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 or 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…
66 organizations from 21 countries have signed the open letter
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Techlore techlore.tech
Brave brave.com
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
April april.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
Proton AG proton.me
FUTO futo.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
F-Droid f-droid.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
Unified Push unifiedpush.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
CryptPad cryptpad.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
FOSDEM fosdem.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org What they're saying
Tech press
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt ↗
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU ↗
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica ↗
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek ↗
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf ↗
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines ↗
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register ↗
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek ↗
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica ↗
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina ↗
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register ↗
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines ↗
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News ↗
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net ↗
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India) ↗
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google ↗
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear ↗
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge ↗
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police ↗
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot ↗
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga ↗
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation ↗
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
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 ↗
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews ↗
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch ↗
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews ↗
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online ↗
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek ↗
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld ↗
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register ↗
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot ↗
"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 ↗
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek ↗
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack ↗
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines ↗
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine ↗
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers ↗
"'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 ↗
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog ↗
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer ↗
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic ↗
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday ↗
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine ↗
Editorials & analysis
"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 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 ↗
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI ↗
"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 ↗
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic ↗
"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 ↗
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled ↗
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog ↗
"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 ↗
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog ↗
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News ↗
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion ↗
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion ↗
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt ↗
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog ↗
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates ↗
"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 ↗
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab ↗
Organizations & open letters
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya ↗
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU ↗
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid ↗
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party ↗
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard ↗
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud ↗
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta ↗
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament ↗
"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 ↗
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta ↗
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard ↗
"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 ↗
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid ↗
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno ↗
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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'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 ↗
YouTubers & creators
"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 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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 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 ↗
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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 ↗
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog ↗
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 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 ↗
"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 ↗
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube ↗
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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 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 ↗
"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 & community
"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 ↗
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes ↗
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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 ↗
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News ↗
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News ↗
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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 ↗
"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 ↗
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters ↗
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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 ↗
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy ↗
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News ↗
"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 ↗
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News ↗
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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 ↗
"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 ↗
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters ↗
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News ↗
"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 ↗
"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 ↗
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News ↗
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes ↗
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, 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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News ↗
"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
"This is not only concerning or invasive. It's unjust, deceitful and abusive. Once you break this trust, they can AND WILL control every aspect of the software chain. Not even casual users will be safe then. "
Jesse, change.org ↗
"If this goes through I’m going to apple "
Matt, change.org ↗
"Let me sideload my Android apps. "
Stephan, 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 ↗
"Help new developers earn an income and revolutionize our apps and games! "
João, 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 ↗
"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 ↗
"Me and many of my peers have been android users for over a decade, mainly due to the open nature and freedom to use my device as I wish without friction. Revoking this freedom by forcing developers into this program will harm developer privacy and freedom of speech, accessibility of development, user control over their devices, and preservation of older apps. It's not as easy as move to another OS, as the only other option is iOS and alternatives don't have as many applications needed for general day to day life. This is an overreach of power feigning "caring about user safety" to restrict user and developer freedoms "
Natasha, change.org ↗
"Nobody asked for this. It's the users choice to install apks on their OWN device that they paid for. Stop doing this google! "
Alexander, change.org ↗
"Freedom to choose... With this new move by Google, that freedom is ripped away. Moves like this are things monopolies do, and Google has now proven it wants to be a monopoly. Android has been the staple of choice and open source since it's inception and taking that away is a slap in the face to every person who chooses to customize their phone, and create an experience unique and exclusive to them. Google, stop this foolishness by not forcing users and developers hands. They should have the freedom to choose what they want, or how they develop. "
Kevin, 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 ↗
"Google’s recent changes that block or restrict APK distribution risk cutting off access for millions of users and harming independent developers who rely on alternative distribution channels. For many communities, sideloading and APK backups are essential for app availability, testing, and preserving older versions that still work for people and devices. We ask Google to reconsider any policy or technical change that would outright prevent APK sharing, and to work with developers and users to find safer, less disruptive solutions that protect security and choice!!!!!! "
Kabyt, change.org ↗
"Literary the biggest reason why I choose android over apple. If android wants to copy apple this way then there's no reason to stay with android anymore. "
Kytt, change.org ↗
"As someone who's used Android since Android 5.0 & 4.4.4, I think being able to download and install 3rd party applications is important for EVERYONE who uses any Android device. Sideloading is a key reason why Android is beloved by most of its users and a key advantage for most power users of many different devices which gives it a major edge over Apple's iOS platform which has many of these restrictions. The difference between Android and iOS for as long as both of them have existed is that Android has been designed since the beginning as an Open-Source operating system that was ALWAYS designed to be tinkered with by the user without needing to be beholden to the whims of the big company that owns it. TL;DR, Android is an open-source OS that is better than iOS because it doesn't restrict user freedoms, even if that freedom isn't always needed by every Android user. Keep Android Open! (save Android X86 too maybe as well!) "
Andrew, change.org ↗
"Literally the best part of android devices is sideloading APKs "
Michael, change.org ↗
"Why do company's always get more predatory and throw away reasons that adopters use them for? We need to be less loyal to services in general because they are not loyal to us. If there is no alternatives then remove a subscription (e.g. for storage), remove/replace a feature (e.g. Google Maps to a 3rd Party, or Chrome with Brave), add friction (e.g. use a VPN, randomize your identifiable info, switch OS's). React immediately although inconvenient, because they derive much of their value from how we behave as consumers, and we cannot be complacent. We can bite back, if for anything, if they get their way we will be only one step away from out the door (adoption of something and everything outside of the Google and Apple ecosystem including the physical phone itself). Example: Fairtrade running Graphene or Calpyx or e/ OS with a Brave default browser and search. "
Robel, change.org ↗
"I use android because it is an open platform. If this goes through, developers will stop making apps so I might as well move to apple. "
John, change.org ↗
"As a young developer, you need to stop! What you re doing will prevent anyone below the age of 18 from developing apps for their own purpose and installing on their device, which they payed for, imagine giving a toy to a kid, then putting it into a box that they can't open, that is what you are doing right now. "
Alex, change.org ↗
"There are games, apps, that are FREE, because the authors want it that way, no charge. WHY SHOULD GOOGLE WIN MONEY WITH THEM??? "
Ana, change.org ↗
"Stop trying to censor & limit everyone! You can't just monoplize everything! "
Caulen, change.org ↗
"Google should not limit our ability to do what we want with the devices we paid for with our own money. Google has a history of limiting or removing things (an example being the whole Manifest V3 and ad-blocker situation), often using 'security' as a way to take more control over their device and services, and I believe that if we do not stop Google from limiting APKs and forcing developers to be verified, we may well be opening up the door for them to do even more. "
Mr., change.org ↗
"I do not condone google to control everything "
Leticia, change.org ↗
"i dont want google to take such a little freedom of installing apps that i think are handy "
gosha, change.org ↗
"Keep android open the main reason I got android is because it's open sourced do not close off android "
Patrick, change.org ↗
"Will Android now be a copy of iOS? "
Miguel, change.org ↗
"This is clearly a descision taken by Sundar Pichai for the financial profit of Google, it has literally nothing to do with security or safety of the users like Google claims, if it were so, there were many other ways to do this. I think people like me will just switch to iPhone at this point, as Google has decided to just kill Android's only major advantage. Such a shame. Android used to be a symbol of freedom and openness. "
Aurelian, change.org ↗
"My name is Lawrence Wider Jr. I am a huge fan of Android. The ability flawlessly download the individuals files (APKs) of smartphone apps on my smartphone is the reason why I decided to choose Android as my first ever smartphone OS to use over iOS a couple of decades ago. In short, it was Freedom Of Choice that caused me to choose Android over IOS decades ago. If Google decides to go through with their plan to limit APK usage this September, then I will no longer have that awesome choice and I will no longer be able to choose the awesome smartphone OS known as Android as my smartphone os. The ability to flawlessly download the individuals files (APKs) of smartphone apps on my smartphone had also caused Android to be a fun smartphone OS for me to use. Another advantage of the ability for me to download individual files (APKs) of APKs on my Android smartphone has given me is the ability for it to be easier for me to use Android. If Google decides to limit APK file usage this September, then it would cause me to no longer choose Android as my smartphone is to use. Thank you. "
Lawrence, change.org ↗
"No reason to own a google device if I am limited in what I can do with it. "
Salvatore, change.org ↗
"If I purchase a device, such as a smartphone, and I am not under a contract, I should be able to alter it how I want. It is MY device. There are certain features I want to disable, certain ways I want my phone to operate. With a "walled garden" such as an Apple device, I cannot do that! That is the reason I have used Android since my first Android phone, Dell Streak 5. If Google locks things down, I'll just switch to APPLE. What's the point of keeping Android? "
Rusty, change.org ↗
"Android users have had the ability to use APKs for so long. It is a major thing that differentiates them from Apple, and something that has prevented me from switching over. Without the freedom of apks, there is nothing keeping me with Android or Google. "
Kayla, change.org ↗
"First step to digital Gulag "
Sergio, change.org ↗
"If Scroogle were ever to block sideloading on Android, it would fundamentally change what makes Android…Android. Sideloading isn’t a loophole. It’s a feature. It’s part of the open philosophy that originally set Android apart from more locked-down ecosystems like Apple’s iOS. If sideloading disappears, users no longer truly “own” their devices, they’re renting permission to use them. No more installing open-source, privacy-friendly, and competitive apps, everything is now strictly controlled and monitored by the data-hungry scroogle monopoly. Here's hoping the EU steps in and fines them trillions this time, 'cause the data-hungry devils running scroogle (and microsoft too) just keeps showing that they can't be trusted with ANYTHING. "
Raashid, change.org ↗
"The only reason I prefer Android over iOS is the freedom of sideloading apps. If you remove this feature, lots of users (including me) will no longer have a reason to use Android instead of iOS. Also, isn't Google Play Protect enough to protect users from malware? Besides, sideloading is disabled by default unless you manually enable it in settings. You can add warnings and scan APKs, but please don't block them entirely. "
IPVG, change.org ↗
"I keep memories of my life in open free apps. I can't lose all of that. Android needs to be as it has been until now. "
Javier, change.org ↗
"I originally chose android so I can learn and make things with apk packages, modify my phone and practice security and privacy. Also to break away from the apple cult. If google goes through with it, that'll betray myself and so many others who feel the same. "
Christopher, 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 ↗
"Google is essentially throwing away the mantle with this "anti consumer" strategy. Their just giving the masses a big--no, HUGE reason to largely rebel and replace their software with something less restrictive. You don't think it will happen, but it will... "
Xavier, change.org ↗
"We should have the right to use our devices how we want to, whether we install our apps from official sources or not. Google already by default blocks installation from outside sources unless you yourself allow it and warns you of potential dangers from installing 3rd party apps, we should continue to have the freedom to install what we want on our devices and choose to take a risk or not going outside of the Play store. "
Joshua, change.org ↗
"The whole reason Android is popular is because it's open source. This undermines both user freedom and the open spirit that originally defined Android. Making this change under the guise of security amounts to manipulation, lying, deceiving your customers, and taking away their rights to use their device in their way. By doing this you are killing what make android great, the fact that everyone can make an app and load it on his phone. Google should not be able to say what apps we can and can’t download on a device we purchased. This change would remove the main reason I even purchase these phones, stop it google. As a developer I want to be able to use and test my own apps. Having a monopoly over the eccosystem is going to hurt developers and create move forced overreaching and breaching of constitutional rights. You are not protecting anyone from forcing them to use the googleplaystore, in fact all the spyware and malware I ever came in contact with was from Google Play itself. Calling it "sideloading" is just villianizing what a normal download is, removing basic freedoms to use my device as I so choose is a far overreaching tactic that shouldn't be even an option let alone seriously implimented. If this does happen, I won't be using andriod, And will also stop using any other google services. I can't support a company that is anti-consumer. Dealing with the amount of bloat and spyware that comes preinstalled on these phones is bad enough, pushing user to have to deal with these orwellian nightmares is completely unethical. Where did your company statement of" don't be evil" go? "
Kaleb, change.org ↗
"Stop this madness !! Don’t you have better things to do like stop governments looking at the peoples emails, pictures etc. It’s ridiculous you are tracking and legally hacker everyone’s as it is. Do the right thing and stop trying to track and sell everyone’s Data. You have enough money and data. LEAVE APK AND DEVELOPERS ALO E. "
Brian, change.org ↗
"The biggest reason I use Android is because I like the fact that it's open and if I don't like something I can just fix it also I like the ability to have my open source apps which you're trying to kill I guess you're just going to help boost The amount of people that are switching over to a true linux-based phone "
Justin, change.org ↗
"Google, this would absolutely destroy android. Seriously, one of the only reasons people get Androids over iPhones (aside from them being cheaper) is that they can sideboard apps from the factory. Limiting that would be a huge blow to the Android market. "
Christopher, change.org ↗
"It's been sad to see the steady decline the OS has experienced with increasingly restrictive updates implemented by Google. But this is the final straw. This update effectively forces all users to only install apps through the play store AND can shut down FOSS Android forks like Lineage, GrapheneOS, etc. So many people (including myself) rely on the amazing work the FOSS community does in the Android space. This update will force you to install the apps Google wants you to install, stop receiving OS updates when Google says so, require all Android developers to hand over their ID to Google, etc. Given Google's track record, I wouldn't trust them with all of that. :) "
Kawika, change.org ↗
"Google locking downAPKs severely limits the Android operating system. At that point, it would be the exact same as Apple products. One of the primary draws for Android is its user experience, so keeping Android free and open is the best way to ensure user freedom. https://keepandroidopen.org "
Jordan, change.org ↗
"This is absurd and down right offensive that Google ever thought the thought that contradicts the core ideals for the Android OS! An android device that's no longer open might as well be Apple 2.0. In saying that, it will turn away not only the tech savy users in completion by 100% of them looking for another OS but in turn having the user who wants to express themselves in their Android device... If we wanted a closed source environment we'd conform with the rest of the world who knows nothing else but how to have the "hive mind" think for them and buy an apple. They do it, have done it and will continue to do it the best. Which, tbh, is ok!! Let them have their space in that of the most boring OS, app store, etc... If Google follows suit and actually closes up Android, clearly it will not kill the giant that Google purchased but it will turn away hundreds of millions of users to that "boring side" as in comparison, it makes NO SENSE for one to keep an Android over an iPhone when iPhone already has side loading and other exploitations to help us at the very least feel like we have some sort of control while going with the leading IP of closed OSs.... Android and closed should never be in the same sentence and I can guarantee when it happens Google will see lows they've never experienced in recent years nor could have predicted. However if the corporate overlords didn't think a backlash would occur when Google, likely the most predatory tech company in terms of their business practices who already enables the largest black market empire in that of call centers and scammers across the world to operate by selling our data to them and pushing their ads to the top of its results for the right amount of money. Who tf you think is gonna want to use a phone backed by said company when it's closing it's OS and changing it's TOS to basically "we can see and use everything on your screen for whatever purposes we please?? Literally the largest data broker in THE UNIVERSE???? YEA RIGHT, WE'RE NOT FOOL GOOGLE, WE'RE THE PHONE USERS WHO ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO THINK FOR OURSELVES, Y'ALL FORGET THIS POINT?? "
Steven, change.org ↗
"the staple and main "selling" point of android is how open and free it is. Without that it's no different than any other os. This decision is completely asinine on Google's part. "
Thomas, 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 ↗
"Either way this is going to lead to a massive lawsuit My phone is my device Google doesn't own it nor does it have the power to tell me what I can and can't install on the device that I own Google believes that it rules the world it's censorship completely destroyed YouTube now they plan to destroy Android in the same way but $1,000 says by this time next year Google will cave to the demands of the people "
Isaiah, change.org ↗
"I didn't think I could dislike Google any less than I do already for their anti freedom posture, but, yeah they've fallen even further. Google is the enemy of freedom no matter where you live. "
Daniel, change.org ↗
"one of the best advantages of Android over iOS "
Anderson, 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 ↗
"Why did I even buy an android phone?? They think I went iOS to android for no reason? WE WANT IT OPEN! "
David, change.org ↗
"Android Freeeeee!! "
Tymmi, change.org ↗
"Implanting a feature like this would just kill the whole point of why i brought an android device. Might as well switch to apple, cause at least I would have a more cohesive experience. "
Edgar, change.org ↗
"Android users should be able develop and install whatever software they want on their devices without approval from Google. The promise of Android — and a marketing advantage it has used to distinguish itself against the iPhone — has always been that it is “open”. But Google clearly feels that they have enough of a lock on the Android ecosystem, along with sufficient regulatory capture, that they can now jettison this principle with prejudice and impunity. "
Ray, change.org ↗
"Screw that! "
Thierry, change.org ↗
"android open source project (AOSP) open source! the google its destroying "open source spirit" "
enzo, change.org ↗
"We can stand together to save Android and keep downloading what we love on our Android devices! "
Austin, change.org ↗
"The Only reason I have an Android cell phone is because I can install Linux to it Take away my ability to use My cell the way I want then there is no longer any reason for me to own any cell phone This type of Dictatorship and greed for money and it power needs to stop I install LineageOS to my cell to stop the constant nag from Google to push this button pop ups. And to try to curb all the spyware I use No social apps, "I hate social spyware" My cell phone is a "Phone" Google has proven to me my dislike for all things Google was correct I will be looking online for a True Open Source Hardware / Software cell phone cost last time I checked was approx $2,000.00 USD "
chris, change.org ↗
"Honestly with having used Android multiple times throughout my life, platforms like F-Droid have provided me with some very good open source applications and I'd hate to see that go away. "
Lucas, change.org ↗
"Everything about this software/app lock out is beyond wrong. So is age verification. It is all beyond dystopian. George Orwell is spinning in his grave. My wife works in a major hospital and that hospital is already in a major panic because they have internal apps that can not be put out to apps stores for major security reasons. They have no idea what they are going to do when these apps stop working and can not be installed, used or updated because of these dystopian lockouts (i.e. blocking non app stores' apps from being installed; not to mention the major security risks of age verification). The app monitors many vital operations and medical equipment across three major medical facilities in the same hospital network; among branch facilities. It alerts staff and is used for many areas of communications in the hospital network. If this app can no longer be integrated into the hospital's operations network, the entirety of the hospital's facilities shuts down. I'm sure that if the hospital at which my wife works uses internal apps, then there are many other medical facilities that do also. A neighbor that I check on daily uses an app for necessary medical reasons. This app is not and will never be in any app store. Her doctors and the company that makes the device for thousands of people are in a panic. They can't just put this control/monitoring app out there. They would have to redesign the device's entire system and it could take several years. Plus, there are the major security risks. A friend has advanced diabetes and has a monitoring device stuck in his arm. The monitoring/alert app comes from the device manufacturer and not any app store. I also use medical apps that are not in any app store. I am also diabetic (not as badly as my friend) and disabled. There are several other people in my area that depend on medical apps that are not in any app store and are ONLY provided through a medical facility or medical device manufacturer. These companies do not put these apps out to these app stores for anyone to get their hands on for security reasons. If someone malicious got their hands on these medical device control apps, tampered with it, and re-uploaded it for patients to then obtain, thousands of patients could die. What am I and all these people that depend on proprietary and device specific medical apps across the country going to do when our apps/devices can't be installed or updated and just stop working? These dystopian app lock outs and the risks of age verification will put millions of peoples lives on the line and will have biblical level consequences. This all needs to stop immediately! "
John, change.org ↗
"Google doesn't care about people or their privacy "
Adrian, change.org ↗
"Funny how a principle as straightforward as “don’t be evil” can still turn out to be surprisingly difficult to live up to. "
JV, change.org ↗
"This is a clear overreach of authority on a platform which has hitherto been a champion of freedom in the segment. This sort of restriction on the Android OS will force those of us with the desire for privacy and freedom of choice to alternative providers, or to create our own. Please re-think this decision and understand that by going this route you are furthering the creation of a world of censorship, restriction, and strife. "
D, change.org ↗
"This will be the death of android and Google is holding the gun. My entire attraction to android was the freedom. Now that this will potentially cease to exist, I have no problem finding another source of freedom. Google thinks they're being smart, but they are only killing themselves slowly. Android users everywhere must make sure google pays dearly for the abomination they are creating. "
Kevin, change.org ↗
"This will affect corporate privacy for those that rely on FOSS. Personal and Business privacy will be even more at risk if these changes are applied. From the Conglomerate owner to the DIY hobbyist, we will all be affected only negatively by this. So much of the world relies and depends of FOSS, and with the already dying privacy, many people are going to be literally put at risk of injury or cessation of life because of these changes. No this isn't an overstatement, I'm serious. The amount of NDIS and NDIA workers that use FOSS to protect their clients and their information is staggering. And this will effectively cause them to provide a lower quality service. "
Tobias, change.org ↗
"I am developer and i need work that, dont block my work "
Celso, change.org ↗
"Only reason I use android instead of iOS. Don't take it away from us. "
Robert, change.org ↗
"Bora solar esses miserentos "
GATO, change.org ↗
"My business uses and older app distributed via apk. It is no longer maintainable but works perfectly fine. It will be a huge hassle rebuilding the app just to comply with this new rule to be certified. "
Aaron, 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 ↗
"To put it simply it's wrong all of it. The idea that we are so untrustworthy with our own devices that we need this level of invasion/ surveillance implemented to satisfy their idea of safety is laughable. The online tech community is amazing and free to make any kind of customization to their own devices that they bought and paid for. And let's be honest there have been so many questionable decisions already based on security and safety that Google is no longer completely trustworthy. We should still be able to have the choice to use our own customizable apps/systems on our own personal devices. None of this feels safe, none of these changes feel like they have our safety in mind. "
Charles, change.org ↗
"our digital freedom continues to erode as the years pass, gotta try to slow the degradation "
Kanji, change.org ↗
"I've been using APKs ever since I got my first phone, and now, it's an indispensable part of my life. Things I downloaded, games that I played that would be lost to time because the very people who made them forgot about them, things I watched, all those experiences... How can one take it away from us? We want our freedom. So what if we may be downloading viruses and having our data stolen? It's our choice, and it's nothing to be worried about by other people. And in my experience, there aren't as many viruses in the internet as people think. I know that I never got one. If APKs are gone, my main sources of entertainment — the things that kept me alive all this time by brightening up my days — they will be gone too. So, this cannot happen. This can't go on. I need my APKs. And I will not stop fighting for their existence, because they are a valuable part of my existence. - The Meteor "
João Pedro, change.org ↗
"Without sideloading in Android, it will be impossible for us to install any app outside the Google Play Store, making traditional unverified sideloading much more difficult on certified devices, and therefore blocking it in 2027. This isn’t about protection here. It was more like the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Let make our voices heard "
Jacob, change.org ↗
"You will not remove the free choice we have enjoyed for decades, with open source android phones or we shall remove Google Android from our use altogether, and simply get different phones to use. "
C, change.org ↗
"keeping it brief. There are MANY apps that people depend on for day to day life and this is going to impact that on a drastic scale. "
Bryan, change.org ↗
"Google can't do whatever it wants with Android. I paid for Android precisely for the freedom. If I wanted to stay in a closed system, I would have bought an iPhone. '-' "
Sandro, change.org ↗
"Android has always been a symbol of freedom, a system that allowed us to use our devices our own way, without chains or limitations imposed by corporations. Now Google wants to take that away from Android users, to control every detail as if we weren’t capable of deciding what’s best for ourselves. I don’t agree, and I will never agree, with this absurd, authoritarian, and completely insane decision. They are killing the very essence of Android, the open spirit that made millions of people choose this platform. We, users and developers, have always stood for the power of choice. If Google thinks it can simply impose restrictions and hide behind a false narrative of security, it’s deeply mistaken. Android wasn’t born to be a digital prison. It was born to be free. And if Google keeps going down this path, make no mistake: the community will not stay silent. Freedom will always find a way to fight back. "
Ronaldo, change.org ↗
"Sideloading is only reason I use an Android phone. You will lose many users because of this decision. "
Niall, change.org ↗
"As a consumer, I bought and use Android platform devices because I care about my privacy and I care about accessing third-party applications that are not strictly on Google's Play Store. I utilize F-Droid and various other third-party app stores, and this would be a major impediment to me. I did not agree to Google pulling the rug from beneath me well after I bought several thousand dollar Android phones and devices. "
Stephen, change.org ↗
"Apoio à liberdade "
Kayo Junior, change.org ↗
"This is just another tiny step in the journey to control your device. The more they control the more they extract. "
Michael, change.org ↗
"A company like Google should not be allowed should not be allowed to do something like this. As a regular user I find what they are trying to do deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an Android phone, it's with the expectation of having control over how I use it, not to face restrictions or censorship, this is not even going over the massive privacy risks and data theft, this is an open source operating system and freedom should be key, I do not like how all of these companies and governments are trying to push age verification for everything, and I would hope for the decency of being given privacy "
Ronnie, change.org ↗
"This is about Freedom! I want to be in control of what apps I install on my phone! And How I install them! I choose freedom! Do Not block or limit my freedom under the the guise of helping me according to your beliefs! "
Henry, change.org ↗
"Open source exploration is too important to add any additional barriers to entrance. I expect it's bad for all of us, including alphabet and Google, the aosp... a new open model may rise from a push such as this. Really though, don't be evil, please "
Eric, change.org ↗
"then why get an android at this point? "
Kyarie, change.org ↗
"The reason why i use android is because of the freedom but if Google lockdown android then there no point on staying and not switching to other ecosystem "
Joel, change.org ↗
"You are BETRAYING the loyal users who went against the social hype crowd and went with Android over Apple because of your damn promises of keeping Android as an open platform!! I never purchased an iPhone because of the locked OS and refused to purchase the first iPhone when it was released and instead went for the G Droid!! DO YOU A**HOLES REALIZE HOW MUCH WE WERE LAUGHED AT, LOOKED DOWN ON, CUT OUT OF GROUP CHATS WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY, BEING THE BUTT OF THE GREEN BUBBLE JOKES, BEING TOLD "EWWW GREEN BUBBLES!!" "ARE YOU POOR? NO WHY? YOU HAVE THE GREEN BUBBLES AND THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T AFFORD AN IPHONE" AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD END AS WE BECAME ADULTS BUT NO IT STILL HAPPENED TO US!!! AFTER ALL OUR LOYAL SUPPORT OVER DECADES THE THANKS WE GET IS YOU UNGRATEFUL A**HOLES TURNING ON US WITH THIS GARBAGE? AS IF WE'RE TOO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO KEEP SAFE WHILE USING OUR ANDROID DEVICES? I PRAY THOSE ANTITRUST LAWSUITS SPLIT YOUR COMPANY INTO PIECES!! IF IT HAPPENS TO GO THROUGH THERE IS LITERALLY NO MORE REASON TO STAY ON ANDROID AND I WILL HAPPILY GO TO APPLE AT LEAST THEY DON'T LIE AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE OS IS LOCKED!! "
Armen, change.org ↗
"No kings, not even Google. We the people are largely on android instead of IOS because of its open ecosystem. Killing that kills one of your major reasons for existing. Continue and your can bid farewell to massive chunks of users when the decision of what new phone to choose comes around. "
Patrick, change.org ↗
"We need spaces where independents can still create and choose freely based on their own values and needs. Kindly leave us that! "
m, change.org ↗
"We all need security and FOSS apps! "
Chris, change.org ↗
"Google always voiced themselves as the "Open Platform" in direct competition with Apple. With the lockdown happening, there is no more competition. It's either "isolated OS" or "fellow isolated OS". In today's day and age, especially, the people value and are drawn to the ability to make their own choices without the difficulties and frustrations of being restricted and banned from doing something. It's *why* so many people switched to Android/ Google devices, and *why* so many Android/Google users *refuse* to use Apple products. The lockdown is just creating another Apple under a different company. "
Amelia, change.org ↗
"My money goes to the people with a specific contract implicitly in mind. I own the device, and the manufacturer cedes control to me in totality. If google wishes to contiunue with this course of action, the monetary value of any android phone as a product drops to zero - I cannot own one in totality. I cannot purchase one in truth. I'm only thankful that Linux-based phones are now (more than ever) becoming a viable, if still niche choice. "
Benjamin, change.org ↗
"The main reason I've always preferred android over apple is the freedom of app development and usage. What's the point of using an android phone when I have to rely on an app store that limits what's available? This decision is gonna affect an already undesirable Google "
Mychal, change.org ↗
"While thinking walled garden is a way to milk customers even more when you already collecting , selling , sharing the customer's data even tho the customers already paid for the device , services already. You are basically taking away and ignoring the customer's autonomy and disrespecting us all. "
ilayda, change.org ↗
"I honestly don't understand why this even has to be petitioned for in the first place. It should be self-evident that it should be entirely up to the user what software should be installed on their own device. "
Patrick, change.org ↗
"Keep google free and open to use third party apps and app stores. "
Robert, change.org ↗
"I hæv been a lifeloŋ Android user because it offers ðe ability to customize it ænd sideload æpps on it wiþ ease, ænd I'm not lettiŋ google take ðæt right away! Down wiþ Big Broðer! Down wiþ mæss censoršip! Down wiþ age verificašon! Down wiþ mæss surveillance! Down wiþ ðis Digital ID tyrrany! "
∞ANTHONY∞, change.org ↗
"F droid is my primary way of installing apps. Blocking sideloading will fundamentally change how I use my phone, and make it impossible for me to use my phone in the way that I have for years. "
T, change.org ↗