Google has introduced developer verification as a brand new layer of safety for putting in Android apps, although US builders won’t face the brand new requirement till 2027 or later.
Introduced August 25, the coverage is meant to raised defend customers from repeat unhealthy actors spreading scams and malware via app downloads. Starting subsequent yr, Android will begin requiring all apps to be registered by a verified developer with the intention to be put in on licensed Android gadgets. The trouble offers essential accountability and makes it more durable for malicious actors to quickly distribute dangerous apps.
Google suggested builders to think about the process like an ID test on the airport, which confirms a traveler’s identification individually from baggage screening. The developer’s identification can be confirmed however Android authorities won’t evaluation the content material of the app or the place it got here from. The preliminary rollout is deliberate in international locations particularly impacted by fraudulent app scams, which regularly come from repeat perpetrators. The brand new verification requirement will go into impact in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in September 2026. Apps on licensed Android gadgets in these areas at the moment should be registered by a verified developer. Plans name for rolling out the necessities globally in 2027 and past. Verification opens for all builders in March 2026.
