The Google Play Store will soon be better at telling you if your Android phone is certified to use Google Play Services. In October, Android Police found a new label called “Device Certification” in an app teardown, and now that label seems to be ready to go.
The label will basically tell you if your device has been approved to run the suite of Google Mobile Services, and if so, the label will say “certified.” If not, you’ll instead get the “uncertified” label.
As part of the new feature, you’ll also be able to tap on the label to find out what Google Mobile Services is all about and how apps get certified in the first place. According to a report from Android Police, however, the feature isn’t working just yet — even Google Pixel owners are seeing the “uncertified” label.
It’s certainly interesting that Google is trying to help users find out if their Google apps and services are legit, and it shows a slight tightening on the Android ecosystem. That’s been a trend for Google of late — the company finally made the dive into developing its own hardware with the Pixel and Pixel XL phones, and it’s also been making tweaks to the requirements for using Google services. Perhaps Google is hoping that the label will deter users from using nonpartner devices, but it’s unlikely that the label will have much of an impact.
In any case, the new feature is likely to show up for more in the near future. To see for yourself whether or not your device is certified, head to the Play Store and go to settings — certification will be the last item in that menu.
