Desk: Google has announced a big change for Android users. The biggest feature of Android till now was that user could also install the apps outside the Play Store (Apps) in their phone. This is called sideloading. But now this freedom is gradually decreasing. From next year, Google is going to implement a new rule on it.
Google has announced that from now on, only those apps can be installed on any certified Android device which will have been made by verified developers. Till now only the verification of developers who put the app on Google Play Store was necessary, but now the developers who make third-party apps will also have to be verified from Google. Google is going to bring a new Android Developer Console for this, where developers will have to register.
From October 2025, Google will start testing the new system. From March 2026, all developers will get a new Android Developer Console. From September 2026, this rule will first apply in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. By 2027, it is expected that this system will be implemented globally.
According to Google, there is a 50 times more risk of meliware than sideloaded apps. Many times hackers and fraud app developers launch again after getting their app banned. Verification will give Google the identity of real developers and it will be easy to catch fake developers. Google claims that since the implementation of verification on the Play Store in 2023, there have been reduced cases of mailware, fraud and data theft.
Now you will be able to install only those third-party apps whose developer Google will be verified. If an app belongs to the universe developer, then it will not be installed on the certified Android phone. These rules will not apply to some devices in countries like Custom ROMS or China, which do not pre-install Google services.
Recently, Google has suffered a major setback in EPIC Games and Google Case. The court said that Google will also have to give a place to the third-party app store on the play store. After this decision, Google has to bring this new rule to keep more control on app distribution.
