Your phone is about to stop being yours.
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
↓What Google is doing
In August 2025, Google announced a new requirement: starting September 2026, every Android app developer must register centrally with Google before their software can be installed on any device. Not just Play Store apps: all apps. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software.
Registration requires:
- Paying a fee to Google
- Agreeing to Google's Terms and Conditions
- Surrendering your government-issued identification
- Providing evidence of your private signing key
- Listing all current and all future application identifiers
If a developer does not comply, their apps get silently blocked on every Android device worldwide.
Who this hurts
You
You bought an Android phone because Google told you it was open. You could install what you wanted, and that was the deal.
Google is now rewriting that deal, retroactively, on hardware you already own. After the update lands, you can only run software that Google has pre-approved. On your phone: your property, that you paid for.
Independent developers
A teenager's first app, a volunteer's privacy tool, or a company's confidential internal beta. It doesn't matter. After September 2026, none of these can be installed without Google's blessing.
F-Droid, home to thousands of free and open-source Android apps, has called this an "existential" threat. Cory Doctorow calls it "Darth Android".
Governments & civil society
Google has a documented track record of complying when authoritarian regimes demand app removals. With this program, the software that runs your country's institutions will exist at the pleasure of a single unaccountable foreign corporation.
The EFF calls app gatekeeping "an ever-expanding pathway to internet censorship."
Google's "escape hatch" is a trap door
Google says "power users" can "still install" unverified apps. Here's what that actually looks like:
- Delve into System Settings, find Developer Options
- Tap the build number seven times to enable Developer Mode
- Dismiss scare screens about coercion
- Enter your PIN
- Restart the device
- Wait 24 hours
- Come back, dismiss more scare screens
- Pick "allow temporarily" (7 days) or "allow indefinitely"
- Confirm, again, that you understand "the risks"
Nine steps. A mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period. For installing software on a device you own.
Worse: this flow runs entirely through Google Play Services, not the Android OS. Google can change it, tighten it, or kill it at any time, with no OS update required and no consent needed. And as of today, it hasn't shipped in any beta, preview, or canary build. It exists only as a blog post and some mockups.
This is bigger than Android
If Google can retroactively lock down billions of devices that were sold as open platforms, every hardware manufacturer on the planet is watching.
The principle being established: the company that made your device gets to decide, after you've bought it, what software you're allowed to run. In software, this is called a "rug pull"; but at least you could always install competing software. In hardware, it is a fait accompli that strips you of your agency and renders you powerless to the whims of a single unaccountable gatekeeper and convicted monopolist.
Android's openness was never just a feature. It was the promise that distinguished it from iPhone. Millions chose Android for exactly that reason. Google is now revoking that promise unilaterally, on devices already in people's pockets, because they've decided they have enough market dominance and regulatory capture to get away with it.
Ars Technica: "Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy."
But wait, isn't this...
"...just about security?"
The security rationale is a smokescreen. Google Play Protect already scans for malware independent of developer identity. Requiring a government ID doesn't make code safer. It makes developers identifiable and controllable. Malware authors can register. Indie developers and dissidents often can't. The EFF is blunt: identity-based gatekeeping is a censorship tool, not a security one.
"...still sideloading if you use the advanced flow?"
Nine steps, 24-hour wait, buried in Developer Options, delivered through a proprietary service that Google can revoke whenever they want. That's not sideloading. That's a deterrence mechanism built to ensure almost nobody completes it. And since it runs through Play Services rather than the OS, Google can tighten or kill it silently.
"...only a problem if you have something to hide?"
Whistleblowers, journalists, and activists under authoritarian governments will be the first victims. People in domestic abuse situations are next. All these groups have legitimate reasons to distribute or use software without putting their legal identity in a Google database. Anonymous open-source contribution is a tradition older than Google itself. This policy ends it on Android.
"...the same thing Apple does?"
Apple has been a walled garden from day one. People chose Android because it was different. "Apple does it too" is a race to the bottom and a weak tu quoque argument. And under regulatory pressure (the EU's Digital Markets Act), even Apple is being forced to open up. Google is moving in the opposite direction: attempting to further entrench its gatekeeping status.
"...just $25 and some paperwork?"
Maybe, if you're a developer in the US with a credit card and a driver's license. Try being a student in sub-Saharan Africa, or a dissident in Myanmar, or a volunteer maintaining a community health app. The cost isn't only financial: you're surrendering government ID and evidence of your signing keys to a company that routinely complies with government demands to remove apps and expose developers.
Fight back
Everyone
- Install F-Droid on every Android device you own. Alternative stores only survive if people actually use them.
- Contact your regulators. Regulators worldwide are genuinely concerned about monopolies and the centralization of power in the tech sector, and want to hear directly from individuals who are affected and concerned.
- Share this page. Link to keepandroidopen.org everywhere.
- Push back on astroturfers. The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.
- Sign the change.org petition and join the over 100,000 signatories who have made their voices heard.
- Read and share our open letter
- Tell Google what you think of this through their own developer verification survey (for all the good that will do).
Developers
Do not sign up. Don't join the program by signing up for the Android Developer Console and agreeing to their irrevocable Terms and Conditions. Don't verify your identity. Don't play ball.
Google's plan only works if developers comply. Don't.
- Talk other developers and organizations out of signing up.
- Add the FreeDroidWarn library to your apps to warn users.
- Run a website? Add the countdown banner.
Google employees
If you know something about the program's technical implementation or internal rationale, contact tips@keepandroidopen.org from a non-work machine and a non-Gmail account. Strict confidence guaranteed.
All those opposed…
71 organizations from 23 countries have signed the open letter
Open Web Advocacy open-web-advocacy.org 
/e/ Foundation e.foundation 
VideoLAN videolan.org 
The Calyx Institute calyx.org 
GitHub Store github-store.org 
Techlore techlore.tech 
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org 
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com 
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org 
FACiL facil.qc.ca 
ARTICLE 19 article19.org 
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co 
Proton AG proton.me 
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com 
Codeberg e.V. codeberg.org 
The Guardian Project guardianproject.info 
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch 
Osservatorio Nessuno OdV osservatorionessuno.org 
Fedimedia fedimedia.it 
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org 
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au 
LineageOS lineageos.org 
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org 
Tuta Mail tuta.com 
GNOME Foundation gnome.org 
Cryptee crypt.ee 
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw 
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org 
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk 
Obtainium obtainium.imranr.dev 
GrapheneOS Foundation grapheneos.org 
April april.org 
XMPP Standards Foundation xmpp.org 
OpenMedia openmedia.org 
JMP.chat jmp.chat 
iodé iode.tech 
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no 
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de 
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org 
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net 
Ghostery ghostery.com 
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org 
OW2 ow2.org 
Fastmail fastmail.com 
FOSDEM fosdem.org 
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be 
Aurora Store auroraoss.com 
Unified Push unifiedpush.org 
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org 
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org 
The Tor Project torproject.org 
Molly molly.im 
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org 
IzzyOnDroid izzyondroid.org 
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org 
The App Fair Project appfair.org 
The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) osmfoundation.org 
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu 
KDE e.V. kde.org 
CryptPad cryptpad.org 
FULU Foundation fulu.org 
Brave brave.com 
AdGuard adguard.com 
Privacy Guides privacyguides.org 
Nextcloud nextcloud.com 
microG microg.org 
F-Droid f-droid.org 
Data Rights datarights.ngo 
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works 
FUTO futo.org 
Italian Linux Society ils.org What they're saying
Tech press
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"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 Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"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
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
Editorials & analysis
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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
"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 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
"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
"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
"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
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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 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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud 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
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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
"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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud 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
"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
"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
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
Organizations & open letters
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"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
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"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
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"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
"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
"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
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"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
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"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
YouTubers & creators
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – 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
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
Developers & community
"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
"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
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"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
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, 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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, 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
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"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
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"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
"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 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
"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
"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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), 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
"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
"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
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
Voices from the petition
"Bro, Google is screwing up with this. Developers and emulators are going to be screwed. They're going to end up ruining the freedom we had and turning it into iOS 2. They're doing everything wrong. "
Facundo, change.org
"I'm a developer considering deploying to Android as a platform. The option to not require Google's involvement is a highly enticing aspect, and I could see playtesting Android games by means of "hey, you're my friend, can you play this on your Android device and see if it works well?" with a signed APK becoming an absolute nightmare to deal with in the event of rapid updates caused by constant back-and-forth discussions if this goes through. Not only is this bad for the consumer on a nightmarish level, it could very well destroy the development environment of the platform, the main reason people develop for it so much more than iOS, as well. Google should be ashamed of even considering this for more than a few minutes and doing anything more than laughing the idea off the moment it was brought up, even less attempting to go through with it. I can't imagine your investors will be happy when everybody stops developing for your platform and you have far less people using it as well, either. Maybe think about the long term here. Y'know, instead of all the short term thinking kinds of mistakes that lead to things like Stadia going wrong. Don't let Android become your next Stadia, Google. Stadia failed not because of the concept, but because of tons of poorly thought out decisions that seemed good for the short-term that were horrible for any longevity, trying to focus too much on existing big heavy hitters being sold on the platform instead of trying to make a proper case for what it could uniquely bring to the table for example. It isn't out of the dang question this could make Android's upcoming versions into your next Stadia-tier failure. "
Adam, change.org
"This level of control over a phone i own is unacceptable if i own it i should be allowed to put what ever i want on it whenever i want without googles permission "
Frank, change.org
"I have used android since the begining and the entire reason ive stuck with it (and this has been getting VERY hard lately with all the locking down of android, version by version, more and more like iOS).. this would just be the nail in the coffin for android, for me.. I'd rather daily drive graphene or a very limited linux os than this. Really a shame though when you talk people into using android and all the reasons people choose to switch are being removed. This is something im a single issue voter on, I will cease all google/yt/gemini/etc subscriptions and use the day I can't sideload any app I please.. and this is a complete change for the device, so massive of a change (would have directly affected many of my purchases) that I dont get how they can just do it, literally the stuff that made it special they choose to gut.. "
Joshua, change.org
"Anyone who wants to write an Android app should be fully allowed, and should never be forced to pay for your own program through fees. "
Keiran, 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
"Locking Android down is an evil decision and completely goes against the original design intention. If this happens, I will no longer use ANY google products and services and publicly boycott. "
Chris, change.org
"Hey Google. You are a silent cancer. You've engulfed everything in your path for decades: true innovation, billions of unsuspecting people's data, healthy competition, and choice. You've been sued, repeatedly fined, and ordered to break up your monopoly (you haven't), yet you keep metastasizing. I could cite historical, philosophical, religious, even SciFi metaphors of what you are, but "plague" is sufficient. For the love of humanity, if in fact there's anyone left at Plague HQ who still identifies as human, keep your metastatic tentacles off the Android Developer Platform. You've done enough harm already. Signed, The last cancer-free organ you have yet to destroy "
Andromeda, change.org
"If I want to be restricted in where I get my apps from, which ones to install and my phone to look each year the same, I buy a device with an apple on it (never did). It should be your choice which apps you want to install and where to obtain them from - not the device vendors or OS manufacturers. Keep android open! "
Andreas, change.org
"The level of control Google is attempting to exert over developers and users is unreal. If I download an app from a source that isn't the play store, I shouldn't need Google's approval. I will seek alternate operating systems from the Android and iOS duopoly if this goes through. "
Alice, change.org
"Google is trying to remove any ownership of a device that I bought and paid for. If they wanted to make it some what more difficult to side load in order to prevent people accidentally installing non-reputable apps, that would be understandable, however there complete blocking of installing apps on my own device shows an irreverence for my personal property. "
Ryan, change.org
"This change would effectively prevent any normal user from escaping the constant for profit schemes you'll find on the play store. Kids deserve games that don't try to coerce money out of them "
Jody, change.org
"I use sideloading everyday. A lot of the apps I use are open source and not on the play store, taking away sideloading would remove a lot of the freedom android has, and then I might as well use an iPhone "
Gabriel, change.org
"As a lifelong Android user and now a beginner developer, I say this is nothing more than an attempt to turn Android into an iPhone 2. You're not protecting anyone, and this seems more like the beginning of an Android monopoly. An open-source system shouldn't have this kind of restriction/censorship, much less force developers to identify themselves and pay fees for beta apps. It shouldn't have a single store. This decision to act against consumers and developers will have very serious negative consequences. After all, when I choose to buy an Android, I choose it for the freedom it gives me and the variety of stores and places where I can download programs that aren't on the Play Store, whether games or development programs. Nobody chooses an Android for its features, much less for the Google system. We choose it because we want the freedom to do what we want with what we buy with our money, taking full responsibility for what we download. Because if I wanted a centralized store with no freedom whatsoever, I would buy an iPhone. "
Sophya, change.org
"Stop Google censorship "
André, change.org
"I choose to use android for the freedom. If thry implement this in such a way that hinders that, I will no longer have a reason to pick android over iPhone. Guess I will see how this plays out. "
James, change.org
"We need Android still an open platform that we could run our own applications on that!We never allow Google change Android into an locked-down platform, it is murdering the Android Development! "
Zhou, change.org
"Don't be like Apple "
Tom, change.org
"Im hating Google for this, i hope they not do this to Android system "
Pepino, change.org
"Products should be made to give the consumer control of the product they purchase. They should not be used for the corporation that manufactured the product to control the consumer use of that product or what the consumer has access to. This is a form of controlled speech and is a violation of the first amendment of the United States of America. "
Mitch, change.org
"I develop apps for personal use and use fdroid for open source and privacy focused apps. This will just be another step towards tyranny and control "
Jackson, change.org
"Google you suck ass. the whole point of Android is freedom. you're going to destroy so much and anger so many people if you do this 3 do it on pixel n ChromeOS or whatever but leave everything else alone you're ruining something beautiful "
liam, change.org
"The reason I don't like the IPhone ecosystem is because of how restricted it is, inwas able to support games or authors who don't publish on Google playstore due to what country they live "
Hairon, change.org
"This is bad for the consumer "
Swargin, change.org
"Android is all about being open. Removing the ability to install apps without the play store destroys this freedom. This will kill the dreams of young app developers, and will hurt high-quality open source apps that don't have the funding to pay to Google. This move will stifle app development innovation, and will hurt users by removing choice. Without free choice, I am left asking the question "Why Android anymore?" If Android is locked down like IOS, maybe going with Apple is better. I hope I don't have to switch to IOS. "
Austin, change.org
"I've always said the reason I was an android user and not an iPhone user was due to the fact that the system was not locked down allowing more advanced use cases. Not to mention allowing individuals to create their own apps and learn without being subjected to fees and restrictions. Can't wait for the linux phone sector to start growing in response just like what is happening to Windows / PC market space. "
Chris, change.org
"I don’t want a walled garden on android like iOS it sucks "
Caleb, change.org
"Stop this bullshit of trying to control our lives, deciding what I can and can't do. Enough with planned obsolescence, enough with authoritarianism. I, and only I, decide what's best for me, what I can and can't download on MY PHONE. "
Leonardo, change.org
"Users don't deserve the Google jail cell to shrink and encroach "
Ben, change.org
"Like me and other out there we like to use apks to download apps for free and we should have the freedom to download whatever we want on to our android phones they are our phones and we can download what we want on them and to see Google taking away apks and the freedom of download apps is bad and Google are also taking away features from the recovery screen and we should be free to install whatever software we want on Androids like custom OSs and good wants to make it harder for developers to share their apps and projects and Google wants control over our devices and they want to control of what we can and cannot download we need to stop Google from doing this and spread the word "
Fynch tc, change.org
"They never let us have nice things, i hope we win. "
Victor, change.org
"Google you aren't trying to protect the kids you are not trying to protect your users you are trying to control them and do only what you want closing android will kill it especially in the United States if android is closed there is no reason to have an android no freedom no enjoyment just an iPhone lite "
Garrett, change.org
"I think this a terrible thing since what if you're trying to create your own project app but with this you wont be able to create your own app easily with no problem for your own personal self "
Angel, change.org
"The ability of sideloading software is the biggest advantage android has over orther systems. I sideload a lot of apps and losing that ability means i have no reason to stay with android. Yes, apps from outside the play store do have more malware, but i can just not download them if i am afraid of getting hacked, this is not protecting anyone and is just removing freedom for users. Also, the ID verification google wants from the developers is a massive privacy and safety risk. "
miglin, 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
"Android giving users choice has been the staple point of android OS. Removing choices like sideloading apps is not the move. I develop apps for myself, I do not want to be "an approved developer" I don't have time nor care for that. This action also is the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Android started as an open operating system, you have simply turned it into a reskinned Apple OS. Your choice to go anti-consumer is going to hurt. You are not "protecting" anyone "
Seth, change.org
"This change would kill the biggest reason I use Android, because I have the freedom to sideload useful apps that aren't available in the official store. I have never once bought an iPhone, but Apple's comparative respect for user privacy seems preferable now, so I'll most likely make the switch. "
Raymond, change.org
"I'm old enough to remember when Google's company montto was "Don't be evil". "
Ryan, change.org
"APKs are the lifeblood of Android's open ecosystem. They let developers distribute apps outside the Play Store, free from Google's 30% cut and arbitrary takedown policies. They give users in underserved regions access to apps unavailable in their country's store. They power the emulation community, open-source projects, and beta testers who help improve software before it reaches the masses. When Google restricts APK usage through warnings, permission walls, or outright blocks, it quietly dismantles the very openness that made Android worth choosing over iOS in the first place. It punishes legitimate users for the sins of bad actors, while determined bad actors find workarounds anyway. "
AJ, change.org
"Google does not deserve more money than they have right now, this is greedy. "
Parker, change.org
"Android livre já "
Alan, change.org
"Openness was supposedly Android's mission to difference itself from iOS and now they're gonna take it away? I don't want a closed system, you're just making a worse version of iOS and throwing away one of the biggest selling points of your OS, keep Android open. "
Ernesto, change.org
"The only reason I've stuck with Android all these years has been its open ecosystem. If that's removed, I'd switch to Apple in a heartbeat. "
Anjali, change.org
"Android for me has always been the freedom to choose. The right to find alternatives that won't actively gather my information. I want to keep my freedom. I trust my open source small developers more than I trust corporations who put profit over my rights. "
Yeshua, change.org
"GOOGLE PLEASE DO NOT ENFORCE DEVELOPER VERIFICATION. THIS WILL STOP PROGRESS. "
Luka, change.org
"In a time when a few big companies are controlling everything, having access to open source alternatives is more important than ever. We don't need more restrictions and less access. Right now you can come up with a great idea, create said idea, then share it with other android users. The only barriers are your own willingness to learn. But google is trying to destroy what makes android great! Don't let it happen. Sign the petition, make noise on social media, boycott if it comes to it. Don't let the people at the top continue taking away and restricting things we love and need. It can feel like they're untouchable. But they rely on us for that power and control. If enough people resist they will revert the planned changes. Because in the end we're the consumer and all they care about is "the numbers go up". They need us for that. "
Anthony, change.org
"Google cannot restrict APKs. "
Ruan, change.org
"The decision to limit APKs is simply stupid. "
Lyan Augusto, change.org
""Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin "
ethical, change.org
"In this day and age, most of the rich and powerful are attempting to restrict the choices normal people have, and Google attempting to limit the open-source nature of Android is just one more example of this. What Google is doing is not protecting anyone and only serves to limit what we are allowed to do, and I don't want to idly stand by as the rich become richer. "
Joseph, change.org
"Removing Android's freedom of sideloading is bad. People use Android because they have freedom, no matter the brand—Samsung, Google, etc. But now they want to get rid of our freedom; that is horrible. People who are developers who don't want to pay to publish their app on the store could, but with this going through, changes EVERYTHING. Sign this petition, Android can't go down like this. "
Elias, change.org
"We need to continue to have options on the android platform. Once censorship begins where does it end. Developers need to have freedom and not be oppressed by greed. Side-loading is what makes ANDROID if that is taken, what makes Android unique it’s just like IOS a walled garden. "
Edgar, change.org
"Google is going to ruin what they built and turn into Apple. "
Abnormal Software, change.org
"Really hurting developers with this move. I implore those that are have good conscience left at google to re-evaluate. "
Calvin, change.org
"I switched from IOS to Android because I value my freedom to choose as a customer. Taking that away is incredibly short-sighted on Google's part. To remove such a huge part of my choice to use my device as I wish, is to remove my reason for going with Android in the first place. Google, if you value your customers, GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. No one is asking for this. Let customers make their own choice. If people want a locked down ecosystem, they can go to IOS. It has been that way from the beginning. Do not take away the thing that brings people to your ecosystem in the first place. "
Katie, change.org
"Side loading IS the ONLY reason i use Android. If its taken away, what is the POINT of android? I will move to ios. "
mehedi, change.org
"Freedom of choice and the end users ability to load applications and make changes to their devices is exactly why I switched to Android so many years ago. Truly hoping this is resolved and back to the core android roots once again. "
Ryan, change.org
"A significant amount of the apps I use are small hobbyist open-source apps who would not want to go through the verification process just to have their apps be able to be easily installed, and this would effectively kill almost all of them "
Trevor, change.org
"APK being open is the soul reason the market stayed successful. It is a staple of our freedoms, fun, and expression. This is a Trojan Horse that infringes on our right to privacy and freedom of speech. Anyone can access our private information. The time to act is now. "
Ciara, change.org
"This seems important not to let Google be the all powerful mega corp "
Adrian, change.org
"Mandating government identification and a registration fee to share software is a direct violation of the open-source principles and digital privacy that defined the platform. This change creates an unnecessary financial barrier for independent developers and students, effectively stifling global innovation and the creation of niche, non-commercial tools. By positioning itself as the sole gatekeeper of all app installations, Google is stripping away user autonomy and transforming a once-free ecosystem into a restrictive "walled garden." "
Ibrahim, change.org
"This is, I believe a really dumb decision on Google's part. Personally one of the primary reasons I choose to use Android devices over IOS is because I loathe Apple's locked down environment ... Is Google now wanting to follow in Apple's coat tails with this policy ? I thought Google was about leadership and innovation, if it now wants to play second fiddle to Apple, I hope another OS comes to the forefront, I'm pretty sure one will. It may take a little while, but freedom will out in the end. And personally if Google thinks they can control what I choose to do with my own devices ... well I'm sorry Google, but THAT WILL NOT WORK FOR ME. As it is I already have to sideliad apps I want on my tablet because " they are not compatible with my device " at least according to the Play Store they are not... So tell me Google, if they are so incompatible, WHY DO THE FUNCTION PERFECTLY one I sideload them from a device that you deem to be "compatible " ?? And now you think you can stop me ? and stop me from writing my personal little apps to do other neat stuff that I like ??? I really THINK NOT and if I can no longer work on Android Devices, we'll I WILL FIND / CREATE A WORKABLE ALTERNATIVE. "
Paul, change.org
"I love the freedom to use whatever program APK I wish and Appl........Google wants to take that away from us? Expect lawsuits in your future. BTW I HATE the play store, F-Droid ALL THE WAY "
David, change.org
"Android is and has been the operating system that gives everyone the freedom to install any apps they want. The action of adding in a developer verification is simply redundant, anyone who goes out of the Google Play store to sideload knows its risks and why they are doing it. It is the only mobile operating system that allows us to do so, we won't let Google stop us. "
Yuquan, change.org
"Keep Android Open Google! Make it stand out to users and developers above the iPhone! "
Jason, change.org
"The biggest edge Android has had is choice, control, and openness, which is sorely lacking in competitors like with Apple's operating systems. This is the exact opposite of what consumers, developers, and contributors to AOSP want. This is a gross overstep. "
Jordan, change.org
"I will dtop uding Android if this is beeing implemented "
Cederick, change.org
"The only reason that I chose to switch to android and off of apple was due to the abillity to sideload apps. Without this feature, I will probably be switching back to apple because of its ecosystem. "
David, change.org
"I buy android to be able to customize my phone as I please. If you do this you lose a loyal customer of over 20 years. "
Jamell, change.org
"Android has always been defined as the more open platform. What gets people to move away from Apple is to get away from the closed ecosystem from having direct control over their own devices. This runs contrary to Androids original mission statement and what the platform stands for. This is not what I want for my device nor my family wishes for this either. "
Logan, change.org
"Android was built on FOSS foundations and this anti-consumer move goes against the guiding tenants of the OS and Google's mission. No-one who uses Android wants to see Google pervert it into a second-rate apple. This move is a violation of consumer faith and a bad long-term business decision. Revert it in it's entirety before you loose the core attraction of your product. "
Tate, change.org
"This is the sole reason that people choose Android over iOS and removing it removes another layer of customization that Android was known for. "
Isaac, change.org
"The open source nature of Android and the AOSP community has made it easier than ever to delve into the world of Linux development at ones own pace, which is an extremely useful skill in the IT space. Especially for those without the local community, resourcee, and funds to pursue a formal/traditional education. "
Aidan, change.org
"This is despicable behavior on Googles part. I own my device, therefore I get to decide what I want to install to it. Period. End of story. Some corporate suite halfway across the country shouldn't be allowed to decide what I can install on my device. We need to stand up to this kind of abuse of power. "
Devin, change.org
"The new requirements have really killed my motivation to develop apps. I do not want to provide any personal information to big tech companies. The reason I want to work on FOSS is that I don’t want to give up my privacy, and this new policy is undermining that. These requirements will never create a truly safe and secure OS. Criminals can obtain government-issued IDs through the dark web or by scamming others. The only people being blocked are those who intend no harm at all. Please don’t lock down the ecosystem. "
kam kee, change.org
"I'm not even an Android app developer, but I've always wanted to be. Now, I'm not sure that I do. Making this change will mean that all apps will funnel through Google Play, which gives Google exclusive control and a censorship chokehold on the entire Android ecosystem. I shouldn't have to explain why that would not be good. The whole thing that made Android different from iOS is that it was OPEN. Now Google's just throwing that out of the window. At this point, I might just switch to iOS because Android has lost all of its character. "
Ethan, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom and an open option for not only everyday users but developers and artists as well. If Google gets their way this will be a devastating blow to privacy, freedom, independence and how people live their lives. Do not let them get away with this! "
Jonathan, change.org
"Save privacy and security "
Pepe, change.org
"it's crazy that they're doing this . It was the only reason i chose "google" android in the 1st place, because of it's semi open nature "
jamie, change.org
"If android isn't open source then it's straight up just a worse iOS literally the only reason we use it is the fact that it's open source 💀 "
Natalia, change.org
"I think it goes without saying that I'll never use a legit android OS ever again if this goes through, literally the only reason Android is better then IOS is BECAUSE of the flexibility and freedom. Just like censoring on the internet makes a country no better then China, Android will be no better then IOS. I'll just go to a third party or install a custom firmware if this shows no signs of slowing down. "
Jesse, change.org
"I use sideloading on Android pretty much daily at this point, the idea of not being able to do anything I want with the phone that I'VE BOUGHT with MY OWN MONEY is just sick. I hope this petition has enough Signatures to make a change "
JOAO, change.org
"Limiting the installation of APK files (sideloading) is bad because it turns Android, known for its openness, into a "walled garden" similar to Apple's. This restriction strips users of their freedom, treating them as if they cannot make decisions about their own devices. Furthermore, it stifles competition and innovation. Alternative app stores, like F-Droid (focused on open-source), and developers testing their apps are directly harmed. This forces everyone to depend exclusively on the Google Play Store, giving Google total control over the market and what you can or cannot install, often under the guise of "security." In the end, it's a trade-off of Android's fundamental freedom for centralized corporate control. "
Lucas de arruda, change.org
"Google's plan to mandate developer verification for all Android apps is a direct betrayal of the platform's open promise. It crushes indie developers, hands a single corporation veto power over our devices, and sets a dangerous precedent for digital freedom. If we don't push back now, Android will become just another walled garden. "
DC, change.org
"The fact is that Google does not have a valid cause to further restrict Androids app open sources due to “alleged need to protect Android users safety “ by only allowing apps to be installed through their paywall, I mean service, google play store. This personally affects me, as I have been using Android for years, and prefer to switch devices when it is best for me, I have a difficult time learning about tech as it is and with the massive amount of wrongs that company has done, it is only growing greedier while treating the users, as captives, not even providing sufficient opt ins, opt outs, and giving the choice to not have any private identifying datas sold out to any unsafe nefarious entity willing to pay. That data would not exist were it not for us individuals it is inextricably tied to, and if anyone has the authority to opt in or out to whats done, especially the selling of my private datas, that would exclusively be Me,Myself, and I. Google is neither fair nor honest, they sneak about doing unethical things until being discovered, and this is just Un American, and totally Anti Capitalism. They wish to eradicate possiblities of choice, wherever possible. They want a monopoly, not a fair market and I will be forced to ditch my Android , if I cannot use open source apps on it, the open source apps have much less problems from my experience, I dont end up with fake apps that mess up my phone, and or cannot be deleted. Once i know a device fairly well it really does not serve me well just to have to find something else, which likey i should do because it was built already infected with google, I trusted that company to be better,gave it a chance, but it is no ones friend. Im not even requesting anyone to stop the google nonsense, just dont let it stop use of upen source on Android, please. Thank you for taking time to read my message. "
Sara, 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
"Google get out of MY phone! "
Mauro, change.org
"While, I'm not an average user of an Android device, I completely understand the need for programs to be open source and to have the freedom to do whatever you would like with the device that's been bought by you. So to see Google attempt to censor a beloved part of Android for many users? I find myself quite outraged! It's not exactly protection if everyone's data is at risk of being leaked next week, and it would be all thanks to these planned restrictions! "
Marielle, change.org
"Literally the best part of android devices is sideloading APKs "
Michael, change.org
"Google is stupid and annoying and I hate them let me do what I want with my phone or imma just use grapheneOS "
David, change.org
"Android making this is just bullshit, the developer thing is just to make more easy to sue devs, and indie games creators that don't want to get near to google greedy ass. It is better they cease and desist "
Michel, change.org
"If this happens then I might as well move over to Apple. Shame on you Google. "
Darren, change.org
"I don't know what words will reach the ones that need to hear them. I'll just say I'm willing to switch, drop, or do what I think works for me. "
Daniel, change.org
"what does google think'll happen when they remove this aspect of android. this is the only distinguishable feature between ios and android "
Mail-main, 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
"As a regular user of Fdroid and other app stores, I want to be able to continue using my devices that I paid good money for to use the apps that I want to use! Stop this locking down of Android immediately! "
Jolene, change.org
"This is a violation of free speech and freedom of choice. We are not apple! "
Gearrard, change.org
"This is like Linux changing into Windows "
A., change.org
"Way to get people Ungoogling "
Martin Moe, change.org
"I think it's bad because there will be no freedom or be able to test out your own apps you want to make like projects "
Angel, change.org