Google to block unverified app developers from sideloading apps, with Singapore getting an earlier deadline
Are you an app developer making Android apps? Best to get yourself verified by September 2026.
In a bulletin published on the Android Developers Blog, Google said it’s taking more action towards malware prevention with a new requirement: app developer verification.
In short, to install Android apps on “certified Android devices” (i.e. the phones, tablets, smart TVs, etc. you bought, or will buy from the big brands), these apps must be uploaded by registered, verified app developers.
This includes Android apps that are sideloaded — it must come from a verified app developer, or the sideloading won’t work.
When does Google’s app developer verification start?
Based on the timeline provided in the bulletin, verification will be open to all developers by March 2026, although early access (by invitation only) is expected to begin as early as October 2025.
The policy comes into effect in September 2026, where any app installed on a certified Android device in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand must be from a registered and verified app developer.
From 2027 onwards, the same requirement extends globally.
What’s the difference between this and a verified app on the Google Play Store?
The verified app developer badge.
The move is an update from a 2023 developer verification policy that checked if a legitimate developer or organisation is uploading apps to Google Play or elsewhere.
Essentially, this update means that app developers who don’t host their Android apps on the Google Play Store must still undergo verification to allow sideloading onto certified Android devices.
This update does not significantly impact app developers who are already registered, verified, and uploading to Google Play, as they would’ve had to do so back in 2023 (if not already doing so).
For app developers who prefer sideloading and do not host their apps on Google’s Play Store, Google is introducing a new Android Developer Console to accommodate these developers. The platform isn’t out yet, but Google has already uploaded its instructions here.
Why is Google making it harder for app developers to upload apps?
As long as you’re a legitimate app developer, this should be nothing more than paperwork on your end.
According to Google, it has discovered that internet-sideloaded apps contain 50 times more malware than the ones inside Google Play.
To curb this, one method is to ensure that even sideloaded apps are from the app developers themselves, rather than from malicious sources that disguise their malware as legitimate apps.
By requiring verification, Google said it also helps make it much harder for malicious actors to distribute apps by simply uploading them online — without verification, there’s no way to sideload their apps onto a certified Android device.
Source: Android Developers Blog