← Back to the blog
Security

Android has started requiring verified developers. Is your app under the right name?

Since 30 September, unregistered apps cannot be installed from the main Android stores in four countries, and Google plans to extend the rule worldwide. It exposes a common problem, the app published on someone else's account.

Phone with a verification seal in dark lines on a light background, beside the glass form with a blue core

Many companies do not know whose name their own app is published under. It could be a former agency, an ex-employee or the freelancer who built the first version.

A change to Android makes that question more urgent.

What changed on Android

Google set 30 September 2026 as the start of developer verification in four countries: Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Global expansion is planned from 2027 onwards, so other markets would do well to prepare now.

According to the rules Google has published:

  • Developers must confirm their identity and register their apps.
  • Unregistered apps cannot be installed from participating stores on certified Android devices in those countries.
  • Google Play, Galaxy Store, GetApps and the HONOR and OPPO stores are among the participants.
  • Apps already on Google Play had to be registered by the deadline to avoid removal.
Two installation paths, where an app from a verified, registered developer installs from the store and an unregistered app is blocked

Google says most apps in the store are already registered. Check anyway, because the problem tends to lie in the account nobody looks after.

What does not change for now

In this phase, downloading the APK directly and using stores outside the list are not affected. Apps distributed through an organisation's own store on managed devices do not need verification either, although Google recommends registering them.

For testing and very limited use, Google plans limited distribution accounts covering up to 20 devices. Advanced users will also have a route to install unverified apps, with extra security steps.

If you distribute an internal app by APK, keep an eye on the timetable, as the rule is expected to widen in later phases.

What to check in your company

  1. Whose name is the developer account in? Ideally it belongs to the company, not to a person or agency.
  2. Who has access today? Remove people who have left and keep more than one owner.
  3. Does your company have a D-U-N-S number? Google requires one for organisations. If you do not have one, apply early.
  4. Does the app show as registered in the console? Check every app, including old ones.
  5. Does anyone read the account's email? Google's notices and deadlines arrive there.
  6. Who holds the signing key? Without it, updates can stall.

If the app sits on someone else's account, the usual route is to transfer it to the company's account. Do it while you are still in touch with whoever published it.

Your app is a company asset

Code, accounts and keys are business assets and should be documented as such.

In our iOS and Android app development, we handle publishing on the App Store and Google Play, with the accounts in your company's name. If you already have an app and are unsure where it stands, we can start with that review.

Google published these rules up to July and they may still change. Before acting, check the latest notice in your console.