Twój telefon przestanie być twój.
Zaczynając od początku września 2026, cicha aktualizacja wymuszona przez Google, zablokuje każdą aplikację na Androida której programiści nie zarejestrowali się w Google, podpisali kontraktu, zapłacili i przakazał danych z dowodu tożsamości.
Każda aplikacja i każde urządzenie na całym świecie, bez możliwości rezygnacji.
↓Co Google planuje
W sierpniu 2025 roku, Google ogłosiło nowy wymóg: wraz z początkiem września 2026 roku każdy programista aplikacji na Androida musi się zarejestrować w centralnym systemie Google zanim ich aplikacja będzie mogła być zainstalowana na jakimkolwiek urządzeniu. Dotyczy to wszystkich aplikacji, nie tylko tych ze Sklepu Play. Aplikacje udostępniane miedzy przyjaciółmi, dystrybuowane przez F-Droida, stworzone przez hobbystów na użytek prywatny. Niezależni programiści, kościoły i grupy społecznościowe, a także hobbyści - wszyscy zostaną pozbawieni możliwości tworzenia i dystrybucji swojego oprogramowania.
Rejestracja wymaga:
- Uiszczenie opłaty do Google
- Zgody na warunki korzystania z usług Google
- Przekazania dokumentu tożsamości wydanego przez państwo
- Przedłożenie dowodu posiadania prywatnego klucza do podpisywania
- Wymienienia wszystkich obecnych i przyszłych identyfikatorów aplikacji
Jeśli programista się nie zgodzi, ich aplikacja zostanie po cichu zablokowana na każdym urządzeniu z systemem Android na świecie.
Komu to zaszkodzi
Tobie
Twój telefon został zakupiony przez Ciebie, ponieważ Google powiedziało Ci, że jest otwarty. Można było zainstalować cokolwiek się zapragnęło i taka była umowa.
Google teraz przepisuje tę umowę z mocą wsteczną (retroaktywnie) na każdym urządzeniu, które już posiadasz. Po zainstalowaniu aktualizacji, będzie można uruchomić tylko te aplikacje, które Google uwcześnie zatwierdziło. Na Twoim telefonie: Twojej własności, zakupionej przez Ciebie.
Niezależnym programistom
Pierwsza aplikacja nastolatka, narzędzie do ochrony prywatności stworzone przez wolontariusza, poufna wewnętrzna beta danej firmy - nie ma to żadnego znaczenia. Wraz z początkiem września 2026 roku, żadna z nich nie będzie mogła być zainstalowana bez błogosławieństwa firmy Google.
F-Droid, dom dla tysiąca darmowych i otwartoźródłowych aplikacji, nazwał to "egzystencjonalnym" zagrożeniem. Cory Doctorow nazywa to "Darth Androidem".
Rządy i organizacje społeczne
Firma Google ma za sobą historię przypadków, w których podporządkowywała się żądaniom autorytarnych reżimów dotyczącym usunięcia aplikacji. Wraz z wprowadzeniem powyższego programu oprogramowanie, z którego korzystają instytucje w Twoim kraju, będzie istniało tylko i wyłącznie dzięki woli jednej, niepodlegającej żadnej kontroli zagranicznej korporacji.
Oragnizacja EFF nazywa kontrolę dostępu do aplikacji jako "coraz szerszą drogę do cenzury w Internecie".
"Furtka" od Google w rzeczywistości jest pułapką
Google twierdzi, że "zaawansowani użytkownicy" "wciąż mogą zainstalować" niezweryfikowane aplikacje. Oto jak to naprawdę wygląda:
- Przejdź do ustawień systemu i znajdź Opcje Programisty
- Kliknij numer wersji siedem razy by włączyć Tryb Programisty
- Zignoruj straszne komunikaty o tym, że ktoś cię zmusza do tego
- Wprowadź kod PIN
- Uruchom ponownie urządzenie
- Poczekaj 24 godziny
- Wróć i zignoruj kolejne straszne okienka ostrzegawcze
- Wybierz "zezwól tymczasowo" (7 dni) albo "zezwól na czas nieokreślony"
- Potwierdź, znowu, że rozumiesz "zagrożenia"
Dziewięć kroków. Obowiązkowy 24-godzinny okres oczekiwania. Żeby móc zainstalować oprogramowanie na urządzeniu, które posiadasz.
Co gorsza: cały ten proces odbywa się poprzez Usługi Google Play, a nie przez system Android. Google może to zmienić, zaostrzyć lub wyłączyć w każdym momencie, bez jakiejkolwiek zgody czy konieczności aktualizacji systemu operacyjnego. Na dzień dzisiejszy, program nie pojawił się jeszcze w żadnej wersji beta, podglądowej ani eksperymentalnej. Istnieje jedynie jako wpis na blogu i kilka makiet.
To jest coś większego niż tylko Android
Jeśli Google może z mocą wsteczną zablokować miliardy urządzeń, które zostały sprzedane jako otwarte platformy, wszyscy producenci na świecie bacznie to obserwują
Przyjęta została zasada: to producent decyduje po zakupie, jakie oprogramowanie możesz uruchomić na urządzeniu. W świecie oprogramowania, nazywane jest to "rug pull" (dosłownie: wyciąganie spod kogoś dywanu), ale zawsze można było zainstalować konkurencyjne oprogramowanie. W przypadku sprzętu jest to fakt dokonany, który pozbawia Cię możliwości wyboru i sprawia, że nie masz wpływu na kaprysy pojedynczego, nieodpowiadającego przed nikim strażnika dostępu i skazanego monopolisty.
Otwartość Androida nigdy nie była tylko cechą. Była obietnicą, która odróżniała go od iPhone'a. Miliony wybrały Androida specyficznie z tego powodu. Google teraz jednostronnie wycofuje się z tej obietnicy w odniesieniu do urządzeń, które już są w kieszeniach użytkowników, ponieważ uznali, że mają wystarczającą dominację rynkową i wpływ na organy regulacyjne, aby uszło to im na sucho.
Ars Technica: "Zazdrość Google'a wobec Apple'a grozi zniszczeniem tradycji otwartości Androida."
Ale chwila, czy nie...
"...chodzi po prostu o bezpieczeństwo?"
Argumenty dotyczące bezpieczeństwa to tylko przykrywka. Usługa Google Play Protect już teraz skanuje aplikacje w poszukiwaniu złośliwego oprogramowania, niezależnie od tożsamości twórcy. Wymóg posiadania dokumentu tożsamości wydanego przez państwo nie zwiększa bezpieczeństwa kodu. Sprawia, że programistów można zidentyfikować i kontrolować. Twórcy złośliwego oprogramowania mogą się zarejestrować. Niezależni programiści i dysydenci często nie mogą. Oragnizacja EFF mówi wprost: kontrola dostępu oparta na tożsamości jest narzędziem cenzury, a nie zabezpieczeniem.
"...jest to wciąż instalacja z innego źródła?"
Dziewięć kroków, 24-godzinny okres oczekiwania, ukryte w Opcjach Programisty, dostarczone przez własnościową usługę, przez którą Google może wycofać dostęp kiedykolwiek będzie chciało. To nie jest instalacja z innego źródła. To jest mechanizm odstraszający stworzony, aby się upewnić, że prawie nikt go nie ukończy. Dzięki temu, że działa on poprzez Usługi Google Play a nie system operacyjny, Google może zaostrzyć go albo po cichu wyłączyć.
"...jest to tylko problemem jeśli masz coś do ukrycia?"
Pierwszymi ofiarami będą sygnaliści, dziennikarze i aktywiści działający w krajach rządzących przez reżimy autorytarne. Kolejną grupą będą osoby doświadczające przemocy domowej. Wszystkie te grupy mają uzasadnione powody, aby rozpowszechniać lub korzystać z oprogramowania bez przekazywania swojej tożsamości do baz danych Google'a. Anonimowy wkład w rozwój oprogramowania otwartoźródłowego jest tradycją starszą niż sama firma Google. Niniejsza polityka położy kres jej kres na Androidzie.
"...jest to przypadkiem to samo co robi Apple?"
Apple od samego początku funkcjonowało jako zamknięty ekosystem. Ludzie wybierali Androida właśnie dlatego, że był inny. Apple od samego początku funkcjonowało jako zamknięty ekosystem. Ludzie wybierali Androida właśnie dlatego, że był inny. Twierdzenie \„Apple też tak robi\” to wyścig ku upadkowi i słaby argument typu tu quoque (tj. "oni też"). A pod wpływem presji regulatorów (Akt o rynkach cyfrowych) nawet Apple zostało zmuszone do otwarcia się. Natomiast Google podąża w przeciwnym kierunku: próbuje jeszcze bardziej umocnić swoją pozycję kontrolną.
"...jest to po prostu 25 dolarów amerykańskich i jakaś papierologia?"
Może jeśli jesteś programistą w Stanach Zjednoczonych z kartą kredytową i prawem jazdy. Spróbuj jednak postawić się w sytuacji studenta z Afryki Subsaharyjskiej , dysydenta z Birmy lub wolontariusza utrzymującego aplikację służącą lokalnej społeczności. Koszt nie jest tylko finansowy: oddajesz rządowy dowód tożsamości i dowody posiadania kluczy podpisujących firmie, która rutynowo stosuje się do żądań od rządów dotyczących usuwania aplikacji i ujawniania tożsamości programistów.
Walcz
Wszyscy
- Zainstaluj F-Droida na każdym urządzeniu jakie posiadasz z systemem Android. Alternatywne sklepy mogą przetrwać tylko, jeśli ludzie będą z nich korzystali.
- "Skontaktuj się z organami regulacyjnymi. Organy regulacyjne na całym świecie są naprawdę zaniepokojone monopolem i centralizacją władzy w sektorze technologicznym i chcą poznać opinie bezpośrednio od osób, których ta sytuacja dotyczy i które są nią zaniepokojone.
- Udostępnij tą stronę. Wstaw wszędzie, gdzie możesz link do keepandroidopen.org.
- Nie daj się zmanipulować fałszywym aktywistom. Grupy typu "tak właściwie to..." są teraz bardzo aktywne. Nie pozwól im dyktować tonu dyskusji.
- Podpisz petycję w serwisie change.org i dołącz do ponad 100 tysięcy osób, które wyraziły swoje zdanie.
- Przeczytaj i udostępnij nasz list otwarty
- Powiedz Google'owi, co o tym myślisz przez ich własną ankietę o weryfikacji programistów (choć nie wiadomo czy to cokolwiek da)."
Programiści
Nie podpisuj. Nie dołączaj do programu, rejestrując się w Android Developer Console i akceptując ich nieodwołalne Warunki korzystania z usługi. Nie potwierdzaj swojej tożsamości. Nie wchodź w to.
Plan Google'a zadziała tylko jeśli programiści się do niego zastosują. Nie rób tego.
- Zniechęcaj innych programistów i organizacje do rejestracji.
- Dodaj bibliotekę FreeDroidWarn do swoich aplikacji, by ostrzec innych użytkowników.
- Masz własną stronę internetową? Dodaj poniższy baner z odliczaniem w dół.
Pracownicy firmy Google
Jeśli wiesz coś na temat wdrożenia technicznego programu lub jego wewnętrznych założeń, skontaktuj się z nami pod adresem tips@keepandroidopen.org z komputera niebędącego komputerem służbowym i z konta innego niż Gmail. Gwarantujemy całkowitą poufność.
Wszyscy, którzy są przeciwni...
70 oragnizacji z 22 krajów podpisało list otwarty
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
CryptPad cryptpad.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Proton AG proton.me
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
FUTO futo.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Techlore techlore.tech
OpenMedia openmedia.org
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Unified Push unifiedpush.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
iodé iode.tech
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
April april.org
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Brave brave.com
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org Co mówią inni
Prasa techniczna
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
Artykuły redakcyjne i analizy
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Google has announced that they are altering the deal. And telling us that we should pray that they don't alter it further. Block this policy change now before they wrap their cold metal hands around our necks."
Jesse Wilson, PublicObject.com
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This policy represents a dramatic departure from Android's decades-old tradition of openness, in which developers could build and share apps freely without first submitting to a centralized authority."
Biometric Update
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse."
I-Programmer
"The $25 isn't the real cost. The chilling effect is. Submitting government ID to Google is a non-starter for pseudonymous contributors and privacy researchers."
Arafat Alim, DEV Community
"Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
"This is not about protecting users. This is about control. This is about Google cutting out the last remaining artery of independence in Android."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google is turning sideloading from a right into a permission slip, and the open-source community has until September to convince it otherwise."
Reclaim The Net
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Google has announced what can only be described as a death blow to the open ecosystem that made Android. Under the guise of 'security,' Google is implementing draconian developer verification requirements."
AndroidSage
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"Destroying F-Droid isn't some 'oops.' It's the mission. It's Google finally cutting the last remaining escape route and locking every single user inside their store."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Developers from sanctioned countries or those without Google Play access cannot verify themselves. This creates systemic discrimination against developers based on birthplace rather than conduct."
agnostic-apollo (Termux developer), GitHub
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
Organizacje & otwarte listy
"Google's abusive approach to the Android operating system has only gotten worse in recent years. Software freedom is sorely lacking in the 'computers in our pockets' we call cell phones."
Free Software Foundation
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"This is a profound change, one that shatters the entire premise of the Android ecosystem, long regarded as the antithesis of the closed Apple ecosystem."
AdGuard
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"There are governments who might very much like to know the names of the developers of those applications so that they can go after them."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"A centralized global registration system for Android will inevitably chill this work. Those communities are likely to drop out of developing for Android altogether."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"This invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"Developers who build privacy-first browsers, encrypted messaging apps, VPNs, Tor-based software or tools for journalists and activists would be required to upload government ID to Google. These developers are unlikely to trust Google and might stop developing for Android."
Brave
"Changes would impose barriers to entry for individual developers, small teams and volunteer projects by imposing fees, identity checks and terms that may not align with the principles of an open ecosystem."
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."
Brave
"When you set up a gate, you invite authorities to use it to block things they don't like. And when you build a database, you invite governments to try to get access."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"This extends Google's gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role."
Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open source app distribution sources as we know them today."
F-Droid
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"A policy that forces every Android developer to hand their identity to Google, regardless of whether they use Google's services, makes Android a less-open and less-private platform."
Brave
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"Developers who choose not to use Google's services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google."
Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations
"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."
AdGuard
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
YouTuberzy & twórcy
"Google isn't testing this in the US or Europe first. They're starting in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Why? Because these are massive growth markets where regulation is weaker. By the time regulators catch up, the damage will already be done."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"The widely-circulated narrative that Google already backed down from this is false. They didn't, and that misunderstanding may be the most dangerous part of the story right now."
Techlore – YouTube
"I'm not using the word 'phone.' I'm using the word 'computer.' This has over 8 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage. It's a computer. And I'm also not going to be using words like 'sideload.' When you download an exe file onto your Windows computer, you've installed an application. You haven't 'sideloaded' something."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google is doing to Android what Microsoft once tried to do to the web. Embrace, extend, extinguish. Just wrapped in a shinier open-source package."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"F-Droid is basically saying that the new Google developer registration process will likely kill the open-source app store entirely."
The Linux Experiment – YouTube
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"Follow the money. Google makes money when apps are downloaded from its store. Google has completely forgotten about its earlier company motto: Don't be evil."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"This has obvious problems for non-Google operating systems like iodeOS, LineageOS, or BraxOS. Google Android will 'check in' with Google to verify the identity of the app and to validate the operating system."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"Google already can disable malware that they find on your device. It's already a built-in feature. So what is developer registration actually adding here? Is it security or control? You decide."
Techlore – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"Imagine Dell told you that you could no longer install any operating system other than Windows on your laptop. That's what Google is doing to your phone."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"I have really no more strong reason to not recommend you all get iPhones, because this just is pretty much an iPhone with a Google logo on it at this point."
Techlore – YouTube
Programiści & społeczność
"Computing is infrastructure. Personal computers are a means of expressing agency. This is like banning people from moving furniture around their house without approval from mortgage lenders."
wervenyt, Tildes
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"There's an entire genre of scamming where the scammers spend months building rapport with their victims before cashing out. One day is nothing."
free_bip (on the 24-hour wait defeating scammers), Hacker News
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"Google selling Android as both open source and open to running any software you like in order to quickly gain market share, only to break those promises after driving competing platforms out of the market is nothing more than fraud."
GeekyBear, Hacker News
"This is a war on users that want to keep control of their phones and when it's done, you will not be able to escape the enshittification."
ikidd, Lemmy
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, and won't give you a key, they're not doing it for your benefit."
vord (quoting Cory Doctorow), Tildes
"We need to start treating phones differently. We're entering a world where we can't choose what we run on them. Their primary purpose is to gather data on us and serve us advertising, they're engineered for addiction, yet engaging in the world is immensely difficult without one."
specproc, Hacker News
"It is a disgrace how Google has managed this situation. The promised 'advanced flow' hasn't appeared in any Android 16 or 17 betas. Google is quietly proceeding with the original lockdown."
fermigier, Hacker News
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"Can't come at a worse time. People are just learning to make things through vibe coding, and they're gonna want to put their own apps on their phones. And now Google says no."
Serinus, Lemmy
"I hate this so much. More and more I get the feeling I have no control over the devices I own. My fear is that Windows will eventually follow. For security reasons of course. It's the path we're on now."
cheesyvoetjes, Reddit
"Making it harder makes it harder to treat ourselves. Software like AndroidAPS is unique. It's hard to find or very expensive and inferior in the proprietary market."
pimeys (diabetic user on life-critical medical software), Lobsters
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"After 15 years of professional development on Android I too am now thinking about switching my focus to something different. And it sucks."
MrDresden, Hacker News
"Whatever Google is doing kind of scares me. We have a big DIY community of diabetics in Germany running tools like AndroidAPS that cannot ever be distributed through official channels."
pimeys (Type 1 diabetic, DIY medical software), Lobsters
"If the likes of Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and others have their way, you will not own your computer; those companies will effectively own your computers."
RUs1729, Slashdot
"Requiring a government ID to distribute software. Holy shit. If you are a kid and want to create a game for your friends, you better get that birth certificate ready!"
llitz, Reddit
"If Android's sandbox and permission systems actually worked, then the mere act of installing an app from an arbitrary source would be as harmless as visiting an arbitrary website."
mwcampbell, Lobsters
"I teach digital literacy and 99% of unsavory software I encounter on people's phones come from the Play Store or App Store. I will believe they're serious about protecting users when I see them do something about the crap ton of borderline scam apps infesting their stores."
1995ToyotaCorolla, Lemmy
"I want to deploy apps on my device. They are my apps, it's my device, and I should not be required to ask for permission to do so."
fsniper, Hacker News
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Software gatekeeping is a threat to human rights. Just recently an app to track ICE was banned from the iOS app store even though this should clearly be protected first amendment speech."
gthing, Reddit
"This isn't just a competition between app stores; it's a struggle for choice and dignity. Your phone shouldn't be a cage carefully constructed by others, but an extension of your own will."
renshijian, Hacker News
"I still remember how in the early days of Android vs iOS discussions, the main point was 'but it's OPEN!' The word 'open' was used as a comma by Google people. It was The Thing. The Difference. Good vs Evil and all that."
jwr, Hacker News
"My Pixel 6 just broke, and after 15 years of using Android, I've finally been convinced to move to iOS. If I must live in a walled garden, I suppose I'll choose the one with nicer flowers."
yonato, Hacker News
"Years ago, I wondered how Google would try to get away with locking down Android and shutting the cage door after capturing such a large dependent user base. Now I see how they are trying to get away with it."
chaznabin, Reddit
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"Don't beg. Don't get in a position that freedoms depend on the whims of a corporation or willingness of a government to regulate them. Build."
jzb, Lobsters
"The fundamental problem is that we are relying on the good graces of Google to keep Android open, despite the fact that it often runs contrary to their goals as a $4T for-profit behemoth. The 'don't be evil' days are very far behind us."
paxys, Hacker News
"You are essentially a child to them. The difference is society has decided not to step in to protect you from your abusive parents."
globular-toast, Hacker News
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."
Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."
harry8, Hacker News
"If I go down this path, I will stop all development on Android. I implore all other developers to resist this. This will completely lock down the platform forever, there will be no going back."
BatteryMountain, Hacker News
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"If your country is ever in the crosshairs of 'American interests' and bears the brunt of its sanctions, it is possible that you cannot install apps from your fellow citizens. Your own local government, bank, and store apps."
devsda, Hacker News
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"I buy a device with my own money, which I supposedly then own, but then I need to ask some corporation permission to use it."
askonomm, Hacker News
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"Twice I have had to deal with Google silently disabling my drone app to the point I had to buy an older phone to perform work. When I purchase a device that works with another device, under no circumstances should I be at the mercy of any updates they make."
cbrophoto (drone professional), Reddit
Głosy z petycji
"I refuse to be locked into only the play store. I need to be able to use f-droid and or install my own apk files as I will. It's my comptuer! "
Tom, change.org
"One of the reasons why many people including myself chose Android over iOS is its openness. Android used to treat people like it should - users, who know what they are doing if they decided to enable sideloading (AKA "install unknown apps") or go into developer settings. If the new restrictions will get put in place, Android will lose this benefit, and while some people will not even notice the difference, others will switch to iOS, a custom ROM, or might start a development effort on an entirely new mobile operating system. Google will end up losing a decent chunk of its userbase. In addition, if we look at iOS again, they were putting all of tgose "safeguards" (aka restrictions) for a long time, and people were jailbraking their iPhones. Now think about it, if the new restrictions were to be put on "sideloadong", some developers will stop publishing on Google Play, and those users who were using those no longer available apps (especially the inexperienced ones) will start looking for ways to "fix" the problem. This will give rise to shady repair services (especially in developing countries), who will promice to get those apps back onto the users phone (mainly via ADB, as that method will continue to work), but will also end up putting some malware (such as crypto miners) on user devices at the same time. So, with that in mind, would this "developer verification" change really make Android more secure? "
Lev, change.org
"As Student and Junior Developer, I find this petition quite concerning on security and privacy for web data, android is not only a platform, it is a framework, a constant transition of metadata across the WEB. Limitating actions on android, even in level 3 is limitating not only user-friendly policy's of privacy, but freedom on networking. I Highly Recommend Sharing this petition! "
Davi Cristopher, change.org
"The promise was to have an open OS: a walled garden has always been seen as something negative where the supposed pros do NOT outweigh the cons, among them far too much power in the hands of one, central entity. And every time a stunt like this is attempted, it demonstrates how that simply shouldn't be allowed to ANYone. My phone is mine. Let me install whatever I like on it. "
Daniele, change.org
"You will bury yourselves. "
William, change.org
"Big tech companies are more and more trying to restrict users and make them use their services. Anti-competitive practices are bad for the market and for the end user, so i definitely DO NOT support what google is doing. "
QByte, change.org
"One of the reasons that people want to use Android is because of its freedom in installing apps. Locking it is like shooting your feet. "
John, change.org
"This does not protect anybody. All it does is restrict an OS that was supposed to be open. This was one of the main benefits of Android over iOS, and now it's being removed. This also kills the open source ecosystem, since alternative app stores cannot function if all developers are required to pay Google and pay a fee. Ordinary users are already protected from malware with Google Play Protect, and app sideloading disabled by default. This does not help anyone. Even calling it sideloading is misleading, since we own the device NOT Google. On a computer, this is called installing software. It shouldn't be different on a phone. This will also allow government censorship of apps that protect privacy. Overall a terrible idea. "
Daniel, change.org
"Stop Google from limiting APK file usage! "
Daniel, change.org
"I bought this device. Keep your ransomware/malware away from MY device, Google. "
Zach, change.org
"As an android user I love the way I want to use my phone and which app to install. Apps that are being developed my developers that are not on the play store tends to be even better than those on the play store. The freedom which developers have to develop and distribution of apps has changed on how we use the android devices, giving us more option and great experience with the device. "
Josphat, change.org
"This isn't safety, it's simply control. This hasn't been an issue for years. "
James, change.org
"Android is open source, period. On top of that, I'm buying the device. I own my phone, and that means I should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want with it! If I want to click on links from sketchy sites and download things that are not directly from the Google Play Store, I should be able to. Google claims this is to protect their users, but it's nothing more than censorship and crushing competition from a private, anonymous, and often better competitors making free and open source apps on platforms like F-Droid or Obtanium. It's like saying that you aren't allowed to hang a picture you bought from your friend in your own house that your bought, unless your friend pays Google $25 and gives them their ID, but you can hang as many pictures in your house as you like if you buy them directly from Google. Doesn't that sound absurd? "
Thomas, change.org
"Just because old fogeys keep sending their life's savings to "princes" in Africa or "tech support assistants" in southeast Asia, does not mean that Google deny us all the right to use our devices however we want. It's the governments' responsibility to spread awareness against scams and to shut down the scammers for good. This implementation is just yet another way for a megacorp to harvest user data, because apparently there's never enough data. "
Aabhas, change.org
"Open source apps is what makes Android the best over ios "
Billy, change.org
"SKYNET HAS INITIATED WWIII :( "
Daniel Alberto, change.org
"APK or go away "
Joshua, change.org
"I switched to Android for my freedom to install apps. Now that the threat of app verification is looming over us, If this goes through, Android will no longer have a place in my life. Continue to allow (free and fair) APK installs! "
Sebastian, change.org
"The life of Android is its openness. If I make an apk, I don't have to jump through hoops to install it on my device. If I install an apk from the internet, that is my choice. Verification in this regard is like requiring a government stamp on a written statement before it can be said in public: a gross overreach. I am not benefited as a consumer nor as a developer with this move, but I am harmed in every single way. "
John, change.org
"Hold Google accountable to the original vision of Android. Stop Google from limiting APK file usage. "
Jeff, change.org
"we need to choice. stop google "
Dhlox, change.org
"I've been the victim of identify theft and attempted payment fraud through the old Google Wallet platform. Thankfully my bank caught it, but when I disputed the charges Google insisted they were authorized, messing up my finances by having nearly $1500 drop out of my account for a week while I insisted I didnt transfer large amounts to random addresses. Ultimately, my bank sided with me, and despite being provided with police reports and dispute reports Google still wanted the transactions to go through. The consequence I received for not wanting to have money stolen from me is that Google has suspended payments for my account across all their services. I cannot buy apps from the Play Store or anything else requiring a payment even a decade later. Luckily some developers will take payment directly for the few apps that I have ended up needing to buy, and FDroid or other alternatives have given me a lot more choices to Google's ecosystem. You have to get creative when the corporation won't let you participate. Despite these hardships I still prefer Android's openness to iOS. Google should not fundamentally lock out alternatives. "
Dominic, change.org
"Unacceptable. This goes completely against the Spirit of the Android OS. Sideloading is a big reason Android is what is it today. Apps that were sideloaded became essential and were later integrated into the Android OS. Anyone smart enough to sideload is smart enough to educate themselves and be aware of any risks involved. I help people who's phones were hijacked by almost malware-like Launchers. Google still hasn't banned those Launchers from Google Play but somehow sideloaded apps are bad? Spare me the big brother crap. This is crackdown on Revanced and similar apps. This is also in coordination with government to crackdown on "undesirable" apps such as those that bypass censorship. "
Pavel, change.org
"Google get out of MY phone! "
Mauro, change.org
"Goolag, you are destroying Android and becoming the new Apple. Soon, there will be no escape from your lifeless, locked-down, prison-sentence operating system. Anyone who wants to use real Android, with APKs, custom ROMs, actual Material design, will be locked out. Rooting will be impossible, and Android will be gone. No more cuddly bugdroids to open the lock. No more Graphene OS. No more Lineage OS. No more TWRP. Terabytes upon terabytes of open-source projects, all rendered obsolete. Keep Android open. Because nobody will buy your half-baked, Gemini-centered trash, and live in your dystopian agentic world. Your aiPhones will sit on shelves, never purchased. Sideloading bans will not protect anyone. They will only make the Android community collapse. If you are not from Goolag, listen carefully. Get a custom ROM now, and remove everything with the word “Google” from your devices. Use Startpage instead. Install NewPipe and bypass Goolag’s ad revenue. Sabotage Goolag in every way possible. But do it legally, friends! You don’t want to be caught by the FBI for criminally pirating paid software off of sites like Aptoide! "
squooshy, change.org
"I am not a developer, just a regular apk user, and the fact that google is trying to remove a vital part of android is crazy "
Gilberto David, change.org
"There should be a clear flow for users to install any software they want. And there needs to be a strict policy in place so that google wont just make change in future to reverse there actions "
Amrinder, change.org
"I do not want Google to limit my freedom of speech or right to privacy. Google is a monopoly and must be dismantled. This has to stop. "
Tristan, change.org
"Love android because its open source, you're literally killing your base and the reason why people love android. Close it down and we will all find a better solution "
Courtney, change.org
"Why would anyone use an Android period outside of being able to install applications not “approved” by some walled-garden. Side loading is a dumb term "
Stephen, change.org
"I think it is a slap in the face for users and developers alike. "
Timothy, change.org
"This was why I didn't use iphones "
Greg, change.org
"Android has always been my preferred due to the freedom and flexibility it allows developers and consumers like me. To take that away, you're becoming more like apple and deciding what I, the consumer of your devices and software do with my device. If this goes forward, I will utilize an alternative to apple or android. "
Genesis, change.org
"This would simply make me walk away from using android devices, you act like android is the only phone OS out there and it's not. Linux is a powerful tool, so don't be foolish Google. "
Christopher, change.org
"I bought my phone to do what I wanted with what I paid for. Let me do what I want on something i own. Let me suffer the consequences of my actions. Your not my parent and let me be an adult. "
kea, change.org
"Rules requiring app developers to pay Google and submit identification documents undermines Android as free and open source software and further exposes Google for the greedy, controlling corporate entity it is, now so far away from it's original "don't be evil" ethos. Privacy concerns about what happens when identification information is exposed have no value to them, and the chilling effect this will have on everyone from minor students learning to develop apps to developers surveilled by their governments will ruin the internet even more than it already has. "
Mary, change.org
"Liberdade ao Android! "
Guilherme, change.org
"the declaration of independance prolly said something about this... "
john, change.org
"Android giving users choice has been the staple point of android OS. Removing choices like sideloading apps is not the correct move instead Google should be helping ways to improve Android and allow developers to make it better. "
Ava, change.org
"It started with apple restricting our freedoms to software due to their desire to control their users. Now that same desire to control us has reached android a platform built on freedom. This is the final stance we can take against a future where you own nothing in the name of safety. "
Barrett, change.org
"We live in a declining society where it is becoming ever more apparent that those in power wish to hoard & guide technologies to enrich themselves more. Enough! Proprietary systems are no different than a safe, one you may use only in the manner that those with enough wealth & influence to have the safe's combination are willing to allow its usage. Such systems are a net negative to wider societal growth & stability. Meant to lock out new talent & stifle overall creativity which could massively improve the system overall. Just another example of a tech company's massive overreach. It should 100% be stopped. "
Aaron, change.org
"I have been avoiding iPhone and using Android specifically for this reason. Why would Google change something that is working for them? Why ruin something good? Short sighted and stupid move. "
Will, change.org
"the whole point of android is it's not apple, atp I'll just put linux on my phone "
a, change.org
"Don't make daddy Torvalds mad what you did with his kernel "
Silas, change.org
"I use multiple open-source side loaded apps. 60% or more of my time on my phone is using these side-loaded apps. I rather get rid of google than get rid of these apps. "
Yuntin, change.org
"Android users need freedom. How many apps outside the app store help users who may have personal problems to have fun and distract themselves amidst so many problems? That's why freedom is important. "
Kaue, change.org
"I'm only using android for apk's otherwise I would be using IOS/iPhone, Also without apk's there would be no reason to keep updates going for certain developers, we would be losing one of the things that makes android what it is, That is my opinion on this whole idea from google "
JaCureon, change.org
"I choose to use android devices because they provide more freedom and ability to control my own devices and how I use them. I cannot support any measure that limits those freedoms in any way or drives up costs in a world where costs are already increasing due to incompetence and lack of care for the average person. "
Scott, change.org
"This won't stop until we put an end to monopolies! "
daniel, change.org
"You're forcing us to create an alternative. We live in an age of increasingly powerful AI, we will not let you control everything. "
Anthony, change.org
"Apple would be the only entity to benefit from this change. The ability to side load apps and to support (and greatly benefit from) the FOSS community are the only meaningful reasons that anyone would choose to have an Android phone. "
Jake, change.org
"Android has always been my favorite platform because I can download apps externally, often community-created apps with various benefits. Removing this option from Android is like erasing its very essence. "
Davi, change.org
"I have android to be free, not to be in a digital prison. Android shouldn't be another apple. "
Dominic, change.org
"Restrictions like these are a form of control lets not take away anyone's freedom of choice "
Daniel, change.org
"It is very important that Android remain an open platform. I bought into Android for customization, freedom to mess with things about the operating system, and generally to not have an iPhone. Instead, this lock-down is threatening all of that. Do not proceed with the lock-down, Google. "
Ezra, change.org
"This is a threat to everyone's first amendment rights. Google's tech oligarchy is trting gatekeep creativity for their own greed. This should concern everyone, not just F-Droid developers and users! They won't just stop at F-Droid, their goal is total control! "
AJ, change.org
"The entire reason I left the Apple ecosystem and came back to Android is because of the freedom you get with installing any app you want. If Google locks down app installations, there will be zero reason for me to still stay on an Android opereting system. Don't be evil, Google. "
Amirali, change.org
"Yeah let's remove the one thing keeping people on Android 🤨 "
Bobby, change.org
"I will switch to iOS and get rid of my android devices and Google home setup if this policy is implemented. I use android because it is open. If Google makes it an inferior version of the iPhone then I will switch over to iPhone. "
Scott, change.org
"This would mean there's no longer a reason to use android "
Chandrea, change.org
"If wee do not stop this then our computers are next. We will end up the same as other countries who put out the same message to their people to condition them. Our freedom of speech and the right to privacy under the privacy act will be taken away. You do not want this!!! "
Keith, change.org
"I can't wrap my head around the idea that Google gets to decide what I can or cannot install on my own phone. "
Luís, change.org
"I have advocated for Android since I first got one, as well as developed for them for the past few years. This is regressive, and in the event that it passes I will immediately drop any projects involving android and attempt to find a new open OS for my phone as soon as humanly possible. "
June, change.org
"If I wanted an iPhone, I would chuck my phone into the nearest dumpster and walk into the Apple store that very same day and buy an iPhone, but that is not what I want. I want the freedom to install the software of my choice and the right to use my device (that I have purchased!) in the way that I want. Google claims that developer verification is for the user's safety. However, forcing developers to disclose their identities will put their safety at risk if they live in countries where censorship is rampant, or make them a target for doxxing if any shady third parties wish to abuse this verification system for whatever petty reasons. "
David, change.org
"This is outright stupid on Andriods desicion making "
Madeline, change.org
"The freedom of apks is one of the best parts about android period. This will kill their identity, our freedom as consumers, and only give more control to the corporate super entity. "
Walace, change.org
"This change has pushed me into rooting and using a custom ROM making my phone more "unsafe" to the eyes of Google and banking apps, Monopolizing the app market isn't an act of consumer protection under the guise of "security" it's just an attempt at maximizing profits and It being a stepping stone in censoship besides think of all the internal use apk's that companies use on their devices be It for management, interaction with company equipment, etc had to now get verified by a 3rd party like Google when the ones using that app is only company employees "
Alex, change.org
"The promise was an open and free OS "
Daniel, change.org
"Android's main strength and opportunity in the S. W. O. T analysis is it's openness, which no other OS comes close to. From one side of the earth to the other, android users justifiably expect this unique strength to be enhanced, not diminished. Indeed, this unique feature which has set android apart from the beginning, has also motivated many in the community to become developers. There are even developers for apps on the Apple store whose beginnings were with android. These developers benefited from the openness android provides. For example, Toni Fingerroos — Hill Climb Racing / Fingersoft (Finland), Andrei Popleteev — KeePassium (Luxembourg), and many more. "
Schwan, change.org
"Google, this is NOT acceptable. You are NOT the gatekeepers of development. You ARE BEING EVIL. "
David, change.org
"Oh great and wise corporate overlords, I come to you a mere peon, a cog in your profit machine, to implore you to keep Android open to small or niche developers. If you implement the proposed changes you will have turned a thriving app ecosphere into nothing more than a reskinned iOS. Your commitment to Open Source and the availability of Android-.apk-but-not-via-Google are on the line here. Many of the most compelling use cases for my Android device would cease to exist under the proposed regime. If that happens I might as well switch to iOS devices, at least they are pretty. "
Michael, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom and customization. Let's keep it that way "
Jacob, change.org
"This would create a closed system like the Apple iPhone. I have an Android phone specifically because it is an open system. As well described on: https://keepandroidopen.org/ "
Joseph, change.org
"Google wants to become IOS but with this petition we can have a chance for Google not to block apks and it has to work so we all have to vote "
Super, change.org
"If a company wants to be THE company in everyone's life, they better offer something that everyone wants. ...otherwise, give use the freedom to choose something that is. "
Achi, change.org
"Android providing more freedom than any other OS has been it's drawing point for ages. The fact that that is being taken away for the sake of a corporation's whims is absolutely disgusting, and I would see no reason to continue supporting it. The fact that google believes it has absolute authority to filter content is frankly abhorrent, and it would provide no difference between android and any other OS. "
Guadalupe, change.org
"Android has always been free and I get that money and safety is a massive push at the moment especially with the UK ID laws and much more but there has to be another way and if not to scrap this entirely. Everyone knows that android is open and thats alot of the reason people stick to Android and leave Apple and IOS behind. Androids openess has been a key part to my tech Journey and even my brand. Myself and many others would lose neishe apps that make their lives and even businesses possible and effective. KEEP ANDROID FREE. "
Grayson, change.org
"#NoMoreCorruption "
Russell, change.org
"I chose to use Android devices specifically due to the control that I, as an end user, have over my files and the programs I chose to install on them. Even if a program comes from an independent programmer, even from other countries stores (like RuStore), even if it an open source app (like the ones from F-Droid), or just choosing to use Telegram from the first and most reliable source ever- the developer's website itself. I once had an iOS device and I totally detested how locked up it was, it was almost as if I were digitally "high jacked", depending on authorisation to do anything! Please don't remove us our freedom of doing to our devices our own experiments, finding and developing emulators for our old games and apps that suit our needs even if they're not economically viable. Plus: Don't take away the one tool many persecuted Christians around the world have to download Bibles to their phones. That's cruel and inhumane. "
Barbara, change.org
"I don't want to have to choose between switching phones and being able to download uncensored apps. Most people simply don't have the time or freedom to switch to Linux, and Google knows it. We are not stupid. We don't need their "protection." We can make our own choices for ourselves. "
Adele, change.org
"this will kill the freedom that android provides and will make you lose a lot of customers you're gonna lose a ton of money from this stupid change "
Jimmy, change.org
"We are so used to it by now, but not having root access to your own device is insane. This would never fly in the PC space. I just want a computer in my pocket, but instead we have locked down appliances that we are not free to use as we wish. Side-loading apps made not having root access palatable since I could still do most things I would want to do anyway. Without it, I will be looking to move away from Android going forward. "
Brandon, change.org
"Android gives us a choice. That is so so important to us in this day and age. Please let us continue to do so. "
Jenna, change.org
"As someone who enjoys playing modded versions of games, or even fan-games such as FNaF World: Refreshed, I feel as though limiting such use of apks is turning a blind eye. And forcing many people to reveal their real information, info that's sensitive in my opinion isn't safe. I used to feel safer and confine to android, but now I'm not really sure anymore if this is what you consider "safe". "
Ujjal, change.org
"We choose Android because it's open and free. "
Flora, change.org
"As a normal user, I prefer the ability to sideload my own ADB devices, and to use F-Droid, and to keep my rights, and my freedom to the device. This centralization is a gross attempt to restrict rights and make the system as bad as iOS. This is an attempt to control, resist it people. "
Owen, change.org
"The whole reason i chose android over apple so many years ago was for the freedom choice in how and what my phone does and doesnt do. Now google is attempting to take that away that freedom. Im honestly so frustrated with googles invasive practices that i've deleted all my google accounts, and moved on to better, more privacy focused alternatives. Sadly google wants to kill that off. "
cae, change.org
"Open Source change my life, and it's really awesome, not just for the Android ecosystem, for the tech industry in general "
abel, change.org
"Control is what made Android different, taking that away would make it no better than Apple and the rest. "
Matthew, change.org
"Google removing the freedom to install whatever software on MY device that I paid for and own goes against the android ethos. It was built on being an open project that anyone can change and use, this is why I use android over other companys. I use Fdroid for all of my apps and like to make and load my own for my own useage. If this is taken away it will be a great loss to android. "
Perry, change.org
"If I paid for my device I should be able to do whatever I want with it, you don't own it google I do, and your taking away one of the only reasons I love and use an android. "
Dylan, change.org
"Android has always been the more free-range mobile OS. Had this not been the case, I would have switched to Apple long ago. Open-source, third-party software has driven the Android ecosystem and app development. It's no coincidence this is coming at a time when surveillance and squashing opposition is rising parallel with fascism. "
Kahina, change.org
"Removing the ability to side load apps is taking away owners right to their own devices. As one of the best phones I've owned this is disheartening. I might as well buy an iPhone "
Kamau, change.org
"My Grandfather never used a phone. After I lost my grandmother we bought him a smartphone. He couldn't use it so I wrote an app for him which made it simpler for him. With these changes, my grandfather won't be able to use my app unless I give Google my data and Google approves me. Who is Google that it should have the right to position itself between me and my grandfather? And no using adb isn't even an option my computer which I use to code and the phone of my grandfather are separate as they don't belong into the same place. As an user I'm also using open source apps on my device which I paid for. Google has no right to decide what I install on my device which I paid for and what I don't install on my device which I paid for. My device does not belong Google. I don't belong Google. I am not the slave of Google. I bought an Android device because it doesn't treat me like a slave. The developers of these apps don't want to give Google their data and I approve that. I don't need approval from Google. I can decide on my own what I install on my pocket computer. Google can make suggestions, but Google doesn't have the right to decide for me. I'm a free person. "
Yunus, change.org
"well ima an artist and i dont have much money wich mean i cant even afford to even exist sometimes but using open source tools and side loading allows me to even have a chance to compete e end with other artists who may be alot more wealthy or privlaged .not only that its my right as Amarican citizen since the first amendment i have every right to free speach and self expression and to extension the Bible as a divine right giving to me as a human being from god him self and every other living thing on this eath across the world and even the universe if you will.my freedom mean i have a chance if you take that way that make things harder for everyone not just the ones that already had nothing. ppl are willing to do so much if you give them even the smallest chance if it mean achieving there dreams so ,plz reconsider. as some one whos used google practically for evey single input in there os its turned me into someone better then even i could imagine and bough me so much hope. i think it would break my heart if you didn't. "
light, change.org
"I use a de-googled phone and F-Droid is my store. This will destroy F-Droid. If I pay for a device I should be able to load what every I like on that device. Google is using it's monopoly powers to force us into a box. I'm a great believer in privacy and freedom and I see it day by day gradually eroded. "
Peter, change.org
"Sideloading is not a term. It is called installing. Do not take our choices away. Isn't America proud of their freedom, so don't take ours freedom away. Our device, our decisions "
Quoc Huy, change.org
"If I wanted to use a locked garden ecosystem, I'd just buy an iPhone. Keep Android open, Google. It is also for your best commercial interest. "
Oscar, change.org
"Android became popular because it offered freedom and customization. Reducing APK access risks moving away from those values and limiting innovation within the ecosystem. We are asking Google to protect user choice, maintain transparency, and preserve the openness that defines Android. "
Assif, change.org
"The decision to limit APKs is simply stupid. "
Lyan Augusto, change.org