Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev said the risk stems from Google's developer verification program, speaking at the "TrizTech Day" conference. He said installing applications on Android does not currently pose problems, but the situation could change.
Shadayev added that he was describing a scenario analysis, not Google's stated intentions.
Android currently allows apps to be installed from any source: from any store, or simply by downloading an APK file from a website. Google is changing that.
Starting in 2027, on all certified devices — those with built-in Google services, meaning the vast majority of Android smartphones outside China — only applications from developers who have confirmed their identity or company details with Google will be installable in the standard way. The rule does not depend on the installation source: it applies equally to Google Play, Samsung and Xiaomi stores, RuStore, and APKs from third-party websites.
Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand will be the first to introduce it, from September 30. An app from an unverified developer can only be installed by a workaround, through an advanced mode: enabling developer mode, rebooting the phone, waiting a day and re-confirming identity. The same applies to updates for already installed applications.
For Russia, this means that installing any Russian applications, including Max and RuStore itself, will ultimately depend on Google's decision. After the EU Council imposed sanctions on VK and the developer of Max in July, Google gained a formal basis to refuse to service them, and three days later the company removed almost the entire holding's ecosystem from Google Play.