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missedthecue
How is this superior to sideloading your own APK? Why put it on Play at all?
sham1
From a user's perspective probably nothing, but from Google's perspective, the benefit is more control. Hell, Google is working on closing down sideloading, so this'll probably benefit them.
goobatrooba
I guess it could be easier for users with low skills, and might make updating easier. All depends of course how this works in practice.
_aavaa_
I doubt it, this is just a way to suck oxygen out of the room for non-blessed paths.

If you're vibe coding your app, just ask the AI to install it on your phone for you as well.

s0ulf3re
I’m imagining this being built-in will be a lot more useful if you have multiple android devices. You won’t need to push the APK to each thing every time. Not to mention updating.

I’ve been making a few apps for my Apple devices through Xcode and I basically given up because I have to push the changes every time.

zb3
Apple might do the same, but for $99 annually..
conception
I mean you can do the same today for 99/yr.
goobatrooba
Hey Google, nice starting point. Please widen the scope so I can use these also with my family group. This opens a whole new possibility for family apps where I can share info or files with the kids. Thanks!
deckplecksetter
You can already do that. Vibecode your app, build it as an APK file, send it to whoever you want. No Play Store needed. AI can help every step of the way.