Google Adds 24-Hour Delay for Sideloading Unverified Android Apps

Google detailed a new 24-hour waiting period for Android users who want to install apps from unverified developers, part of a broader sideloading policy change tied to developer identity verification. The new advanced flow requires users to enable Developer Mode and then wait before bypassing app verification, a design Google says is intended to disrupt social engineering scams that pressure victims into installing malicious APKs immediately. Google framed the delay as a safeguard for users whose phones hold sensitive personal and financial data, while still preserving a path for experienced users to take what it calls an informed risk.

Google introduced the exception after backlash to its earlier plan to require verified developer accounts for apps on certified Android devices, including criticism from power users and civil society groups that objected to the identity verification requirement and associated fee. Reporting indicates the bypass can be enabled through a one-time process, and users who want unrestricted sideloading can select an indefinite option rather than waiting each time. The change does not eliminate Google's verification regime, but it creates a compromise that keeps sideloading available while adding friction specifically aimed at malware delivery campaigns that rely on urgency and coercion.