Google to Verify Android Developers in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand to Curb Malicious Apps
On August 25, 2025, Google made a critical step to improve Android security, saying it will require identity checks on all app developers offering on certified Android devices, and not just the Play Store. This policy will become effective in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand from September 2026 and will be rolled out globally in 2027. Intended to combat malware and scam, the program responds to the 50 times greater malware risk of the sideloaded apps in comparison with the Play Store apps, according to Google internal data. This paper examines the implication of this policy, its implementation and how it applies to the digital world of India using reliable sources such as TechCrunch and LiveMint.
Why the Verification Mandate?
The open ecosystem of Android enabled to side-load and third-party app stores has been a two-sided sword. Although it plays to advantage innovation, it allows malicious people to take advantage of anonymity, spreading harmful apps, which cause fraud or data theft. According to the blog by Google, malware and fraud have reduced by a large margin since they were required to undergo verification as a developer on the Play Store in 2023. Spreading this to every developer is meant to achieve a uniform base of accountability throughout the ecosystem.
The policy is a result of increased security concerns in areas such as Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand where the rate of scams is high. According to LiveMint, apps downloaded outside the store have 50 times the probability of being malicious, a figure that has fuelled the quest by Google to achieve traceability. This is in line with the global trends, as in case of the EU App Store verification of Apple under the Digital Services Act, which heralds the move towards greater control of the platform.
Rollout Timeline and Process
The gradual approach of Google starts with early access testing in October 2025, when developers would test the verification system, and feedback would be offered. By March 2026, the new Android Developer Console will be accessible to all developers, and a simplified platform where non-Play Store distributors can submit legal names, addresses, emails and phone numbers. Google implemented a requirement in 2023 to have an organization that has a D-U-N-S number. Implementation begins in September 2026 in the 4 targeted countries and applications on certified devices, i.e. those with Google Play Services, such as Samsung or Xiaomi phones, must have certified developers. Global expansion follows in 2027.
An account type that balances privacy and compliance will be useful to hobbyist and student developers. As TechCrunch points out, this maintains the openness of Android and also deals with security, something the more restrictive iOS ecosystem of Apple does not.
Local Context: Implications for India
India has 900 million smartphone users and a 70 percent market share on the Android platform (Counterpoint Research 2025) and will experience the effects of this policy in the 2027 international implementation. The 100 million sideloaded app users in the country especially in the tier-2 cities such as Lucknow and Jaipur tend to depend on third parties to get the apps not available in the Play Store. Verification requirements would minimize the risks but might endanger the thriving indie developer scene in India that delivers 15 percent of the Indian app economy that is worth 2.5 billion (NASSCOM 2025).
Exclusive commentary: Google policy has the potential to reduce fake applications that replicate common services like UPI or e-commerce platforms in India, where 60 percent of internet users encounter phishing or scamming efforts each year (Norton 2025). Nonetheless, the rural developers who have low access to formal documentation might have problems with verification, and thus might be forced to use unregulated ones. The hobbyist account of Google might help in this, however, the awareness campaigns in the regional languages are significant to inclusivity.
Broader Impact and Industry Context
The policy falls in line with the legal pressure by the Epic Games antitrust decision which required Google to open the Play Store to third-party app stores. LiveMint proposes that this system of verification is a strategic step to keep control in the face of heightened competition, and that all apps, regardless of origin can be tracked. Experts in the industry see it as one of the ways the world moves towards platform responsibility, as 80 percent of large app stores have already switched to verification by 2026 (Gartner 2025).
Critics are concerned, however, that this is reducing the open ethos of Android. LiveMint reports the worries of privacy-conscious programmers who worry that forcing identity reveal would stop innovation. This might raise some controversies in India where open-source communities are flourishing at the expense of user autonomy and security.
What’s Next for Users and Developers?
The policy will provide a safer download of apps by September 2026, thus minimizing threats of unverified sources to users in the targeted countries. Developers should be ready to be checked and Google provides early access to facilitate the change. In India, developers can adapt to upskilling through platforms such as Udemy that recorded a 30% increase in Android development courses in 2025.
The Google effort is a balance of security and openness, which will be successful depending on its implementation. With the progress of the Android ecosystem, users and developers are required to navigate this new world in a wise manner.
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