Google Plans to Verify Android Developers - DTNSB 5085  ## Metadata - Author: [[Daily Tech News Show]] - Full Title: Google Plans to Verify Android Developers - DTNSB 5085 - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/4a42a602-19cc-4313-a885-e131b6791cc4 ## Document Notes ## Highlights - **Google Moves To Verify Android Developers** - Google will require identity verification for all Android developers, including those sideloading apps, to increase accountability and reduce malware. - The rollout starts in select countries in 2026 with global completion through 2027 and exempts students from repeated $25 fees. Transcript: Tom Merritt Google plans to require all developers, even those distributing apps outside of the Play Store, to verify their identities. Now, Google says its aim is to increase accountability, protect users from bad apps and malware with the move. And you can see why that might be the case. In order to comply, developers actually have to submit a lot of information. They've got to give their legal name, their address, email, phone number, and that's all done within the new Android developer console update. Larger organizations are going to be required to submit a bit more. They have to submit their website address, their DUNS, which stands for Data Universal Numbering System. It's a unique nine-digit number that is used across the globe to identify businesses. So getting somewhat granular there. Rollout will begin in select countries starting next year. So this isn't happening immediately. It starts September 2026, global rollout throughout 2027. So you've got some time. It is worth noting that this does account for hobbyists and students, students is what I almost said, to avoid the $25 registration fee. So if you're tinkering around with Android and you don't want to have to pay $25 every time you create a unique app because you're learning how to do it or whatever the case may be, you won't Have to pay that $25 registration fee to submit it to the Google Play Store. And personal information that's submitted is not published by Google as well. So that's really important to know. But the change has concerned some people, privacy advocates, and also users, I would say, and some developers about what constitutes an open platform when we're talking about Android. And I think things have changed a lot in the last handful of years. This is just one of many changes that seems to point to kind of Android becoming a little less open, a little less like, ah, you do what you want, and that's the benefit, the beauty of the Platform, a little more controlled, kind of like iOS. Yeah. Jason Howell I mean, it's good that they're giving people time. I think the preview starts October and you could start enrolling in March, but you don't really have it rolled out until, like you said, next year or even two years from now. So they're giving folks time to get comfortable with it. So this is not a quote unquote sudden change. On the other hand, this is definitely one of those. What are your intentions? Because this on its own is not a bad thing, in my opinion. It's not a bad thing to say, hey, before we let something on our operating system, we want to make sure that it comes from a legitimate source. And they are not vetting these apps. That's the key. That's the difference between this Android developer console that they're creating and the Google Play console, where they actually review apps to make sure, well, before we put It in the store, we actually want to do our best to keep fraud out of it. This isn't about that. This is just saying, we just want to know you're a real person, that this isn't some kind of spam thing. So that comes from a good place. And I get that. On the other hand, as someone who has grown up with the open operating system world, not even just open source, but like on Windows, I can install anything I want. On macOS, I can install anything I want as long as I hit that little checkbox, right? And so this does cause me to say, well, what if I create something and I just want to put it on my own Android device? Now I've got to jump through hoops. I have to sign up or come up with some kind of jailbreak. And granted, this only applies to Google devices. This is Google's version of Android. This doesn't apply to other versions of Android out there. So they're not doing it in the open source version of Android. And then they couldn't. It wouldn't work. So like I said, it comes down to what you think Google's intentions are. If you think their intentions are good, then you're like, well, this isn't overly restrictive. I don't love it, but it has a good purpose. If you don't trust Google, you're like, oh, so you're putting another thing in the way of getting people on your platform, which kind of doesn't make sense to me now that I say it out, because It's like, well, they're not collecting money for this one. And they're not gatekeeping in a sense that would benefit them. In fact, it costs them to do this because they have to maintain the database and all of that. So I think this really is coming from a we're just trying to cut down on spam. ([Time 0:02:39](https://share.snipd.com/snip/90febf0f-d92e-4ecb-9b56-9b5a4aef3776)) - **Google-Only Change, Not Android-Wide** - This change applies only to Google's consumer Android builds, not the open-source Android code base used by other vendors. - That means alternative Android forks remain unaffected and sideloading freedom still exists outside Google's ecosystem. Transcript: Jason Howell On macOS, I can install anything I want as long as I hit that little checkbox, right? And so this does cause me to say, well, what if I create something and I just want to put it on my own Android device? Now I've got to jump through hoops. I have to sign up or come up with some kind of jailbreak. And granted, this only applies to Google devices. This is Google's version of Android. This doesn't apply to other versions of Android out there. So they're not doing it in the open source version of Android. And then they couldn't. It wouldn't work. So like I said, it comes down to what you think Google's intentions are. If you think their intentions are good, then you're like, well, this isn't overly restrictive. I don't love it, but it has a good purpose. If you don't trust Google, you're like, oh, so you're putting another thing in the way of getting people on your platform, which kind of doesn't make sense to me now that I say it out, because It's like, well, they're not collecting money for this one. ([Time 0:06:00](https://share.snipd.com/snip/55104e6d-e631-4c1f-a138-64c6a7a7249c)) - **Developer’s View: Malware Justifies Friction** - Wynn Twitdao, an Android developer, believes increased controls are justified because of rampant malware on the platform. - She suggests forming a business entity to protect yourself is more friction but reasonable for commercial apps. Transcript: Tom Merritt She does DTNS, of course, with me and with you a couple of times a week. Also on Android Faithful. We'll be doing an episode tonight. I guarantee you we'll be talking about this to some degree. And I wanted to get from her, because she lives and breathes Android development to kind of get her sense on this, you know, from an openness perspective, from a jumping through hoops Perspective. And I think maybe I was a little surprised with her answer. She said with all the malware on the platform, Google has to do something to try and stem the tide. Create a commercial app, creating a business entity to protect yourself is not a bad thing, probably not the preferable thing, but there is more friction. This isn't the early days anymore, she said, which is kind of true and kind of ties with what I was saying when I was kind of setting up this story is that this also isn't the first time that Google has said, hey, you know, this whole openness thing that we've been on since the very beginning of Android, we're peeling it back a little bit. But they always have a reason for that. Often it has to do with safety and the security and the purity of the platform, blah, blah, blah, blah. And so that's what Wynn is looking at here. ([Time 0:07:20](https://share.snipd.com/snip/495b12a8-ab82-467c-9e59-deb59870cd4f)) - **Android Still More Open Than iOS** - Compared to Apple's locked ecosystem, Android remains more open since sideloading still exists, though with added paperwork for Google devices. - The requirement may slightly cool hobbyist distribution but won't affect most users who rely on the Play Store. Transcript: Jason Howell The last point that Wynn made, because I get what she's saying, but the equivalent is paying the $25 to the Google Play Store. There is no equivalent to Apple saying, we will let you have an app on iOS without being in the Apple store, right? There is no sideloading on Apple. So in that respect, Android's still more open than iOS. It's just requiring this one little piece of paper. It's requiring paperwork. Tom Merritt Yeah. Without paper. Yes. Right. Digital. Paperless work. Yes. Paperless work. There you go. Yeah, interesting stuff. I know it'll be an interesting conversation, I think, tonight on Android Faithful as well. But I think, again, this topic has come up a lot in the last handful of years. There was an increase in restrictions on sideloading apps before this. Certain developers can block certain permissions like the ability to sideload unofficial versions of their own files. A lot of other kind of tweaks that make people continue to question the true openness of Android as a platform. And you mentioned how on PC and Mac, you can really install anything. You just have to check the little box or whatever. And I guess the main ([Time 0:09:00](https://share.snipd.com/snip/3f044cf8-7a43-4b98-a7ee-e46570d0c6f7)) - **Prepare Now For Developer Enrollment** - If you plan to sideload apps on Google devices, prepare to enroll in the new developer console when early access opens in October and enrollment begins in March 2026. - Start consolidating business or contact details now to avoid last-minute compliance headaches. Transcript: Tom Merritt Does it seem like it's imperative on a mobile device, but on a laptop, it's not? Jason Howell That is the question. A couple of answers that passed the sniff test for me are because you've got carriers involved. Historically, the operating system makers have more of a hand in what gets installed because there's telecommunications security to deal with. Now, I already hear the eyebrows raising of like, well, with SIM swapping out there, the carriers might want to just mine their own store first. But I'm not saying carriers are requiring this. I'm saying there's just a history of locking down the operating system more because of that, because of that relationship. And I think there's also just the fact that you can. These are in more hands than a PC and can do more damage because of that. And so I think there's just a part of Google and Apple's approach that says, well, we can do it differently because this is a different device. And you don't have the long history of people saying, well, I've always been able to do this. Yeah. Tom Merritt All right. Well, like you said, early access program that begins next, no, sorry, two months from now, October, 2025, that's early access. And then it's open to all developers starting in March, 2026, but neither of those are like the required dates, you know, that comes a little bit later. So there'll be time. Yeah. Jason Howell And honestly, this won't affect ([Time 0:10:29](https://share.snipd.com/snip/101756b0-2e68-47ed-8e3c-1c2ecab59a72)) - **Laptop With User-Swappable GPU** - Framework's Laptop 16 lets users swap GPUs, supporting both AMD 7700S and NVIDIA RTX 5070 in a redesigned expansion bay. - This modular approach lets buyers upgrade graphics without replacing the entire laptop. Transcript: Jason Howell Yes, Framework has launched the Laptop 16. It is out there. You can get it. And what's unique about it is it lets you upgrade the GPU with not only AMD 7700S, but also NVIDIA RTX 5070. Previously, Framework only shipped with AMD Radeon RX 7700S, but Framework has now redesigned the expansion bay to allow for an easy swap of graphics cards components that can take Place using just six screws and two minutes of time. Unless you're me and you tend to strip screws. Then it might take longer. That's going to take longer, for sure. But for most people, two minutes of time. Also includes an updated cooling system with a new blade design to the fans honeywell thermal interface material and buyers can now upgrade the module to improve graphics on the laptop Instead of purchasing an entirely new machine with your laptop yeah that's great uh you can pre-order it for 1,499 without the new gpu $2,199 if you want to let them not strip the screws First and install the GPU for you. ([Time 0:16:08](https://share.snipd.com/snip/fe7a3a8e-1837-4a89-8ab3-e5bab8770400)) - **Host Hardware Confessions** - Jason admits he's bad at screwing and stripping screws when opening devices, making simple repairs take longer. - Tom and Jason joke about limited hardware experience and nostalgia for RAM and hard drive replacements. Transcript: Tom Merritt Are you screwing the screws to strip them so badly? I'm just bad at it. Jason Howell I don't know what it is. Tom Merritt Is it like when it's going in or when it's coming out? Yes. All of the above. Yeah, so I have not built a PC in a very long time. Definitely have not opened up a laptop in maybe ever. It's possible I've never opened up a laptop. I didn't really understand when I put this into the rundown, only when I was researching how kind of a big deal this is to have the swappable GPU. That's a big move. ([Time 0:17:15](https://share.snipd.com/snip/0af68b63-2fff-4d36-97e2-f7a6e6a26b01)) - **Gemini’s Fast, Detail-Preserving Image Tool** - Google launched Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, a fast image-editing model that keeps faces and details consistent and adds watermarking safeguards. - The feature is live inside Gemini and sparked buzz after appearing anonymized as 'Nano Banana' on LM Arena. Transcript: Jason Howell Yeah. You know what else is interesting? That banana image creator that's been making the buzz. You either are like, oh, I totally know what you're talking about, or like, I've never heard about this. But it doesn't matter anymore because now we know that it is, in fact, Google's launch of Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, an upgrade to its image model generator within the Gemini chatbot. So if you're in Gemini, you can now access it. It lets you make photo edits with simple text instructions. It aims to keep faces and details consistent and accurate. So when you say like, can you change the shirt color? It doesn't suddenly make your face look like a cartoon. Social media buzz is focused on the fact that there was an anonymous model on LM Arena called Nano Banana that it turns out was, in fact, this new image editor. Google said it has added safeguards as well, like watermarking of the images. You know, it won't protect you from being fooled by an image, but it will allow people to investigate and say, ah, that was created with Gemini. Also rules against explicit images to stop abuse on the platform, which is for everything but Grok table stakes these days. The new feature is now live for all Gemini users. And I actually played around with it. I'm going to be showing off the results on our DTNS live stream later today. But it's pretty good. It's pretty impressive, I have to say. ([Time 0:20:33](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9340d375-cb20-424c-a91a-e71c38b25ceb)) - **Hosts’ Hands-On With Gemini Edits** - Tom used Gemini to merge photos of his dogs and himself into a Six Flags entrance and found the results fast and mostly convincing. - Jason tested background removal and praised Gemini's speed versus competitors like ChatGPT and Flux. Transcript: Tom Merritt Totally. I played around with it a little bit this morning too. I took a photo of both my dogs lying on the couch. Then I took an outdoor photo of me and I said, put us in the same photo sitting in front of the entrance of six flags oh wow and it did a great job i mean most of the signage other than six flags Six flags is written properly everything else is like flabies floggers but uh yeah honestly it did a pretty darn good job of the of keeping the likeness of both of my dogs as well as me made Bronson a little bit smaller. So he's maybe more of a little puppy than he is his full size, you know, 75 pounds. They de-aged him. Yes. They've shrunk him a little bit. But hey, I was pretty impressed. And I will say it was pretty fast. It's super fast. Jason Howell I noticed that too. Yeah. Because I went and I did ChatGPT and Flux uh, German company that's got a good reputation at this stuff. Uh, chat GPT took a long time. Uh, flux, flux was pretty fast, but Gemini beat it. Uh, I did not have success with the merge with what I did. Oh, really? Yeah. It just, it just couldn't put it in the right place, but I, I had to take P I said, I used a really simple prompt. I was like, take people out of the background. And it, it took the right people out of the background. It was like a big crowd scene kind of thing. So, yeah, that was pretty impressive. ([Time 0:21:57](https://share.snipd.com/snip/3b89aa50-e724-44ed-80e3-1dcf50f45027)) - **Samsung’s Midrange Tab With Long Support** - Samsung's Galaxy Tab S10 Lite targets mid-range buyers with a 10.9" 90Hz display, Exynos 1380, and seven years of updates starting at €399. - Samsung continues to emphasize long update support as a selling point for Android tablets. Transcript: Tom Merritt It's a new mid-range tablet. It's designed to be the successor to last year's Tab S6 Lite. Now it comes with a 10.9 inch 90 hertz refresh TFT LCD display. So you've got the high refresh Exynos 1380 chip. So you don't have the Snapdragon six gigs of RAM, so a little bit less of RAM. And then Samsung is promising seven years of software and security updates. Love that Samsung always kind of, you know, kind of reinforcing its commitment to seven years, which is great. Whether these devices actually last seven years, time will tell. The new tablet starts at €399 if you're getting the Wi-Fi model, €459 with 5G, and you can get it for purchase on September 5th, so not very long from now. ([Time 0:23:22](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ec10bd85-5f95-470e-8c89-45e8b176ba9b)) - **Spotify Adds In-App Messaging With Controls** - Spotify added in-app direct messaging for sharing tracks and podcasts, available to free and premium users over age 16 with inbox controls. - Spotify says it will monitor harmful content while encrypting messages, implying limited surveillance mechanisms. Transcript: Jason Howell Is launching a direct messaging feature this week that lets you share songs, podcasts, audiobooks, and obviously messages without having to leave the app. Free and premium users will get access to the feature if you can prove you're 16 years of age or older. So free users getting this, which is nice. All your shared items are kept inside a little inbox that you can get to from your user profile on mobile. Users can accept or block inbound requests. So they've got your basic controls on DMs. All the communication is encrypted as well. Spotify is also monitoring for harmful material and offering users the ability to opt out completely. If they're monitoring for harmful material and it's encrypted, it's not end-to encryption so yeah so it's encrypted light ([Time 0:24:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a84249d1-a18b-46b8-a5f4-41342dc5f2f3)) - **Campus Profiles Return To Social Apps** - Instagram and TikTok are launching student verification features that let U.S. college students add school profiles after Unidays verification. - The move echoes Facebook's campus origins and raises privacy and tracking concerns for students. Transcript: Tom Merritt Last week, TikTok had announced, and we didn't have shows, so I'm pretty certain we didn't talk about it. Last week, TikTok announced its feature directed at letting its college users find and connect with each other on campus. Now, Instagram is offering an almost identical feature. They've had a testing process kind of rumors of this feature may be rolling out. Now we're finally getting it. Students in the U.S. Can add their college or university profile after a verification step through Unidays, which both of these services have actually partnered with to confirm student status. Students can control visibility of their college details. Participation is fully optional, so it's not a forced thing or anything. Obviously, there are always concerns with something like this over digital privacy, and especially in this case, the ability of students to track each other online or even on campus. But this kind of reminds me of the original kind of thing behind Facebook, right? Jason Howell Yes, I was thinking the exact same thing. I remember the day they announced, like, you don't have to be a university student to get Facebook anymore. And I went with my CNET address because you had to have an organization. But yeah, it's crazy how that works. Also, man, kids these days, they love to track each other. They do. Oh, totally. So if you're one of the olds like me and you're like, why would kids do this? They do. They love it. They're not going to resist this. ([Time 0:25:50](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9b80d660-c698-4d33-bd86-5844f9ccef0e)) - **Wyze’s Budget 4K Pan/Tilt Camera** - Wyze launched the Cam Pan V4: a $60 4K pan/tilt camera with 360° pan, person/pet tracking, Wi‑Fi 6, and local 512GB storage support. - Wyze continues to balance aggressive pricing with mixed long-term reliability experiences reported by users. Transcript: Jason Howell Finally, Wyze has launched its first 4K pan and tilt security camera, the Wyze Cam Pan V4. If you're not familiar, Wyze is spelled with a Z and a Y. W-Y The camera offers 360-degree panning and 180-degree tilting. Also features night vision, on-device powered tracking, so it can recognize people, pets, and vehicles. Works indoors and outdoors. Has that IP65 dust and water resistance rating. Also includes a motion-activated spotlight, a siren for additional security. I hope that one doesn't go off by mistake. And improved two-way audio, supports Wi-Fi 6 at both 2.4 and 5 gigahertz, can store up to 512 gigabytes of continuous footage locally on an SD card, and is available now. ([Time 0:27:57](https://share.snipd.com/snip/78e814ba-0ad4-4a40-9fdf-64f0ac68ea71))