Google Play Adds a Label for More Secure VPNs

The popularity of VPNs has increased recently in the United States, mainly due to more blocked websites, but this does not mean that you should install the first VPN you see listed on Google Play. For this reason, Google is implementing an additional security control to ensure that you download one that is reliable.

Google announced that it will add a new "Verification Badge" which will be displayed on lists of applications for some VPNs. VPN applications that feature this badge have been guaranteed by Google not only to comply with Google Play's guidelines and requirements, but they have also undergone a 2-level Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) validation — which means they are independently evaluated to be as secure as the developer claims. In short, the badge guarantees not only that the application is safe in Google Play settings, but it has also been subject to an independent security review to ensure that it is actually safe.

Outside of MASA validation, developers wishing to obtain one of these badges must also meet a series of other requirements. You must have an organization-level account and be published on the Google Play Store for at least 90 days. You must also have at least 10,000 downloads and 250 reviews, and your applications must comply with target API requirements—currently, this means that you should target at least Android 14 for now, although it may pass to Android 15 in a few months when Android 16 is available for all.

Application developers will also need to submit a data security section declaration if you opt to show that your application has been independently examined in your listing. These requirements are not the only ones, but Google says that complying with these requirements "significantly increases" your chances of being eligible for the badge.

Google claims that applications like NordVPN, Aloha Browser and hide.me already show the徽章. According to screenshots shared by Google, Proton VPN, Secure VPN and Thunder VPN also have the徽章. It is safe to assume that a large majority of VPN applications will eventually show this徽章, unless there is something suspicious behind them. The requirements for the徽章 are within reach of most major developers, so it would probably be relatively easy for them to obtain the徽章.

The purpose of this badge is quite obvious. The TikTok banner on January 19th made many people download VPNs to continue "scrolling the disaster" on the app, and although the app is back for now, there is a chance that the Trump administration will close it again at some point. And VPNs have long been a popular category of apps for other reasons—perhaps you want to watch geographically restricted content on your preferred streaming service, for example.

However, there are still many unreliable VPN applications on Google Play. Perhaps thousands, in fact. And unless you do your research in advance (we have a list of our favorite VPNs), you might end up downloading one that is not at all secure or which is essentially just advertising. Remember that when you use a VPN, you route all your traffic through third-party servers, so you will want these servers to be secure and encrypted.

With the Verified badge, lists will clearly show if an application has been independently verified for safe usage. The advertising situation can vary and we might always have personal preferences towards certain options, but at least you will know that your traffic will be relatively secure once you click Connect.

The badges are likely to be deployed today, so you will want to monitor them for your next VPN download.