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Google has supported sideloading of apps for a long time but the company is worried about its security and wants to make it more safer.
Google is looking to do further checks for any app that you sideload
Google is doing every bit to limit people sideloading apps on Android devices and the company is reportedly lining up another change that may act as a new security layer for the users. Google is already warning Android users about the possible ill impact of installing apps from any source other than Play Store and soon it could have a new way to tell you if the app you are downloading is coming from a genuine source.
The new Play Store version beta code strings spotted by Android Authority in its report, claims Google wants to use the internet to help users verify the authenticity of the developer whose apps they are sideloading on their device.
Google’s Mission To Secure Sideloading Of Apps
The report claims Play Store will have a new option where it verifies the app developer. This will need an active internet connection and if you don’t have one, the app store will show the message, “No internet, can’t verify app developer.” This process could be ideal for the company to scan through the origin of the developer who has published the app and made it available on the app store.
Using the option to scan the non-Play Store app could be very useful and give more people a peace of mind while doing so. So in a way Google is not trying to stop people from sideloading apps but giving them another layer of security that keeps them safe from malicious apps.
And that’s what the chief for developers at Google, Matthew Forsythe, in a post on X has mentioned about the prospect of verifying all the app developers who are offering their apps from other platforms.
Google has found it hard to put a leash on the number of sideloaded apps on Android but it has manually made it important to restrict such actions, but not completely block them. You have to disable the Play Protect option to go ahead with sideloads and in general, the practice is safe but the off chance it isn’t, Google wants to make sure that users are aware about the risks of using these apps and only sourcing the ones available on its Play Store pre-loaded on their device.
California, USA
January 20, 2026, 12:31 IST
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