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Google announced this week that it will add a new requirement for those who make Android apps and want them to work on Android devices that run Google services. The developers behind Android apps will soon run through a developer verification program if they want their apps to be able to work on the majority of devices going forward.
Google’s developer verification on Android: In its basic form, this is a new level of security to keep bad apps off of your phone. Google believes that there are malicious actors making fake apps or impersonating developers and tricking you into installing their apps. Those apps then do bad things once on your device. By asking for verification, Google is at least suggesting they are merely asking for a driver’s license of sorts, in order for developer apps to be installable.
Google says it will make this process of verification super streamlined by building a new Android Developer Console for developers who distribute outside of Google Play. Because, yes, we aren’t just talking about developers who distribute through Google Play here (verification started there back in 2023). This new verification would mean that if a developer makes an app and distributes through some 3rd party market or self distributes (with a sideload .apk) and never plans to touch Google Play, their app would be blocked from installing on the majority of Android phones if not verified.
While this probably sounds mostly reasonable, adding a lever that Google could pull at any time to keep an app from working on your phone sounds somewhat heavy-handed. There are certainly bad actors out there, so asking for verification before their apps can work on your phone should stop some bad stuff. However, thoughts on where this could go should raise an eyebrow or two.
Again, this does not impact developers who already distribute through Google Play – they are already a part of verification. This is for anyone who distributes outside of Google Play, either through 3rd party means or as an .apk that can be sideloaded. Google isn’t taking their distribution away, they are creating a special Android Developer Console for them to verify their apps within in order for those apps to work on “certified Android devices” – those with Google services on them.
The plan is to offer early access to this verification in October of this year. Verification for all developers then opens in March 2026. In September 2026, requirements go live for apps distributed in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. In 2027 “and beyond,” the requirements expand globally.
// Android Developers
Read the original post: Google to Verify Developers Before Their Apps Can Install on Your Android Device
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Google’s developer verification on Android: In its basic form, this is a new level of security to keep bad apps off of your phone. Google believes that there are malicious actors making fake apps or impersonating developers and tricking you into installing their apps. Those apps then do bad things once on your device. By asking for verification, Google is at least suggesting they are merely asking for a driver’s license of sorts, in order for developer apps to be installable.
Google says it will make this process of verification super streamlined by building a new Android Developer Console for developers who distribute outside of Google Play. Because, yes, we aren’t just talking about developers who distribute through Google Play here (verification started there back in 2023). This new verification would mean that if a developer makes an app and distributes through some 3rd party market or self distributes (with a sideload .apk) and never plans to touch Google Play, their app would be blocked from installing on the majority of Android phones if not verified.
While this probably sounds mostly reasonable, adding a lever that Google could pull at any time to keep an app from working on your phone sounds somewhat heavy-handed. There are certainly bad actors out there, so asking for verification before their apps can work on your phone should stop some bad stuff. However, thoughts on where this could go should raise an eyebrow or two.
Again, this does not impact developers who already distribute through Google Play – they are already a part of verification. This is for anyone who distributes outside of Google Play, either through 3rd party means or as an .apk that can be sideloaded. Google isn’t taking their distribution away, they are creating a special Android Developer Console for them to verify their apps within in order for those apps to work on “certified Android devices” – those with Google services on them.
The plan is to offer early access to this verification in October of this year. Verification for all developers then opens in March 2026. In September 2026, requirements go live for apps distributed in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. In 2027 “and beyond,” the requirements expand globally.
// Android Developers
Read the original post: Google to Verify Developers Before Their Apps Can Install on Your Android Device
More...
