Google plans to exempt sanctioned nations from Android developer verification

谷歌计划豁免受制裁国家，无需进行 Android 开发者验证

We are a month away from the initial rollout of Google’s Android developer verification system, and the company contends this policy does not impinge on the platform’s open nature. Still, the restrictions will be a big change, and there are still some unanswered questions. 距离谷歌 Android 开发者验证系统的首次推出还有一个月的时间，谷歌坚称该政策不会影响平台的开放性。尽管如此，这些限制措施仍将带来巨大的变化，且目前仍有一些悬而未决的问题。

An issue that has come up repeatedly in the run-up to verification is what will happen to devs who can’t verify because of where they live. It turns out that Google has a cryptic answer for that buried in an FAQ. 在验证系统推出前的这段时间里，一个反复出现的问题是：那些因居住地原因而无法进行验证的开发者该怎么办？事实证明，谷歌在常见问题解答（FAQ）中给出了一个晦涩的答案。

Developer verification will soon block the installation of apps from unverified developers on any Android device running Google services, which is functionally all Android phones outside Russia and China. Developers who want to keep releasing software, even if it’s not in the Play Store, have to provide Google with their ID and pay a small fee. 开发者验证系统很快将阻止在任何运行谷歌服务的 Android 设备上安装来自未验证开发者的应用，这实际上涵盖了俄罗斯和中国以外的所有 Android 手机。想要继续发布软件的开发者，即使不在 Play Store 上架，也必须向谷歌提供身份证明并支付少量费用。

But what if you’re an Android developer living in a sanctioned nation? Currently, the US sanction list includes Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and occupied areas of Ukraine. Given the current uncertain state of US foreign policy, that list could change in the future. Google doing any business with developers in those places is a thorny issue, and it seems like the company has decided to just leave them hanging. 但如果你是一名居住在受制裁国家的 Android 开发者呢？目前，美国的制裁名单包括伊朗、古巴、朝鲜和乌克兰的被占领地区。鉴于美国外交政策目前的不确定性，这份名单未来可能会发生变化。谷歌与这些地区的开发者进行任何业务往来都是一个棘手的问题，看起来谷歌已经决定将他们“晾在一边”。

A rather lengthy FAQ a few levels deep on the Google developer site addresses various issues around dev verification. Smack in the middle is this: How does this program impact developers in sanctioned countries? Devices in sanctioned countries will be excluded from Android developer verification checks. This allows any developer to continue distributing apps in these regions without verification, though users there won’t benefit from the enhanced security benefits of the program. 在谷歌开发者网站深处的一份相当冗长的常见问题解答中，提到了关于开发者验证的各种问题。其中赫然写着：该计划如何影响受制裁国家的开发者？受制裁国家的设备将被排除在 Android 开发者验证检查之外。这允许任何开发者在无需验证的情况下继续在这些地区分发应用，尽管当地用户将无法享受到该计划带来的增强安全保障。

The wording is bizarre because the answer doesn’t directly address the most important question—it dodges it. The vague FAQ appears to suggest that these developers won’t be able to verify, but that’s OK because phones in their countries won’t require that. But this comes with a real downside for those people. 这种措辞很奇怪，因为它没有直接回答最重要的问题，而是在回避。这份模糊的 FAQ 似乎暗示这些开发者将无法进行验证，但这没关系，因为他们国家的手机不需要验证。但这对这些人来说确实存在严重的负面影响。

A Google spokesperson has expanded on the FAQ and confirmed to Ars that people living in sanctioned nations will not be allowed to go through the verification process. That means they will not be able to effectively distribute software through any channel internationally. 谷歌发言人对该 FAQ 进行了补充，并向 Ars Technica 证实，居住在受制裁国家的人员将不被允许进行验证流程。这意味着他们将无法通过任何渠道在国际上有效地分发软件。

Today, someone making an app in, say, Cuba can distribute it freely around the world, as well as at home. Anyone can install it and see their work in action after tapping through a few sideloading alerts. In the coming months, that will no longer be the case. These unverified apps will only be easily installable in the sanctioned countries where verification doesn’t exist. 如今，一个在古巴开发应用的人可以自由地在全球范围内以及国内分发该应用。任何人只需点击几次侧载警告，就可以安装并使用他们的作品。但在接下来的几个月里，情况将不再如此。这些未经验证的应用将只能在没有验证机制的受制裁国家内轻松安装。

Advanced flow or no flow: Earlier this year, Google clarified its plans for the “advanced flow” to bypass developer verification. It requires a bunch of steps, scary warnings, and a 24-hour wait. That gives tech-savvy folks a way to get around the new restrictions, but most people won’t know such an option even exists. “高级流程”还是“无流程”：今年早些时候，谷歌阐明了绕过开发者验证的“高级流程”计划。它需要一系列步骤、令人不安的警告以及 24 小时的等待。这为精通技术的人提供了一种绕过新限制的方法，但大多数人甚至不知道还有这种选择。

Verification will necessarily create a two-tiered system of apps: verified ones that anyone can install and unverified apps that almost no one can install. Google says this change is necessary to combat scam apps. Paradoxically, the situation in sanctioned nations will actually provide more app freedom. And these are Google-certified phones at issue here. In places like Cuba and Iran, most phones are Android devices with full Google certification because they’re imported from other places where Google officially operates. So Google is essentially acknowledging in this FAQ that its mobile services are being used and nominally supported in these places. 验证必然会创造一个双层应用系统：任何人都可以安装的“已验证应用”，以及几乎没人能安装的“未验证应用”。谷歌表示，这一改变对于打击诈骗应用是必要的。矛盾的是，受制裁国家的现状实际上反而提供了更多的应用自由。而且这里涉及的都是经过谷歌认证的手机。在古巴和伊朗等地，大多数手机都是拥有完整谷歌认证的 Android 设备，因为它们是从谷歌正式运营的其他地区进口的。因此，谷歌实际上是在这份 FAQ 中承认，其移动服务在这些地方正被使用并名义上得到支持。

Google probably sees this as a legal tightrope. It can’t engage with developers in these places to verify them, but it seems determined to move forward with developer verification. The solution, apparently, is to leave devs in these regions behind—no verification, but no enforcement, either. The rest of us will have a more restricted app experience as users, but most developers around the world will be able to distribute their software anywhere as long as they verify. Sanctioned developers, meanwhile, will be in a second-tier bubble. 谷歌可能将此视为法律上的走钢丝。它无法与这些地区的开发者接触以进行验证，但似乎决心推进开发者验证。显然，解决方案就是将这些地区的开发者抛在后面——既没有验证，也没有强制执行。作为用户，我们其余人的应用体验将受到更多限制，但全球大多数开发者只要通过验证，就能在任何地方分发软件。与此同时，受制裁的开发者将被困在二等公民的圈子里。

Google has therefore tied the ability to distribute Android apps to the whims of the US Treasury Department, which maintains and enforces economic sanctions. Currently, Google plans to activate the verification restrictions on September 30 in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. The program is expected to expand globally in 2027. 因此，谷歌将分发 Android 应用的能力与美国财政部的意愿挂钩，而美国财政部负责维护和执行经济制裁。目前，谷歌计划于 9 月 30 日在巴西、印度尼西亚、新加坡和泰国启动验证限制。该计划预计将于 2027 年在全球范围内推广。