sideload

Or side-load

[sahyd-lohd]

verb (used without object)

1. to transfer software, data, etc., from one local system or device to another, typically from one's computer to a mobile device.

verb (used with object)

1. to transfer (software, data, etc.) by this process.

   It'll take two more minutes to sideload my podcasts to my phone.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sideload¹

First recorded in 1995–2000; in the sense “off to the side,” i.e., not over the internet; patterned after upload and download

Example Sentences

On Monday it released a download kit to make it easier for Android users to sideload the app onto devices.

Read more on BBC

So the app and its updates would remain available to people willing and able to “sideload” them from such sources.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They could help the government enforce compliance by removing TikTok from their app stores, which would force anyone who wanted to install or update the software on their phones to “sideload” it from some other source.

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While there’s always the solution of using Android’s developer tools, a Mac or PC, and a USB cable to sideload the update immediately, an easier, computer-free option exists as well.

Read more on The Verge

US politicians are currently considering a bill, the Open App Markets Act, which would force Apple and Google to allow users to sideload apps, or install them without app stores.

Read more on The Verge