In the coming weeks, Google will officially debut Android developer verification, which will require app makers outside the Play Store to register with their real names and pay a fee to Google. Failure to do so will block their apps from installation (sometimes called sideloading) on virtually all Android devices.

Google is changing how apps are installed on Android. A new policy could reshape sideloading, developer fees, and app store competition.

The best source for Android OS news. Co-host on the Android Faithful podcast. Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Ahead of the holidays, Google is pushing out the second developer preview of Android 16 to give developers ...

David Lumb is a senior reporter covering mobile and gaming spaces. Over the last decade, he's reviewed phones for TechRadar as well as covered tech, gaming, and culture for Engadget, Popular Mechanics, NBC Asian America, Increment, Fast Company and others.

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 shows deeper Google Gemini integration in Android, that let AI agents call app features directly.

The letter to Google leadership articulated deep concerns about mandatory developer identity verification requirements that will reshape the Android ecosystem.

The second Android 15 developer preview comes to us a little over a month after its initial release in February. With more than a decade of experience, Nelson covers Apple and Google and writes about iPhone and Android features, privacy and security ...