Google has revealed the full timeline for its controversial Android developer verification system.
The company confirmed that it will begin restricting app downloads in select countries starting September 30.
This program, first introduced last year, forces developers working outside of the Google Play Store to verify their identities, similar to those who publish apps on the Google App Store, with the goal of preventing scams and malware attacks against Android users.
According to the latest blog post from Google’s Matthew Forsythe, the program will be introduced in four countries with high rates of app scams: Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Google said: “Almost all installs on Google Play and a vast majority of installs outside of Google Play” are now verified.
The company also detailed the third-party application stores that will be added to the verification process; these include Samsung’s Galaxy Store, Xiaomi’s GetApps, OPPO’s App Market, vivo’s V-Appstore, Honor’s App Market and Transsion’s Palm Store.
Starting this month, Google will automatically install a new system service called Android Developer Verifier on devices running Android 8 and above. This service will be down until it is activated in each region.
By July, the company plans to launch the Android Developer ID Status API and begin early access for limited distribution accounts.
In August, there will be a global rollout of the newly introduced “advanced flow,” which allows users to bypass verification through a hidden menu, risk confirmations, and a mandatory 24-hour timeout. User can also install unverified apps through Android Debug Bridge (ADB).
