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1. Embed this notice
   Fedilab Apps (apps@toot.fedilab.app)'s status on Friday, 29-Aug-2025 04:51:42 JST Fedilab Apps

   #Google is making it necessary for #Android app developers to disclose their personal information to Google. This includes legal name, address, email, and phone number.¹

   Here is the timeline given by Google.²

   1. October 2025
   Start as invite-only

   2. March 2026
   All developers can disclose their identity to Google

   3. September 2026
   "Regional enforcement begins" in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand

   4. 2027 and beyond
   "Global enforcement"

   We will explain more in next posts.

   (1/3)

   • Embed this notice
     Fedilab Apps (apps@toot.fedilab.app)'s status on Friday, 29-Aug-2025 04:51:39 JST Fedilab Apps

     in reply to

     A "certified Android device" means a normal Android phone. If you haven't flashed a custom ROM or a different operating system like postmarketOS to your phone, you probably have a "certified Android device".

     So, if you have a normal Android phone, you will not be able to install apps from developers who are not approved by Google. This gives Google power to block developers and apps it does not like.

     This also applies to apps you might acquire outside Google Play, like from F-Droid.³

     (2/3)

   • Embed this notice
     Fedilab Apps (apps@toot.fedilab.app)'s status on Friday, 29-Aug-2025 04:54:18 JST Fedilab Apps

     in reply to

     Not only this harms your freedom to install any app you want on your own Android phone, but also this is harmful for privacy/anonymity of Android developers who do not wish to give their personal information to Google.

     Sources:

     ¹ https://www.androidauthority.com/android-developer-verification-requirements-3590911/

     ² https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides

     ³ https://hackaday.com/2025/08/26/google-will-require-developer-verification-even-for-sideloading/

     (3/3)

   • Embed this notice
     Fedilab Apps (apps@toot.fedilab.app)'s status on Friday, 29-Aug-2025 07:14:46 JST Fedilab Apps

     in reply to

     • grob 🇺🇦:intersexprogresspride:

     @grob Yes. This might apply to apk installs too

   • Embed this notice
     grob 🇺🇦:intersexprogresspride: (grob@mstdn.social)'s status on Friday, 29-Aug-2025 07:14:47 JST grob 🇺🇦:intersexprogresspride:

     in reply to

     @apps if I understood correctly, also plain apk files will enforce verified developers by only allowing cryptographically signed ones in the OS?

   • Embed this notice
     Fedilab Apps (apps@toot.fedilab.app)'s status on Friday, 29-Aug-2025 14:00:11 JST Fedilab Apps

     in reply to

     • Murdoc Addams 🧛🏻:ri: 🇨🇦

     @murdoc Is it not possible to flash a different Android distribution (custom ROM) to your phone?

   • Embed this notice
     Murdoc Addams 🧛🏻:ri: 🇨🇦 (murdoc@autistics.life)'s status on Friday, 29-Aug-2025 14:00:12 JST Murdoc Addams 🧛🏻:ri: 🇨🇦

     in reply to

     @apps
     Ah yes, freedom for "safety", a song as old as the hills.

     So either I get a non-google phone by 2027, or this one becomes just a phone to me.

   • Embed this notice
     Fedilab Apps (apps@toot.fedilab.app)'s status on Saturday, 30-Aug-2025 07:48:04 JST Fedilab Apps

     in reply to

     • Eckes :mastodon:

     @eckes If you're publishing apps to GooglePlay, you already have to give Google your information, but this new requirement applies also to people who do not publish their apps to Google Play. A develoer who just publish apks to git releases or to an own website, will have to give Google their personal infomation or people with normal Android phones will not be able to install their apps

   • Embed this notice
     Eckes :mastodon: (eckes@zusammenkunft.net)'s status on Saturday, 30-Aug-2025 07:48:06 JST Eckes :mastodon:

     in reply to

     @apps that’s suprising, I thought that’s mandatory since always. Didn’t they marketed this as a main feature of the central stores and wasn’t that needed for developer certificates?