Interesting information has appeared online today – according to the source, Google experts have started testing the new Google Play Integrity API, which will radically change the approach to installing applications on Android devices, starting with Android 15 or Android 16.
Developers will now be able to use this API to check if an app is installed from Google Play or other sources. That is, users of Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco devices, as well as other brands, who install apk files from third-party sources, will face new restrictions.
To be more precise, the journalists of the Android Authority resource noticed today that when trying to install applications from third-party sources, a window will periodically appear offering to install it from the Google Play store. In this case, it is only possible to cancel the verification procedure or go to the app store. As a result, you will not actually be able to install this application.
In theory, this will lead to the fact that owners of Xiaomi, Redmi or Poco, who constantly install Android applications from third-party sources, will face serious difficulties.
Moreover, this will limit their access to a number of programs, especially for those users who use alternative app stores, such as the Russian RuStore.
Apparently, the main purpose of these innovations in the Google Play Integrity API was to increase user security, as installing programs from unknown sources can lead to various malware-related risks.
It will also affect Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco users who actively use applications from domestic online banks that have been removed from Google Play due to sanctions. If previously they could install them directly from bank websites or download them from third-party resources, now this feature will not be available.
