Android 7.0 Nougat developer preview will now show an application's install source in the app info interface. The new list item comes at the bottom, under the subheader "Store." This field is populated by a string obtained through getInstallerPackageName method, previously only accessible via a manual query. This string can be filled by a third party app store (such as Amazon, whose Appstore currently does this), or left blank in the case of an application that has been sideloaded.

As you can see in the hero image above, the Pokemon GO APK I sideloaded shows as having been installed by the package installer. Installing the same app from the Play Store will tell you it's been installed from, you guessed it, the Google Play Store.

Those of a more conspiratorial bent have long pointed to this string as a potential source of future DRM or anti-sideload measures, but there is absolutely no evidence to support such a conclusion. In reality, exposing this string is likely going to be most helpful for customer support agents looking to identify potential rogue apps on a customer's smartphone - not be used by a developer to go about banning you for sideloading their app. It also makes it easier as a user to identify where your apps came from if you're utilizing multiple stores or installation sources.