"As Google begins early access testing, it has conceded that "experienced users" should have an escape hatch. According to Google, online scam and malware campaigns are getting more aggressive, and there's real harm being done in spite of the platform's sideloading scare screens. Google says it's common for scammers to use social engineering to create a false sense of urgency, prompting users to bypass Android's built-in protections to install malicious apps."
"Google's solution to this problem, as announced several months ago, is to force everyone making apps to verify their identities. Unverified apps won't install on any Google-certified device once verification rolls out. Without this, the company claims malware creators can endlessly create new apps to scam people. However, the centralized nature of verification threatened to introduce numerous headaches into a process that used to be straightforward for power users."
Google will require developers outside the Google Play platform to verify their identities to combat increasingly aggressive online scam and malware campaigns. The company says scammers use social engineering and false urgency to bypass Android protections and sideload warning screens. Unverified apps will be blocked on Google-certified devices once verification launches to prevent repeated malicious app creation. Centralized verification provoked backlash from developers and power users over installation friction. Google has offered concessions, including free verification for hobbyists and students, continued ADB-based installs, and a promised alternative escape hatch for experienced users with details still pending.
Read at Ars Technica
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]