Comment by rep_wex
21 days ago
Google to make sideloading Android apps _harder_ by _force_ verifying developer identity for 25$ and bunch of legal documents.
21 days ago
Google to make sideloading Android apps _harder_ by _force_ verifying developer identity for 25$ and bunch of legal documents.
If you read the article you'd see that this is a separate account type that does not have a submission fee or require legal documents. It also doesn't prevent you from side loading. It's just part of the current scare screen system when it comes to side loading.
> separate account type that does not have a submission fee or require legal documents
We do not know yet who will be considered "hobbyist". I would say they might check the user base. When hitting app installation threshold for let say 1,000 users, they will force you to pass the full legal check. Otherwise they will start blocking any further installations.
The only promises on the announcement are:
> Verify your identity
> * You will need to provide and verify your personal details, like your legal name, address, email address, and phone number. > * If you're registering as an organization, you'll also need to provide a D-U-N-S number and verify your organization's website. > * You may also need to upload official government ID.
Only one of those three applies to organizations.
>A note for student and hobbyist developers: we know your needs are different from commercial developers, so we’re creating a separate type of Android Developer Console account for you.
Nothing about it says anything about having lighter requirements, just not going through a Play Console link. Even if the requirements end up being "lighter", the minimum will always be at least "link a Google account", which is already a massive privacy breach.
> It also doesn't prevent you from side loading.
It absolutely does. Quoting from Google:
>Starting next year, Android will require all apps to be registered by verified developers in order to be installed by users on certified Android devices.
certified Android devices being... 99.9% of all Android devices in existence.
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-...
Then you're familiar with the process of getting a DUNS number. Because that is a massive barrier for individual devs and small teams. That is actual legal paperwork. Not having to do that makes the process significantly easier.
It's not a massive privacy breach. If you are so anti-Google yet use their devices then most likely you're already only distributing to GrapheneOS or LineageOS anyway. For most people who already have a Google account this is a very small bar to clear.
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