From 2026, only verified developers can distribute Android apps, reshaping security and openness across the platform.

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

"Android will require all apps to be registered by verified developers in order to be installed by users on certified Android ...

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

Google being able to ban developers operating outside the Play Store transforms Android into an iOS-like walled garden. When ...

Google announces developer verification requirements that effectively end Android sideloading freedom, transforming the open ...

Google used to do very little curation of the Play Store (or Android Market, if you go back far enough), but it has long ...

Currently, developer verification is already required for the Play Store but not for apps installed from other sources. Today ...

Google is widening its developer verification requirements to include all apps that can be installed on certified Android ...

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

Google is tightening security measures around Android app distribution, the company announced on Monday. Starting next year, ...

Google's new security initiative will require all Android app developers to pass verification before their apps can be ...