A small change is coming to the Play Store apps for the sake of your Android device’s security. Google has decided to include a small amount of security metadata to Android APKs. From now on, all the apps using the latest APK Signature Scheme will have a little amount of DRM (Digital Rights Management) built into them.
Some of you might get upset, but Google is doing it for a good reason. It will make sure you’re downloading from an authentic and approved source. The feature will be able to verify an app even if you’re offline.
DRM will help the developers, as well as the users. Although DRM is known to be abused by the developers, it will allow them to keep track of the version and authenticity of the app. Sometimes, there are modified rouge apps downloaded from an untrusted source, which could compromise your device. Having this feature will help them catch the trickery.
However, as per our previous experience, this feature could be misused. While it’s good for mobile security, developers may use it to control the way you use their software.
