Android users can once again download the Parler app on their devices, albeit not officially through the Google Play Store. Since early January, Parler users have had no real option to access the service either through the apps or the website. However, that is now beginning to change as the company looks to re-establish its presence online.
Following the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots, Amazon Web Services ended its relationship with Parler and canceled its hosting in the process. Effectively, removing the service from the internet. Soon afterwards, Apple and Google responded in a similar fashion by removing the Parler apps from their respective app stores. Earlier this week, Parler returned to the internet after finding a new hosting company.
While the website has returned online, access to the Android and iOS apps remain unavailable through official channels. However, Parler is now offering a way for Android users to manually download and sideload the app to their devices. The Parler website not only provides direct download links to the APK for Android versions ranging back to Android 7 (Nougat), but also instructions on how to download and install the app through sideloading. At present, there is no similar option available to iOS users and that’s unlikely to change in the future.
Sideloading Apps Comes With Issues
Sideloading apps is not a great idea, as it does bypass the many protections that companies like Apple and Google put in place through their app stores. Due to this, sideloaded apps tend to come with higher security risks compared to apps that have been vetted and downloaded through the usual channels. However, for some companies it is the only solution. For example, when Fortnite was removed from both app stores over a disagreement related to digital purchases, sideloading the app remained the only option for Android users.
When it comes to iPhone, downloading apps removed from the App Store is a lot harder to do. Unlike Android which makes it relatively easy to sideload apps (or entire alternate app stores), iOS is far more locked down, resulting in the ability to sideload an app all the more harder. While it is not impossible to sideload an iOS app, it does require more steps including “jailbreaking” the iPhone. All of which is likely to put the device at an even greater security risk than usual. With these points in mind, it is generally not advisable to sideload apps on either Android or iOS devices, irrespective of whether it’s Parler or any other app.
Source: Parler