Google will allow users to sideload Android apps without verification

Summary

We recently announced new developer verification requirements, which serve as an additional layer of defense in our ongoing effort to keep Android users safe. We know that security works best when it accounts for the diverse ways people use our tools. This is why we announced this change early: to gather input and ensure our solutions are balanced. We appreciate the community's engagement and have heard the early feedback – specifically from students and hobbyists who need an accessible path to learn, and from power users who are more comfortable with security risks. We are making changes to address the needs of both groups. To understand how these updates fit into our broader mission, it is important to first look at the specific threats we are tackling.Why verification is importantKeeping users safe on Android is our top priority. Combating scams and digital fraud is not new for us — it has been a central focus of our work for years. From Scam Detection in Google Messages to Google Play Protect and real-time alerts for scam calls, we have consistently acted to keep our ecosystem safe.However, online scams and malware campaigns are becoming more aggressive. At the global scale of Android, this translates to real harm for people around the world – especially in rapidly digitizing regions where many are coming online for the first time. Technical safeguards are critical, but they cannot solve for every scenario where a user is manipulated. Scammers use high-pressure social engineering tactics to trick users into bypassing the very warnings designed to protect them.For example, a common attack we track in Southeast Asia illustrates this threat clearly. A scammer calls a victim claiming their bank account is compromised and uses fear and urgency to direct them to sideload a "verification app" to secure their funds, often coaching them to ignore standard security warnings. Once installed, this app — actually malware — intercepts the victim's notifications. When the user...