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…
69 organizations from 21 countries have signed the open letter
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
F-Droid f-droid.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
CryptPad cryptpad.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
iodé iode.tech
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
FUTO futo.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
OpenMedia openmedia.org
Unified Push unifiedpush.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
Proton AG proton.me
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Brave brave.com
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Techlore techlore.tech
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
April april.org What they're saying
Tech press
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"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 is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
Editorials & analysis
"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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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 is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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
"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
"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 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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"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 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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"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
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"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
"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
"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 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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
Organizations & open letters
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"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
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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'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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."
Brave
"When you set up a gate, you invite authorities to use it to block things they don't like. And when you build a database, you invite governments to try to get access."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"This invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
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
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"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
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"A centralized global registration system for Android will inevitably chill this work. Those communities are likely to drop out of developing for Android altogether."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"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 are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
YouTubers & creators
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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 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
"That's not openness. That is control."
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 has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google 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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
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
"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
Developers & community
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"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 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
"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
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"Google selling Android as both open source and open to running any software you like in order to quickly gain market share, only to break those promises after driving competing platforms out of the market is nothing more than fraud."
GeekyBear, Hacker News
"This is a war on users that want to keep control of their phones and when it's done, you will not be able to escape the enshittification."
ikidd, Lemmy
"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
"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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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
"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
"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
"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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, 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
"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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"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
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"My Pixel 6 just broke, and after 15 years of using Android, I've finally been convinced to move to iOS. If I must live in a walled garden, I suppose I'll choose the one with nicer flowers."
yonato, Hacker News
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"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
"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
Voices from the petition
"The entire reason I used to use Android was because of how open it was. I used to be a staunch supporter of Android and even encouraged others to give it a shot. By restricting third-party app installations, it will be similar to iOS, but without any of it's closed environment benefits. Furthermore, this may further encourage users to explore other OS's such as LineageOS or GrapheneOS, rendering any supposed benefits moot. I am personally looking to switch my Android OS to GrapheneOS once this update becomes live. Android was always the best choice in freedom and ownership. This will be a serious mistake on Google's part, similar to Microsoft forcing Copilot on users. "
Areeb, change.org
"Purchasing objects means ownership. If ownership is only given to the haves, the have-nots become slaves. Google, if you are doing this of your own free will, shame on you. Governments of the world: attack evildoers directly, don't punish the populace with slavery. For one sin, all Man suffers. But we don't have to live in that slavery to sinfulness! Return hate with love! "
Jame, change.org
"This is exactly why I will NEVER use Apple *anything* not even movies on Apple TV. I've championed Android since it first came on the scene in my 25+ years of work in the wireless industry because of the open source nature of Android. It is also why I have switch all my devices but one to Linux in place of Windows (They have forever lost my support). Open source matters. It's also what sets Android apart from Apple. I will absolutely not purchase another Android device going forward if it is no longer open source. I have no problem falling back to a basic phone and running open source OSes on my PC, gaming handhelds and the like. This, to me, feels akin to the idea of the United States just erasing the first amendment. I doubt words will change your mind, but my dollars will back my opinion. It's sad that Google has decided to go this route. You've fallen so far since the beginning. I remember getting my Gmail account with beta invite. I remember being happy to see Google become a publicly traded company. I fear now I'll remember how Google became a huge disappointment. At least it's an interesting story seeing first hand the rise and fall of a search engine who's name became a verb because it was so superior. To just become a huge bully to the types of users that propped you up from the start. Of course jailbreaking will happen but how does that improve security? How does that differentiate you from the competition? "
Jeremy, change.org
"Я считаю, что запрет на установку неизвестных файлов является произвольным ограничением моей личной свободы. Такой запрет лишает меня возможности самостоятельно выбирать программы и приложения, которые я считаю нужными, и тем самым ущемляет мои гражданские права — право на свободный доступ к информации, свободу выбора и безопасный цифровой опыт. Я прошу отменить этот запрет, чтобы каждый пользователь мог самостоятельно решать, какие файлы устанавливать, без необоснованных ограничений со стороны государства или компании. "
Павел, change.org
"We all have the right to contract unlimited. As free people. If Google controllers Android then that's peonage making Android users slaves, in a life that is so dependent around our phones!!!! "
Larry, change.org
"I was really shocked when I heard that such thing is happening. I mean, isn't the point of Android itself to be fully open, especially compared to competitors as iOS? What's so wrong with a person developing apps as their passion/hobby? I don't think it is necessary to have to upload a government ID to a corporation just to make your app be able to be usable. It also impacts me, because I use very many open source apps as alternatives, which fit my usage a lot better, and I like to support those projects, and one more point, many people switching from iOS to Android are looking for the freedom that is sideloading apps without any hurdles. This has to change, or chaos would ensue around the Android world, and especially FOSS communities. "
Arsen, change.org
"Protect Android FREEDOM... I’ve used Android for years because it stood for freedom and choice. But lately Google has been making it harder to install APK files apps that come from outside the Play Store. That freedom to choose what I put on my own phone is what made Android different, and it’s slowly disappearing. I’m not a developer or hacker just someone who believes that the device I bought should truly belong to me. I should be able to install safe apps from any source without being blocked or discouraged. This isn’t about breaking rules it’s about keeping control over our own technology. If Google keeps tightening these restrictions Android will lose the openness that made it great. I care because user freedom matters and I don’t want to see it taken away bit by bit. "
Boris, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom. I've always loved side loading an app made by a line developer to complete a niche task/feature. My music player and compass app were side loaded from F Droid and I think it's super cool to be able to install custom versions of stock phone apps. I've side loaded a modded version of my camera app that brought Google Pixel's photosphere to my phone. How else would I have been able to do this without side loading?? There's no reason Android has to go this direction, it may just as well be called mock iOS if all the reasons I chose Android are taken away. May customization, freedom of how I use my phone, and innovation reign once again in the heart of Google's Android! PLEASE 🙏 "
YAIR RAFAEL, change.org
"We did not ask for this. We do not consent to this. Android's entire identity is built around it being an open platform. We know you aren't doing this for security, you're doing it for control. Don't be evil. "
Gregor, change.org
"Android being open source and accessible to everyone to install and modify as they choose is the most import thing. It's why android has the market share that it does, without developers being able to build for the platform as they wish android will wither and inovation will be stiffled. "
Guy, change.org
"The APK file structure is just a file that installs a package, like an EXE on Windows or a variety of extensions for Linux executable files. Our phones are ours, and they are computers; we should be allowed to treat them as ours and not be beholden to big tech deciding how to use our devices for us, we want to own our hardware and use it as we see fit. Give us our devices back and keep Android open! That was the entire appeal for Android dominating the market to begin with! If Android stops being open then there would be no difference between buying an Android and buying an iPhone anymore. "
Nicholas, change.org
"The market benefits when there are choices. The choice to lock down Android is the wrong one. When I buy an android phone I buy the right to have control over the system and what happens in that system. Locking down Android phones is anti consumer. "
Jimben, change.org
"Android became popular because it offered freedom and customization. Reducing APK access risks moving away from those values and limiting innovation within the ecosystem. We are asking Google to protect user choice, maintain transparency, and preserve the openness that defines Android. "
Assif, change.org
"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
"The actions of Google are asinine, and the fact the company is trying to do this is appalling. "
Grace, change.org
"As someone who regularly uses apk files on my phone to help fight loneliness and to prevent myself from taking my own life, DO NOT TAKE AWAY OUR FILES!! "
Eric, change.org
"Google has been sued up the butt for monopolizing before, and now they're trying again? And on top of these ridiculous surveillance laws all because a few parents can't watch their children, this is just a stupid decision to make. "
Kamareon, 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
"Open source is not a trivial matter for the regular user of technology nowadays. However, its importance should be taken seriously if we want a future where we will (still?) have access and some level of control over the technology we are too deeply dependent on for our daily activities. It is not necessary that everybody learn how to program smartphone or computer applications! But it is necessary that everybody know that it is important that big tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and (in this specific case) Google don't close these doors. Be it for their customers or others trying to figure out what they're doing with our personal information. "
Ricardo, change.org
"Enough. Google blocking APK usage is an attack on user freedom, innovation, and fair competition. Blocking sideloading centralizes control, stifles small developers, and forces users into a gated ecosystem controlled by one corporate gatekeeper. We deserve the right to choose how we manage our devices, install software we trust, and support independent developers. Security can be improved without stripping choice — transparent warnings and user education. This is about digital sovereignty. Join our petition to demand that Google restore full, responsible APK access now. Defend openness, choice, and the future of a free app ecosystem. Sign now. "
Evela, 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
"Just recently i started learning about how to install f droid to protect myself from g00gle and this is what happens?! death to big tech! "
Noor, change.org
"Hello, I have been using Android my whole life and I had always disliked IOS due to its highly locked down operating system and hearing that android (Google) wants to lock down android from 3rd party creators really hurts because not everyone can afford to publish an app onto the Google play store. also due to the fact android is the biggest OS worldwide many devices such as "Meta Quest" use android and they're store for applications would get shut down and cause many problems if they (Google) goes through with this plan. Especially as somebody who is soon to make and upload applications for Android this can be very limiting. Keep Android Open. Don't turn it into IOS. "
sqidwerd, change.org
"We should be allowed to do what we want with the tools that we buy. "
kevin, change.org
"Freedom is the reason we all choose android. Android was my gateway into learning how to interact with software, running custom firmware. I now have a great job as a technician and plan to continue growing my career in the technical field. Android played a huge role in my development and it would be such a massive loss to future generations with people like me trying to learn. There is no reason to support android anymore if we are restricted. The only one that stands to gain is Google (and they won't win if they do this, we WILL cut support). We the people, the users, the creators, the developers, only stand to lose if this change goes into effect. "
Mason, change.org
"For a large portion of Android users, the freedom and openness of the OS is why they choose to use it in the first place. I can certainly say for myself that if this goes through, I will no longer use Android as my smartphone OS. Enshittification like this will only cause Android to lose market share and will be destructive in the long run. "
Nawton, change.org
"Please reconsider this decision. Android has always been about freedom and open source. Being able to support small developers and having choices to sideload apps is integral to Android's success. "
Jay, change.org
"Google, don't make me get the spray bottle. "
Skipps, change.org
"This decision makes you seem even more authoritarian and greedy than usual. Regardless, since we all know you care about your profit margins more than anything else I'd like to point out that you're depriving yourselves of potential profits. The small developers that are honing their skills developing apps that; for whatever reason; they can't or don't want to publish through you, they may create the next viral app as a result of their efforts. If you take away their ability to develop without you being in complete control you are killing potential profits. "
Caleb, change.org
"If this goes in effect there's literally no reason for me to stay on android. Would likely either go graphene but that feels up in the air for long term support so I guess that leaves apple. And I already hate walled gardens. Especially when the play store is basically just a malware repository. I'm so tired of corps eroding our freedoms. Why must everything be enshitified this day an age. "
Coleman, change.org
"I am from Brazil, and having an android closed here makes it impossible for Brazilians, who in our situation, most people cannot have an economic situation that can have video games, PCs to enjoy the culture, with emulators, we can have access to this, even with simpler cell phones, because here even the simplest cell phone, it costs almost 1 minimum wage, I wanted to leave my support so that we can change this bad future "
Icaro, change.org
"Android used to be the go to mobile if you wanted quality and freedom from having to buy in to one type of tech (e.g. Apple). Now they're forcing developers and users to buy into their tracking. This just may well be the push I need to give up my mobile all together. Thanks Google! "
Jason, change.org
"Installing mini apps I wrote on my own device is the only reason I chose Android smartphone over dumbphone plus micro laptop. "
Alexey, change.org
"I use Android specifically because it is a more open platform. I develop apps for myself and family members and I have no intention of becoming any kind of approved developer just to continue to do that. This is an absolute bait and switch to the most loyal of Android users and is going to drive many of us to seek out alternative operating systems. And sadly makes me want to de-google my life even further. "
greg, change.org
"We cannot allow Google to further restrict android, to become a sort of increasingly dystopian corporate restrictive service, that we are paying more over the years, to recieve less features from. "
Bo, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom on mobile, unlike iOS, and must remain so permanently. Developer identity verification on Android will not stop fraud and other malicious activities by fraudsters and scammers. They can use the browser, calls, or SMS to continue their malicious activities with impunity. This intrusive developer verification method will push both users and developers to use dangerous workarounds to run their preferred APKs outside the Play Store on Android. Furthermore, it will expose each APK developer's identity to data leaks, facilitate identity theft, and endanger everyone's privacy not to mention that it restricts the freedom of expression of developers. "
Samuel, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom. I've always loved side loading an app made by a line developer to complete a niche task/feature. My music player and compass app were side loaded from F Droid and I think it's super cool to be able to install custom versions of stock phone apps. I've side loaded a modded version of my camera app that brought Google Pixel's photosphere to my phone. How else would I have been able to do this without side loading?? There's no reason Android has to go this direction, it may just as well be called mock iOS if all the reasons I chose Android are taken away. May customization, freedom of how I use my phone, and innovation reign once again in the heart of Google's Android! "
Justin, change.org
"If I wanted my phone to be a prisoner in a fascist dictatorship I'd have an iPhone. I've been thinking about degoogling my life, maybe now is the time to do it. "
Karl, change.org
"I do not want Google to get a third monopoly. That is the whole point of this gatekeeping. I'm sick of these corporations doing whatever they want. "
Aidan, change.org
"I have been using Android since Eclair, after using Windows Mobile 6 and iOS. I have been seriously considering iOS again lately, and this would absolutely convince me to jump ship. "
Jon, change.org
"this change would remove the main reason i even purchase these phones, stop it google "
andrew, change.org
"i dont want google to take such a little freedom of installing apps that i think are handy "
gosha, change.org
"This would severely limit any reason I have to use a google certified android phone. Without the ability to easily support open source developers and tinker with my own projects -- the android phone would cease to be my "daily driver". These are our computers, and we should be able to install what we want on them. It's disrespectful to take that right away. Please reconsider removing your hardware's greatest and most consumer friendly strength in the mobile market. "
Kedryn, change.org
"Now we cant even test our own projects on android without licking the boots of microslop "
William, change.org
"This will be removing the rights of citizens and adding authoritarian restraint via our private communication devices whilst calling it a feature. I do not use Google. I use Android. Soon I will be forced to use neither. "
Ryan, change.org
"Android having access to custom software is a main thing that separates it from iOS. Don't destroy this amazing feature. "
Henry, change.org
"I have been antagonistic towards the Google play store and its selection of poor-quality apps. By taking away the ease of sideloading apps, I might as well have bought a brick with some precious metals in it. None of us do not have to take Google's mandate. "
Nathan, change.org
"Yeah i like the big man having control over the phone i bought. Thats the only reason i went to Android. Never again. Hope Android is dying for it "
Tobias, change.org
"I have been avoiding iPhone and using Android specifically for this reason. Why would Google change something that is working for them? Why ruin something good? Short sighted and stupid move. "
Will, change.org
"Google sucks if it changes android and will burn! "
Gage, 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
"Help new developers earn an income and revolutionize our apps and games! "
João, change.org
"The Google need to stop "
ghost, change.org
"Android has one major thing over apple, and that is the ability to download and use whatever software you want on your device alongside the variety of said software. As someone who enjoys finding projects made by other users, or full apps that can alter your experience for the better, we can't just let Google change that. "
Dakota, change.org
"I bought a andropd because I wanted to have a free open and custom misable experience and now Google is taking that away from us I would rather pay for an iPhone no considering the fact to Google is doing this "
Carter, 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 should calm down "
Pablo, change.org
"I really don't want this to happen because downloading external applications is what makes this operating system special: it allows you to be free to do whatever you want with your phone. I don't want it to become an iPhone 2.0. Please don't do it. "
Dark, change.org
"As a long time user of Android who has refused to move on to other mobile devices, and as a developer who builds personal apps for testing, I find the idea of removing sideloading to be more harmful for the android community than it is helpful. I do not want to be "an approved developer" by giving up my personal information and being forced to pay a fee. Android literally started as an open-source operating system, and now it's literally just Apple OS but Google edition. Plus the worry of malware being spread elsewhere is contradictory. Apps on the Google Play Store are NOTORIOUS for containing spyware, malware, and even pornographic ads. I once installed a Genesis emulator on the Google Play Store and the first thing I saw was an ad of a bunch of nude girls, and the ad literally had the Google Ads logo button on it, so I know that wasn't from them but y'all. When I installed a Genesis emulator outside of Google Play, there was not a single ad, and for the other apps I got that did have ads, thet didn't have freaking PORN ads. Going anti-consumer isn't protecting anyone Google, it's just making things worse but in your favor. Please Google, make the choice that would keep your userbase and community instead of one that would destroy it. If you are going to continue with this anti-consumer decision, I might as well switch to Apple because at least they take the time to double-check if their apps have malware and spyware. Don't make me switch. "
Elijah, change.org
"Google. Seriously. Stop. You're becoming the definition of the "don't be evil" slogan that you've buried. You're making Android even worse than iOS "
Karkan, change.org
"I chose to use android for the freedom and customization within its current limits. I have never owned any other type. If this passes, I will be leaving galaxy and Google android devices. I believe in freedom and privacy for all. "
Joel, change.org
"The entire reason I chose android over apple was the freedom I had to do what I wanted on the device I paid for. Google enforcing this "lock-down" is just shooting themselves in the foot and giving people more reason to give apple a shot. "
Riley, change.org
"If this happens, Android will ko longer be an open platform with options. Google and other OEMS that they work with will be the only ones who can dictate what your own personal device can run. This also completely halts hobbyist and low income development by cutting off an extremely accessible platform and imposing a fee (Which could very easily turn into an Apple style subscription later.). So, people will not be able to easily to learn, experiment, and practice with mobile app development. Only the very few with sufficient disposable money will be able to do it. "
Jeffrey, change.org
"I have always stayed with Android knowing I was free to create and develop and install and control my own device without the need to root the device. This decision will make this device just as worthless to me as an apple ios device and then looking again for other alternatives. Android was not always as polished and of thr same quality and IOS but having the ability to control my own device and software meant more to me then a fully polished and responsive mobile device. "
Brad, change.org
"Freedom of expression and choice, without filtering. "
Ralph, change.org
"Android was meant to be competion for apple an OPEN SOURCE it's what made android better and not a closed system like the competitor. Read the room Google! "
Jesse, change.org
"APK or go away "
Joshua, change.org
"Restrictions like these are a form of control lets not take away anyone's freedom of choice "
Daniel, 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
"I, as an Android user for 17 years, believe in, and chose Android for, device openness and the freedom of choice. To choose my device, the services I use, from where I download my applications, and to choose FOSS apps that don't require developer registration or sacrificing personal privacy by accepting trackers and/or unnecessary permissions being tied to my app usage. Choice and freedom is what built Android and differentiated it from other platforms, like iOS, Windows Mobile, and other early smartphone operating systems. The trend of destroying user choice through the inability to unlock bootloader and easily root devices, the effective and increasing destruction of the custom ROM community and options, and now the elimination of third party app stores that offer incredible FOSS apps with greater focus on user privacy is one more step Google and Android are taking towards an undesirable ecosystem for many of us who still choose Android for its few remaining, and quickly disappearing, advantages. The argument that Google is requiring developer registration and restricting the ability of alternative app stores, like F-Droid, to continue to thrive as legitimate and worthwhile options is anti-consumer and isn't to protect users. Rather, it's to give users and consumers less control over their devices and data and, in my opinion, that is unacceptable. "
Roger, change.org
"The whole reason I choose Android over iOS is because of the choices I have when I purchase the device. Android make me feel that I own the device. However, if Android takes iOS's walled garden approach there's little reason to select Android over iOS. "
Tyler, change.org
"The whole entire point of an Android phone is that you have freedom and a choice in matters like this. Taking away that choice is basically taking away the entire point of buying an Android over any other phone. We deserve the choice. "
Madison, change.org
"Android's open platform is the only counter positioning left before it's just a shittier iPhone. Please don't hand the market to Apple. "
Jesse, change.org
"Delusional to think this wouldn't shrink the number of users. "
Les, 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
"Android is the mobile embodiment of freedom. Central registration with any organization is the absolute end to that freedom. This must be stopped. "
Elvira, change.org
"our digital freedom continues to erode as the years pass, gotta try to slow the degradation "
Kanji, change.org
"I use android for the freedom to do what I want with my device. If google restricts my ability to sideload apps, I will switch to a phone with an OS that continues to allow me to use my own device how I see fit. "
Sarah, change.org
"One of the main reasons for using android is the freedom, this gets rid of that. So I may as well use ubuntu touch at this point. "
Yurii, change.org
"google, it is not your job to parent any user on what they wish to do with the items they purchase. No one wants your control and no one asked. "
Kyi, change.org
"Android Freeeeee!! "
Tymmi, change.org
"Despicable corporate over reach on full display here. Stop the change, let users choose and decided how they wish to use their devices! "
Markus, change.org
"I moved from iOS to Android, to get back the freedom of using my phone according to my wishes. I have a lot of friends who did too. We all condemn this attempt by Google to enshittify Android. Protection and imposition are not the same. Google, don't be evil. "
Max, change.org
"I dropped iOS and moved to Android when I learned the importance of freedom. If Google makes this movement I don't see what sense makes that change anymore. "
Josh, change.org
"This is a threat to everyone's first amendment rights. Google's tech oligarchy is trting gatekeep creativity for their own greed. This should concern everyone, not just F-Droid developers and users! They won't just stop at F-Droid, their goal is total control! "
AJ, change.org
"Android has always been known for side loading. Android has always been better than IOS because it has side loading. Now, if Google keeps with this plan, our side loading rights will be gone. We can NOT let this happen. I have side loaded apps for years now, getting indie games and apps, getting modded apps, and so much more. I love to emulate, and there are many emulation apps that are approved on the play store. However, apps like Winlator and GameNative are not, and I would be revoked of using these apps. These apps have provided so many hours of fun to me, and without them, I wouldn't even be able to play PC games. Sign this petition to keep the freedom of Android that we should always have. "
Blake, change.org
"The ability to download and install APK's from any source is a choice that should not be taken from users. It's the whole reason Android OS is successful now. Taking away choice will drive users to seek out other software solutions. Keeping Android Open is important to stop corporate overeach, unnecessary tracking and selling of user data, and keeping software available and fair. "
Christopher, change.org
"They literally block sideloading with this and always using "security" as an excuse, they never will accept all dev, and also who give they the right to get ID of dev. Put in you place, you are a company in a democratic country, we give you power The solution for this is stop using google services, give they a prove of power, they depend of us because we give them money, stop using google service, and fight against this injustice Google is evil, and right now they are shown they craws "
Juan, change.org
"Competition is important and necessary to make anything good. We should be allowed to choose the software we wanna use. I use Linux for my computer and gaming, as well as iPadOS for my tablet, Android for my phone, and WearOS on my smart watch. I've also been watching videos and been intrigued by GrapheneOS, as it's a lot like Linux and can run the Google Play store. I've been using Android since 2017, and never even knew you could sideload apps (I thought you could only use the Google Play store). But if MacOS, Windows, and Linux let you download whatever compatible apps you want from the web, then why do phones have app stores if we don't use them on a computer? This makes no sense to me at all. If we bought a device, then we should own the device, and should be able to do whatever we want with it, whether that's destroying the device, modding the device, installing new software on the device (or even a different skin of Android, if that means prolonging the lifespan of the device), or sideloading apps. All of this is for the consumer, not the company. I love Android, and would hate to see anything bad happen to it. "
Alley, change.org
"If I paid for my device I should be able to do whatever I want with it, you don't own it google I do, and your taking away one of the only reasons I love and use an android. "
Dylan, change.org
"Google, which has long positioned itself as a defender of freedom on the internet, now seems to be taking worrying steps by trying to limit the installation of apps outside of the Google Play Store. This move not only restricts users' freedom of choice, but also centralizes even more power in the hands of a single corporation, creating a closed and controlled environment. By forcing developers to comply with its rules and fees, Google eliminates the possibility of cheaper or even free alternatives, making the Android ecosystem more restricted and expensive. Moreover, this decision goes against the very essence of Android, which has always been based on freedom of customization and access. It's a setback for users who seek greater control over their devices and privacy. Limiting app installations outside the Play Store is not just a matter of convenience, but a matter of respecting user autonomy. "
Júnior, change.org
"I got an Android tablet for the freedom it offered over an ios device such as ipads and iphones. If Google's going to lock the system down anyway, I might as well buy a touchscreen for a Raspberry Pi and repurpose it instead of using Android in the future. "
Timothy, change.org
"Having a device where you control what does or does not go on it is our right to have. We bought this device and we should have the freedom to do what we want with the device, regardless of the manufacturer or operating system it is on. Allowing this change to happen is just one more step towards a controlled ecosystem; by Google, for Google and this is exactly what they want. "
Clayton, change.org
"I've been a long Android user, and I learned so much due to being able to sideload programs; even being able to manually install google play services on some devices where it doesn't come by default. I believe that Google should not lock this change so we can have our own choices to do what we want with out programs and apps; unlike Apple who locks down their ecosystem, and (more so unrelated) Amazon picking out and stopping jailbreaks, which is the reason I have an android phone. For that freedom promised. Google, make the right decision. "
Brandon, change.org
"Invasion of privacy in the name of security "
Sadegh, change.org
"I went back to Android over Apple because of APK freedom. There is no reason to buy an Android phone if this change is implemented. Android users love DIY: researching, exploring new manufacturers, using independent APK repositories. Google is trying to destroy the one thing that makes Android appealing. We all might as well buy iPhones if this is the direction they are choosing. Or dump our money into PinePhone dev. "
Kay, 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
"APKs have been very useful to me for getting games I would otherwise have to get overseas with my dad earlier. It allows many more other applications to be downloaded on to my phone too, which would allow me to bypass the need to get the admin code to my computer every time I want to get something. What is this bs that Google is doing? "
Ja, change.org
"Without the ability to make my own choices on it I have no reason to use android. I am already tired of and furious about censorship if this goes through I will never use android again. "
Orrin, change.org
"#NoMoreCensorship "
Russell, change.org