Opening my weather app this morning I was greeted by this warning:
Google has announced that, starting in 2026/2027, all apps on certified Android devices will require the developer to submit personal identity details directly to Google. Since the developers of this app do not agree to this requirement, this app will no longer work on certified Android devices after that time.
It’s the first time I hear about this, seems to be about:
Cirrus app: Github
Was this a big thing I somehow missed? I hope more devs will follow suit.
I think you could still adb install unverified apps into your phone.
That untill they’ll block that path too.
Also I suppose that you’ll need to adb every update. So apps that would want to go this way should self check updates instead of relying on an external store.
What’s adb?
Android Debug Bridge. It is a way to control the device via command line, mainly from an external computer. Among other things allows for app installation. It’s one of the main ways to test and debug apps while being developed.
Oh okay, thanks.