For the benefit of those reacting based on the headline and one-sentence summary, yes it's a pain, I agree with the mob that it should be the user's choice what they install, BUT, the headline is badly written, in that it implies that the app itself has to be verified, and also many commenters seem to have also inferred that it means an Apple walled-garden style Play Store lock-in which also isn't the case. (a better headline might have been "sideloading of Android apps from unverified publishers")

You can still publish and run apps from outside of the Play Store, but publishers will need to get a verified key from Google to sign them with. Google don't have any visibility of what the app actually is, they just issue you a key and you do whatever you want with it.

(EDIT: fuck me, don't shoot the messenger, just because you don't like what Google is doing. I even opened by saying I agreed that the user should be able to choose, knowing full well that the sort of person who doesn't read past the headline also would interpret correcting it as a defense of Google... guess I'd have been better off just quietly leaving y'all to get angry over things that didn't actually happen)

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 16 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

i'm sure google will be happy to verify and hand a key out to revanced or aurora store.

[–] ReluctantZen@feddit.nl 16 points 2 days ago

Agreed on the headline, but having to ID yourself as a developer to Google even if you're not using the Play Store is fucked too. It's a big step towards a walled garden.

[–] dysprosium@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

For now...

[–] critical@reddthat.com 8 points 2 days ago

Then they controll who gets a key and if you sign something that's isn't OK with them - revocation

[–] Cochise@lemmy.eco.br 7 points 2 days ago

Any developer of piracy or emulation related software will not apply for the registration, because the trail will point to they official identity, opening a flank to legal actions. This will kill piracy in Android.

[–] JPAKx4@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 2 days ago

All Google would have to do is check what key an app is using on a user's device and they can invalidate it. Someone made a youtube vanced 2 (not revanced)? Google can easily invalidate it for everyone using this process.

Even if I misunderstand how the key works and it's more of a signature, it would mean that if you try to download an older app then it could fail bc the signature expired and isn't maintained anymore. You also run into the same issue with not being renewed if Google chooses.

My point is it could effectively be a side loading killer, maybe not right away but the point of sideloading is the independence which this takes away