[traceroute66]

> need all the business documents as well, like a privacy policy even if its just a small public app on the playstore

And this is a bad thing why exactly ?!?!?!

If you respect your users data and right to privacy then you've got nothing to hide by publishing an EU compliant privacy policy.

It might be "just a small app", but I and many other people still very much still "do give a damn" about what the hell you do with my data, where you store it, how long you store it and how I can exercise my GDPR rights.

[sevenzero]

Because if I want to provide an app to like 5 people I know personally, I am soon forced to do so via the Playstore due to Google disabling sideloading on Android. So now I am forced to inform myself about all the bullshit documents I never cared for beforehand. Yes I know what I am allowed to do with my users data, no I don't send it to some data brokers, yes I already comply to privacy laws and whatnot. Just requiring some official document that you have to let a lawyer take a look at is beyond me.

[dgellow]

You don’t need a lawyer to create privacy terms. You can literally write a markdown file hosted on GitHub where you explain that you don’t track anything (assuming it’s the case). You also don’t need to publish something publicly to the stores to share with friends, you can both side load (no it’s not disappearing) and have test versions that your friends can install

[sevenzero]

Its not disappearing but Ill have to sign the apps with my google developer id. Also I want them to be able to simply click an install button over having to figure out what an apk is.

[purerandomness]

Be mad at Google [0], not at privacy laws.

[0] https://keepandroidopen.org/

[ric2b]

That's Google forcing you to publish your app publicly, not the EU.

If they allow you to side load you won't need to make the app publicly available and so won't need a privacy policy.

[akramachamarei]

Google has not disabled sideloading on Android. It will become a little more complicated, but still very easy.