In August 2025, Google announced ↗ that as of September 2026, it will no longer be possible to develop apps for the Android platform without first registering centrally with Google. This registration will involve:
‼️Paying a fee to Google
‼️Agreeing to Google’s Terms and Conditions
‼️Providing government identification
‼️Uploading evidence of the developer’s private signing key
‼️Listing all current and future application identifiers
https://keepandroidopen.org