Telefonunuz tezliklə sizə məxsus olmayacaq.
2027-ci ildən başlayaraq*, Google tərəfindən icazəsiz şəkildə göndərilən səssiz bir yeniləmə, tərtibatçısı Google-da qeydiyyatdan keçməmiş, müqavilə imzalamamış, ödəniş etməmiş və hökumət tərəfindən verilmiş şəxsiyyət vəsiqəsini təqdim etməmiş hər bir Android tətbiqini bloklayacaq.
İmtina imkanı olmadan, bütün dünyada hər bir tətbiq və hər bir cihaz.
↓Google nə edir
2025-ci ilin avqustunda Google yeni bir tələb elan etdi: 2027-ci ildən etibarən, hər bir Android tətbiq tərtibatçısı mərkəzi olaraq Google-da qeydiyyatdan keçməlidir, əks halda onların proqram təminatı heç bir cihaza quraşdırıla bilməz. Təkcə Play Store tətbiqləri deyil: bütün tətbiqlər. Bura dostlar arasında paylaşılan, F-Droid vasitəsilə yayılan, həvəskarlar tərəfindən şəxsi istifadə üçün yaradılan tətbiqlər də daxildir. Müstəqil tərtibatçılar, kilsə və icma qrupları və həvəskarlar eyni dərəcədə öz proqram təminatlarını inkişaf etdirmək və yaymaq imkanından məhrum ediləcəklər.
Qeydiyyat tələb edir:
- Google-a rüsum ödəməyi
- Google-un Şərtləri və Qaydaları ilə razılaşmağı
- Hökumət tərəfindən verilmiş şəxsiyyət vəsiqənizi təqdim etməyi
- Şəxsi imza açarınızın (signing key) sübutunu təqdim etməyi
- Bütün cari və gələcək tətbiq identifikatorlarını sadalamağı
Əgər tərtibatçı qaydalara əməl etməsə, onun tətbiqləri bütün dünyada hər bir Android cihazında səssizcə bloklanır.
Bu kimə zərər verir
Sizə
Siz Android telefonunu almısınız, çünki Google onun açıq olduğunu demişdi. İstədiyinizi quraşdıra bilərdiniz və razılaşma belə idi.
Google indi bu razılaşmanı, onsuz da sizə məxsus olan avadanlıq üzərində geriyə dönük olaraq yenidən yazır. Yeniləmə gəldikdən sonra siz yalnız Google-un əvvəlcədən təsdiqlədiyi proqramları işlədə bilərsiniz. Öz telefonunuzda: pulunu sizin ödədiyiniz, sizə məxsus olan əmlakda.
Müstəqil tərtibatçılara
Bir yeniyetmənin ilk tətbiqi, bir könüllünün məxfilik aləti və ya bir şirkətin məxfi daxili beta versiyası. Fərqi yoxdur. 2027-ci ildə bunların heç biri Google-un xeyir-duası olmadan quraşdırıla bilməz.
Minlərlə pulsuz və açıq mənbəli Android tətbiqinin evi olan F-Droid, bunu "ekzistensial" təhlükə adlandırıb. Cory Doctorow bunu "Darth Android" adlandırır.
Hökumətlər və vətəndaş cəmiyyəti
Avtoritar rejimlər tətbiqlərin silinməsini tələb etdikdə, Google-un onlara tabe olma tarixçəsi sənədləşdirilib. Bu proqramla, ölkənizin təsisatlarını idarə edən proqram təminatı tək bir hesabat verməyən xarici korporasiyanın iradəsindən asılı olacaq.
EFF tətbiqlərə nəzarəti "internet senzurasına aparan və getdikcə genişlənən bir yol" adlandırır.
Google-un "xilas qapısı" əslində bir tələdir
Google deyir ki, "təcrübəli istifadəçilər" təsdiqlənməmiş tətbiqləri "hələ də quraşdıra" biləcəklər. Bəs bu əslində necə görünür:
- Sistem Ayarlarına daxil olun, Telefon Haqqında (About Phone) bölməsini tapın
- Tərtibatçı Rejimini aktivləşdirmək üçün qurulma nömrəsinə (build number) yeddi dəfə toxunun
- Məcburiyyət barədə qorxuducu ekranları rədd edin
- PİN kodunuzu daxil edin
- Cihazı yenidən başladın
- 24 saat gözləyin
- Geri qayıdın, daha çox qorxuducu ekranları rədd edin
- "Müvəqqəti icazə ver" (7 gün) və ya "müddətsiz icazə ver" seçin
- "Riskləri" başa düşdüyünüzü bir daha təsdiqləyin
Doqquz addım. Məcburi 24 saatlıq gözləmə müddəti. Özünüzə məxsus cihazda proqram quraşdırmaq üçün.
Daha pisi: bu proses Android ƏS-dən (OS) deyil, tamamilə Google Play Services vasitəsilə həyata keçirilir. Google heç bir ƏS yeniləməsi tələb olunmadan və heç bir razılıq almadan istənilən vaxt onu dəyişə, sərtləşdirə və ya ləğv edə bilər.
Bu, Android-dən daha böyük məsələdir
Əgər Google açıq platforma kimi satılan milyardlarla cihazı geriyə dönük olaraq kilidləyə bilirsə, planetdəki hər bir avadanlıq istehsalçısı bunu izləyir.
Qurulmaqda olan prinsip budur: cihazınızı istehsal edən şirkət, siz onu aldıqdan sonra, hansı proqramları işlədə biləcəyinizə qərar vermək hüququ əldə edir. Proqram təminatında bu, "ayaq altından xalçanı çəkmək" (rug pull) adlanır; lakin ən azından siz həmişə rəqib proqram təminatı quraşdıra bilərdiniz. Avadanlıqda isə bu, sizin iradənizi əlinizdən alan və sizi hesabat verməyən tək bir inhisarçının dutduğu yola qarşı gücsüz qoyan olub-bitmiş bir faktdır (fait accompli).
Android-in açıqlığı heç vaxt sadəcə bir xüsusiyyət olmayıb. O, onu iPhone-dan fərqləndirən bir vəd idi. Milyonlarla insan Android-i məhz bu səbəbə görə seçdi. Google indi bu vədi, artıq insanların ciblərində olan cihazlarda təktərəfli qaydada ləğv edir, çünki onlar kifayət qədər bazar hökmranlığına malik olduqlarına qərar veriblər.
Ars Technica: "Google-un Apple qısqanclığı Android-in açıq irsini məhv etməklə hədələyir."
Bir dəqiqə, məgər bu...
"...sadəcə təhlükəsizliklə bağlı deyilmi?"
Təhlükəsizlik əsaslandırması sadəcə gözdən pərdə asmaqdır. Google Play Protect artıq tərtibatçının kimliyindən asılı olmayaraq zərərli proqramları skan edir. Hökumət tərəfindən verilmiş şəxsiyyət vəsiqəsi tələb etmək kodu daha təhlükəsiz etmir. Bu, tərtibatçıları müəyyən edilə və idarə oluna bilən edir. Zərərli proqram müəllifləri qeydiyyatdan keçə bilərlər. Müstəqil tərtibatçılar və müxaliflər isə çox vaxt bunu edə bilmirlər. EFF çox açıq danışır: kimliyə əsaslanan nəzarət (gatekeeping) təhlükəsizlik vasitəsi deyil, senzura alətidir.
"...əgər inkişaf etmiş prosesdən istifadə etsəniz, hələ də kənardan quraşdırma (sideloading) sayıla bilməzmi?"
Doqquz addım, 24 saatlıq gözləmə, Tərtibatçı Ayarlarında gizlədilmiş və Google-un istədiyi vaxt ləğv edə biləcəyi xüsusi bir xidmət vasitəsilə çatdırılır. Bu, kənardan quraşdırma deyil. Bu, demək olar ki, heç kimin prosesi tamamlamamasını təmin etmək üçün qurulmuş bir çəkindirmə mexanizmidir. Və bu, ƏS əvəzinə Play Services vasitəsilə işlədiyinə görə, Google onu səssizcə sərtləşdirə və ya məhv edə bilər.
"...yalnız gizlətməyə nəsə bir şeyiniz varsa problemdir?"
İlk qurbanlar avtoritar hökumətlər altındakı məlumat uçuranlar (whistleblowers), jurnalistlər və fəallar olacaq. Növbəti sırada məişət zorakılığı vəziyyətində olan insanlardır. Bütün bu qrupların, hüquqi kimliklərini Google bazasına daxil etmədən proqram təminatından istifadə etmək və ya paylamaq üçün qanuni səbəbləri var. Anonim açıq mənbəli töhfələr Google-un özündən də qədim bir ənənədir. Bu siyasət Android-də buna son qoyur.
"...Apple-ın etdiyi eyni şey deyilmi?"
Apple ilk gündən qapalı bir bağ (walled garden) olub. İnsanlar Android-i fərqli olduğu üçün seçiblər. "Apple da bunu edir" demək ən dibə doğru bir yarış və zəif bir arqumentdir. Tənzimləyici təzyiq altında (AB-nin Rəqəmsal Bazarlar Aktı), hətta Apple belə açılmağa məcbur edilir. Google isə əks istiqamətdə hərəkət edir: öz nəzarətçi (gatekeeping) statusunu daha da möhkəmləndirməyə çalışır.
"...sadəcə 25 dollar və bəzi sənədləşmə işləri deyilmi?"
Ola bilsin, əgər siz ABŞ-da kredit kartı və sürücülük vəsiqəsi olan bir tərtibatçısınızsa. Böyük Səhradan cənubdakı Afrikada bir tələbə, Myanmada bir müxalif və ya icma sağlamlıq tətbiqini saxlayan bir könüllü olmağa çalışın. Xərc təkcə maliyyə ilə bağlı deyil: siz hökumət tərəfindən verilmiş şəxsiyyət vəsiqənizi və imza açarlarınızın sübutunu, tətbiqləri silmək və tərtibatçıları ifşa etmək barədə hökumət tələblərinə mütəmadi olaraq tabe olan bir şirkətə təhvil verirsiniz.
Mübarizə aparın
Hər kəs üçün
- Sahib olduğunuz hər bir Android cihazına F-Droid quraşdırın. Alternativ mağazalar yalnız insanlar onlardan həqiqətən istifadə etdikdə sağ qalır.
- Tənzimləyici qurumlarınızla əlaqə saxlayın. Bütün dünyada tənzimləyicilər texnologiya sektorunda inhisarlar və gücün mərkəzləşməsindən həqiqətən narahatdırlar və təsirlənən və narahat olan şəxslərin fikirlərini birbaşa eşitmək istəyirlər.
- Bu səhifəni paylaşın. Hər yerdə keepandroidopen.org saytına link verin.
- Astroturfer-lərə qarşı çıxın. "Əslində..." deyən kütlə tam gücü ilə iş başındadır. Onların narrativi (hekayəni) təyin etməsinə imkan verməyin.
- Change.org petisiyasını imzalayın və səslərini eşitdirən 100.000-dən çox imzalayan şəxsə qoşulun.
- Açıq məktubumuzu oxuyun və paylaşın
- Özlərinin tərtibatçıların yoxlanılması sorğusu vasitəsilə bu barədə nə düşündüyünüzü Google-a bildirin (bunun bir xeyri olacaqsa təbii ki).
Tərtibatçılar üçün
Qeydiyyatdan keçməyin. Android Tərtibatçı Konsolunda qeydiyyatdan keçərək və onların geri qaytarıla bilməyən Şərtləri və Qaydaları ilə razılaşaraq proqrama qoşulmayın. Kimliyinizi təsdiqləməyin. Onların oyununu oynamayın.
Google-un planı yalnız tərtibatçılar tabe olduqda işləyir. Tabe olmayın.
- Digər tərtibatçıları və təşkilatları qeydiyyatdan keçməməyə inandırın.
- İstifadəçiləri xəbərdar etmək üçün tətbiqlərinizə FreeDroidWarn kitabxanasını əlavə edin.
- Veb-sayt idarə edirsiniz? Geri sayım bannerini əlavə edin.
Google işçiləri üçün
Əgər proqramın texniki tətbiqi və ya daxili əsaslandırılması barədə nəsə bilirsinizsə, işdən kənar bir maşından və Gmail olmayan bir hesabdan tips@keepandroidopen.org ünvanı ilə əlaqə saxlayın. Tam məxfilik təmin edilir.
Bütün əleyhdarlar…
23 ölkədən 71 təşkilatlar imza atıb açıq məktubu
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
OpenMedia openmedia.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
Proton AG proton.me
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
Brave brave.com
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Techlore techlore.tech
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
April april.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
iodé iode.tech
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
FULU Foundation fulu.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
FUTO futo.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
F-Droid f-droid.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu Onlar nə deyirlər
Texnologiya mətbuatı
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"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 project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"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
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
Redaktor yazıları və analizlər
"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
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This 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
"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 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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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'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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google is turning sideloading from a right into a permission slip, and the open-source community has until September to convince it otherwise."
Reclaim The Net
"Google 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
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
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
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
Təşkilatlar və açıq məktublar
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."
Brave
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
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
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"When you set up a gate, you invite authorities to use it to block things they don't like. And when you build a database, you invite governments to try to get access."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"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
"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
YouTuber-lər və yaradıcılar
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"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
"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
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"The widely-circulated narrative that Google already backed down from this is false. They didn't, and that misunderstanding may be the most dangerous part of the story right now."
Techlore – YouTube
"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
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"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
"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
"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 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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"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
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
Tərtibatçılar və icma
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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 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
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, 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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, 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
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"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
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, 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
"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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, 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 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
"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
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"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
"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
Petisiyadan səslər
"I first switched over to a Samsung phone because of Android being a open OS. I love being able to make small apps for myself as a developer, and as a user I like that I can find small dev groups on places like GitHub making really cool and useful apps that you would never be able to find on the play store. "
Connor, change.org
"The openness of Android is perhaps one of the greatest features of Android. While many people do not sideload apps, many others do for a variety of reasons. Having the ability to use your own devices as you want want to, is crucial for many people around the world. We have seen many times in the past, that "security" measures like this one do very little to increase security, but restrict users heavily. "
Eric, change.org
"It isn't safe to bottleneck every human user to obey a s>ngle companies whims. This will be fought in court, I'm sure. But in the meantime I will fight this disagreeable motion. This is a freedom of privacy and speech, in the enar future if you have an unsavory opinion, towards Google or other, you will be targeted. "
Kosta, change.org
"The openness of Android is the *only* reason many of us care. We understand Google is trying desperately to make as much money as possible, but locking down the developer ecosystem will result in the exact opposite effect. Short term thinking for short term gain. "
Avery, change.org
"Stop this bullshit of trying to control our lives, deciding what I can and can't do. Enough with planned obsolescence, enough with authoritarianism. I, and only I, decide what's best for me, what I can and can't download on MY PHONE. "
Leonardo, change.org
"Its is unfair and against the law of freedom and privacy. "
Muhammad Asif, change.org
"If Android becomes closed like iOS there's no reason to keep using it. "
Emanuel Victor, change.org
"Drastically changing what I can do with MY devices years after the original purchase is peak anti-consumer behavior. This action should be illegal. Can you imagine if your car manufacturer said you can only use Shell gas to fill up years after you purchased it. Same energy here. Let's STOP THE GOOGLEOPOLY. "
Ayiana, change.org
"Google and Android have built their empire on the promise of letting users modify, adapt or change what they wish on their phone. Taking this incredibly backwards step from what defined their values for so many years is nothing but a slap in the face to all who have supported these companies over all these years. Changing the base use of devices for so many will have knock on effects for security, in disability or aged access and of course a complete abandonment of privacy in all users. Please share this far and wide as this is the opening act to the symphony of absolute control and forced compliance to a handful of Tech companies. "
Robert, change.org
"Android has long been the operating system that has allowed customization and freedom. It's the bedrock on why I use the platform. Taking away the ability to use FOSS and alternative sources just kills what makes Android Android for me. At that stage I might as well give in and get a blue bubble and better base privacy. Super disappointed in this direction. "
Jacob, change.org
"Make the open source free for a sideloading app for downloading APKs. I need to download the APK for ReVanced patches and F-Droid. "
David, change.org
"Control. That is all this is. Protection is a word you use to hide your true intentions, google. Google promised a platform where everybody can choose what they want; Linux does this, Windows does this. But google chose to threaten the very way of technology. We as consumers want freedom over the products we purchase, not "protection" from things "outside" of our control or knowledge. "
Trevor, change.org
"This solution simply doesn't make sense. It's not our fault, or the fault of all developers, that people don't know what to do to verify or install an application that isn't malicious. In my opinion, this should come enabled normally on new smartphones, but with a developer option to disable it. You don't have to complicate everything and force us to use an adb command just to install an unverified application. That simply doesn't exist. I provided the solution. "
Saulo, change.org
"I don't think that we should be filtered into buying something we do not want. Something as simply as a weather app should be free, news should be free, but the services that's being offered in app stores as free is usually filled with ads that leak personal information. "
Andre, change.org
"What sets Android apart from other OS' is its open source. This move will make Android just like every other OS. There will be no point in using Android. We'll all take out business to some other OS. "
Evo, change.org
"The change to requiring app verification through a wireless, centralized service, instead of a feature of the OS, is a change that is inconvenient at best, and threatens the portable device market as it currently stands at worst. By making this change, Google is further revoking the customization and autonomy (or what is left of it on most carrier phones) that not only drives many users to get Android in the first place, but is a reminder of what makes computers so wonderful, in my opinion; the ability for every one to customize, and hack their own device to be perfectly their own. This wonderful thing is a basic function of any "free" computing platform that should not be revoked, but increasingly, it has. Please, Google, do not take this direction, and shut off the venue of customization that allows people to use their devices the way they want to, and has lit the torch for many future software developers and computer scientists. "
Zacario, 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
"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
"Android, since it's existence, has always been about the user. Removing access to apps that millions of people use every day will shatter that foundation and make android indifferent to its competitors. "
Jack, change.org
"Because Google shouldn't force control on its users "
Jaden, change.org
"Take away the freedom of Android, and you'll lose the majority of your userbase. Seems like a smart move! "
Evan, 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 transformation of Android into a closed platform would likely erode its competitive advantage over Apple, potentially positioning Apple as the superior option. As an open-source project, Android should ideally operate without the necessity of governmental or private authorizations. Should Google proceed with such a change, it is highly probable that new operating systems will emerge. These decisions by Google could result in significant detriments to the company without yielding any discernible benefits. As a shareholder, I strongly recommend that Google refrain from pursuing this course of action. I oppose any initiative that would necessitate third-party authorization upon installing and operating applications for the Android platform, as this represents a threat to consumers and creators alike, and moves us closer to a monopolistic market. "
Pedro, change.org
"Google,please don't do that. Because if you do that, millions and millions of Android users will switch to iOS, because that's the point of Android even exists! *I* switched to Android because I did not like iOS So please... Give us the freedom we want! "
Eduardo, change.org
"As someone who has recenlty been looking into privacy. I hope we can limit big corporations hold on our personal lives. "
Ronald, change.org
"1 federal lawsuit wasn't enough? This only scratches the surface of the game they keep playing. Why after all that's happened, being convicted of monopoly must Google feel the need to lockdown the one shot we have at staying private on mobile? Even if they do want to collect more data it will cost them some of their userbase. The terms of the update alone are outrageous. Fees & gov't ID? Let's sue 'em again! 😂 "
Zach, change.org
"This is a horrendous plan. The Android Open Source Project is supposed to be just that... Open source. Requiring developers to provide Id, pay a fee, and register to release software for phones that people own is untenable. This is effectively making Android as much of a walled garden as Apple. Except Apple does it better. The whole draw of Android was the openness of the platform. If you remove that, we would be better off with Apple. PLEASE do not ruin Android by going ahead with this misguided plan. "
Alan, 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
"Android has always been the superior product because it has allowed it's users the ability to customize their phones and download what they want. To take that away would make you no better than Apple "
Mike, change.org
"What guarantee is there that Google will use this data to make money? If only it were used for apk content bar betting houses and violent challenge. "
Waldomiro, change.org
"There is absolutely no reason for this. Google is once again using its money and influence to bully and suppress independent developers and choke out options for user, all while further its goal to insert itself in every aspect of the digital life. I enjoy having choice. I do not require every aspect of my life to be "verified". And the endless fees heaped on every small independent, be they developer or user, need to stop. "
Cat, change.org
"It's just because I like piracy and I was born into piracy. "
Simp, 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
"What Google is doing seems awful to me; taking away the user's freedom to install any APK app they want is like forcing users to install whatever Google wants. It's deplorable. "
Pedro, change.org
"Removing Android's freedom of sideloading is bad. People use Android because they have freedom, no matter the brand—Samsung, Google, etc. But now they want to get rid of our freedom; that is horrible. People who are developers who don't want to pay to publish their app on the store could, but with this going through, changes EVERYTHING. Sign this petition, Android can't go down like this. "
Elias, change.org
"The fact is that Google does not have a valid cause to further restrict Androids app open sources due to “alleged need to protect Android users safety “ by only allowing apps to be installed through their paywall, I mean service, google play store. This personally affects me, as I have been using Android for years, and prefer to switch devices when it is best for me, I have a difficult time learning about tech as it is and with the massive amount of wrongs that company has done, it is only growing greedier while treating the users, as captives, not even providing sufficient opt ins, opt outs, and giving the choice to not have any private identifying datas sold out to any unsafe nefarious entity willing to pay. That data would not exist were it not for us individuals it is inextricably tied to, and if anyone has the authority to opt in or out to whats done, especially the selling of my private datas, that would exclusively be Me,Myself, and I. Google is neither fair nor honest, they sneak about doing unethical things until being discovered, and this is just Un American, and totally Anti Capitalism. They wish to eradicate possiblities of choice, wherever possible. They want a monopoly, not a fair market and I will be forced to ditch my Android , if I cannot use open source apps on it, the open source apps have much less problems from my experience, I dont end up with fake apps that mess up my phone, and or cannot be deleted. Once i know a device fairly well it really does not serve me well just to have to find something else, which likey i should do because it was built already infected with google, I trusted that company to be better,gave it a chance, but it is no ones friend. Im not even requesting anyone to stop the google nonsense, just dont let it stop use of upen source on Android, please. Thank you for taking time to read my message. "
Sara, change.org
"Android, if you are going to be just like Apple, I think many might as well just switch to Apple devices..... Please reconsider "
Kaleonahe, change.org
"This is very anti trust and google is doubling down in the form of 'safety and security'. Do not let this happen! "
JASON, 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
"I have always used android because of the control I have over MY phone. Installing whatever apps I want from WHEREVER I want is one if the main reasons I prefer android! I will do everything I can to keep this from happening! "
Britanie, change.org
"We should be allowed to do what we want with the tools that we buy. "
kevin, change.org
"Google, as a US based company, is trying to seize control over who can and who cannot create applications for Android. If you purchase a phone, you should be able to use it however you see fit. But now, if you want to develop a simple app for your daily use or for a small project that doesn't strictly align with Google or the US government's agenda, you could be denied the right to install it and even persecuted or doxxed. "
Ivan, change.org
"Wasn't the whole point of android the freedom to do anything you wanted because it wasn't a locked down system? "
snot, change.org
"We should be able to do what we want with the devices we own. Locking everyone into only downloading from the google playstore will just create the walled garden that iPhone has already. "Sideloading" shouldn't be viewed as a bad thing, or something you shouldnt do. Its the same as downloading something on a computer. Im just downloading software on my phone. Imagine if they blocked you being able to downloading anything outside of the Microsoft Store on Windows. This needs to be stopped. The main (and basically only reason) I get an android phone is to have control over it. If this is removed from hs I will have no reason not to use an iPhone instead. "
Steven, change.org
"The end for digital freedom is already nearing, with all the new social media and age verification laws. The whole point of a computer is to store and process data, allowing you to do various tasks. You should be able to use a device without having to verify 50 million things and give up your identity, it's all just an excuse for the government to track you, create more censorship, and for the companies to sell more of your data. Android is an open mobile operating system, and it should stay that way. One of the main reasons I strongly prefer Android over iOS is how open Android is. This action Google is doing will not protect anything or anyone, it will just cause more drama. "
Angus, change.org
"if this goes ahead I will simply refuse to use Android and move to a linux 'phone. "
Graham, change.org
"It is very important that Android remain an open platform. I bought into Android for customization, freedom to mess with things about the operating system, and generally to not have an iPhone. Instead, this lock-down is threatening all of that. Do not proceed with the lock-down, Google. "
Ezra, change.org
"APK being open is the soul reason the market stayed successful. It is a staple of our freedoms, fun, and expression. This is a Trojan Horse that infringes on our right to privacy and freedom of speech. Anyone can access our private information. The time to act is now. "
Ciara, change.org
"Way to get people Ungoogling "
Martin Moe, change.org
"From a U.S. point of view it leaves us with only 2 wall gardens (Apple iOS and Google Android) as choices for smartphone operating systems with no other serious competition. I do not think this is a good thing for consumers. "
Mark, change.org
"the whole point of android is that it is open. i want to OWN and have actual control over my device. google's decision takes that out. It's cruel and straightup dystopian how it is forcing users to just comply; thus having you not actually "own" the device. we want to freely choose what we have on our own devices, and it's quite blatant the "protection from risks" is only a smokescreen to censor and ... ruin android's biggest redeeming quality. this is a horrible choice "
r.w., change.org
"Google is wrong to limit people installing whatever they want on what's supposed to be their phone. "
Spark, change.org
"I use apk's for work don't ban apk "
Binyomin, 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
"Why would anyone use an Android period outside of being able to install applications not “approved” by some walled-garden. Side loading is a dumb term "
Stephen, change.org
"Let me sideload my Android apps. "
Stephan, change.org
"I'll repeat what I have seen many other say. It's not "sideloading", it's installing. It's not "making sure you only get what we know is good", it's a digital company town. We already pay for every aspect of our time on this earth. The fact that they want to make it so you can't go anywhere but them? It's a giant flashing LED sign that says monopoly. And I say to not let it happen, for privacy, for ownership, for the right to do what we want with the stuff we buy. "
Benjamin, change.org
"I've been an Android user since 2.1 on my LG Ally in 2010. In all that time I've used a single iOS device and ran straight back to Android for one major reason: Control. Android offered a level of control over my own device that Apple simply did not. Unfortunately, over the last several years Google has decided it prudent to strip away the "privelage" of using my device how I see fit. With each new update, Android becomes more similar to the locked-down iOS platform that I shied away from. With this detestable update, why would I stick with Android? If Android becomes a less privacy-focused iOS, why would I not simply migrate back to Apple's platform? "
Nathaniel, change.org
"The best part of android is the freedom to do what we want, downloading fan made apps and such is the freedom we like its kinda only reason people buy androids "
Andrew, change.org
"APKs are extremely useful for downloading as a learning app developer in highschool. If you ban this, I will not have phone to use as a sandbox and resort to virtual systems to do my development on as a unverified user You are SIGNIFICANTLY reducing the amount of people who will buy your products, and I guarantee, I, as well as many other android users will be switching to Apple as a result. This is on of the ONLY reasons for us to purchase your devices and use your OS. Do not kill your golden goose "
Logan, change.org
"Really hurting developers with this move. I implore those that are have good conscience left at google to re-evaluate. "
Calvin, change.org
"Android does not need to be the same as iphones are: locked and proprietary. "
Dustin, change.org
"Independent application distribution and creation is incredibly important and is one of the core reasons that I use Android over Apple devices. It's fine to prefer users access apps from a controlled "safe" store, but eliminating the possibility of installing outside applications is definitely not okay. There's no reason for this other than greed both monetary and data Creed. This is not okay for Google to do. "
Brandon, change.org
"If wee do not stop this then our computers are next. We will end up the same as other countries who put out the same message to their people to condition them. Our freedom of speech and the right to privacy under the privacy act will be taken away. You do not want this!!! "
Keith, change.org
"I didn't even know they were trying to pull this until today! This is scary and concerning as a consumer, stop limiting my freedom on my device! "
Chloe, change.org
"What a spit in the face from Google. I switched from iOS to Android for the freedom, and this is what they do to me? Google gave me yet another reason to migrate away from their technocratic oligarchy & seek independence from profit-seeking corporations. Frankly, I don't expect Google to care about its customers anymore. But I'm still going to raise my voice. "
Samuel, change.org
"FOSS shall not die and we the users shall be free to install what ever software we want "
Erik, change.org
"i have apple, but it'll be so desperate if the people who use android to have to hand android your private and personal id, and even if i have android i am NOT handing android my private and personal id. over my dead body. "
Navell, change.org
"Android needs to remain about choice not a locked down OS like Apple, that's the reason I and so many others choose android "
Sean, change.org
"#NoMoreCensorship "
Russell, change.org
"Android shines in giving the user freedom to use their devices however they choose to. If Google closes down on this freedom, in my use case as a power user I will be unable to install apps any except from the play store which is a platform that is littered with bad app that are useless and sometimes they cost money making it unnecessarily difficult for Indy devs working on apps whether it for job or weekend project. However if Google clean up the play store they could implement a feature to ask the user at device setup and changeable in settings to manage how strict or lax they what the security to be, or just help support the graphene os project to have a secure android operating system and fix play integrity for Google pay, tap to pay to work. "
Cristian, change.org
"As someone who believes in freedom and not being controlled by the big tech companies, we need Google to reverse this decision, otherwise, I'll just switch to a Linux phone. "
Carter, change.org
"Google needs to stop monopolizing Android access "
Allen, change.org
"Monopole kosten,vdas tragen dann wir alle. "
Richard, change.org
"Don't take away my ability to do what I want with my stuff. I payed for my device and it's mine to do what I want with. It's my responsibility to not damage my property. "
Peter, change.org
"If the current plan moves forward, the few advantages of freedom on Android will be lost, because inhibiting the use of APKs reduces the user's freedom more than its risks, especially because the lack of security on Android is not limited to using APKs from external sources, but using websites or any file from malicious sources, which are not necessarily an APK. If you really want security, should you also disable Android's access to the internet to avoid downloading malicious files, or are you only interested in APKs? Finally, Google Play is not necessarily better than an external store, because it does not expose the source code of Apps to be investigated and verified, unlike F-Droid, for example, which has numerous criteria for uploading apps and prioritizes verifiable FOSS apps. In my opinion, this change is not aimed at the user... "
Gabriel, change.org
"Save APK files!! We need emulators to test it out. And I’ve never use android before, I feel like using it for the future. Please save them!! "
Deryl, change.org
"I purchased an Android device just recently and had to send it back because I disliked how central to the user experience Google made itself on the new device. I could never see myself buying another Android if it gets worse than this, and Googles limits on APK file usage is definitely worse. "
Donna Grace, 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
"Android will no longer be what it was initially pitched to be, a phone OS with the freedom to do virtually anything you wanted. After many years of owning android phones I have had to move to iPhone as I can no longer stand how google operates and what they are doing to restrict the android OS. "
Aiden, change.org
"This is a de facto monopolization strategy and must not be allowed. Censorship and data harvesting are already proliferating, this will make those issues worse. "
Michel, change.org
"Not only are open platforms important in general, but this effort specifically is an anticompetitive and a fraudulent attempt by Google to begin walling the garden after profiting off of the work of devs in the community and the consumers who bought their products FOR the open nature of the software and devices. The goal here is not to secure the platform, its to kill open source and privacy conscious competition to Google's corporate surveillance complex. "
Shelden, change.org
"I don't have much to say other than that this is immensely foolish of Google to do. "
Jaden, 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
"Open Android was a promise to devs and users. Now Google tries to turn Android into a closed shop. That is disapointing. "
Marc, change.org
"Stop trying to censor & limit everyone! You can't just monoplize everything! "
Caulen, 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
"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
"We will seek another way. Having only google apps would be like an iphone and why then would i keep android? will be jumping on the iphone train!! and using other phones and resources that get around the ban. privacy and diversity are important and there will always be some of us who pursue it. Apps like F-droid have been very cool and usefull. being told you can't use other non-google place store apps will cause the loss of many android phone users. "
sasha, change.org
"I love Android for its freedom. Freedom to choose where software/apps are obtained and downloaded from. Its why i switch from apples locked down model to Android. This measure only hurts consumers and the Android community. This will limit the us to 2 locked down eco systems. The douopoly worked because Android was open and we had freedom! "
Salvatore, 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 have been an android user ever since I got my first smartphone over a decade ago. The only reason I still rock an android phone is the ability to customize my phone to my liking and being able to install whatever I want on the machine that I purchased with my money. Taking away the only feature that separates android from iOS is a terrible decision. This will definitely make a good chunk of your fanbase move over to iOS, including myself. "
Luis, change.org
"we pay for these devices and maintain them. we should be able to do anything we want with them. Locking us out is just greed. Like buying a car. then having to pay ever month to use the heated seats that are already in the car. if anything, let us put a different system on the phone. "
David, change.org
"Liberdade ao Android! "
Guilherme, change.org
"Google wants to become IOS but with this petition we can have a chance for Google not to block apks and it has to work so we all have to vote "
Super, change.org
"One of the reasons I use android is so I can do what I want unlike an iPhone. Locking it down will make it no different from the competition "
Jonathan, change.org
"Android used to be all about giving its users freedom over the walled garden approach of iOS. If Google will be following the same path of Apple, they will be losing a major competitive advantage among pro users. "
Freddy, change.org
"Google is communism, non-google app markets are liberty and freedom. Are you rooting for "One Nation Under God" or "One Store Under Google" "
Jamie, change.org
"Ceasing to monopolize everything under the guise of "user security" only harms millions of independent developers and the users who consume their apps "
Angeles, change.org
"I've always appreciated Google for it's support of open source projects. This is why the recent trend to lock-in this user's is worrying. I believe Google doesn't need to resort to such draconian measures to grow. It's part growth is proof of this fact "
Kanwar, change.org
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