Google announced changes to Android app sideloading last year that would require developer verification as a safety measure, but the company somewhat backtracked with a solution for “experienced users” that would allow for installs without verification. Google is now doing some early prep work on the “Install without verifying” flow, which Google itself calls “high friction.”
In August 2025, Google announced that Android would require a developer verification program to install apps, even if they were manually sideloaded by the end user. Following up on that announcement, Google confirmed in November 2025 that there would be an installation option for “experienced users” that would allow apps to be sideloaded without the need for developer verification.
Fast forward to this month, and the folks over at Android Authority noticed strings within the Google Play Store app that pointed to work on this new flow. The strings found are now particularly new, though, having surfaced a few months ago, even before Google’s August announcement. One string says, “If you install without verifying, keep in mind apps from unverified developers may put your device and data at risk,” while others hint at needing an internet connection for verification.
The strings themselves don’t add a ton in terms of context, but it did spur Google’s Matthew Forsythe, Chief Product Explainer for Google Play, to offer some further clarification.
Forsythe said in a tweet that Google’s changes to Android sideloading are not a “restriction,” but rather an “Accountability Layer.” The new sideloading flow, Forsythe says, is “high friction” to ensure users understand the risks of sideloading an app that has not been verified by Google.
In November, Google described the new sideloading flow as full of “clear warnings” while leaving “the choice in their hands,” referring to users. The goal, as Google’s prior explanation makes clear, is to help users avoid being tricked into bypassing safety checks. Google said:
We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren’t tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure from a scammer. It will also include clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved, but ultimately, it puts the choice in their hands.
Google has been targeting scams empowered by sideloading apps in certain countries, and to some success, but simply adding a bit more friction to the installation process seems like a good idea for avoiding problems when users are tricked into bypassing the existing sideloading flow. Scams involving sideloading will exist as long as the process does, but Google is clearly wanting to put as many safeguards in place as possible.
What do you think?
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