With claims that sideloaded apps are 50 times more likely to contain malware, Google is tightening restrictions for ...

Google wants to make sideloading safer on Android by verifiying the identities of developers who distribute apps outside the ...

Scheduled for rollout starting in September 2026, the program aims to restrict malware distribution by requiring developer ...

Currently, developers who create “sideloaded” Android apps are exempt from Google’s verification requirements.

The tipster spotted these changes on version 3.5.0 of the Pixel Watch app for Android and version 3.40 of the Fitbit smartwatch app, running the latest stable build of Wear OS.

In sectors like automotive manufacturing and equipment maintenance, technicians must handle large volumes of task-related ...