Google Sets Sept. 30 Deadline for Android Developer Verification in Four Countries
Google has set September 30, 2026, as the day it begins enforcing Android developer verification in the first four countries, and the major device-maker app stores are in from the start. On that date, certified Android phones in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand will block normal installs of apps whose developers have not registered an identity with Google, whether the app comes from Google Play or the stores run by Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, Honor, and Transsion. Certified devices are the ones that ship with Google's services and Play Protect, which, by F-Droid's count, is more than 95 percent of Android devices outside China. Most users will not notice, which is the point. Apps from verified developers keep installing as before. The friction lands on apps from developers Google has not verified, and is hardest on the independent and open-source channels, built on not needing Google's permission to ship. Developers distributing through those stores ne...
Jun 22, 2026