Android developer verification: Balancing openness and choice with safety

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The part in the flow where you select between allowing app installs for 7 days or forever is a glimpse into the future. That toggle shows the thought process that's going on at Google.

I can bet that a few versions down the line, the "Not recommended" option of allowing installs indefinitely will become so not recommended that they'll remove it outright. Then shrink the 7 day window to 3 days or less. Or only give users one allowed attempt at installing an app, after which it's another 24 hour waiting period for you. Then ask the user to verify themselves as a developer if they want to install whatever they want. Whatever helps them turn people away from alternatives and shrink the odds of someone dislodging their monopoly, they will do. Anything to drive people to Google Play only.

Pay verification fee to continue
so Apple then? They require you to pay the $99 yearly fee to sideload for more than 7 days

Which increases the limit to whatever time is left on your current payment period. After which the app will stop working and need to be reinstalled by an authenticated developer who has a current Apple Developer Subscription.

EDIT: Edited the above which previously said 90 days incorrectly. Not sure where my brain pulled that from but I posted the correct details here prior: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45743615

Notably if you install a month before your subscription expires you need to reinstall the app in 1 month.

Free provisioning: If you do not pay the developer fee an app installed via Xcod... | Hacker News

> Which increases the limit to 90 days

It increases to 365 days, no? At least thats the longest I can sign my app and I use a personal but paid Apple Developer Account

Oops yes you're correct. Edited post and put a note about the correction and a link to my previous post describing the correct details.

But it's only 365 days if you install the app on day 1 of your $99 subscription period.