Google is setting up a verification process for all Android app developers

The move is meant to protect users from repeat offenders who spread malware and spam, according to the company [File]
| Photo Credit: REUTERS
Google is setting up an app verification process that will make it mandatory for app developers to be registered before their apps are deployed in Android. Once this is set up, the process will be rolled out in a select few countries in 2026. The move is aimed at protecting users from repeat offenders who spread malware and spam, according to the company.Android has implemented verification requirements on Google Play in 2023, and the team is working on a new Android Developer Console aimed at developers who only distribute outside of Google Play, “Starting next year, Android will require all apps to be registered by verified developers in order to be installed by users on certified Android devices. This creates crucial accountability, making it much harder for malicious actors to quickly distribute another harmful app after we take the first one down,” said Suzanne Frey, VP, Product, Trust & Growth for Android, in a blog post. “Think of it like an ID check at the airport, which confirms a traveler’s identity but is separate from the security screening of their bags; we will be confirming who the developer is, not reviewing the content of their app or where it came from,” she added. However, the move attracted criticism from users who worried that sideloading apps would become more challenging. Others likened the move to Apple’s more walled garden structure for its apps. Android, meanwhile, stressed that its system was an open one. “To be clear, developers will have the same freedom to distribute their apps directly to users through sideloading or to use any app store they prefer. We believe this is how an open system should work—by preserving choice while enhancing security for everyone,” said the company in its blog post. The verification requirements will open for all developers from March 2026, and the requirements will take effect in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026. READ MORE Published – August 28, 2025 02:10 pm IST