Google has announced that it will block the sideloading of unverified Android apps found outside the Play Store starting next year if their developers fail to comply with the company's upcoming new ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Zak Doffman writes about cybersecurity, surveillance and privacy. The team has found “172 targeted applications,” which include ...

Google stepped up its efforts to police the Android ecosystem last year, blocking 2.28 million “policy-violating apps” from being published on the Google Play store. The figure is over 59% higher than ...

An updated API available to Android app developers can force users to download the app from Google Play, blocking the app from working if it is sideloaded. First announced at Google I/O 2024, the ...

Google blocked 2.3 million Android app submissions to the Play Store in 2024 due to violations of its policies that made them potentially risky for users. In addition, 158,000 developer accounts were ...

You can install apps, even if Play Protect hard blocks them.