Google to Allow One-Tap Android App Installs From Approved Third-Party Stores Outside U.S.

Summary: Google opened applications for a Registered App Stores program that lets approved third-party Android stores install and update apps with one tap, without the usual per-install and per-update confirmation screens, starting December 1 on devices running Android 17 QPR2 or later in supported countries outside the US. Stores must pass identity checks, submit their full catalog and every new app and update for ongoing malware scanning, obtain explicit user consent for each install, and remain liable for catalog content, while Google charges additional screening fees if more than 1% of install attempts or more than 2% of apps are found potentially harmful over 30 days.
Bottom line: Google will not moderate content in registered stores and states each store stays responsible and liable for everything in its catalog, so the malware-scanning arrangement and the 1% and 2% thresholds are the only stated backstops. IT administrators can block registered stores from managed devices, but Google's program pages do not say whether that block applies to a store that is already installed.

Read the original at The Hacker News ↗