According to its own survey, Google says that more than 50 times more malware came through internet-sideloaded sources compared with Google Play, where it has required developer verification since 2023.

Android developer verification is largely targeting commercial developers, with Google saying that it’s “committed to keeping Android an open platform” for student and hobbyist developers. Google is creating a separate Android developer console to facilitate this, which will place restrictions on the number of apps and installs.

Google announced this week that it will add a new requirement for those who make Android apps and want them to work on Android devices that run Google services. The developers behind Android apps will soon run through a developer verification program if they want their apps to