আপনার ফোন আর আপনার থাকছে না।
২০২৬ সালের সেপ্টেম্বর থেকে গুগল আপনার অনুমতি ছাড়াই একটি সাইলেন্ট আপডেট পুশ করবে, যা সেই সব অ্যান্ড্রয়েড অ্যাপকে ব্লক করে দেবে যাদের ডেভেলপার গুগলের কাছে রেজিস্টার করেনি, তাদের কন্ট্রাক্টে সাইন করেনি, টাকা দেয়নি এবং নিজের সরকারি আইডি জমা দেয়নি।
বিশ্বের প্রতিটি অ্যাপ এবং ডিভাইসে এটি কার্যকর হবে, আর এর থেকে বের হওয়ার কোনো উপায় রাখা হয়নি।
↓গুগল কী করছে?
২০২৫ সালের আগস্টে গুগল একটি নতুন নিয়ম ঘোষণা করেছে ↗: ২০২৬ সালের সেপ্টেম্বর থেকে, যেকোনো ডিভাইসে সফটওয়্যার ইন্সটল করার আগে প্রতিটি অ্যান্ড্রয়েড অ্যাপ ডেভেলপারকে গুগলের কাছে কেন্দ্রীয়ভাবে রেজিস্টার করতে হবে। শুধু প্লে-স্টোরের অ্যাপ নয়, সব অ্যাপের জন্য এটি প্রযোজ্য। এমনকি বন্ধুদের মধ্যে শেয়ার করা অ্যাপ, F-Droid ↗ এর মাধ্যমে ডিস্ট্রিবিউট করা অ্যাপ, বা শখের বসে নিজের ব্যবহারের জন্য বানানো অ্যাপও এর আওতাভুক্ত। ফলে শৌখিন ডেভেলপার, চার্চ বা কমিউনিটি গ্রুপ—সবাই তাদের সফটওয়্যার তৈরি ও ডিস্ট্রিবিউশন করার ক্ষমতা হারিয়ে ফেলবে।
রেজিস্ট্রেশনের জন্য যা যা লাগবে:
- গুগলকে ফি প্রদান করা
- গুগলের শর্তাবলীতে (Terms and Conditions) রাজি হওয়া
- আপনার সরকারি পরিচয়পত্র (ID) জমা দেওয়া
- আপনার ব্যক্তিগত সাইনিং কী (Private Signing Key)-এর প্রমাণ দেওয়া
- বর্তমান এবং ভবিষ্যতের সব অ্যাপ আইডেন্টিফায়ারের তালিকা দেওয়া
যদি কোনো ডেভেলপার এই নিয়ম না মানে, তবে তাদের অ্যাপগুলো সারা বিশ্বের প্রতিটি অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ডিভাইসে সাইলেন্টলি ব্লক করে দেওয়া হবে।
ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হবে কারা?
আপনি নিজে
আপনি অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ফোন কিনেছিলেন কারণ গুগল বলেছিল এটি একটি 'ওপেন' প্ল্যাটফর্ম। আপনি যা খুশি ইন্সটল করতে পারতেন, এটাই ছিল শর্ত।
গুগল এখন সেই শর্ত পাল্টে দিচ্ছে আপনার কেনা হার্ডওয়্যারের ওপর। আপডেটটি আসার পর, আপনি কেবল গুগলের অনুমোদিত সফটওয়্যারই চালাতে পারবেন। আপনার ফোন: যেটা আপনার সম্পত্তি, যার জন্য টাকা আপনি দিয়েছেন।
স্বতন্ত্র ডেভেলপাররা
একজন কিশোরের বানানো প্রথম অ্যাপ হোক, কোনো ভলান্টিয়ারের বানানো প্রাইভেসী টুল হোক, কিংবা কোনো কোম্পানির গোপন ইন্টারনাল বেটা অ্যাপ—গুগলের অনুমতি ছাড়া ২০২৬ সালের সেপ্টেম্বরের পর এর কোনোটিই ইন্সটল করা যাবে না।
হাজার হাজার ফ্রি এবং ওপেন-সোর্স অ্যাপের ভাণ্ডার F-Droid ↗ একে একটি "অস্তিত্বের হুমকি" ↗ হিসেবে বর্ণনা করেছে। কোরি ডক্টরো একে বলছেন "ডার্থ অ্যান্ড্রয়েড" ↗।
সরকার এবং সুশীল সমাজ
স্বৈরাচারী শাসকরা অ্যাপ সরিয়ে ফেলার দাবি জানালে গুগলের তা মেনে নেওয়ার প্রমাণিত রেকর্ড ↗ আছে। এই প্রোগ্রামের ফলে একটি দেশের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলোর সফটওয়্যার চলবে কি না, তা নির্ভর করবে একটি জবাবদিহিহীন বিদেশি কর্পোরেশনের মর্জির ওপর।
EFF-এর মতে ↗ অ্যাপ গেটকিপিং হলো "ইন্টারনেট সেন্সরশিপের একটি ক্রমবর্ধমান পথ।"
গুগলের তথাকথিত 'এস্কেপ হ্যাচ' আসলে একটি ফাঁদ
গুগল বলছে যে "পাওয়ার ইউজাররা" চাইলে এখনো আনভেরিফাইড অ্যাপ "ইন্সটল করতে পারবে"। কিন্তু কাজটা আসলে কতটা কঠিন, দেখুন:
- সিস্টেম সেটিংসের গভীরে গিয়ে ডেভেলপার অপশন খুঁজুন
- ডেভেলপার মোড চালু করতে বিল্ড নাম্বারে সাতবার ট্যাপ করুন
- ভয় দেখানো সব ওয়ার্নিং স্ক্রিন এড়িয়ে যান
- আপনার পিন (PIN) দিন
- ডিভাইস রিস্টার্ট দিন
- ২৪ ঘণ্টা অপেক্ষা করুন
- আবার ফিরে এসে আরও ভয়ংকর সব স্ক্রিন বাতিল করুন
- অস্থায়ীভাবে অনুমতি দিন" (৭ দিন) অথবা "স্থায়ীভাবে অনুমতি দিন" অপশনটি বেছে নিন
- আপনি যে "ঝুঁকি" বুঝতে পারছেন তা আবারও নিশ্চিত করুন
নয়টি ধাপ। বাধ্যতামূলক ২৪ ঘণ্টার ওয়েটিং পিরিয়ড। শুধুমাত্র আপনার নিজের ডিভাইসে সফটওয়্যার ইন্সটল করার জন্য।
আরও খারাপ বিষয় হলো: এই পুরো প্রক্রিয়াটি চলে গুগল প্লে সার্ভিস (Google Play Services)-এর মাধ্যমে, অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ওএস (Android OS)-এর মাধ্যমে নয়। গুগল যেকোনো সময় ওএস (OS) আপডেট ছাড়াই আপনার অনুমতি ছাড়াই এটি পরিবর্তন করতে বা বন্ধ করে দিতে পারে। আজ পর্যন্ত এটি কোনো বেটা বা প্রিভিউ ভার্সনেও আসেনি; এটি কেবল একটি ব্লগ পোস্ট এবং কিছু নকশা হিসেবে টিকে আছে।
এটি কেবল অ্যান্ড্রয়েডের বিষয় নয়
গুগল যদি বিলিয়ন বিলিয়ন ডিভাইসকে এভাবে লকডাউন করে দিতে পারে যা আগে ওপেন হিসেবে বিক্রি হয়েছিল, তবে বিশ্বের প্রতিটি হার্ডওয়্যার নির্মাতা কোম্পানি সেদিকেই নজর দেবে।
এখানে যে মূলনীতিটি তৈরি হচ্ছে তা হলো: ডিভাইস নির্মাতা কোম্পানি আপনার কেনা জিনিসের ওপর সিদ্ধান্ত নেবে যে আপনি কোন সফটওয়্যার চালাতে পারবেন। সফটওয়্যারের ভাষায় একে বলা হয় "রাগ পুল" (Rug pull); কিন্তু আগে অন্তত আপনি বিকল্প সফটওয়্যার ইন্সটল করতে পারতেন। হার্ডওয়্যারের ক্ষেত্রে এটি আপনাকে ক্ষমতাহীন করে তুলবে এবং আপনাকে একজন জবাবদিহিহীন গেটকিপার ও দণ্ডিত একচেটিয়া ব্যবসায়ীর মর্জির ওপর ছেড়ে দেবে।
অ্যান্ড্রয়েডের উন্মুক্ততা কেবল একটি ফিচার ছিল না; এটি ছিল সেই প্রতিশ্রুতি যা একে আইফোন থেকে আলাদা করেছিল। লাখ লাখ মানুষ ঠিক এই কারণেই অ্যান্ড্রয়েড বেছে নিয়েছিলেন। গুগল এখন একতরফাভাবে সেই প্রতিশ্রুতি কেড়ে নিচ্ছে, কারণ তারা মনে করছে বাজারে তাদের একচেটিয়া আধিপত্য আছে এবং কেউ তাদের আটকাতে পারবে না।
Ars Technica-এর মতে ↗: "গুগলের অ্যাপল হওয়ার আকাঙ্ক্ষা অ্যান্ড্রয়েডের উন্মুক্ত ঐতিহ্যকে ধ্বংস করার হুমকি দিচ্ছে।"
কিন্তু দাঁড়ান, এটি কি...
"...নিরাপত্তার জন্য নয়?"
নিরাপত্তার দোহাই আসলে একটি ধোঁকাবাজি। গুগল প্লে প্রোটেক্ট (Google Play Protect) অলরেডি ম্যালওয়্যার স্ক্যান করতে পারে, তার জন্য ডেভেলপার রেজিস্ট্রেশনের প্রয়োজন নেই। সরকারি আইডি নিলেই কোড নিরাপদ হয় না; বরং এতে ডেভেলপারদের নিয়ন্ত্রণ করা সহজ হয়। ম্যালওয়্যার নির্মাতারাও রেজিস্টার করতে পারে, কিন্তু ছোট ডেভেলপার বা ভিন্নমতাবলম্বীরা প্রায়ই তা পারে না। EFF ↗ পরিষ্কারভাবে বলেছে: আইডেন্টিটি-ভিত্তিক গেটকিপিং হলো সেন্সরশিপের হাতিয়ার, নিরাপত্তার নয়।
"...অ্যাডভান্সড ফ্লো ব্যবহার করলে কি সাইডলোডিং করা যাবে না?"
নয়টি ধাপ, ২৪ ঘণ্টার অপেক্ষা, ডেভেলপার অপশনে লুকিয়ে রাখা এবং গুগলের ইচ্ছামতো বাতিলযোগ্য একটি সার্ভিস—একে সাইডলোডিং বলা যায় না। এটি একটি প্রতিরোধমূলক ব্যবস্থা যা তৈরি করা হয়েছে যাতে কেউ এই প্রক্রিয়া শেষ করতে না পারে। আর যেহেতু এটি প্লে সার্ভিসের মাধ্যমে চলে, গুগল যেকোনো সময় এটি আরও কঠিন বা বন্ধ করে দিতে পারে।
"...লুকানোর কিছু না থাকলে কি সমস্যা আছে?"
স্বৈরাচারী সরকারের অধীনে থাকা হুইসেলব্লোয়ার, সাংবাদিক এবং অ্যাক্টিভিস্টরাই হবেন এর প্রথম শিকার। এরপর ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হবেন পারিবারিক সহিংসতার শিকার মানুষগুলো। এই সব গ্রুপের মানুষের গুগলের ডেটাবেজে নিজেদের আইনি পরিচয় না দিয়ে সফটওয়্যার ব্যবহার করার বৈধ কারণ আছে। বেনামে ওপেন-সোর্স অবদান রাখা গুগলের চেয়েও পুরনো একটি ঐতিহ্য। গুগলের এই নীতি অ্যান্ড্রয়েডে সেই ঐতিহ্যের ইতি টানবে।
"...অ্যাপল যা করে গুগলও কি তাই করছে না?"
অ্যাপল শুরু থেকেই একটি ক্লোজড সিস্টেম বা 'ওয়াল্ড গার্ডেন' ছিল। মানুষ অ্যান্ড্রয়েড বেছে নিয়েছিল কারণ এটি আলাদা ছিল। "অ্যাপলও এটা করে"—এই যুক্তি দিয়ে নিজেদের ভুল ঢাকতে চাওয়াটা একটা রেস টু দ্য বটম। তাছাড়া রেগুলেটরি চাপের কারণে (ইইউ-এর ডিজিটাল মার্কেটস অ্যাক্ট) এখন অ্যাপলও সিস্টেম ওপেন করতে বাধ্য হচ্ছে। অথচ গুগল ঠিক উল্টো পথে হাঁটছে।
"...মাত্র ২৫ ডলার আর কিছু কাগজপত্রই তো?"
হয়তো আপনার জন্য সহজ, যদি আপনি আমেরিকার ডেভেলপার হন যার ক্রেডিট কার্ড আর ড্রাইভিং লাইসেন্স আছে। কিন্তু সাব-সাহারান আফ্রিকার একজন ছাত্র, বা মিয়ানমারের একজন ভিন্নমতাবলম্বী, অথবা কমিউনিটি হেলথ অ্যাপ চালানো কোনো ভলান্টিয়ারের কথা ভাবুন। এর খরচ শুধু আর্থিক নয়: আপনি আপনার সরকারি আইডি এবং সাইনিং কী এমন একটি কোম্পানির হাতে তুলে দিচ্ছেন যারা অহরহ ↗ সরকারের কথা শুনে অ্যাপ সরিয়ে ফেলে এবং ডেভেলপারদের তথ্য ফাঁস করে দেয়।
প্রতিরোধ গড়ে তুলুন
সবার জন্য
- আপনার প্রতিটি অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ডিভাইসে F-Droid ইন্সটল করুন ↗। বিকল্প অ্যাপ স্টোরগুলো কেবল তখনই টিকে থাকবে যখন মানুষ সেগুলো ব্যবহার করবে।
- আপনার রেগুলেটরদের সাথে যোগাযোগ করুন। বিশ্বের সব দেশের রেগুলেটররাই টেক সেক্টরে একচেটিয়া আধিপত্য নিয়ে চিন্তিত এবং তারা সরাসরি ভুক্তভোগীদের কথা শুনতে চান।
- এই পেজটি শেয়ার করুন। সব জায়গায় keepandroidopen.org লিংকটি ছড়িয়ে দিন।
- ভুয়া প্রচারণার বিরুদ্ধে দাঁড়ান। অনেকে গুগলের হয়ে সাফাই গাইতে পারে, তাদের বিভ্রান্তিকর যুক্তিতে কান দেবেন না।
- change.org পিটিশনে সই করুন ↗ এবং ১ লাখের বেশি মানুষের সাথে যোগ দিন যারা ইতোমধ্যে প্রতিবাদ জানিয়েছেন।
- আমাদের খোলা চিঠিটি পড়ুন এবং শেয়ার করুন
- গুগলের নিজস্ব ডেভেলপার ভেরিফিকেশন সার্ভেতে ↗ আপনার মতামত জানান (যদিও জানি না এতে কতটা কাজ হবে)।
ডেভেলপারদের জন্য
রেজিস্ট্রেশন করবেন না। অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ডেভেলপার কনসোলে সাইন-আপ করে গুগলের এই অন্যায় শর্তাবলীতে রাজি হবেন না। আপনার পরিচয় ভেরিফাই করবেন না। তাদের এই খেলায় পা দেবেন না।
গুগলের পরিকল্পনা কেবল তখনই সফল হবে যদি ডেভেলপাররা তা মেনে নেয়। তাই মানবেন না।
- অন্যান্য ডেভেলপার ও সংস্থাগুলোকে সাইন-আপ না করতে উদ্বুদ্ধ করুন।
- ব্যবহারকারীদের সতর্ক করতে আপনার অ্যাপে FreeDroidWarn লাইব্রেরি ↗ যুক্ত করুন।
- আপনার কি ওয়েবসাইট আছে? আমাদের কাউন্টডাউন ব্যানারটি যুক্ত করুন।
গুগল কর্মীদের জন্য
আপনি যদি এই প্রোগ্রামের কারিগরি বাস্তবায়ন বা অভ্যন্তরীণ উদ্দেশ্য সম্পর্কে কিছু জানেন, তবে একটি অফিসিয়াল নয় এমন কম্পিউটার এবং নন-জিমেইল অ্যাকাউন্ট থেকে tips@keepandroidopen.org-এ যোগাযোগ করুন। আপনার গোপনীয়তা রক্ষা করা হবে।
যারা বিপক্ষে দাঁড়িয়েছেন…
23টি দেশের 71টি সংস্থা সই করেছে এই খোলা চিঠিতে
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
Techlore techlore.tech
April april.org
Proton AG proton.me
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Unified Push unifiedpush.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
F-Droid f-droid.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Brave brave.com
GitHub Store github-store.org
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Cryptee crypt.ee
FUTO futo.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
iodé iode.tech
FULU Foundation fulu.org অন্যরা কী বলছেন
টেক মিডিয়া
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google's 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
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
সম্পাদকীয় ও বিশ্লেষণ
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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 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
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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
"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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"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
"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
"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'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
"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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.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
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Google 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
"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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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 not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
সংস্থা ও খোলা চিঠি
"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
"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
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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
"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
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"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
"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
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"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
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"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
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
ইউটিউবার ও কনটেন্ট ক্রিয়েটর
"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 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
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google 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
"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
"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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – 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
"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
"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
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google is doing to Android what Microsoft once tried to do to the web. Embrace, extend, extinguish. Just wrapped in a shinier open-source package."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google 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
"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
ডেভেলপার ও কমিউনিটি
"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
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"My Pixel 6 just broke, and after 15 years of using Android, I've finally been convinced to move to iOS. If I must live in a walled garden, I suppose I'll choose the one with nicer flowers."
yonato, Hacker News
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"Software gatekeeping is a threat to human rights. Just recently an app to track ICE was banned from the iOS app store even though this should clearly be protected first amendment speech."
gthing, Reddit
"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
"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 have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"You are essentially a child to them. The difference is society has decided not to step in to protect you from your abusive parents."
globular-toast, Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, 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
"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
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, 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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"If the likes of Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and others have their way, you will not own your computer; those companies will effectively own your computers."
RUs1729, Slashdot
"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
"Computing is infrastructure. Personal computers are a means of expressing agency. This is like banning people from moving furniture around their house without approval from mortgage lenders."
wervenyt, Tildes
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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
"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
"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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"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
"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
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"I want to deploy apps on my device. They are my apps, it's my device, and I should not be required to ask for permission to do so."
fsniper, Hacker News
"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
"Years ago, I wondered how Google would try to get away with locking down Android and shutting the cage door after capturing such a large dependent user base. Now I see how they are trying to get away with it."
chaznabin, Reddit
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
পিটিশন থেকে আসা মতামত
"Being able to install "unverified" apps from third party app repositories has allowed me to discover ad-free software that fits my needs perfectly that aren't available on the Google Play store. Removing support for "unverified" apps would destroy all ability for me to use the phone I purchased how I see fit. "
Nella, change.org
"Google is making Android more similar to iOS, and we cannot remain passive. We need to unite and resist Google's monopoly control. "
Jerry, change.org
"If it were only Google Pixel devices with such a restriction I would have been somewhat okay. However, going after any official Android device just shows Google's attitude towards the community as well as the monopoly it has over an OS that many people outside of Google have contributed to. Imagine if starting tomorrow the Linux Foundation puts such a restriction on any hardware running Linux? "
Aleksandar, change.org
"We want Android as it was intended and created to be, free and for everyone, not a cheap reskin of iOS. "
TARS-, change.org
"Android's freedom of choice is what made me switch from apple. I find that limiting that those freedoms such as sideloading an obnoxious spit in the face of all who use and enjoy this operating system. If I wanted an anti consumer product id buy from apple. "
Link, change.org
"https://c.org/ztGgdyG2f4 "
Rosita, change.org
"Boa noticia "
Kleberson, change.org
"This is absurd and down right offensive that Google ever thought the thought that contradicts the core ideals for the Android OS! An android device that's no longer open might as well be Apple 2.0. In saying that, it will turn away not only the tech savy users in completion by 100% of them looking for another OS but in turn having the user who wants to express themselves in their Android device... If we wanted a closed source environment we'd conform with the rest of the world who knows nothing else but how to have the "hive mind" think for them and buy an apple. They do it, have done it and will continue to do it the best. Which, tbh, is ok!! Let them have their space in that of the most boring OS, app store, etc... If Google follows suit and actually closes up Android, clearly it will not kill the giant that Google purchased but it will turn away hundreds of millions of users to that "boring side" as in comparison, it makes NO SENSE for one to keep an Android over an iPhone when iPhone already has side loading and other exploitations to help us at the very least feel like we have some sort of control while going with the leading IP of closed OSs.... Android and closed should never be in the same sentence and I can guarantee when it happens Google will see lows they've never experienced in recent years nor could have predicted. However if the corporate overlords didn't think a backlash would occur when Google, likely the most predatory tech company in terms of their business practices who already enables the largest black market empire in that of call centers and scammers across the world to operate by selling our data to them and pushing their ads to the top of its results for the right amount of money. Who tf you think is gonna want to use a phone backed by said company when it's closing it's OS and changing it's TOS to basically "we can see and use everything on your screen for whatever purposes we please?? Literally the largest data broker in THE UNIVERSE???? YEA RIGHT, WE'RE NOT FOOL GOOGLE, WE'RE THE PHONE USERS WHO ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO THINK FOR OURSELVES, Y'ALL FORGET THIS POINT?? "
Steven, change.org
"Google isn't trying to protect us from malware with these policies; it's simply trying to control the platform it owns to profit from its platform and the data it collects. "
Tiburcio, change.org
"If I wanted to have my apps controlled by a mega corporation, I would have gotten an iPhone "
Eric, 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
"Trying to avoid strangleholds and controlling policies like this is literally the exact reason i use Android over Apple products, this is a massive step backwards for Android that sets a major precedent for censorship and monopolization that i absolutely loathe, this WILL make me significantly more likely to avoid Android and use other brands in the future if gone through with. This isn't protecting anyone, it's just a sickening bid for even more power and control. "
Grace, change.org
"As a lifelong Android user and now a beginner developer, I say this is nothing more than an attempt to turn Android into an iPhone 2. You're not protecting anyone, and this seems more like the beginning of an Android monopoly. An open-source system shouldn't have this kind of restriction/censorship, much less force developers to identify themselves and pay fees for beta apps. It shouldn't have a single store. This decision to act against consumers and developers will have very serious negative consequences. After all, when I choose to buy an Android, I choose it for the freedom it gives me and the variety of stores and places where I can download programs that aren't on the Play Store, whether games or development programs. Nobody chooses an Android for its features, much less for the Google system. We choose it because we want the freedom to do what we want with what we buy with our money, taking full responsibility for what we download. Because if I wanted a centralized store with no freedom whatsoever, I would buy an iPhone. "
Sophya, change.org
"This is outright stupid on Andriods desicion making "
Madeline, 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
"I bought my Android device because it was an open computer platform. Changing the rules now to force verification is a betrayal of users and a move toward a monopoly. Stop this restriction! "
Emirhan, change.org
"I wanted android mainly for its ability to download things in third party app stores, unlike Apple, now that Google is going to be doing this, it makes Google look no better than Apple, Android, infamous for its open sourcability now getting locked down just like iOS. I really hope that this is refuted instead of pushed to Android. "
Joshua, 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
"Developer verification can improve security, but requiring centralized registration for all apps on certified devices risks creating new barriers to competition and innovation. Security shouldn’t come at the cost of openness and choice. "
Caleb, change.org
"I've been using APKs ever since I got my first phone, and now, it's an indispensable part of my life. Things I downloaded, games that I played that would be lost to time because the very people who made them forgot about them, things I watched, all those experiences... How can one take it away from us? We want our freedom. So what if we may be downloading viruses and having our data stolen? It's our choice, and it's nothing to be worried about by other people. And in my experience, there aren't as many viruses in the internet as people think. I know that I never got one. If APKs are gone, my main sources of entertainment — the things that kept me alive all this time by brightening up my days — they will be gone too. So, this cannot happen. This can't go on. I need my APKs. And I will not stop fighting for their existence, because they are a valuable part of my existence. - The Meteor "
João Pedro, change.org
"Don't become Apple!!! "
Yahya, change.org
"Android, please do not become like Apple os, doing that, you are changing the best thing you have, thats the user having Freedom to do whatever they want "
Pedro, change.org
"I'm getting so sick of governments/ corporations thinking they can just take away our right to privacy online under the guise of "security", and the more they're able to get away with it, the more we'll see it happening. I'm not a developer and I barely use 3rd party apps, but that doesn't mean I won't fight for our ability to use our phones as we see fit "
Danielle, change.org
"There are so many useful apps outside of the play store, including medical apps. It would limit us and restrict our freedoms to do as well please with OUR phones. Android began as an alternative to IOS that didn't limit side loading and alternative apps. Android restricting APKs is a violation of what they stand for and our rights as smartphone owners. This cannot happen. "
Lia, change.org
"Ok,So as anAndroid User,It is known that Android has a very large freedom on apps,and that's also why many users prefer the system.And In This Way ,Google's banning on apps is a killing action that ruins its powerful use.So if Google don't want to see it,PLEASE STOP THIS STUPID DECISION! "
Huang, change.org
"Android is and has been the operating system that gives everyone the freedom to install any apps they want. The action of adding in a developer verification is simply redundant, anyone who goes out of the Google Play store to sideload knows its risks and why they are doing it. It is the only mobile operating system that allows us to do so, we won't let Google stop us. "
Yuquan, change.org
"If android isn't open source then it's straight up just a worse iOS literally the only reason we use it is the fact that it's open source 💀 "
Natalia, change.org
"Sounds good on paper but will only make things way, way worse. They say the main reason they're doing this is for security since you're reportedly more likely to get a virus outside of Google Play than inside, but honestly, that'll only happen if you're irresponsible enough (you're even warned that it's at your own risk and responsibility if you decide to download something outside of GP). Again, sounds good on paper, problem is, by doing this, you'll be unable to download lots of other, virus-free software that are good or can be useful (e.g. gaming emulators or delisted apps), all because it doesn't come from an "approved developer", which would be a huge pain in the ass for millions of people, including me. In my opinion, L update. "
Mario, change.org
"How can this be about security when the vast majority of people installing 3rd party apps are accepting that risk. Your anti virus services should be more than enough to prevent malicious applications but babying a population won't go well for you. I for one will get a huawei phone immediately after the change is officialized, privacy be damned, it's less authoritarian than what you're planning on doing. "
D, change.org
"Sideloading is the only thing that separates android from IOS in a meaningful way and to get rid of it destroys the whole point of using android. "
Jacob, change.org
"I have been an android user for as long as I can remember, do not change that now Google. I have just started to develop android apps, because I find the alternatives not so friendly and bothersome. Android has been my driving flag and I would not want that to change for any reason. "
Nijel, change.org
"The possibility of one of the only features that could jumpstart and maintain rising developers ambitions and the Android community; being able to install any files into their systems getting smothered is a nightmare for anyone who has been sticking to Android themselves due to its customization (I will protect my self-made Miku UI with my life). Going against the reasons of Android's strengths WILL be a bad idea and would force the people to find lower alternatives, whether they are better or not can't be gauged when this move destroys the baseline of a free and modifiable OS. Please listen to the community that is yelling to not aim at poor Bugdroid's shins... "
Ken, change.org
"As a developer, a main appeal of Android has been that I can write my own software for it. I've shared some of my more polished and completed apps with others, although my primary motivation has been to "scratch an itch". Although F-Droid doesn't track download or usage stats, I can tell from comments in my github issues that the majority of the users of my apps have found and installed it from F-Droid. Likewise, most of the software I've installed on my own device comes from F-droid. I like the focus F-Droid apps have on privacy and find the quality to be much higher on average than on the Google play store. I strongly recommend that F-droid, other 3rd party stores, and the ability to install an .apk file from any other source is retained. Users deserve the freedom to use their device as they see fit, and should be respected enough to decide that for themselves. Google has already shown itself to be a poor gatekeeper when it comes to deciding what is allowed in the Play Store. High quality and immensely useful apps have been removed for being incompatible with increasingly restrictive policies (such as Termux), while low quality clones of existing apps, ad spam, scams, and outright malware, continues to be allowed. I will not use, recommend, nor develop for an ecosystem where Google has the only say in what I'm allowed to do with it. "
Matthew, change.org
"As an Android developer myself, putting restrictions on an OS that people use to escape the restrictions of — let's say — iOS is a really bold and unconditional move. "
EXPOSED, change.org
"Android was promised and sold as an open platform. As many others, I decided to get Android devices considering that that promise was a serious lifetime commitment from Google. All Google has to do now is honor their own word and keep Android open. "
Leo, change.org
"Please don't let Google screw us over with this now! I hope we win and they don't do this! "
Saul, 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
"Keep android open. Keep android from becoming Apple! "
Adam, change.org
"We as a free people in the USA should never let anybody dictate what we can put into our phones or lives. If we let that happen then when is the next person going to come to take more of our rights, it's a dangerous path to take and it shouldn't happen. If you want that to happen, go to China and live there. "
Loren, change.org
"Why did I even buy an android phone?? They think I went iOS to android for no reason? WE WANT IT OPEN! "
David, change.org
"When I buy a device, I own the right to choose how I use the device. I have the right to repair and replace any part of the device, and that includes the software running on it. "
Drew, change.org
"This is the only reason I've bought android phones all my life, if this passes then I'll either install custom software to avoid it or I'll find an alternative device and stop supporting android at all. If i'm not free to do what I want with my phone, then I don't own it and I don't want it. "
brandon, change.org
"I like Android because of the customization and the control you have over YOUR phone. Restricting the openness and freedom you have on Android is an invasion of our rights. https://keepandroidopen.org/ "
Blake, change.org
"I dislike all the changes that have undergone Android, but this one takes the cake for the worst one i could have ever imagined. "
Pye, 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
"I have a bunch of applications that are not on the Google Play Store that I would lose access to if this feature were to be removed. Security Concerns are not a reason to screw over your customers, and just like you and me, we're all people too. People have the right for freedom, and you're revoking that freedom from the devices that we bought and paid for with our own money. This is extremely monopolistic and anti-competitive. There is now essentially no competition between iOS and Android Devices if this feature gets removed. You are doing a disservice to the entire existence of Android by removing this feature. This hurts more than it helps. "
C., change.org
"I do not trust the judgment of one company to decide what every person on Android is allowed to use on their phones. This is a censorship tactic, and will silence and punish small-time app developers who do not have the time or money to plead their case for the right to host their apps. "
Anna, change.org
"LEAVE ANDROID ONLY PLEASE "
Chapo, change.org
"Users don't deserve the Google jail cell to shrink and encroach any further "
Ben, change.org
"Removing the feature that set android apart, the very feature that drove countless users to choose Android, is not something we will sit idly by and accept. These are our devices. We own them. Not the corporations. They do not get to tell us how we can and can't use our devices. You are not protecting us. You are attempting to control us, to build a monopoly and line your pockets more than you already have. "
Jorja, change.org
"Unacceptable. This goes completely against the Spirit of the Android OS. Sideloading is a big reason Android is what is it today. Apps that were sideloaded became essential and were later integrated into the Android OS. Anyone smart enough to sideload is smart enough to educate themselves and be aware of any risks involved. I help people who's phones were hijacked by almost malware-like Launchers. Google still hasn't banned those Launchers from Google Play but somehow sideloaded apps are bad? Spare me the big brother crap. This is crackdown on Revanced and similar apps. This is also in coordination with government to crackdown on "undesirable" apps such as those that bypass censorship. "
Pavel, change.org
"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
"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 refuse to be locked into only the play store. I need to be able to use f-droid and or install my own apk files as I will. It's my comptuer! "
Tom, change.org
"Google is trying to steal money from devs. Plain and simple. "
Caleb, change.org
"My device is my device. "
arianna, change.org
"This would kill a big company steam games from haveing app. "
Timothy, change.org
"I want to be able to load any arbitrary APK onto my own phone. I should not be limited or made so suffer in any way because some bad actors take advantage of naive people who act irresponsibly. It is my choice to install my own software or F-Droid or anything. Taking that choice away means Android has no value to me as a product. "
Seamus, change.org
"I've always said the reason I was an android user and not an iPhone user was due to the fact that the system was not locked down allowing more advanced use cases. Not to mention allowing individuals to create their own apps and learn without being subjected to fees and restrictions. Can't wait for the linux phone sector to start growing in response just like what is happening to Windows / PC market space. "
Chris, change.org
"Don't make daddy Torvalds mad what you did with his kernel "
Silas, change.org
"Assuming Google is acting in good faith, they should respect users' intelligence and not lock down APK usage into a heavily regulated part of the internet. "
Noah, change.org
"It's not sideloading. It's installing an application on a personal computing device I own and payed for... This move is unacceptable. "
Benjamin, change.org
"Google is an evil company. "
Cool, change.org
"When we buy a phone, we’re buying the right to use it as we see fit. For years, the core promise of Android was that it was an "open" platform, a space where users had the freedom to choose their software and developers had the freedom to innovate without a middleman. The move to mandate central registration for APK files and developer verification fundamentally breaks that promise. I believe in a future where technology serves the person who bought it. Let's call on Google to honor the original vision of Android as an open computing platform. Let’s keep Android open for the creators, for the consumers, and for the sake of a free and diverse digital future. "
Jessie, change.org
"This will be the death of android and Google is holding the gun. My entire attraction to android was the freedom. Now that this will potentially cease to exist, I have no problem finding another source of freedom. Google thinks they're being smart, but they are only killing themselves slowly. Android users everywhere must make sure google pays dearly for the abomination they are creating. "
Kevin, change.org
"Security is important, but it's not the same as control. They close doors to developers and users. I personally use Android precisely because of the free installation of APKs. For this, I prefer to use iOS. "
Dilan Giovanny, change.org
"As an android guru who runs a blog on getting the best out of android who often recommends and personally use many side loaded apps since a lot of the best apps are on places like f droid and sinilar places but not on google. Ultimately its sad to see android and apple be these walled gardens "
L, change.org
"This change would essentially make android comparable to iOS in the sense of the restricted amount of freedom we have over the operating system and how we want the operating system to function. This will also result in a constant battle between new "crackers" trying to find ways to spoof the signature system and Google patching the spoofs to keep the system restricted. This is not for security, this is corporate control over a dominating service they can milk for profit and add to their greed "
Simon, change.org
"Google, this accomplish two things: 1/ This will limit privacy respecting apps to those of us who run degoogled OSs. 2/ More people will flash degoogled OSs onto their phones. Do you really want less data coming in to monetize? Your call. "
Scott, change.org
"Big G is destroying Android and controlling the narrative. They want to determine everything you see, think, and can communicate. This is completely against the core freedoms that are constantly under attack. Keeping them from this destructive activity is the only thing that can keep millions of people - at least - alive around the world. Being able to load apps from where ever I want allows myself to even function and communicate. "
Jeremie, change.org
"We can stand together to save Android and keep downloading what we love on our Android devices! "
Austin, change.org
"What Google wants to do is simply inhumane, simply unacceptable for those who use our beloved Android. "
Althe, change.org
"As an average user, this policy just feels awfully abusive. I have always had the mindset that if a device is yours, it should be you who gets to decide what's put in it, and to see Google make such a constraining change and directly cause so much harm to all Android users' freedom and specially small creators capacity to be a part of the community and to CREATE just deeply revolts me. The freedom and the customization of Android is what has always made me use it in the first place, if we can't even have THAT then what even is the point anyways?! "
Kris, change.org
"This is a step towards global disaster... Letting Google and Apple control any and all functionality you have on your handheld computer is absolutely absurd. The right android phone can be tuned to a perfect workhorse and sidekick, this new Android Developer Verification Requirement would kill any hope of having personalized and properly functional phones whilst letting Google choose exactly what Developers get to provide tools, collect your data, and offer in-app purchases. I think we all know Google has ruined almost every program on these devices already: accessing local files on the device requires that you use their "google files app" which is ridiculous and clearly them trying to take control where they shouldnt; photos is now "google photos"; wallet? google.; calendar? google; want to have a phone without some BS ai or something hard baked into it? well too bad! assistant cant be turned off; these little briefings with ads that pop up when you unlock your phone?; the adds in the weather app?; how about when you want to go to the nearest restaurant, just trust google to take you there i guess. Here's a very important part of all this: notice that Google replaces all of your PRIVATE apps! My files, which are private, are no longer private since by default the files app is a Google app now. My photos, which are private, owned by Google. My super secure offline location which holds my bank cards, very private, now online and stored somewhere by Google, the company that paid millions to cover up a data breach of 53 million users from 2015 to 2018 (if you were wondering why your info shows up on so many dark websites, thanks incognito!). Pretty much in short: Google is trying to own and control society and this pretty much is a huge leap for them to get there. Don't get me started on Apple. "
Kaden, change.org
"The whole reason I've stuck with android so long is because of how many choices I had compared to other options. Now they are trying to get rid of them and for what? The only thing they gain by doing this is their customers ire and I don't want to sit and let something so predatory just get passed like this. "
Logan, change.org
"One of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, Android has had over Apple for the longest time is the freedom of the user to make the phone theirs through downloading third party apps, through developers making their own applications without being required to release it through an app store that requires a fee to put it on. My own personal experience has been that I could play one of my favorite games that's no longer on the app store. With these new restrictions and requirements Google is proposing in September, we would lose that freedom, and would become no better than Apple "
Morgan, change.org
"As a user and advocate of free and open-source software, I express my deep concern regarding Google's recent decisions that progressively erode the open nature of Android. The reduction of AOSP releases from four to two times per year [[13]], the development of the system behind closed doors [[21]], and the new developer verification program that threatens independent repositories like F-Droid [[17]], represent a shift toward a more controlled and restrictive model. Android was born as a promise of freedom for manufacturers, developers, and users; turning it into a closed ecosystem not only betrays its foundational principles, but also limits innovation, competition, and users' right to control their own devices. I demand transparency and a genuine commitment to open source. "
Dalien, 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 entire point of choosing android over IOS is for the freedom to install things that may or may not work. 3rd party installation already requires you to go through some hoops . Its my device let me install what I want. "
Brian, change.org
"The whole reason I keep going with Android phones is the ability to side load whatever apps I want to make the experience exactly what I want it it be. I have been using pixel phones for years because of the clean boat free experience out of the box but without the ability to download third party apk's the core thing that keeps me coming back to Android instead of iOS with be gone "
Boris, change.org
"Google’s decision to end sideloading isn’t about user safety, it’s about control. By banning the ability to install apps outside the Play Store, Google isn’t protecting us it’s protecting its profits. Sideloading is what keeps Android open. It’s what allows small, independent developers to create and share apps without paying Google’s gatekeeping fees or begging for corporate approval. It’s what lets users, creators, and innovators build their own digital spaces, free from monopolized ecosystems. Ending sideloading means the end of true user choice. It hands Google even more power over what software we can access, what tools we can use, and ultimately what voices can reach us. This move strengthens surveillance capitalism, deepens corporate monopolies, and pushes us closer to a future where our devices — and our data — belong to corporations, not people. This is about more than Android. It’s about who controls our technology, our privacy, and our freedom online. We cannot allow one of the wealthiest corporations in history to dictate how billions interact with their own devices under the guise of “security.” Sign this petition to demand that Google stop its plan to remove sideloading in 2026. Defend open-source values, user rights, and digital democracy. The internet should serve people, not profit. Together, we can stand up for an open Android and a free digital future for everyone. "
Cole, change.org
"I regularly use FOSS apps and apps I've been bringing with me in APK form from phone to phone, and the promise of being able to develop and run my own code has been part of what's kept me using Android all these years. For Google to then yank the rug out from under us is a betrayal of the highest order, and for what? Shareholders? To feed the addiction held by seemingly every person in a seat of power to know exactly what a given Android owner ate for breakfast on any given date? What a fall from grace from a company that once touted the mottos "Don't be evil" and "Do the right thing." "
Catherine, 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
"Android giving users choice has been the staple point of android OS. Removing choices like sideloading apps is not the move. I develop apps for myself, I do not want to be "an approved developer" I don't have time nor care for that. This action also is the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Android started as an open operating system, you have simply turned it into a reskinned Apple OS. Your choice to go anti-consumer is going to hurt. You are not "protecting" anyone. ~Seth "
Nathan, change.org
"Android promised us a choice. We shouldn't let them take it away from users and developers alike just to have more control. "
Cross, change.org
"Stop your control of people devices. "
Sally, change.org
"Keep android open. We want to be able to install the software we want on the device we paid for. "
Knoel, change.org
"Keep android open the main reason I got android is because it's open sourced do not close off android "
Patrick, change.org
"This is a spit in the face of open-source and Android's userbase. "
Mark, change.org
"Android was born as an open-source solution, more free and democratic for users. I believe that if they maintained their stance of freedom, this would continue to strengthen the OS as a good alternative to other closed-source software. "
Felipe, change.org
"Android is an open-source system; this restriction will make Android a closed system. I will switch to iPhone if this update is implemented. "
Miguel, change.org
"This is a tragedy, it won't stop bad intentions, it will only put our data at risk, and many apps will become lost media. "
Jessé, change.org
"You are now a 0. "
İbrahim, change.org
"Why are all these companies trying to push me to Linux? Do they not like money? "
Niel, change.org
"Don't tread on us Google! "
Trevor, change.org
"Android libre. "
Fernando, change.org
"Only reason I've always used android is because it's pretty open to apps I make for myself. If that is taken away, there's no reason not to go to Apple. "
Bill, change.org
"It's serious that Android is doing this to those who make independent games, or stealing our data under the guise of security. I want to speak out because this is unfair. "
Cesar, change.org
"Stop destroying our freedom! "
Alberto, change.org
"As a developer, I will NEVER give Google my ID or personal identity. They are already known to post developers home addresses on their app store publicly, which is a huge safety violation. I do not trust google and will not give them any of my personal data. "
Skye, change.org