Google plans to restrict sideloading of Android apps: Difference between revisions
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{{ | On 25 August 2025, '''[[Google]]''' announced that starting in 2026, the company will block the installation of Android apps from outside the Play Store unless the developer has verified their identity with Google. The policy will first roll out in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026 with global enforcement targeted for 2027.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Frey |first=Suzanne |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=A new layer of security for certified Android devices |url=https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Android Developers Blog}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/25/google-will-require-developer-verification-for-android-apps-outside-the-play-store/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=TechCrunch}}</ref> This marks a significant change to Android's long-standing support for sideloading apps and has sparked debate among developers, consumers, and digital rights advocates.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=2025-08-26 |title=Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register |url=https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829170329/https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/android_developer_verification_sideloading |archive-date=2025-08-29 |access-date=2025-08-26 |website=The Register}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |first= |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/810335/google-will-block-sideloading-of-unverified-android-apps-starting-next-year |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=BleepingComputer}}</ref> | ||
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==Background== | ==Background== | ||
{{ | The open-source Android operating system has historically allowed [[sideloading]], the installation of apps from outside the Google Play Store. Users would need to enable "unknown sources" in their device settings to make this possible. This level of openness distinguished Android OS from Apple's restrictive iOS that does not allow sideloading. Alternative android app stores, such as F-Droid, Amazon's Appstore, and web downloads from sites like APKMirror, thrived under this model.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Dallas |date=14 Sep 2024 |title=The Wild West days of sideloading on Android are officially over in this week's news |url=https://www.androidpolice.com/weekly-android-news-roundup-september-14-2024/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Android Police}}</ref> | ||
== | Over time, Google introduced restrictions to the open-source operating system citing security concerns. In 2023, Google began requiring Play Store developers to verify their identities in order to reduce "impersonation and malware."<ref name=":0" /> Android versions 13 and 15 further limited what sideloaded apps could do, blocking access to sensitive permissions for apps not installed through Google's channels.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Rahman |first=Mishaal |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Google wants to make sideloading Android apps safer by verifying developers' identities |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/android-developer-verification-requirements-3590911/ |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=Android Authority}}</ref> These steps appear to have laid the groundwork for Google's new, broader enforcement. | ||
=== | ==Timeline== | ||
On 25 August 2025, Google announced that '''apps can only be installed on certified Android devices if their developers have verified their personal identity with Google'''.<ref name=":0" /> Developers must register through a new Android Developer Console, pay a one-time $25 fee (except for hobbyists or students, who will have a separate free path), and provide identifying details such as legal name, address, and government-issued ID.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> Apps must also be registered with their signing keys to prove ownership.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
The rollout will proceed in stages: | |||
== | *'''October 2025:''' Early access program for select developers. | ||
*'''March 2026:''' Verification opens for all developers worldwide. | |||
*'''September 2026:''' Enforcement begins in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
*'''2027:''' Targeted global rollout, eventually covering nearly all certified Android devices.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> | |||
The new system applies to certified Android devices which are phones and tablets that ship with Google Mobile Services (e.g., Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi). Devices running uncertified AOSP builds or custom ROMs (e.g., GrapheneOS, LineageOS) are not subject to this restriction.<ref name=":2" /> However, uncertified devices often face their own sideloading and app compatibility due to SafetyNet/Play Integrity checks.<ref name=":2" /> | |||
==Google's response== | |||
Google framed this new policy as a necessary security measure to reduce malware, fraud, and impersonation. The company stated that malware is "50× more common outside the Play Store" and that anonymity allows bad actors to evade accountability.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Suzanne Frey, VP of Product for Android, likened the change to an ID check at the airport: verifying who the developer is without inspecting app content.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
Google emphasized that it will not review or police apps distributed outside the Play Store for content, only verify developer identities.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Google's move gained support from some industry and institutions, including the Developers Alliance, Brazil's banking federation FEBRABAN, and Indonesia's Ministry of Communication and Informatics, all of which praised the move as protecting users from fraud.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> | |||
==Consumer response== | ==Consumer response== | ||
{{ | The announcement sparked backlash in online communities. On [[Reddit]], users accused Google of gradually eroding Android's openness.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1n0f5zt/google_will_block_sideloading_of_unverified/ |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref> Many argued that Android is becoming indistinguishable from iOS, with some stating that they may switch to operating systems from Apple or Linux since Android's openness was its key advantage.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schenck |first=Stephen |date=27 Aug 2025 |title=With developer verification, I'm struggling to think of Android as a proper smartphone platform |url=https://www.androidauthority.com/android-developer-registration-3591988/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250828113543/https://www.androidauthority.com/android-developer-registration-3591988/ |archive-date=28 Aug 2025 |access-date=28 Aug 2025 |website=Android Authority}}</ref> | ||
Independent developers raised concerns that hobby projects or sensitive apps (e.g., protest tools, ad-blockers) would be stifled since not all creators are willing to submit government IDs to Google.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 Aug 2025 |title=Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45017028 |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=Hacker News}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=26 Aug 2025 |title=Google wants to verify all app developers' identities |url=https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/25235-google-wants-to-verify-all-app-developers-identities |url-status=live |access-date=26 Aug 2025 |website=GrapheneOS Discussion Forum}}</ref> Open-source communities, including GrapheneOS developers, argued this would discourage FOSS development and give Google exclusive control over Android's ecosystem.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sarang |first= |date=2025-08-26 |title=Finally Over: Google Blocks Sideloading of Android Apps |url=https://www.androidsage.com/2025/08/26/google-blocks-sideloading-of-android-apps/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250827201805/https://www.androidsage.com/2025/08/26/google-blocks-sideloading-of-android-apps/ |archive-date=2025-08-27 |access-date=2025-08-27 |website=Android Sage}}</ref> | |||
Conversely, some security experts and industry groups welcomed the move, calling it a reasonable compromise that still allows third-party distribution while deterring anonymous malware authors.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Critics countered that determined attackers could still exploit stolen IDs, and that this introduces a "choke point," giving Google leverage over all app installs.<ref name=":3" /> | |||
Regulators had not formally responded within the first 24 hours, but commentators noted that the change resembles Apple's Developer ID system on macOS and that it may be Google's way of tightening control while remaining compliant with the EU's {{Wplink|Digital Markets Act}}.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" /> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{ | {{Reflist}} | ||
[[Category:Incidents]] | |||
[[Category:Android]] | |||
[[Category:Google]] | |||