Currently, developers who create “sideloaded” Android apps are exempt from Google’s verification requirements.

With claims that sideloaded apps are 50 times more likely to contain malware, Google is tightening restrictions for developers distributing apps outside the Play Store.

According to its own survey, Google says that more than 50 times more malware came through internet-sideloaded sources compared with Google Play, where it has required developer verification since 2023.