|
| 1 | +(android-developer-verification)= |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +# Android developer verification |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +Google is introducing **Android developer verification**: on most Android phones, apps will only install if they were registered with Google by a verified developer. This also applies to apps installed from an APK file ("sideloading") — which is how you install the **AAPS** app you built yourself. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +This page explains what changes, when, and the **free** ways to keep installing and updating **AAPS** on your phone. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +```{contents} Table of contents |
| 10 | +:depth: 1 |
| 11 | +:local: true |
| 12 | +``` |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +## What is changing |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +Today, you install **AAPS** by copying the APK file to your phone and tapping it. In the future, when you do this on a phone with Google services (a "certified" Android device — virtually every phone sold with the Play Store), Android will check whether the app comes from a developer registered with Google. If not, the normal installation is blocked. |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +**The check happens when an app is installed or updated.** It does not remove apps that are already installed and running. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +Google is rolling this out gradually: |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +| When | What happens | |
| 23 | +|------|--------------| |
| 24 | +| August 2026 | Free "limited distribution" developer accounts open worldwide | |
| 25 | +| September 30, 2026 | Verification is enforced in **Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand** | |
| 26 | +| 2027 | Enforcement expands to the **rest of the world** | |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +Details are published by Google on the [Android developer verification](https://developer.android.com/developer-verification) pages, including a [FAQ](https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/faq). Google may still adjust dates and details; this page will be updated as the rollout progresses. |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +## Does this affect me? |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +- **Building AAPS is not affected at all.** The [browser build](#browser-build), the [Android Studio build](ComputerBuild.md) and the [CLI build](CLIBuild.md) work exactly as before, and your keystore does not change. |
| 33 | +- **Your current AAPS keeps running.** Verification is only checked when installing or updating an app. |
| 34 | +- **If you live in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore or Thailand:** installing or updating **AAPS** by tapping the APK file will be blocked from September 30, 2026. Use one of the [free installation methods](#android-developer-verification-free-methods) below. |
| 35 | +- **If you live anywhere else:** nothing changes for you before 2027. You have time, but it is worth reading this page so the change does not surprise you when you update **AAPS**. |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +(android-developer-verification-free-methods)= |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +## Free ways to install AAPS |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +You do **not** need to pay Google anything to keep using **AAPS**. There are three free methods; pick the one that matches your situation. |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +```{admonition} Which method should I use? |
| 44 | +:class: tip |
| 45 | +- You built **AAPS** with **Android Studio or the command line** (so you have a computer): use [ADB](#android-developer-verification-adb). It is exempt from verification, has no limits, and needs no Google account. |
| 46 | +- You built **AAPS** with the **browser build** and have no computer available: use the [advanced flow](#android-developer-verification-advanced-flow) on your phone. |
| 47 | +- You prefer to register with Google so the normal "tap the APK" installation keeps working: use a [free limited distribution account](#android-developer-verification-limited-account) (available from August 2026). |
| 48 | +``` |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +(android-developer-verification-adb)= |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +### Option 1: Install with ADB (computer needed) |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is Google's official tool for installing apps from a computer onto a phone with a USB cable. Google has confirmed that **apps installed with ADB do not require verification** — there is no waiting period, no device limit and no registration. |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +One-time preparation: |
| 57 | + |
| 58 | +1. On your phone, enable the hidden developer options: go to **Settings** > **About phone** (on some phones **Software information**) and tap **Build number** seven times, until the phone confirms you are a developer. |
| 59 | +1. Go back to the main **Settings**, open the new **Developer options** entry and enable **USB debugging**. |
| 60 | +1. On your computer, make sure ADB is available: |
| 61 | + - If you use **Android Studio**, ADB is already installed with it. |
| 62 | + - Otherwise, download Google's free [SDK Platform Tools](https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools) and unzip the folder. No installation is needed; ADB is the `adb` program inside that folder. |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +Installing (and later updating) **AAPS**: |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +1. Connect the phone to the computer with a USB cable. |
| 67 | +1. On the phone, accept the **Allow USB debugging?** prompt (the first time only). |
| 68 | +1. On the computer, open a terminal (command prompt) in the folder containing ADB and the **AAPS** APK file, and run: |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | + ``` |
| 71 | + adb install -r app-full-release.apk |
| 72 | + ``` |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | + Replace `app-full-release.apk` with the actual name of your APK file. The `-r` option updates an already installed **AAPS** while keeping all its data and settings. |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +1. Wait for `Success` to be displayed. **AAPS** is now installed on your phone. |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +The same command is used for every future update. The [Wear OS pages](../WearOS/WearOsSmartwatch.md) already use ADB in the same way to install the watch app. |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +(android-developer-verification-advanced-flow)= |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +### Option 2: The "advanced flow" on your phone (no computer needed) |
| 83 | + |
| 84 | +Google provides an escape hatch for experienced users who understand the risks of installing unverified apps, called the **advanced flow**. It is a one-time setup on the phone itself: |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +1. Enable **Developer Mode** in the phone settings (see step 1 of the ADB method above). |
| 87 | +1. Confirm on the phone that you want to allow installing apps from unverified developers, and that nobody is pressuring or guiding you to do this (this is a protection against scammers). |
| 88 | +1. The phone imposes a **one-day waiting period**, after which you confirm again with your fingerprint, face unlock or PIN. |
| 89 | +1. You can allow unverified installations for 7 days or indefinitely. |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +After this setup, installing the **AAPS** APK works as it does today, with one extra warning that the app is from an unverified developer — choose **Install anyway**. |
| 92 | + |
| 93 | +```{note} |
| 94 | +The advanced flow becomes available on phones when verification is enforced in your region. Google may still change the exact screens and steps; this section will be updated with screenshots once the final version is available. |
| 95 | +``` |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +(android-developer-verification-limited-account)= |
| 98 | + |
| 99 | +### Option 3: Register with Google (free limited distribution account) |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +Google offers a **free** developer account type for hobbyists and personal use, called a **limited distribution account**: |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +- You only need an email address — **no government ID** and **no fee** (unlike the paid developer account, which is not needed for personal **AAPS** use). |
| 104 | +- You register your app and authorize the phones it may be installed on, up to **20 devices**, through a handshake with a QR code or link between the phone and Google's Android Developer Console. |
| 105 | +- Once registered, the normal installation (tapping the APK file) works again on the authorized phones. |
| 106 | + |
| 107 | +```{warning} |
| 108 | +Limited distribution accounts open worldwide in **August 2026** (early access is currently closed). Google has also not yet explained how registration will work when many people build the same open-source app: every self-built **AAPS** uses the same package name (`info.nightscout.androidaps`) with a different signing key, and Google's FAQ states that a package name already in use by others may require additional review. |
| 109 | +
|
| 110 | +For these reasons, step-by-step instructions cannot be written yet. This section will be completed when the registration is open and has been tested with **AAPS**. In the meantime, ADB and the advanced flow above are reliable alternatives. |
| 111 | +``` |
| 112 | + |
| 113 | +## What does not change |
| 114 | + |
| 115 | +- Building **AAPS** yourself, with any of the three [build methods](BuildingAaps.md). |
| 116 | +- Your GitHub account, your fork and your keystore. |
| 117 | +- Your installed **AAPS** app, your settings and your [objectives](CompletingTheObjectives.md). |
| 118 | +- Phones without Google services, and [ADB installations](#android-developer-verification-adb) in general. |
| 119 | + |
| 120 | +## Where to get help |
| 121 | + |
| 122 | +1. **Read** Google's [developer verification FAQ](https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/faq) for questions about the verification itself. |
| 123 | +2. **Ask** on the *#AAPS* channel on [Discord](https://discord.gg/4fQUWHZ4Mw), or in one of the other [community channels](../GettingHelp/WhereCanIGetHelp.md), if an installation is blocked. |
| 124 | +3. When asking for help, include your phone make and model, Android version, your country, and the exact message displayed when the installation fails. |
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