Android distribution
Android developer verification
From September 30, 2026, certified Android devices in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand only install apps whose package name is registered to a verified developer. Google plans to extend this to all countries in 2027. It applies to APKs you share directly, not only to Google Play.
Reviewed September 24, 2026 against Google's overview, package registration help and developer guide. Google's pages are the authority.
Who needs to act
If people in those four countries install your app from an APK you send them (a Direct build), register the app before September 30. Otherwise their devices will refuse to install it or its updates. They can still install it with ADB or through Android's advanced install flow, which shows risk warnings. A limited-distribution account lets you install on up to 20 devices without a government ID.
If you publish on Google Play, follow the registration steps in your Play Console. Code2Native does not register apps on your behalf.
What registration asks for
You verify your identity in the Android Developer Console and register each package name (your Application ID) with the public certificate of the key that signs it. To prove you hold that key, Google gives you a snippet. You put it in a file named adi-registration.properties in the app's assets folder, then upload a release APK signed with the same key.
For a source build, put the file in your project at android/app/src/main/assets/adi-registration.properties and rebuild; the APK is signed with your project's key. Website and Shopify builds can't add the file yet. If you need to register one before we add it, email [email protected] with your project ID.
Which key signs your app
Source builds
Flutter and native Android projects are signed with a key created for your project alone, or with the keystore you uploaded. You can register that certificate.
Website and Shopify apps with your keystore
If you uploaded a keystore when you created a Store app, your builds use it. You can register that certificate.
Website and Shopify apps without a keystore
These builds are signed with a Code2Native platform key that many apps share. Google binds registration to the signing certificate, and you cannot prove ownership of a shared key. Today you can only add your own keystore when you create a Store app; for an existing app or a Direct app, email support before you register.
Changing the signing key has a cost. Android won't update an installed APK that was signed with a different key, so people must uninstall and reinstall once. For Google Play apps, the signing key is managed through Play App Signing; see the Android build guide before you switch.