Starting September 2026, a silent update pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID. Google calls the new rule Android Developer Verification. This starts with Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand expanding worldwide in 2027 every app on certified Android phones must come from a developer who has registered their real identity with Google. This covers apps from the Play Store, third-party stores, and sideloaded APKs. Here’s what developers have to do: They sign up in Google’s new verification system, share their legal name, address, phone number, and ID, and pay a one-time $25 fee. Apps from unverified developers will be blocked or come with big warnings and extra steps. Google doing this to fight malware, the company says sideloaded apps are about 50 times more likely to contain bad software than Play Store apps. Android is becoming a little more controlled with all of this changes
