Big victory for Android: faced with anger, Google gives up locking everything like Apple

The reverse was expected. Three months after causing an outcry by wanting to block the installation of applications from unverified developers, Google is changing its tune. In September, F-Droid, the leading free applications platform, had even warned that these rules would put an end to the project as it exists. The Californian company has just announced the creation of an “advanced flow” which will allow informed people to freely install software outside of the Play Store.

Google backs down on locking Android after developers’ revolt

In a post published Wednesday, Sameer Samat, vice president of Google, explains that this new system is aimed at developers and enthusiasts “who have a higher risk tolerance and want the ability to download unverified apps”. The firm promises a process “designed specifically to resist coercion” so that no one is “tricked into bypassing these security checks under pressure from scammers”.

Until this announcement, only the use of ADB, a particularly tedious command line tool, would have allowed uncertified applications to be installed. This turnaround therefore prevents Android regulars from having to resort to technical manipulations to maintain control of their device.

Google justifies its new verification requirements by the increase in scams in Southeast Asia, where criminals pose as banking advisors and trick their victims into installing fake security applications. This malware then intercepts two-factor authentication codes.

The company has not specified the number of steps that this famous advanced flow will include, nor has it communicated a precise timetable. Developers who exclusively distribute their applications outside the Play Store have been receiving invitations to register in the verification program since November 3, while those present on the official store will be contacted from November 25.

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