Android

Status re-checked on 2026-10-04, at the start of Phase 2 work on M2.

What Google requires

• Apps installed on certified Android devices must come from a developer verified by Google, including apps installed outside Google Play (“sideloading”).
• The Android Developer Verifier service began rolling out to devices running Android 8 and later in June 2026. Limited-distribution accounts (students, hobbyists) and the advanced sideloading flow launched globally in August 2026.
• Enforcement started on 30 September 2026 in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, and expands worldwide in 2027.
• Apps from unverified developers can still be installed through an advanced flow that includes a 24-hour wait.

Sources: Android Authority, Help Net Security, BigGo Finance, Google: developer verification.

What appmarket.org does

• APKs are uploaded as releases and served through short-lived signed links; paid apps will need an entitlement first.
• APK downloads open only after the developer declares the app’s package name and confirms they registered it and completed developer verification in the Android Developer Console (repo page, Android downloads card; PUT /api/repos/:owner/:slug/android). Until then the download link endpoint refuses APKs (403 android_not_verified).
• Buyers confirm a warning before each APK download: allowing installs from the browser, trusting the developer, checking the SHA-256, and that Android may block apps from unverified developers.
• appmarket.org does not verify the declaration with Google (there is no public API for it) and does not read the package name from the APK yet. Both are follow-ups if Google offers a way.

Re-check this page when the worldwide rollout date is announced.