NewPipe developers have begun warning users they will not join Google’s new sideloading verification program and are sharing ways to keep installing the app outside Google Play.
Starting in September, Google will require developers to verify their identity, register an account and pay a $25 fee; users installing “unverified” APKs will face a 24-hour waiting period.
NewPipe says users can bypass some friction by using ADB, while Android still lets power users permanently enable sideloading for all apps after completing the one-time 24-hour delay.
The changes hit open-source apps, emulators, modding tools and ad-skipping clients especially hard, and F-Droid has warned the policy could eventually squeeze alternative app stores.