Google $GOOGL announced on Tuesday that anyone 18 or older can now publish a privately listed Android app to the Play Store using only a standard Google account, removing the requirement for a paid developer account. The feature is rolling out to users in the U.S. and select other markets.
The change applies to apps built through Google AI Studio, the company’s web-based platform for generating apps using AI models. Apps published through the new process will appear in a personal library and remain invisible in the Play Store’s public search results and recommendations, the company said. They will be accessible only on the creator’s own devices.
Until now, anyone wanting to run a self-built app on Android through the Play Store needed a developer account, according to Bloomberg. Developer accounts carry a one-time $25 registration fee, and Google typically requires several days to review new submissions while also taking a cut of revenue from in-app digital purchases. Apple $AAPL‘s App Store charges $99 a year for its developer program, according to Bloomberg.
Sam Bright, Google‘s vice president and general manager for Google Play and the developer ecosystem, presented an example of building a custom app to track jersey costs, umpire fees, and post-game expenses across families on a children’s sports team, according to Bloomberg.
“The future of apps on Google Play is personal, secure, and built by everyone,” Bright said, according to TechCrunch.
Google noted that apps remain subject to its existing Play Store policies. Google AI Studio includes built-in security checks to prevent personal apps from containing harmful or inappropriate content, the company said.
Looking ahead, Google intends to introduce the ability for creators to distribute their personal apps to a limited group of trusted contacts such as friends and family. For those seeking wider reach, Google said it will be possible to upgrade to a professional developer account, after which the app would enter the standard review pipeline used for all other Play Store submissions.
The option is not available for apps built through Antigravity, Google‘s other AI-powered software development platform, according to Bloomberg. Google is also limiting the in-app services that personal-app creators can initially charge for, Bloomberg added.
Installing apps outside official channels by loading files directly onto Android devices has historically been an option, though Google has introduced additional friction to that pathway in recent years, according to Engadget.
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