There’s a saying that goes something like this: if you build a wall, someone will always find a ladder to get over it. And for a long, long time, that’s exactly what Android has been.
It’s the wild garden of mobile operating systems, where the big, fancy Play Store is the main gate, but a whole lot of us have been climbing the wall with an APK.
Well, Google has just announced they’re raising the wall. Not to keep us out, they say, but to keep the snakes out.
So, the news is this: Google is going to require developers to verify their identity, even if they distribute their apps outside the Play Store.
Let’s unpack that. For years, if you couldn’t get your app on the Play Store for whatever reason, maybe it’s a gambling app, maybe it’s just a crazy idea from a student developer in Avondale, you could just host the APK on your website. Your users could download it, go to their phone settings, and tick that little box that says “Install from unknown sources.” Simple. A bit risky, yes, but that was the point. Freedom.
Now, Google is putting a stop to that. They’re bringing in a new “ID check” for developers. Starting with a pilot programme in places like Brazil and Indonesia in 2026, and then spreading everywhere else, you’ll need to essentially show Google your papers to prove you are who you say you are.
Why are they doing this?
The official line is that this is for security. It’s to stop the bad guys, the scammers, the malware pushers, the people who want to steal your money, from creating anonymous accounts and distributing dodgy apps.
And that makes perfect sense. No one wants to install a ZESA Calculator app from a shady character who disappears the moment the fraud is reported.
But let’s be real. This is also about control. Google wants to know who is creating every single Android app, no matter where it lives. It’s a way of extending their authority beyond the Play Store and making sure that even the apps being sideloaded are, at the very least, traceable.
Google started this ID check business on the Play Store only in 2023. Which is wild to think developers could just anonymously publish apps on the Play Store.
Anyway, Google says malware coming into the Play Store dropped massively after that change. In fact, more than 50 times more malware came in through side loaded apps than through the Play Store. Crazy.
Think about the kids
The question for us, especially for the local tech scene, is what this means for the small guy. The guy who’s just built a cool app for tracking kombi routes. The student who’s working on a project that might not pass a Play Store review.
Google says they’ll have a lighter verification process for them, which is a good thing, but will it be light enough? Or will it be another hurdle to jump just to put your work out there?
This is a move that could potentially hurt innovation just as much as it could reduce bad behaviour. It’s a trade-off. We might get a slightly safer app ecosystem, but at the cost of giving a little more power to the Big G.
It’s not the end of the world, but it’s something. A reminder that even in the “open” world of Android, Google is always the final judge of what goes, and who can play in the sandbox.
So, when you see the headlines about “safer Android apps,” remember to also read between the lines. Because in the world of tech, there’s always more than one side to the story.
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