From 30 September 2026, certified Android phones and tablets in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand will only install and update apps that are registered to a verified developer, and Google Play requires every app it distributes to be registered by the same date. For most apps published on Google Play this has already happened automatically. For the rest, and for any app distributed outside Google Play, there is a short list of steps and very little time left.
What changes, and when
| Date | What happens | Who is affected |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | An "advanced flow" for installing unverified apps becomes available: a deliberately slow path with security checkpoints, including a waiting period, designed to resist scams that talk users into installing apps | Users who choose to install unregistered apps |
| 30 September 2026 | Certified devices in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand install and update only apps registered to verified developers, whether the app comes from Google Play or from participating third-party app stores | Every developer with users in those four countries |
| 30 September 2026 | Google Play requires all Play apps to be registered in Play Console; unregistered apps face removal from Google Play globally | Every Google Play developer |
| 2027 | The installation requirement expands globally | Every Android developer |
What verification is, and what it is not
Developer verification links a real person or organisation to the package names of the apps they distribute. It is an identity check, not a content review: Google has said explicitly that it confirms who the developer is rather than reviewing what the app does. Content policies still apply on Google Play through the usual review, but an app distributed through a website or another store is not reviewed by Google because of this change. What changes is that an anonymous developer can no longer reach users on certified devices in the affected countries.
The three steps
- Have the right account. Developers who publish on Google Play use their existing Play Console account. Developers who distribute only outside Google Play sign up for the Android Developer Console. Developers who do both use Play Console, which has gained functions for registering apps distributed elsewhere.
- Verify your identity. Individuals verify with government identification. Organisations verify with a D-U-N-S number, the nine-digit business identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet. Obtaining one is free but can take weeks, so it is the step to start first if your organisation does not have one.
- Register your package names. You prove that you own an app by providing an APK signed with your private signing key, which connects the package name to your verified account.
If your apps are only on Google Play
According to Google, around 99% of apps on Google Play had already been registered automatically by June 2026. Open the Play Console home page: it shows whether any of your apps still need registration. Register every app flagged there before 30 September. The July 2026 Play policy update made this a Play Console requirement, and it is global: an unregistered Play app risks removal everywhere, not only in the four launch countries.
Check every app in the account, including old apps you no longer update but that still have users, and apps published under separate package names for different clients or regions.
If you distribute outside Google Play
This covers APKs downloaded from your own website, apps distributed through other Android app stores and apps installed directly on customers' devices. You need an Android Developer Console account and a choice between two account types:
| Account type | Suitable for | Identity check | Reach | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full distribution | Companies and professional developers | Required | Any channel, any number of devices | US$25 |
| Limited distribution | Students, hobbyists, personal projects | Not required | Up to 20 devices | Free |
Enterprise apps installed on managed company devices are outside the requirement. Apps that are not registered can still be installed by developers through the Android Debug Bridge, and by users through the advanced flow, but neither is a distribution strategy: ordinary users will not complete a multi-step security process to install your app.
Where agencies and their clients get caught
- The app is in the agency's account. Verification ties each package name to the verified identity of the account that registers it. If a development agency published your app from its own account, the app is now formally registered to the agency. Move apps into an account your organisation owns, verified in your organisation's name. We covered why this matters in source code, data ownership and handover.
- Nobody has the signing key. Registering an app distributed outside Google Play means signing an APK with the app's private key. If the key left with a former developer or was never backed up, you cannot prove ownership of the package name, and the fix may be a new package name and a reinstall for every user. Our takeover checklist puts key custody first for this reason.
- White-label and regional builds. Each package name is registered separately. A product shipped as twenty branded builds needs twenty registrations.
- The same app on and off Google Play. An app distributed on Google Play and also as a download from your website must be registered for both routes; use Play Console's functions for apps distributed elsewhere.
- Organisation names that do not match. The legal name on your D-U-N-S record, your company registration and your developer account must agree. Mismatches are a common and avoidable cause of delay.
A checklist for the days before 30 September
- List every package name you distribute, on Google Play and elsewhere, with the account each one lives in.
- Check the Play Console home page for apps that need registration, and register them.
- For apps distributed outside Google Play, create or confirm the Android Developer Console account and start identity verification.
- Confirm you hold the signing key for every app distributed outside Google Play, and back it up securely.
- Move apps held in third-party or former contractors' accounts into accounts your organisation owns.
- Update your release process so that every new package name is registered before its first release.
Frequently asked questions
Does verification review my app's content?
No. It confirms the developer's identity and links package names to that identity. Google Play's content review is a separate process that continues as before.
Is there a fee?
Google Play developers already paid their registration fee. A full distribution account in the Android Developer Console costs US$25; a limited distribution account is free.
My users are not in the four countries. Can I wait?
Not if you publish on Google Play: the Play Console registration requirement applies globally from 30 September 2026. The installation requirement for apps outside Google Play expands globally in 2027, so registering now avoids a second deadline.
Does this affect iPhone apps?
No. It applies to apps installed on certified Android devices.
Related Manboo Services
- Android App Development, including Play Console set-up, release tracks and policy declarations.
- iOS App Development, including App Store Connect, TestFlight and App Review preparation.
- Flutter App Development when one codebase must pass both stores' reviews.
- Software Maintenance for existing apps that need target API, SDK or policy updates.
- Request a scope review and estimate for a store launch or a rejected submission.