Google used to do very little curation of the Play Store (or Android Market, if you go back far enough), but it has long sought to improve the platform's reputation as being less secure than the Apple App Store.

Google wants to make sideloading safer on Android by verifiying the identities of developers who distribute apps outside the Play Store.

Google will soon require all Android app developers to verify their identities, even if they do not list their apps on its Play Store. Currently, those who create “sideloaded” apps, which are downloaded outside the official app marketplace, are exempt from Google’s verification requirements.