News and insights on the Android platform, developer tools, and events.
  1. Does this mean sideloading is going away on Android?

Absolutely not. Sideloading is fundamental to Android and it is not going away. Our new developer identity requirements are designed to protect users and developers from bad actors, not to limit choice. We want to make sure that if you download an app, it’s truly from the developer it claims to be published from, regardless of where you get the app. Verified developers will have the same freedom to distribute their apps directly to users through sideloading or through any app store they prefer.

  1. Making APKs available to your test team

If your team’s current test process relies on distributing APKs to testers for installation using methods other than adb, you will need to verify your identity and register the package. This also applies if you make APKs available to your test teams through Google Play Internal Testing, Firebase App Distribution, or similar solutions through other distribution partners.

  1. Do I still need to register my apps if I’m only distributing to a limited number of users?

We recommend you register. It’s a simple, one-time process that will allow anyone to download and install your app. However, if you prefer not to, we are also introducing a free developer account type that will allow teachers, students, and hobbyists to distribute apps to a limited number of devices without needing to provide a government ID.

  1. What can I do to prepare for developer verification?

The best way to get ready and stay updated is to sign up for early access. We’ll start sending invitations in October.

We recommend you participate in developer verification because, even though verification is not required to develop apps with Android Studio, you will need it to distribute apps to certified Android devices. Apps installed through enterprise management tools on managed devices will also be installable without being registered.

  • pulsewidth@lemmy.worldEnglish
    41·
    1 day ago
    1. Does this mean sideloading is going away on Android?

    Absolutely not. Your sideloaded app will simply refuse to run if the developer has not verified themselves with Google. This will cause any older app that is no longer updated to fail, as well as any apps by developers whom dislike Google’s repeated monopolistic behaviour, and opt-out of the program. In short, most apps currently sideloaded will no longer be able to. We call this ‘sideload rightsizing’. We will also be keeping users safe by suing the developers of apps we don’t like, such as Grayjay, FreeTube, NewPipe, Shizuku, and Magisk - this will be much easier with their government IDs showing their legal names and addresses.

    Ftfy Google.

    • ඞmir@lemmy.mlEnglish
      3·
      17 hours ago

      Isn’t the Magisk dev working at Google now? Would be funny if they sued him

      • pulsewidth@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        9 hours ago

        I haven’t used Magisk in some time, admittedly wasn’t aware of this. However I see that since he was hired, Magisk seems to no longer have a goal of bypassing SafetyNet or obfuscating itself. Any issue logged about bypassing it or failures using banking apps, etc simply get automatically closed on the GitHub issue registry. So while Magisk still aims to give root and manage access to it, it no longer touches anything related to hiding root access or obfuscating itself from detection since topjohnwu went to work for Google…

        So yeah he’s not gonna get sued, he has been bought.

        I could be wrong though, this is only 20 mins of research, so take it with a grain of salt.