×
Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store | TechCrunch

Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store | TechCrunch

Google is tightening security measures around Android app distribution, the company announced on Monday. Starting next year, Google will begin to verify the identities of developers distributing their apps on Android devices, not just those who distribute via the Play Store. The changes will affect all certified Android devices once live, though the global rollout will be more gradual.

The tech giant stresses that this does not mean developers can’t distribute outside of the Play Store through other app stores or via sideloading — Android will remain open in that regard. However, developers who appreciated the anonymity of alternative distribution methods will no longer have that option. Google says this will help to cut down on bad actors who hide their identity to distribute malware, commit financial fraud, or steal users’ personal data.

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.

Initially, Google will allow interested developers to sign up for early access starting in October 2025 to test the system and provide feedback. In March 2026, verification will go live for all developers. By September 2026, any app installed on an Android device in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand will have to meet the new requirements. Starting in 2027, the requirements will begin rolling out globally.

Developers will have to provide their legal name, address, email, and phone number, which could push independent developers to register as a business for their own privacy’s sake. Apple implemented a similar change for the EU App Store earlier this year to comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA), a regulation that now requires app developers to provide their “trader status” to submit new apps or app updates for distribution.

Google notes that student and hobbyist developers will be able to use a separate type of Android Developer Console account when this system rolls out, as their needs differ from commercial developers.

The changes could have a significant impact on the Android app ecosystem and app distribution, as Google works to cut down on the security issues and malware that have typically plagued its platform.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco
|
October 27-29, 2025

Source link
#Google #require #developer #verification #Android #apps #Play #Store #TechCrunch

OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.

“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”

He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”

The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.

The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.


Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

#Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids">Sam Altman suggests parents generate AI podcasts about their kids
                                                            OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”
        SEE ALSO:
        
            The OpenAI-Hugging Face hack was worse than we thought
            
        
    
He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”
        
            Mashable Light Speed
        
        
    


    
        This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
    


The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

                    
                                            
                            
                        
                                    #Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids

OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.

“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”

He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”

The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.

The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.


Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

#Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids">Sam Altman suggests parents generate AI podcasts about their kids

OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman is trending on X for suggesting that parents use ChatGPT to generate podcasts about their children’s lives in lieu of… listening to them.

“cool use case of chatgpt work i heard last night,” he shared on X in all lowercase. “connect your family calendars and explain your kids’ interests.”

He continued, “Every morning for the drive to school, have it make a podcast that talks about one kid’s soccer game that afternoon, one kid’s upcoming birthday, some news, etc.”

The post has amassed around 9,500 likes at the time of this writing, dwarfed by 120,000 likes on the reply, “What if you just talked to your children?” from Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch. (The same day, Hirsch also criticized Google’s addition of its AI image generator into Google Earth, which it reversed.) Other popular replies have the same sentiment: That Altman is apparently encouraging users to disconnect from their families.

The backlash about AI tools has ramped up in recent years, for a myriad of reasons, including environmental impacts, surveillance, job loss, and fears of AI psychosis. The potential degrading of relationships is also a concern for some, as more people turn to chatbots to outsource relational conflicts or even seek to replace relationships themselves.


Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.

#Sam #Altman #suggests #parents #generate #podcasts #kids

Post Comment