The app ID is com.google.android.verifier, which I assume will be used for the upcoming developer verification program for installing 3rd party apps.

Starting September 30, developers (signing authors) need to be verified from Google to distribute apps in the following app stores:

• Google Play Store
• Honor App Market
• OPPO App Market
• Samsung Galaxy Store
• Transsion Palm Store
• vivo V-Appstore and
• Xiaomi GetApps

only in the countries of Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.

F-Droid is not included for this time.

It is planned to be rolled out globally across all markets/app stores by January of 2027.

Relevant sources:
https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides
https://keepandroidopen.org/

I used App Manager (io.github.muntashirakon.AppManager) for the screenshot; you can use your regular 'Installed Apps'/'Apps' menu to see if it's been rolled out automatically for you as well.

edit: First link was originally a typo, my bad. Fixed it.

Update: Interestingly, since it is still classed as a User app, I can uninstall it myself without any special perms. The installation source is shown as Google Play Store, and you can manually find the app on the store.

Here's a screenshot of that - though it has no ratings, reviews, options to review etc. that you would expect from ordinary or even other Google produced apps.

I have Xiaomi POCO M3 5G on Brazil and nothig has changed at all, maybe becayse I already have all google pre installed system apps disabled

Got on my Motorola too

No idea where you are nor which phone you have, but maybe it's time to install an Android alternative OS (not sure what to call it) like GrapheneOS, LineageOS, or eOS. From what I understand they don't allow this kind of shit.

On my pixel 10, I see this app is installed with only the option to disable, not uninstall.

My daily driver is now a Jolla Phone (2026), still have my Fairphone 6 with /e/OS.

Thanks OP, uninstalled

Easier said than done, especially as there are more models that don't have any sort of support for those OSs than models that do. Not to mention the hassle to even enable the option to flash it and risk of bricking. Worse, banking apps may refuse to work.

Google and the OEMs never wanted you to own your phone and they are mostly winning on that front.

Same

F-Droid is not included for this time.

How-To:

• Open Developer Options and select Apps from unverified developers.
• Turn on Allow apps from unverified developers.
• Authenticate using your screen lock.
• Confirm that nobody is pressuring you to change the setting.
• Restart your phone and wait 24 hours.
• Return to the setting and choose whether to allow apps from unverified developers for seven days or indefinitely.

Source:
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-android-advanced-flow-sideloading-rollout-begins-3700073/
https://www.pocket-lint.com/android-new-sideloading-option/

unless you use a de-googled rom google play services can't be disabled

Thanks, I just checked and it was installed so I've uninstalled it

That's some pretty big hurdles to be honest, just a reminder of how sketchy Google is these days.

I can find it there, but only uninstall updates. Guess it's ADB time.

Same on my Samsung

Goto "app details" at the bottom of the settings page for the app. Then select "uninstall updates" should no longer appear in app list.

Less issue for me than Apple lol.

You can always (for now) go to LineageOS or GrapheneOS ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'd love to hear how that is going for you, if you have time

Every shift away from open Android that users accept emboldens Google to lock it down further.

Not if you want your banking app to work, or some other apps that require you to have the "certified" os on your phone. If I have to stop using these apps, I might as well go back to a dumbphone.

Other than affecting the general open source app community as a whole, does anyone know how this will affect Graphene IS phones yet? I haven't seen a good discussion on it yet.

Easier said than done, especially as there are more models that don't have any sort of support for those OSs than models that do.

This is a big hurdle. I had to buy a different phone to install a custom ROM. I bought it used, but even so still fairly expensive. And an extra cost can be a limiting factor too.

Not to mention the hassle to even enable the option to flash it and risk of bricking

GrapheneOS has a webUSB installer that is very easy to use. I would argue it eliminates the hassle. Bricking is still a risk.

Worse, banking apps may refuse to work.

I don't use banking apps on my phone. I don't like having anything installed that has access to money. I just access my financial institutions via their website. But I acknowledge they may fill some need others have that I do not. And that not everyone has access to a computer to access websites , and I can see banks trying to force app use when accessing from a mobile browser.

"App details" is greyed out for me. Pixel 7 Pro.

Edit: never mind - it was because I had the Play Store disabled. Not that it'll mean much, but I flagged the app as inappropriate while I was there.

Edit 2: Wow, they're paying for fake reviews that are blatantly a bad joke.

Next phone will be a serious attempt at a linux phone.

Switching from Android to Apple is really smart lol.
Why would you even switch from a pretty much open system to a fully closed one (even with the things the EU forces Apple to do)?
(This questions excludes Linux OSs on smartphones)

Apple is of course still far worse, but users shouldn't be accepting Google's changes to Android without complaint.

Hm? Aurora crashes if you select that app. Not on any other.

Web browsers exist still, though some particularly shitty sites don't even have a mobile web view these days.

Luckily, I don't have any day-to-day services that require I use an app.

Block it, them spam your manufacturer with support requests. Make it their problem.

Weird, I could uninstall it (and the key verifier one too), and so I did. Yeah, this is definitely not going to come back to bite me in the ass

EDIT: OnePlus Open, I haven't unlocked bootloader or rooted it.

Been using my pixel 6, according to the app list it has been "used since Aug 13" I cannot archive(greyed out), disable says (get this) "It came preinstalled on my device" funny since I've been using this device for years and by its own account was just installed aug 13

Only for stock android, right?

Could go back to a flip phone tbh. Only got a FF4 a few months ago and put calyx on it, used a flip phone before that for a few years.

I used Magisk for that on LineageOS

You can probably get rid of it by installing GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, iodéOS, or LineageOS, unless youre in the US and bought the phone from Verizon

At this time it is currently better to go with a custom Android ROM. Linux phones are currently have almost 0 security. I say almost 0 because postmarketos does support LUKS encryption, but only on some devices, and pmos uses an "upstream kernel" update model for devices, so a lot of the drivers for supported phones are not fully complete.

None of them have sandboxing, or measured boot, and excluding postmarketos, none of them get driver level security updates either.

It will not affect GrapheneOS (or any custom ROM built without unsandboxed Google Services) as the delivery method for the update requires Google Play services have full admin access to the device to install it.

My bank currently works but in the past it hasnt and the website worked just fine for the period of time the app didnt work.

If you care about security in any capacity I would advise against a flip phone

wrong, just use adb

ok but let's hope you never have to factory reset your phone or do an android update because otherwise you end up right where you started

What if you unistall it

Its only to receive calls from people and employers who still use phone/SMS as a contact method.

Anything important can be done on a Linux PC. So then the question is how portable of a Linux PC can I comfortably get.

My Bank works even without microG or some other Google supplement. It does show a warning on the initial boot that it might not, but it does. They also do not require to have the app, but its still nice to have.

What happens if you try to install an unverified apk now? Like is there a message or something? Does it go away after just uninstalling the developer verifier?

You can't without ADB but you can disable it.

This app also got silently installed on my device, but I just updated YouTube Morphe and there was no issue. So for now the app doesn't appear to do anything. I disabled it and will be uninstalling with ADB soon.

Ah okey, thanks for the info :)
Better hope they do not merge it into Google Play Services then and that I didn't just jinx that to happen...

Just buy a phone that comes preinstalled without Google.

My banking apps all work. Some of the shittier apps that force you to watch ads break though.