Google will soon require all Android app developers to verify their identities, even if they do not list their apps on its Play Store. Currently, those who create “sideloaded” apps, which are downloaded outside the official app marketplace, are exempt from Google’s verification requirements.

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.

Google will implement a new safety feature that would require developers to verify their identity if they want Android users to be able to sideload their apps.