Google is rolling out Android app verification, requiring all developers to confirm their identity. Starting 2026.

Currently, developers who create “sideloaded” Android apps are exempt from Google’s verification requirements.

Google announces developer verification requirements that effectively end Android sideloading freedom, transforming the open platform into a controlled walled garden starting in 2026.

Google will be starting an early access program for verification in October 2025, where participants can join a community ...

Google wants to make sideloading safer on Android by verifiying the identities of developers who distribute apps outside the ...

Google has delivered updates for developers that improve adaptive UI design, AI‑assisted creativity, and faster iteration ...