Google is cracking down on what users will be able to side load on their Android phones, going forward. New plans laid out by Android developers have announced that by 2027, Google will require app developers to register with Google and verify their developer identity, for side loading APKs, even outside of the Google Play Store. Currently, users can freely install any app they find online, even to their own detriment. As a measure to improve security for the bulk of its customer base, Google is getting rid of that, which could notably impact how a lot of gamers use their phones as emulation devices.

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. 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. This change will start in a few select countries specifically impacted by these forms of fraudulent app scams, often from repeat perpetrators.

Registering with a developer on Google would require app-makers to give their personal information to Google in order to release an app, including in some cases, official government identification. The initial changes will roll out to Indonesia, Singapore, Brazil, and Thailand, in September 2026, with other countries switching over in "2027 and beyond".

Source

 

[rg]

I agree but they're not going to because they don't want to to buy phones for 2000 people.

And you should not want to use your private phone for work.

 

[CoolMe]

will this affect everyone even on old Android versions? im still on Android 10 and don't see myself ever updating, never felt the need to & probably never will. but if they somehow nerf my phone's ability to install apks outside of the google store without any warning or ways to disable/bypass it? im gonna be pissed, im not seeing that happening on any level but just saying

 

[N7Kopper]

Capitalism has always got in the way of the centralisation of power. Open installation of programs is a capitalistic threat to Google's bottom line, so they put their fascist (real definition) hats on to socialise the market.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

will this affect everyone even on old Android versions? im still on Android 10 and don't see myself ever updating, never felt the need to & probably never will. but if they somehow nerf my phone's ability to install apks outside of the google store without any warning or ways to disable/bypass it? im gonna be pissed, im not seeing that happening on any level but just saying

As far as I know Google Play Services can do pretty much whatever they want. Install apps, uninstall apps, block access to something… It runs very privileged.
For example opting in into Advanced Protection Program completely disables side loading (together with a lot of actually good security features such as inactivity auto-reboot, USB blocking, disabling 2G, MTE when available – sadly all or nothing).

If they really *want* to bring this on all supported¹ devices with preinstalled Google stuff, they probably can.

Solution? Getting rid of Google and telling for example banking app devs that they should support third party operating systems without Google. They should stop blending together rooting, bootloader unlock, custom OS all under "Your device is rooted and for security reasons the app will not run!"




_____________________
¹ I mean such devices that still receive latest Play Services, not necessarily supported by manufacturer

 

[CoolMe]

Solution? Getting rid of Google and telling for example banking app devs that they should support third party operating systems without Google. They should stop blending together rooting, bootloader unlock, custom OS all under "Your device is rooted and for security reasons the app will not run!"

Indeed, i don't understand why Google has such power and control on Android os, and why there are no sure way to android forks/alternatives that users can install safely on their phones (without any brick risk) whenever they want to (phone manufacturers are to be for that)? think of it like this: if on windows MS decides that you should only use their shitty ms store to DL & install apps, and only the apps they decide fit their standards, and there's no way to install an app that you want outside the ms store just cause they can, and there are no safe alternative oses linux or else.
2nd why is rooting or changing the stock bloated android os have such a risk? why can't we just install an os, lineageos etc like we do on pcs with any windows version/Linux distros? instead we have to mess around with custom roms taking blind brick risks.. what a sad state of mobile big brother-topia we are heading into (/living in)..

 

[JuanMena]

I'm not THAT invested in Technology, most of my entertainment and work requires me to be offline (aside comunication)... that said, this won't affect me greatly... but wasn't that the whole purpose of Android as an OS in the first place? That is, "to be free" or whatever?

What I'm having problems in the future though, is the unavailability of fixing/reinstalling boot images with "unnoficial methods" (i.e. you not having the actual paid license to fix your stuff) so this whole issue might be hidding more consecuences towards the consumer.

My call is to get a current Android device (Android 18?) which should be enough for most stuff in the future.
Apps doesn't run on Android versions, they only require the correct ARMv7 - ARMv8 in order to be installed, so with that said, any Android app/utility from 2025 onwards shouldn't be affected by this measure, which only leave us with a myriad of basically free software.

In the meantime, keeping old devices in good shape and making own .apk backups of software is imperative for future proof.

Meh... nothing new... with each passing decade, consumers has less and less rights.

 

[NostalgicMillennial]

One of the big takeaways from this thread is that people don't realize that this isn't blocking sideloading as a whole. This is just Google taking aim at what they currently do not control. Their plan is to force developer verification and certification for all application installs. This means that sideloading will still work, you just will not be able to install any APK you find on the internet without it having been released by a verified developer.

So you can kiss 99.9% of github freelance APK's goodbye

 

[chrisrlink]

offtopiic android go edition is bad enough I have lifeline through the US government and i cant even run an app to scedule rides to medical appointments

 

[XRTerra]

All I'm saying is that the base iPhone 17 looks like a pretty decent buy all things considered.

 

[smileyhead]

It seems that you will continue to be able to install apps without verification through ADB:

https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/faq

 

[tech3475]

It seems that you will continue to be able to install apps without verification through ADB:

https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/faq

So enough to stop the casual user installing a dodgy TV app, but not a complete block.

That said, I was hoping for at least this as I do every now and then write an app for myself.

 

[XRed_CubeX]

It seems that you will continue to be able to install apps without verification through ADB:

https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/faq

"As a developer", now we need to figure out whether I, who wake up in the morning and decide to install the first APK I see, can do so or whether I need to be certified as a developer.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

It seems that you will continue to be able to install apps without verification through ADB:

https://developer.android.com/developer-verificati"We can install everything with ADB so no problem."on/guides/faq

And now the whole thing gets wrongly(!) declared as "nothing burger": "We can install everything with ADB so no problem."

This opens more questions than it answers. Does it persist after disabling ADB or do we need to permanently expose developer options (bad idea on productive devices!)? Can end users update installed unverified apps without ADB? Will it stay like this or just become more locked in the future? Why pay 25 bucks (administrative costs… my a..)? → Nice app that you have there… wouldn't it be a shame if nobody could install it?

Freedom is taken away gradually. This stops any protest dead in it's tracks until it is too late. This whole security theater should be exposed as just this: theater unrelated to security.

 

[gnmmarechal]

And now the whole thing gets wrongly(!) declared as "nothing burger": "We can install everything with ADB so no problem."

This opens more questions than it answers. Does it persist after disabling ADB or do we need to permanently expose developer options (bad idea on productive devices!)? Can end users update installed unverified apps without ADB? Will it stay like this or just become more locked in the future? Why pay 25 bucks (administrative costs… my a..)? → Nice app that you have there… wouldn't it be a shame if nobody could install it?

Freedom is taken away gradually. This stops any protest dead in it's tracks until it is too late. This whole security theater should be exposed as just this: theater unrelated to security.

It's just the usual, slowly boiling frog

 

[CMDreamer]

Time to turn my eyes into HarmonyOS.

Funk Google if they do this. My device, my rules.

 

[Afeohtan]

Rooting is a bypass for this nonsense.

 

[Jayro]

Well the fun part is this also blocks installation of most rooting applications. Apparently they are also considering now blocking ADB which would basically make rooting impossible.

All phones support wireless charging now, so there's really nothing stopping phone makers from ditching the data port entirely. It's only a matter of time when they do, and then we'll have considerably less attack vectors and the phones will be nearly impenetrable data fortresses.

 

[ikynx]

Pixel + GrapheneOS + unpriviledged GPlay + moving away from Google dependencies: non-google apps/services + googleless-versions of apps by installing from accrescent or obtainium.

 

[Jogarr]

I reckon they only did this because of piracy, as in piracy of their own apps like Youtube. How would they be even allowed to do this? They've been in legal trouble before for doing monopolistic shit a bunch of times already.

 

[druidsareus]

This was the nail in the android coffin for me. I switched to apple. My first iPhone in over 10 years