunately, they plan to reverse this decision going forward, as Senior VP of Mobile Devices Jeff Bradley announced:

"I think we'll go more open.

05
May
samsung infuse 4g mobile

Samsung Infuse 4G Allows Sideloading Apps, Has AT&T Finally Changed Its Ways?

Posted by in AT&T, Infuse 4G, News

It's shaping up to be quite a day for AT&T users, isn't it? First the Infuse 4G announcement, and now even bigger news: it appears that the aforementioned device also allows apps to be sideloaded! As you may remember, AT&T has blocked sideloading since its first Android device - the Motorola Backflip. Sure, there have been ways around that restriction, but it's a simple service that all Android users should be allowed to enjoy.

According Phillip Berne, the Infuse 4G that he has in hand does indeed allow apps to be sideloaded. This is really great news for AT&T users across the board, as maybe the tides have finally turned and all users will be able to enjoy the little things in life - like the Amazon Appstore and its free premium app of the day.

20
Jul
AC_SWM

AndroidCentral Cooks Up A Program To Install Off-Market Apps To Devices That Can't (*Cough* AT&T *Cough*) - No Root Required

Posted by in Apps/Games, Development, Devices By Manufacturer, News

Normally, to sideload (install from outside the official market) an Android app, you need to enable the "Unknown sources" option in Settings > Applications, then copy the app anywhere on the SD Card, and install it via a file manager, such as Astro.

Unless, of course, a certain entity removes the whole option altogether, making it impossible to install off-Market apps unless you root. Aria, Backflip, Captivate, X10 all have this problem. There was a workaround with HTC Sync that "mistakenly" allowed sideloading, but that hole was patched by HTC shortly after.

However, there is light at the end of the tunnel.