Android Developer Verification
by ingve on 3/30/2026, 10:05:21 PM
Comments
by: mrtksn
The Android verification is such a broken experience. Recently I decided to purchase a dev account for my company, so far:<p>1) Provided my company DUNS number etc. once to create the payment profile. I did this some times ago, don’t remember the details but it was an involved verification process and it is marked as verified business payment profile.<p>2) Later on the payment step verified myself with a passport and bank statement to be able to actually pay with a proper HSBC bank card. Not shady pre-paid card or something, those are not accepted anyway.<p>3) After I paid I was told that now I need to verify my identity once more but this time with the passport and the incorporation certificate or some other company document.<p>fingers crossed that in few days it will be verified. While waiting, it tells me that there are still website and email verification to do once the previous step is done. I already verified my e-mail a few times before paying.<p>It’s painful, slow and annoying because if you fail at a step(i.e. needs verification that takes days and you are told about it at the payment step) you have to start again with the forms.<p>I just remembered why I never use Android. It seems like no one owns the process and as a result you get unpolished shitty experience that fulfills the requirements of god knows how many people who work in the same company but don’t talk to each other.
3/30/2026, 11:23:57 PM
by: ethagnawl
What % of Android users actually want this? Do they know or care?<p>I've been using Android since 2010 because it was open in ways that the Apple ecosystem wasn't. I do not want this and imagine hardly any other power users (for lack of a better term) do. I'm already using a mostly deGoogled device but this really seals the deal. I have been longing for a true Linux phone for years and now seems like a good time to get serious about the search and migration plan.
3/30/2026, 10:50:33 PM
by: bstsb
from <a href="https://9to5google.com/2026/03/30/android-developer-verifier-app" rel="nofollow">https://9to5google.com/2026/03/30/android-developer-verifier...</a> -<p>> Starting in April, Android Developer Verifier will be installed on devices.<p>so they're rolling out a system app that will call home to check whether any sideloaded apps have been "verified" with the developer's government ID? and this process will happen regardless of whether the user has enabled the "advanced flow" in Developer settings?
3/30/2026, 10:20:02 PM
by: thomasgeelens
oh so I'm not the only one, always believed Apple was the hard ass but I've been having a better experience with them.
3/31/2026, 12:20:21 AM
by: rvnx
Hey boss: “40M users are running a cracked version of YouTube premium on mobile, what can we do ?”
3/30/2026, 11:05:25 PM
by: nout
That's seriously horrible. There are 5+ open source android apps that I use and want to continue using that are not available on Play Store, but rather through alternative stores (like Zapstore, Obtainium).<p>If I get a phone with preinstalled Graphene OS (like the upcoming Motorola phone), then does it avoid this stupidity? Or even with Graphene it prevents me from installing apks?
3/30/2026, 11:00:01 PM
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3/30/2026, 11:25:35 PM
by: throwaway85825
A 'safe' app store would promote and prioritize open source apps compiled on public auditable runners.
3/30/2026, 11:49:21 PM
by: __fst__
Let everyone who wants it be safe using the Google App Store. But please let me do stupid/experimental things with my phone.
3/30/2026, 11:54:07 PM
by: hirako2000
The sad thing is only a tiny minority of android users side load apps. The rest will feel their phone is one step more secure.
3/30/2026, 11:00:30 PM
by: 0xbadcafebee
tl;dr how to install an app from unverified developer ("advanced flow")<p><pre><code> 1. enable developer mode 2. confirm you aren't being coached 3. restart your phone and reauthenticate 4. come back after 24 hours and unlock device 5. install app from unverified developer, option of enabling for 7 days or indefinitely </code></pre> This is apparently a one-time process. Advanced flow for users launches globally August 2026. Verification requirement kicks in September 2026.<p>Personally I am hopeful that people work toward a completely new, non-Android OS. 15 GB of space on my phone, and 1.5 GB of RAM, is dedicated to Android OS alone. This design, and the control this company (and the mobile providers, and device manufacturers) have over the mobile world, is ridiculous. Let's start over.
3/30/2026, 11:54:05 PM
by: krick
So, anyway, how do we make sure that our phones don't turn into a pumpkin on a set date? I suppose it's all shit long term, but at the very least I don't want to be forced to look for a solution before I need a new phone. So, what do you do? Can you just disable android updates somehow and it will solve the issue? Or it is already a ticking bomb that will be activated on the set date no matter what?
3/31/2026, 12:07:03 AM
by: bossyTeacher
"However, our recent analysis found over 90 times more malware from sideloaded sources than on Google Play."<p>Has anyone seen the report for that analysis. I bet most people here would love to read it too.
3/30/2026, 11:17:14 PM
by: hnburnsy
What Android versions is this applicable to?
3/30/2026, 11:44:19 PM
by: stuaxo
Sorry, but absolutely not.<p>I stuck with Android for years as a dev as I once did Android apps and occasionally do tinker.<p>This is my last Android phone and Jolla is my next phone.
3/30/2026, 10:22:16 PM
by: Fordec
Yeah, no, going back to web native. Keep your verification and your 20%.
3/30/2026, 10:45:20 PM
by: kayson
> our recent analysis found over 90 times more malware from sideloaded sources than on Google Play<p>So what's the solution then? At the same time, I'm curious how this ends up happening to end users. Enabling unknown sources is trivial in a way (it's just one check box and if you try to install an APK from, say, Firefox, it'll take you right there), but how are people even getting to that point??
3/30/2026, 11:16:51 PM
by: andrepd
I don't see a way out of this except government regulation. The EU has the most motivation to do it, as a huge economic bloc with a <i>lot</i> of motivation right now to become as independent from the US as possible.<p>I guess I can sort of manage to keep my head above water and keep buying secondhand phones which I unlock and install a supported version of LineageOS. But it's cumbersome, it gets more difficult and more restrictive every time. And I literally have a doctorate in computers for crying out loud! Is there any hope for Granny? For a kid? For >99% of people? Of course not.<p>This is so <i>clearly</i> a matter for government oversight: prevent abuse, monopolies, protect the citizen's safety, rights, welfare, etc. It's not reasonable to expect consumers to figure out if the meat they buy is tainted, just as it's not to figure out if their phone spies on them, manipulates information, or sells their data (especially when there's a duopoly). That's why we have laws and food inspectors, paid for by the public, working for the public. Same thing with digital rights.
3/30/2026, 10:33:18 PM
by: parrellel
Yeah, no. No one needs your spyware.
3/30/2026, 10:49:16 PM
by: 56745742597
[dead]
3/30/2026, 10:23:07 PM
by: TGower
It really seems like they are doing a lot to appease the tiny minority of us power users, adb load unaffected, one time toggle in settings to opt out, no change to alternative app stores as long as the apk was built by a verified developer. Crazy how harsh the sentiment is here, there are real people being harmed by scam apps intercepting sms one time codes and this will reduce the rate of that happening. It's not like we can't sideload anymore, though a lot of comments here seem to be implying otherwise.
3/30/2026, 11:20:44 PM