Google Sets Sept. 30 Deadline for Android Developer Verification in Four Countries

Summary: Google will begin enforcing Android developer verification on September 30, 2026, in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, where certified phones will block normal installs of apps from unverified developers across Google Play and the stores run by Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, Honor, and Transsion. The on-device Android Developer Verifier ships to phones on Android 8 and newer starting June 2026, and unregistered apps can still be installed only through ADB or an advanced flow that requires developer mode, a restart, a 24-hour wait, and reauthentication.
What's compelling: F-Droid says the requirement would end its project, and a Keep Android Open campaign backed by more than 70 organizations in 23 countries has asked Google to drop the ID checks for apps shipped outside Play - a single company would sit at the installation path for more than 95 percent of Android devices outside China and decide who gets the smooth lane.

Read the original at The Hacker News ↗