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Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

9to5google.com

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Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#171

Post by asdff »

gethly wrote: post #96

> Google will begin to verify the identities of developers distributing their apps on Android devices, not just those who distribute via the Play Store This is absolutely unacceptable. That's like you having to submit your personal details to Microsoft in order to just run a program on Windows. Absolutely nuts and it will not go as they think it will.

Why would it not go as they think it will? The big guy always wins against the little guy. The fact they make this move suggest they know it is a sure bet.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#172

Post by chasil »

mid-kid wrote: post #104

They have the ecosystem by the balls. Phone manufacturers in recent years have been making unlocking & modifying their devices more and more difficult, google and app developers have been cracking down harder on modded devices by implementing TPM equivalents in the hardware to sign and verify that your system is a google-appproved one, and alternatives still are decades behind in terms of app ecosystem. I think they…

Unless they give F-Droid access, the antitrust prosecution will double.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#175

Post by cesarb »

The reason I chose the Android ecosystem over the Apple ecosystem, once I found out that the Maemo/Meego ecosystem was a dead end and the Openmoko ecosystem was a non-starter, is that the Android ecosystem allowed me to develop and install my own apps on my own devices whenever I wanted to, without arbitrary limitations like having to periodically plug the phone into my computer to renew some authorization. Additionally, there was even for some devices the possibility of rebuilding the whole operating system with any changes I desired.

If I'm not allowed to develop and install my own apps on my own phone, what advantage does Android have over Apple?

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#176

Post by luke-stanley »

abeyer wrote: post #155

Even aside from the privacy implications (which aren't trivial themselves,) Doesn't this make it prohibitively difficult to do local builds of open source projects? It's been a long time since I've done this, but my recollection was that the process to do this was essentially you would build someone else's (the project's) package/namespace up through signing, but sign it locally with your own dev keys. A glance at th…

A repo is just files in a directory, so the namespace can be changed, but the whole thing stinks. Having to setup Android signing keys and needing to provide ID is not fun. It means you won't easily be able to run builds on Google certified Android devices that aren't from "approved" people.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#177

Post by Hilift »

rkagerer wrote: post #115

I've grown increasingly hateful towards both my Android and iOS devices over the last decade. The platforms themselves are increasingly user-hostile, and their appstores are crammed full of shitty, privacy-invading, telemetry-hoovering, dopamine-triggering, ad-filled, lipstick-covered apps that are often garbage compared to the pioneering days of mobile. I miss the days of my old Palm Pilot. Is anyone working on fixi…

Mobile in general is a second class ecosystem. You're paying to ride in a bus that most ride for free, and when you sit down it's squishy.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#178

Post by wvenable »

Ms-J wrote: post #60

This is the worst thing to happen to technology in recent times since there is only two major phone OS's. It isn't possible to ban encryption, so the governments have to chip away at security and privacy using these techniques. From: https://developer.android.com/developer-verification "You may also need to upload official government ID." This won't end well for Google or the governments involved when the people get…

> This is the worst thing to happen to technology in recent times since there is only two major phone OS's.

I don't think that's it. The desktop OS situation has historically be similar with 2 major large players and a bunch of insignificant ones.

This comes down to user expectation.

Re: Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android

#180

Post by UncleMeat »

87636899376 wrote: post #14

Official announcement: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-... More info: https://developer.android.com/developer-verification https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ... Personally...we all know the Play Store is chock full of malicious garbage, so the verification requirements there don't do jack to protect users. The way I see it, this is nothing but a power grab, a way…

> Every time I hear mentions of "safety" from the folks at Google, I'm reminded that there's a hidden Internet permission on Android that can neuter 95% of malicious apps. But it's hidden, apparently because keeping users from using it to block ads on apps is of greater concern to Google than keeping people safe.

You've never needed the internet permission to exfiltrate data. Just send an intent to the browser app to load a page owned by the attacker with the data to be exfilled in the query parameters.

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