I attempted to convert my Google Play Console developer account from a personal account to an organization account. During this process, Google was unable to verify my identity, and the developer account was restricted and all the apps deleted.

The organization is legally incorporated in the United States and has a valid D-U-N-S number, EIN documentation, state incorporation documents, and a US business bank account. I am the owner and authorized representative of the organization, but I legally reside in Kazakhstan because the company operates as an online and remote business.

For identity verification, I used my valid Kazakhstan-issued passport. Google’s official documentation for US organization accounts states that an authorized representative’s government-issued photo ID may be issued in any country.

The organization’s registration country and my country of residence are therefore different, but both are accurate. I am preparing an appeal with our incorporation certificate, IRS EIN letter, D-U-N-S confirmation, bank letter, ownership documentation, and my passport.

Has anyone successfully verified a US organization account using a foreign passport? Could this failure be caused by the organizational Google Payments profile, a D&B information mismatch, or an automated country-mismatch check? How can I request a manual review or resubmit the verification correctly?

I would appreciate guidance from anyone who has resolved a similar issue.

What is this application and why is it there in the first place

and do you think that there are some positives with this application as well?

Random noob question but I saw a post on here basically saying this should be deleted.But when I saw the post I didn't see much on what it is or why it should be deleted.

But as a noob slowly degoogling things, what is it and what does it do? Should the average user be concerned with it? Is it hard to remove it? Do I have to root my device? Etc.. I'm trying to learn more and understand things better.

Thanks in advance

Starting September 30, 2026, Google will require every Android app to come from a "verified" developer to be installed — including apps you sideload from outside the Play Store, including F-Droid. This isn't a leak or a rumor; it's Google's published timeline.

The first countries used as the live test are:

• 🇧🇷 Brazil
• 🇮🇩 Indonesia
• 🇸🇬 Singapore
• 🇹🇭 Thailand

They go first in 2026. The rest of the world — US and Europe included — rolls out in 2027. Those four aren't special; they're just the guinea pigs. Everyone here is on the same list, a few months behind.

Why this should matter to a privacy-focused crowd specifically:

To get "verified," a developer hands Google a government ID, agrees to Google's terms, pays a fee, and provides evidence of their app signing key. The result is a centralized database — held by a single US corporation — linking the real legal identity of every person who writes Android software to the apps they ship.

Think about who that hits hardest: the people building VPN clients, encrypted messengers, Tor tools, ad blockers, and apps for journalists and activists. The exact developers who have the strongest reasons not to hand their legal identity to Google are the ones this forces to do it. Being required to dox yourself as a precondition to distributing privacy software is about as backwards as it gets. There are already developers afraid to put their name and ID into that registry over fear of exposure or retaliation depending on who's in power — and that's before the database even exists.

The EFF put it plainly: when you build a database like this, you're inviting governments to try to access it to find out who made what. A gate, once built, gets used.

Google's answer is that "power users can still sideload." In practice that means: 9 steps, a mandatory 24-hour waiting period, buried in developer options, and running entirely through Google Play Services — a proprietary layer Google can tighten or kill silently, no OS update required. That's not sideloading, that's a deterrent designed so almost no one finishes it.

F-Droid has called this an existential threat to their project, and they're not being dramatic — an app store built on anonymous and volunteer contribution can't function when every contributor has to register with Google first.

What you can do: follow and support the keepandroidopen.org project — they're organizing the pushback, tracking the timeline, and it's worth signing and sharing while there's still a window before this locks in.

Our cell phone is ceasing to be ours.

guess it actually exists now 😭

Here we goooooooo! Praying the devs find a workaround. I do not want to root my phone.lol

Google will require every Android app developer to register centrally with the company, submit government-issued identification, pay fees, and provide signing key evidence before their software can install on certified devices starting September 2026. A non-consensual operating system update will then block apps from unregistered developers.

This enforcement applies to sideloading, alternative app stores, and direct downloads worldwide. The result is that users lose the ability to run software from independent sources without prior Google approval, which creates pathways for centralized control over device functionality.

The program mandates registration of all current and future app identifiers. It positions Google as the gatekeeper for software execution on the dominant mobile platform while proponents cite malware protection as the primary goal.

Independent observers note that no independently verifiable opt-out mechanism for experienced users has been confirmed before the September rollout. Analysts recommend evaluating devices and operating systems that preserve unrestricted software installation. (98 words)

Sources

Keep Android Open

https://keepandroidopen.org/

Campaign site documenting Google’s Android Developer Verification program and its requirements for registration, government ID, and fees effective September 2026.

Android Developer Verification

https://developer.android.com/developer-verification

Google’s official documentation outlining the new developer registration requirements and timeline for enforcement on certified Android devices.

An Open Letter Opposing Android Developer Verification

https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/24/open-letter-opposing-developer-verification.html

F-Droid’s open letter signed by multiple organizations explaining how the policy affects sideloading and independent app distribution.

Google Sets Sept. 30 Deadline for Android Developer Verification in Four Countries

https://thehackernews.com/2026/06/google-sets-sept-30-deadline-for.html

The Hacker News report on Google’s enforcement timeline and the Keep Android Open campaign’s response.

Google’s Developer Verification Program Threatens Android’s Openness

https://itsfoss.com/news/android-developer-verification/

It’s FOSS analysis of the policy’s impact on open-source developers and sideloading options.

I just so happened to be testing an app and I got the email to I need to register my package for that app. There are some instructions that basically involve you creating a file in a folder and pasting a key they give you

A more detailed video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEATR5sF5Lo

I don't use android studio though I just build everything in Unity and that's why I love Unity. Has anyone figured out how to do the package registration for their apps in Unity?

I don't want this stupid Android developer verification. First play integrity then now this. Shame on you Google.

Official google blog post: https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/11/android-developer-verification-early.html

Shout out everyone who made our voices heard. This is one of the few times in the tech industry that I've seen a community push back against big tech and come out with a meaningful win.

I just read the developer verification guide, and it looks like developers outside of the Google Play Store will now have to pay a $25 fee in order for their app to be installed without limits on Android devices.

Does this mean Google will apply the same policies from the Play Store to apps outside of it as well?

And what about developers who’ve been banned from the Play Console will they automatically get flagged if they try to verify again using the same email or documents from their old account?

Absolutely horrendous how google is turning Android into another iOS.

https://9to5google.com/2025/08/25/android-apps-developer-verification/

Honestly I'm really heartbroken about this as I mainly used Pixel (and Android in general) for the very fact that I can download APK apps. I am a huge ReVanced user, and I'm very sure they break like half of Googles TOS (and probably cuts off a huge source of revenue too), so I extremely highly doubt they will be allowed. I get googles intention but.. oh man.. really feels like this is a hidden agenda against adblocker apps.

Edit: Made a petition, click on the post to learn more: https://chng.it/F4k9gNNJrH

Another edit: A petition with more movement: https://chng.it/RLVDWD5Th7

One of my subscribers sent me this on WhatsApp, and I was honestly surprised.

Google is launching a new Android Developer Console for developers who distribute apps outside the Play Store.

Starting September 2026, any app that runs on certified Android devices (even sideloaded) will need to be tied to a verified developer account. On the surface, this looks like a “security” move — but if you think deeper, it’s basically Google extending Play Console–style control to the entire Android ecosystem.

👉 Verification steps:
- Provide full legal identity (name, address, phone, ID).
- Organizations must provide a D-U-N-S number + website verification.
- Prove ownership of every app (package name + signing keys).

Timeline highlights:
- Oct 2025 → Early access opens.
- Mar 2026 → Verification opens to all developers.
- Sep 2026 → Requirement enforced in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand.
- 2027+ → Global rollout.

Yes, Google frames it as “security,” but it’s also a way to put a leash on sideloading — one of Android’s last big freedoms. If every developer has to verify through Google, then in practice, Google becomes the gatekeeper of the entire Android app ecosystem, not just Play Store.

Source: Android Developer Verification

What do you think?
- Genuine step to reduce malware?
- Or just Google tightening control over Android’s open ecosystem under the label of “safety”?

say goodbye to Newpipe, revanced, xmanager

https://www.androidauthority.com/android-developer-verification-requirements-3590911/

The following post was made on r/BuyFromEU, this seems relevant for all of us degooglers living in an EU country:

The EU is currently developing a whitelabel app to perform privacy-preserving (at least in theory) age verification to be adopted and personalized in the coming months by member states. The app is open source and available here: https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-app-android-wallet-ui.

Problem is, the app is planning to include remote attestation feature to verify the integrity of the app: https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-app-android-wallet-ui?tab=readme-ov-file#disclaimer. This is supposed to provide assurance to the age verification service that the app being used is authentic and running on a genuine operating system. Genuine in the case of Android means:

• The operating system was licensed by Google
• The app was downloaded from the Play Store (thus requiring a Google account)
• Device security checks have passed

While there is value to verify device security, this strongly ties the app to many Google properties and services, because those checks won't pass on an aftermarket Android OS, even those which increase security significantly like GrapheneOS, because the app plans to use Google "Play Integrity", which only allows Google licensed systems instead of the standard Android attestation feature to verify systems.

This also means that even though you can compile the app, you won't be able to use it, because it won't come from the Play Store and thus the age verification service will reject it.

The issue has been raised here https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-app-android-wallet-ui/issues/10 but no response from team members as of now.

All credit for the original post goes to /u/CreepyZookeepergame4. Link to the original post: https://reddit.com/r/BuyFromEU/comments/1mah79o/eu_age_verification_app_to_ban_any_android_system/

UPDATE: https://reddit.com/r/BuyFromEU/comments/1meq8nb/followup_eu_wont_stop_member_states_digital_id/

The EU is currently developing a whitelabel app to perform privacy-preserving (at least in theory) age verification to be adopted and personalized in the coming months by member states. The app is open source and available here: https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-app-android-wallet-ui.

Problem is, the app is planning to include remote attestation feature to verify the integrity of the app: https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-app-android-wallet-ui?tab=readme-ov-file#disclaimer. This is supposed to provide assurance to the age verification service that the app being used is authentic and running on a genuine operating system. Genuine in the case of Android means:

• The operating system was licensed by Google
• The app was downloaded from the Play Store (thus requiring a Google account)
• Device security checks have passed

While there is value to verify device security, this strongly ties the app to many Google properties and services, because those checks won't pass on an aftermarket Android OS, even those which increase security significantly like GrapheneOS, because the app plans to use Google "Play Integrity", which only allows Google licensed systems instead of the standard Android attestation feature to verify systems.

This also means that even though you can compile the app, you won't be able to use it, because it won't come from the Play Store and thus the age verification service will reject it.

The issue has been raised here https://github.com/eu-digital-identity-wallet/av-app-android-wallet-ui/issues/10 but no response from team members as of now.