Google recently decided that the freedom Android offers was a little too much and announced Developer Verification, a system that will require developers outside of the Google Play platform to register with Google. Users and developers did not accept Google’s reasoning and complained loudly. As Google begins early access testing, it has admitted that “power users” should have an escape route.
According to Google, online scam and malware campaigns are becoming more aggressive, and real damage is being done despite the platform’s scary side-loading screens. Google says it’s common for scammers to use social engineering to create a false sense of urgency, tricking users into bypassing Android’s built-in protections to install malicious apps.
Google’s solution to this problem, announced several months ago, is to require everyone who creates apps to verify their identity. Unverified apps will not be installed on any Google certified devices once verification is deployed. Without it, the company says malware creators can create endless new apps to scam people. However, the centralized nature of verification risked introducing many problems into a process that was once simple for experienced users.
This is not the first time that Google has had to reverse its plans. Every time the company releases new information about verification, it compromises a little more. Previously, it confirmed that a free verification option would be available for hobbyists and students wanting to install apps on a small number of devices. He also conceded that installing via ADB via a connected computer would still be allowed.
Now, Google has had to acknowledge that its verification plans are causing major backlash among developers and people who know what an APK is. So there will be an alternative, but we don’t yet know how it will work.
What is your risk tolerance level?
Google’s latest verification update explains that the company has received a lot of feedback from users and developers who want to be able to sideload without worrying about verification status. For those with a “higher risk tolerance,” Google is exploring ways to achieve this. This is a partial victory for power users, but the nature of Google’s “advanced flow” for sideloading is murky.
