Google’s country list for Android Registered App Stores now names the UK and all 27 EU member states. The program gives registered third-party stores one-tap installs and automatic updates. It starts on December 1, 2026, for phones on Android 17 QPR2 or later. The US is still not on the list, and neither is mainland China.
What changed in Google’s Registered App Stores list
When we covered the program on October 28, Google’s FAQ was marked as last updated on October 27. That version didn’t name the UK or any EU country. Its list ended with a vague Rest of the World catch-all entry instead.
The current FAQ shows a last-updated date of October 28 and lists 139 regions. The catch-all entry is gone. Every EU member state now appears by name, from Germany, France and Italy to Spain, the Netherlands and Poland.
UK and EU users may have counted under the old catch-all entry. The new list removes that doubt. As of November 3, no Google announcement about the change has surfaced. The change is visible on the FAQ page, which now carries the October 28 date.
Other European countries on the list include Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. India, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Canada and Australia were on the earlier version and remain on it.
How the program works
Becoming a registered store is optional for store operators. Registered stores can install apps without a secondary system confirmation screen and update them in the background. Unregistered stores keep working like any sideloaded app.
Your account country decides access
Google’s FAQ is clear on who gets the feature: “The end-user’s home account country determines feature availability.” Short trips to unsupported regions won’t break existing one-tap installs or automatic updates, according to the FAQ. A permanent move to another country can change what you get.
Why the US isn’t on it
In the US, rival stores take a different route. Google runs a separate Third-Party App Store on Play program, which the FAQ describes as available in the US only. Under it, rival stores are distributed inside Google Play itself, as Aptoide Games was.
The catch: you need Android 17 QPR2
Registered stores only get these privileges on Android 17 QPR2 and higher. That is a narrow slice of phones today. Android 17 itself runs on just 0.9% of devices, by the figures we reported. Android Police notes that Samsung and other makers have only just shipped builds based on Android 17 QPR1.
Most UK and EU readers won’t see one-tap installs from a registered store on December 1, even though their country is on the list. Android Police also reports that no app stores have been confirmed as applying or approved yet.
Sources: Google Registered App Stores FAQ, Google Registered App Stores overview, Android Police
