Android Developer Verification: Difference between revisions
Bythmusters (talk | contribs) I think it's a funny image but it's not suitable for an informative article. Maybe it could exist somewhere else |
"Open... except apps we dislike." "Don't you dare own permanent local backups of YouTube videos!" - the corporate doublespeak is extremely in-your-face. |
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|Description=A planned restriction that forces developers to submit their identity to Google and pay a fee for their apps to be installable onto Android devices. | |Description=A planned restriction that forces developers to submit their identity to Google and pay a fee for their apps to be installable onto Android devices. | ||
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On August 25th, 2025, [[Google]] announced an upcoming application installation restriction on Google-certified [[Android]] devices, requiring '''all''' developers to register | On August 25th, 2025, [[Google]] announced an upcoming application installation restriction on Google-certified [[Android]] devices, requiring '''all''' developers to register and verify their real-life identity through the Developer Verification program and be approved by Google before their apps can be installed on Android devices. This requirement extends to '''''all''''' installation methods including "[[sideloading]]", third-party app repositories like [[F-Droid]], and direct APK installations. Google stated that this change "keeps the ecosystem open".<ref>[https://archive.today/2025.08.26-115350/http://web.archive.org/web/20250825180832/https://developer.android.com/developer-verification Android developer console | Android developer verification | Android Developers]</ref> | ||
This is a giant shift from Android's traditionally open ecosystem and an abandonment of Android's founding principles.<ref>[https://archive.today/2012.12.04-171030/http://source.android.com/about/philosophy.html Philosophy and Goals | Android Open Source] (2012)</ref> It gives Google the ability to censor apps they dislike, such as those that can create permanent local backups of YouTube videos outside of Google's ecosystem (a popular example being TubeMate), in addition to giving governments the ability to order Google to censor unwanted apps, similar to what already happened with Apple in China.<ref>[https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/apple-censoring-its-app-store-china Apple Is Censoring its App Store for China] - Tech Transparency Projects</ref> | |||
==Take action, make our voice heard== | ==Take action, make our voice heard== | ||