Android Developer Verification: Difference between revisions
"Open... except apps we dislike." "Don't you dare own permanent local backups of YouTube videos!" - the corporate doublespeak is extremely in-your-face. |
Another reason this is diabolical and why Google won't change their minds. |
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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 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> | 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> | 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 renders all existing APK files created throughout the years useless, and 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), and lets them terminate developers out of spite for reasons unrelated to their apps (such as holding political views Google disagrees with), 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== | ||