New Delhi, Aug. 26 -- Google is bringing a contentious new reform to the way apps are installed on Android devices from next year. The tech giant has been known for offering users the freedom to customize their experience, something that distinguished it from the walled gardens of Apple, but that choice has slowly been fading away in the last few years and the latest reform could perhaps be the biggest change to that pattern yet.

Google is now bringing in a developer verification program under which all Android developers will have to be verified by Google in order to have their apps installed on "certified Android devices." Notably, Google has already required all Play Store app developers to be verified in order to offer their apps on ...