Apple has been under fire from legislators for its App Store practices for years. But while it’s been forced to make iPhone changes in the EU and the US might soon follow, Google is now trending the opposite direction with its Android policies.
Google is about to enforce stricter Android app verification requirements
Earlier this week, Google announced a surprising shift toward restricting which apps an Android user can download.
Abner Li writes at 9to5Google:
To combat malware and financial scams, Google announced today that only apps from developers that have undergone verification can be installed on certified Android devices starting in 2026. This requirement applies to “certified Android devices” that have Play Protect and are preloaded with Google apps. The Play Store implemented similar requirements in 2023, but Google is now mandating this for all install methods, including third-party app stores and sideloading where you download an APK file from a third-party source.
Google isn’t shifting nearly to the same level of restriction that Apple employs with the App Store.
But its announcement still trends a very different direction from the openness Android once touted.
Not long ago, Google and major partners like Samsung leaned hard on Android’s reputation as the “open” platform. Anyone remember “open always wins”?
Unlike Apple’s “walled garden,” Android has been pitched as letting you use your device however you want to—including downloading apps from anywhere you’d like.
Soon, however, even sideloaded apps and third-party app stores will be forced to undergo an Apple-like verification process. As Li notes, this follows the stricter Play Store requirements that were added recently.
As an Apple user, this all sounds like common sense to prevent users from encountering malicious software.
But it’s also a bit ironic considering how much Apple is under attack around the world for its App Store practices.
Google may not be fully adopting Apple’s App Store-only policies, but it’s definitely offering Apple’s approach a bit more vindication than it probably intends.
What do you think of Google’s new Android app verification policies? How do you feel about Apple’s App Store policies? Let us know in the comments.
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