Google's VPN badging system from 2023 is rolling out on the Play Store...again

Way back in November 2023, Google announced a new badge system on the Google Play Store. This badge would appear on Play Store app listings and include a shield symbol to signify that the app had been independently verified through a rigorous security review. At the time, Google said it would only focus on VPN apps due to their heightened need for security.

Earlier this month, however, a Google System update listed the launch of this badge system for a second time, again only for VPN apps.

Today, the company is once again announcing this badge system for VPNs — hopefully, for the last time. In an Android developer blog post, Google re-explains how the badging system works, even using the same screenshot of the badge it used back in 2023. You can see it again here:

With this third rollout, the shield badge will now appear in multiple places. The one we’ve seen for well over a year now is still there in the Data Safety section of an app listing (above, left). Starting today, when you generally search for VPN apps, you’ll also be able to see the badge next to certain ones on the resulting list (see above, right). You’ll also see the badge at the very top of the listing next to the spot where you see the number of reviews an app has:

Notably, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of VPN apps on the Play Store, but only about two dozen of them have actually earned this badge. They include the usual heavy-hitters, such as Google’s own Google One VPN, Nord, the Aloha Browser, and more.

One of the main ways companies can earn one of these badges for their VPN app is to gain the Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) Level 2 certification. You can always see a list of VPN apps that have done this, which might be the easiest way to determine which VPNs you should trust.

Outside of MASA certification, VPN apps must also earn the following to be badged on the Play Store:

• Have an Organization developer account type.
• Meet target API level requirements for Google Play apps 
• Have at least 10,000 installs and 250 reviews
• Be published on Google Play for at least 90 days.
• Submit a Data Safety section declaration, opting into:
  • Independent security review, under “Additional badges”
  • Encryption in transit

Generally, VPN apps are some of the riskiest things you can install. When you pick one, you want to make sure you’re going with a trusted organization that adheres to the strictest protocols, so this badge system is certainly helpful. It’s just wild how many times Google has announced this feature. Hopefully, we’ll also soon see a similar approach to this badging system for apps that aren’t VPNs.