Váš telefon brzy přestane být váš.
Od září 2026 Google bez vašeho souhlasu prosadí tichou aktualizaci, která zablokuje každou aplikaci pro Android, jejíž vývojář se nezaregistroval u Googlu, nepodepsal smlouvu, nezaplatil a nepředložil úřední doklad totožnosti.
Každá aplikace a každé zařízení na celém světě, bez možnosti odmítnutí.
↓Co Google dělá
V srpnu 2025 Google oznámil novou povinnost: od září 2026 se musí každý vývojář Android aplikací zaregistrovat centrálně u Googlu, než bude možné jeho software nainstalovat na jakékoli zařízení. Nejen aplikace z Obchodu Play: všechny aplikace. To zahrnuje aplikace sdílené mezi přáteli, distribuované přes F-Droid, vytvářené nadšenci pro osobní potřebu. Nezávislí vývojáři, církevní a komunitní skupiny i nadšenci tak budou zbaveni možnosti vyvíjet a distribuovat svůj software.
Registrace vyžaduje:
- Zaplacení poplatku Googlu
- Souhlas s Podmínkami použití Googlu
- Předložení úředního dokladu totožnosti
- Poskytnutí důkazu o vašem soukromém podpisovém klíči
- Uvedení všech současných a všech budoucích identifikátorů aplikací
Pokud vývojář nesplní podmínky, jeho aplikace budou tiše zablokovány na všech zařízeních Android na celém světě.
Koho to poškodí
Vás
Koupili jste si telefon s Androidem, protože Google vám slíbil, že je otevřený. Mohli jste si nainstalovat, co jste chtěli, a o tom to celé bylo.
Google nyní dodatečně mění podmínky této dohody i u hardwaru, který již vlastníte. Po nasazení této aktualizace budete moci používat pouze software, který Google předem schválil. A to na vašem telefonu: vašem zařízení, za které jste vy zaplatili.
Nezávislí vývojáři
První aplikace teenagera, nástroj na ochranu soukromí od dobrovolníka, nebo interní beta verze firmy. Na tom nezáleží. Od září 2026 nebude možné nic z toho nainstalovat bez souhlasu Googlu.
F-Droid, domov tisíců svobodných a open-source aplikací pro Android, to označil za "existenční" hrozbu. Cory Doctorow to nazývá "Darth Android".
Vlády a občanská společnost
Google opakovaně prokázal, že vyhovuje požadavkům autoritářských režimů na odstranění aplikací. Díky tomuto programu bude software, na kterém běží instituce vaší země, záviset na libovůli jediné zahraniční korporace, která se nikomu nezodpovídá.
EFF označuje bránění aplikací za "stále se rozšiřující cestu k cenzuře internetu."
"Úniková cesta" Googlu je past
Google tvrdí, že "pokročilí uživatelé" budou moci "stále instalovat" neověřené aplikace. Takhle to ve skutečnosti vypadá:
- Prohrabejte se Nastavením systému, najděte Možnosti pro vývojáře
- Klepněte na číslo sestavení sedmkrát pro aktivaci vývojářského režimu
- Odmítněte varovné obrazovky o nátlaku
- Zadejte svůj PIN
- Restartujte zařízení
- Počkejte 24 hodin
- Vraťte se, odmítněte další varovné obrazovky
- Vyberte "povolit dočasně" (7 dní) nebo "povolit trvale"
- Znovu potvrďte, že chápete "rizika"
Devět kroků. Povinná 24hodinová ochranná lhůta. Pro instalaci softwaru na zařízení, které vlastníte.
Ještě horší: celý tento postup probíhá výhradně přes Google Play Services, nikoli přes operační systém Android. Google ho může kdykoli změnit, zpřísnit nebo zrušit bez aktualizace OS a bez vašeho souhlasu. A k dnešnímu dni se ještě neobjevil v žádné beta, preview ani canary verzi. Existuje pouze jako příspěvek na blogu a v pár návrzích.
Tohle je větší než Android
Pokud Google dokáže dodatečně uzamknout miliardy zařízení, která byla prodána jako otevřené platformy, sleduje to každý výrobce hardwaru na planetě.
Zavádí se princip: společnost, která vyrobila vaše zařízení, má po jeho zakoupení právo rozhodovat, jaký software na něm smíte spouštět. V softwaru se tomu říká "rug pull", neboli podraz; ale alespoň jste vždy měli možnost nainstalovat si konkurenční software. V případě hardwaru se však jedná o hotovou věc (fait accompli), která vás zbavuje možnosti volby a činí vás bezmocnými vůči rozmarům jediného, nikomu se nezodpovídajícího gatekeepera a usvědčeného monopolisty.
Otevřenost Androidu nikdy nebyla pouhou funkcí. Byl to slib, který ho odlišoval od iPhonu. Právě z tohoto důvodu si Android vybraly miliony lidí. Google nyní tento slib jednostranně ruší na zařízeních, která už lidé mají v kapse, protože se rozhodl, že má dostatečnou tržní dominanci a regulační vliv, aby mu to prošlo.
Ars Technica: "Závist Googlu vůči Applu hrozí rozbitím tradice otevřeného Androidu."
Ale počkat, není tohle...
"...jen o bezpečnosti?"
Bezpečnostní zdůvodnění je kouřová clona. Google Play Protect už malware skenuje nezávisle na identitě vývojáře. Požadavek na úřední doklad totožnosti kód bezpečnější nedělá. Dělá z vývojářů identifikovatelné a ovladatelné osoby. Autoři malwaru se mohou registrovat. Nezávislí vývojáři a disidenti často nemohou. EFF to říká naplno: bránění na základě identity je nástroj cenzury, nikoli bezpečnosti.
"...stále sideloading, když použiju Advanced flow?"
Devět kroků, 24hodinové čekání, schované v Možnostech pro vývojáře, řízené proprietární službou, kterou Google může kdykoli zrušit. To není sideloading (instalace aplikací mimo oficiální obchod). To je odstrašující mechanismus navržený tak, aby ho téměř nikdo nedokončil. A protože to probíhá přes Play Services a ne přímo v operačním systému, může Google tuto funkci bez varování omezit nebo zrušit.
"...problém jen pro ty, kteří mají co skrývat?"
Prvními oběťmi budou whistlebloweři, novináři a aktivisté v autoritářských režimech. Další na řadě jsou oběti domácího násilí. Všechny tyto skupiny mají legitimní důvody distribuovat nebo používat software, aniž by musely svou úřední identitu ukládat do databáze Googlu. Anonymní přispívání do open-source projektů je tradice starší než Google sám. Toto opatření ji na Androidu ukončuje.
"...to stejné, co dělá Apple?"
Apple byl od samého počátku uzavřeným ekosystémem. Lidé si Android vybrali právě proto, že byl jiný. Tvrdit, že "Apple to dělá taky", je jen snaha o zhoršení situace a slabý argument typu tu quoque ("ty taky"). A pod regulačním tlakem (nařízení EU o digitálních trzích, DMA) je i Apple nucen se otevřít. Google jde opačným směrem: snaží se své postavení gatekeepera ještě více upevnit.
"...jen 25 dolarů a nějaké papírování?"
Možná, pokud jste vývojář v USA s platební kartou a řidičským průkazem. Zkuste být student v subsaharské Africe, disident v Myanmaru nebo dobrovolník spravující komunitní zdravotnickou aplikaci. Náklady nejsou jen finanční: musíte předložit úřední doklad totožnosti a důkaz o podpisových klíčích společnosti, která pravidelně vyhovuje vládním požadavkům na odstranění aplikací a odhalení vývojářů.
Braňte se
Všichni
- Nainstalujte si F-Droid na každé zařízení Android, které vlastníte. Alternativní obchody přežijí jen tehdy, když je lidé skutečně používají.
- Kontaktujte své regulátory. Regulátoři po celém světě se skutečně obávají monopolů a centralizace moci v technologickém sektoru a chtějí slyšet přímo od jednotlivců, kterých se to týká.
- Sdílejte tuto stránku. Vložte odkaz na keepandroidopen.org všude kam můžete.
- Postavte se proti falešným aktivistům. Skupina lidí, kteří pořád říkají "no, vlastně...", je v plné síle. Nenechte je, aby určovali, jak se o tom bude mluvit.
- Podepište petici na change.org a přidejte se k více než 100 000 signatářům, kteří už dali najevo svůj názor.
- Přečtěte si a sdílejte náš otevřený dopis
- Řekněte Googlu, co si o tom myslíte prostřednictvím jejich vlastního průzkumu k ověřování vývojářů (i když to asi nic nezmění).
Vývojáři
Neregistrujte se. Nepřipojujte se k programu tím, že se byste se zaregistrovali do Android Developer Console a souhlasili s jejich neodvolatelnými Podmínkami použití. Neověřujte svou totožnost. Nehrajte jejich hru.
Plán Googlu bude fungovat jen, když budou vývojáři spolupracovat. Nespolupracujte.
- Přemluvte ostatní vývojáře a organizace, aby se neregistrovali.
- Přidejte do svých aplikací knihovnu FreeDroidWarn, aby varovala uživatele.
- Spravujete web? Přidejte banner s odpočítáváním.
Zaměstnanci Googlu
Pokud víte něco o technické implementaci programu nebo interních důvodech, kontaktujte tips@keepandroidopen.org z počítače, který není pracovní a z účtu jiného než Gmail. Zaručujeme naprostou diskrétnost.
Všichni, kdo jsou proti…
71 organizací z 23 zemí podepsalo otevřený dopis
GitHub Store github-store.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
FULU Foundation fulu.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Unified Push unifiedpush.org
FUTO futo.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
Proton AG proton.me
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
CryptPad cryptpad.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Techlore techlore.tech
F-Droid f-droid.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org
April april.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Brave brave.com
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
iodé iode.tech
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
Italian Linux Society ils.org Co říkají
Technologická média
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"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 developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"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
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
Redakční články a analýzy
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"Developers from sanctioned countries or those without Google Play access cannot verify themselves. This creates systemic discrimination against developers based on birthplace rather than conduct."
agnostic-apollo (Termux developer), GitHub
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"Google 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
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"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
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse."
I-Programmer
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud 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
"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
Organizace a otevřené dopisy
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"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
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"When you set up a gate, you invite authorities to use it to block things they don't like. And when you build a database, you invite governments to try to get access."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"Google'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
"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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"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 invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open source app distribution sources as we know them today."
F-Droid
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
YouTubeři a tvůrci
"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 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 has obvious problems for non-Google operating systems like iodeOS, LineageOS, or BraxOS. Google Android will 'check in' with Google to verify the identity of the app and to validate the operating system."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"Google 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
"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
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
Vývojáři a komunita
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, 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
"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
"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
"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 war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, 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
"This isn't just a competition between app stores; it's a struggle for choice and dignity. Your phone shouldn't be a cage carefully constructed by others, but an extension of your own will."
renshijian, Hacker News
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"We need to start treating phones differently. We're entering a world where we can't choose what we run on them. Their primary purpose is to gather data on us and serve us advertising, they're engineered for addiction, yet engaging in the world is immensely difficult without one."
specproc, Hacker News
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"After 15 years of professional development on Android I too am now thinking about switching my focus to something different. And it sucks."
MrDresden, Hacker News
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"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
"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
"Software gatekeeping is a threat to human rights. Just recently an app to track ICE was banned from the iOS app store even though this should clearly be protected first amendment speech."
gthing, Reddit
"You 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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Twice I have had to deal with Google silently disabling my drone app to the point I had to buy an older phone to perform work. When I purchase a device that works with another device, under no circumstances should I be at the mercy of any updates they make."
cbrophoto (drone professional), Reddit
"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 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
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"Google'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
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, 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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, 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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"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 seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
Hlasy z petice
"Oh great and wise corporate overlords, I come to you a mere peon, a cog in your profit machine, to implore you to keep Android open to small or niche developers. If you implement the proposed changes you will have turned a thriving app ecosphere into nothing more than a reskinned iOS. Your commitment to Open Source and the availability of Android-.apk-but-not-via-Google are on the line here. Many of the most compelling use cases for my Android device would cease to exist under the proposed regime. If that happens I might as well switch to iOS devices, at least they are pretty. "
Michael, change.org
"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
"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
"Nós vencemos Google idiota 😆😆😆😆😆 "
Bruno, change.org
"The device that you bought that you own should not have any restrictions added after the purchase of what you can or cannot download onto said device. What (Google) is trying to do is going directly against that. "
Emilie, change.org
"GOOGLE PLEASE DO NOT ENFORCE DEVELOPER VERIFICATION. THIS WILL STOP PROGRESS. "
Luka, change.org
"Android is OPEN SOURCE That's why Android is everywhere. But Google is using this power dangerously. Technology should empower, not confine. Restricting APK installation weakens innovation, discourages experimentation, and chips away at the diversity that made Android thrive in the first place. "
Kerem, change.org
"Android should be free; it was supposed to be the hero of free or open-source applications. "
Alan, change.org
"Android phones letting me control my apps in my way is why I love and stick with Android. I can't support upstart developers without our current APK framework. A future without one of the lead reasons I own an Android phone, is a future where I just stop owning a phone. "
Kyle, change.org
"Morra Google! "
Abraao, change.org
"The only thing that set Android apart from Apple (and frankly made it objectively better than Apple) is the freedom of control you have over a device you actually own. Removing that ability makes Android no better than Apple, might as well say you don't really own that phone or tablet when you take away such freedoms. "
George, change.org
"Android is betraying it's one purpose, the "don't be evil" "
M, 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
"Please don't let Google screw us over with this now! I hope we win and they don't do this! "
Saul, change.org
"The Only reason I have an Android cell phone is because I can install Linux to it Take away my ability to use My cell the way I want then there is no longer any reason for me to own any cell phone This type of Dictatorship and greed for money and it power needs to stop I install LineageOS to my cell to stop the constant nag from Google to push this button pop ups. And to try to curb all the spyware I use No social apps, "I hate social spyware" My cell phone is a "Phone" Google has proven to me my dislike for all things Google was correct I will be looking online for a True Open Source Hardware / Software cell phone cost last time I checked was approx $2,000.00 USD "
chris, change.org
"Might as well be an iPhone at this point. The whole point of Android was customization, and this kills that. Do better Google. "
William, change.org
"If you, as an Android user are happy using Android but dont understand what this is about, go out and buy an iPhone. Then you'll understand. "
ROBERT, change.org
"We should keep Android open. "
Habsir, change.org
"This is a violation of free speech and freedom of choice. We are not apple! "
Gearrard, change.org
"This is like Linux changing into Windows "
A., change.org
"This is a huge advantage over ios, you can't take this away 😢 "
Abhinav, change.org
"I have been antagonistic towards the Google play store and its selection of poor-quality apps. By taking away the ease of sideloading apps, I might as well have bought a brick with some precious metals in it. None of us do not have to take Google's mandate. "
Nathan, change.org
"This change would kill the biggest reason I use Android, because I have the freedom to sideload useful apps that aren't available in the official store. I have never once bought an iPhone, but Apple's comparative respect for user privacy seems preferable now, so I'll most likely make the switch. "
Raymond, change.org
"Google's claim is that this is for trust and security, but this is a move to gain profit from and power over its users, nothing more and most certainly nothing less. I am not willing to give Google the decision as to what kind of app or what kind of information is and is not allowed to exist on *my* personal device, and I do not want to live in a world where tens if not hundreds of millions have their entire worldview curated by Google. Remember when your motto was, "Don't be evil"? Try going back to that philosophy. "
Sean, change.org
"Save privacy and security "
Pepe, change.org
"APKs are the lifeblood of Android's open ecosystem. They let developers distribute apps outside the Play Store, free from Google's 30% cut and arbitrary takedown policies. They give users in underserved regions access to apps unavailable in their country's store. They power the emulation community, open-source projects, and beta testers who help improve software before it reaches the masses. When Google restricts APK usage through warnings, permission walls, or outright blocks, it quietly dismantles the very openness that made Android worth choosing over iOS in the first place. It punishes legitimate users for the sins of bad actors, while determined bad actors find workarounds anyway. "
AJ, change.org
"For Freedom! "
Ömer Can Devrim, change.org
"There's been a LOT of privacy conscious people out there, that don't want to be tracked everywhere they go, especially when doing personal stuff at the privacy in their own home. Open source apps are also good alternatives, when big tech can censor you or even flag you, for something that ISN'T illegal nor harmful in any way. So what Google is doing is making users more vulnerable and harmful that even violates the 4th Amendment! "
Dan, change.org
"Using Android has always meant having the freedom to customize your experience to your hearts content, this would be the end of an era. This would also be the end of many small app developers that can't or won't conform to the what one might say 'invasive' requirements to publish an app. You can say goodbye to FOSS and side loading which is a huge part of Android customization. "
sebastian, change.org
"Android is supposed to be open, as a dirrect counter to Apples closed system. If you continue down this road, we will just make something else. Open source is a powerful community "
Serissa, change.org
"hopefully this does not become one more avenue for freedom and expression that gets restricted by corprate over greed and government overreach. "
manz, change.org
"Google can't just restrict our Freedom of Choice! Android is OPEN-SOURCE!! Can't Google even get their policies correct!? Also, what about the Developers and their information!? Wouldn't that be up for grabs if hackers managed to forcibly leak that sensitive information onto the whole web!? Google needs to be smart and NOT force this policy on all of us! We all need to rise up and downright revolt against such heinous and immoral acts of these companies in order to avoid a full on Dystopian Reality that numerous books and certain alternate scenarios feared! Fight this policy that Google is forcing on everyone! "
Raymond, change.org
"Pure authoritarian control tendency barely even trying to disguise itself as caring for the consumers security. "
Jared, change.org
"Ready and willing to move to iOS permanently if this move to mandatory developer verification is not FULLY retracted by September 2026. "
Do Not, change.org
"Im sick of these souless corps squeezing every cent from us they can! "
Marcus, change.org
"Silly choice. A large chunk of Android users will definitely switch to Apple with changes like this. "
Kai, change.org
"This is, I believe a really dumb decision on Google's part. Personally one of the primary reasons I choose to use Android devices over IOS is because I loathe Apple's locked down environment ... Is Google now wanting to follow in Apple's coat tails with this policy ? I thought Google was about leadership and innovation, if it now wants to play second fiddle to Apple, I hope another OS comes to the forefront, I'm pretty sure one will. It may take a little while, but freedom will out in the end. And personally if Google thinks they can control what I choose to do with my own devices ... well I'm sorry Google, but THAT WILL NOT WORK FOR ME. As it is I already have to sideliad apps I want on my tablet because " they are not compatible with my device " at least according to the Play Store they are not... So tell me Google, if they are so incompatible, WHY DO THE FUNCTION PERFECTLY one I sideload them from a device that you deem to be "compatible " ?? And now you think you can stop me ? and stop me from writing my personal little apps to do other neat stuff that I like ??? I really THINK NOT and if I can no longer work on Android Devices, we'll I WILL FIND / CREATE A WORKABLE ALTERNATIVE. "
Paul, change.org
"I rely on open source software on all my devices, including my phone. F#ck google and their authoritarian-friendly, privacy destroying policies. I'm scared of the future of software. I don't wanna have to give my government ID just to use a f#cking "
Tyler, change.org
"If you break android in this way, we will go elsewhere, and more code will be written, more avenues gone down and new ways to sidestep your control and ditch your software will emerge. You can't win, but you can lose. "
Daniel, change.org
"1 federal lawsuit wasn't enough? Why after all that's happened, being convicted for monopoly must Google feel the need to throw "
Zach, 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
"Trading freedom for security is something that should never be accepted! When someone offers you security in exchange for your freedom, what they're really saying is: "Give up your power and trust me not to destroy you." Imposed security is a leash. Freedom hurts because it leaves you exposed to chaos, but it's the pain of strength—the pain that forges sovereignty. Remember: "Those who would give up essential liberty for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." — Benjamin Franklin "
William, change.org
"Our phones, our choice!!! "
Robert, change.org
"Help new developers earn an income and revolutionize our apps and games! "
João, change.org
"You will not remove the free choice we have enjoyed for decades, with open source android phones or we shall remove Google Android from our use altogether, and simply get different phones to use. "
C, change.org
"I switched for freedom - not this. "
Harrison, change.org
"keeping it brief. There are MANY apps that people depend on for day to day life and this is going to impact that on a drastic scale. "
Bryan, change.org
"This is going to kill Android "
Hazel, change.org
"As an ex user of legacy iOS devices, I felt so frustrated by the base system that I always had to try overcome limitations through jailbreak. What a fresh breeze it was when I finally switched to android more than a decade ago! The openness and flexibility of the system was, even from a simple user POV, a liberation. Fast forward, we're at an era where being an indie dev is accessible. And when this era is flourishing, you tell me Google wants to lock up all machines relying on its system? This is terrible. We don't want a locked ecosystem. There are plenty already. We want flexibility and keep power in our decisions. Simple. So I'm signing this petition. "
Christopher-Harold, change.org
"I have found great use of android APKs. Because of them I can run comunity devoulped apps like Winalator, a Wine wraper for android, allows me to play windows games on my phone. Theres also PhoneVR, a free and open source app allowing me and many others to rededicate old phones into capable VR headsets, for free! I also get to play old games like Asphalt 8 retry, a mod that fixes alot of the pay-to-win gripes of Asphalt 8's current form. Same goes for Bad Piggies reborn, a free comunity mod adding loads of content and improvments to the origonal game! Not to mention open source app stores like FDroid. By locking down android, your losing support from people like me. Do you really want to kill the reason android is great? Just for a few dollars more? Are you going to just dismiss the people that made you great? We're not just numbers on a spread sheet you know, we're people too. We don't need protected by governments and companys. All that does is remove freedom, dehummanize people, and make people who cant think for themselfs. Whats next? Burning books? In the direction we're heading, we're not far from becoming the socity in Ferenheight 451. "
George, change.org
"We need independent devs and apps to maintain a viberant ecosystem in the face of modern stagnation. Plus people have the right to choose products that align with their own values and needs. "
m, change.org
"In a time when a few big companies are controlling everything, having access to open source alternatives is more important than ever. We don't need more restrictions and less access. Right now you can come up with a great idea, create said idea, then share it with other android users. The only barriers are your own willingness to learn. But google is trying to destroy what makes android great! Don't let it happen. Sign the petition, make noise on social media, boycott if it comes to it. Don't let the people at the top continue taking away and restricting things we love and need. It can feel like they're untouchable. But they rely on us for that power and control. If enough people resist they will revert the planned changes. Because in the end we're the consumer and all they care about is "the numbers go up". They need us for that. "
Anthony, change.org
"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
"Android Freeeeee!! "
Tymmi, change.org
"I can't wrap my head around the idea that Google gets to decide what I can or cannot install on my own phone. "
Luís, change.org
"I think it is a slap in the face for users and developers alike. "
Timothy, change.org
"The actions of Google are asinine, and the fact the company is trying to do this is appalling. "
Grace, change.org
"It is a based no to monopolization of Android from Google. Stop giving them all the power. Together we can ask for change. "
Claudia, 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
"As I'm planning on purchasing a new device soon, this announcement is making me reconsider choosing android at all. If it is moving towards controlling user freedoms, Android becomes less compelling, as that has been the major draw for me. "
Taryn, change.org
"Spread this everywhere, we can't afford to be lazy. Also, for my fellow Aussies! You can fight against the Online Censorship Act here! https://t.co/ZqH6nemOJb and https://freespeechunion.au/esafety/ and https://endesafety.au/ please take some time to check these out! "
Sara, change.org
"If I wanted an iPhone, I would chuck my phone into the nearest dumpster and walk into the Apple store that very same day and buy an iPhone, but that is not what I want. I want the freedom to install the software of my choice and the right to use my device (that I have purchased!) in the way that I want. Google claims that developer verification is for the user's safety. However, forcing developers to disclose their identities will put their safety at risk if they live in countries where censorship is rampant, or make them a target for doxxing if any shady third parties wish to abuse this verification system for whatever petty reasons. "
David, 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
"Google already has too much to say on which apps one is allowed to run on their phone. Play Integrity already ruins the Android experience for most custom ROM users and now they're going for side loading, too. This has to stop. "
Alexander, change.org
"Pαrα sαlvαr Αndroid "
Jhon Harrison, change.org
"Ces é paia mano "
Solalalule, change.org
"I have payed and continue to pay for an android device. The right to upload whatever app I please on my own device should be maintained. By extension, developers shouldn't have to give money, personal identifying information, and private sign in keys to google. Nor should developers be subjected to google's constant scrutinized spying and biases through : - Being forced to agree to google's terms and conditions. - Alongside extorting app identifiers for the entirety of an app's life span. Taking away and inhibiting both the ability to do what I want with my own device and the ability of developers to share their creations with others is wrong. What google is proposing is anti-consumer and against the values of freedom. "
Alexandria, change.org
"The ability of sideloading software is the biggest advantage android has over orther systems. I sideload a lot of apps and losing that ability means i have no reason to stay with android. Yes, apps from outside the play store do have more malware, but i can just not download them if i am afraid of getting hacked, this is not protecting anyone and is just removing freedom for users. Also, the ID verification google wants from the developers is a massive privacy and safety risk. "
miglin, change.org
"It's disappointing that Google wants to take away the only good thing about Android. I said it last time and I'll say it again: if they do it, I'm switching to Apple. There won't be any difference anyway. "
Rubén, change.org
"The entire reason I chose android over apple was the freedom I had to do what I wanted on the device I paid for. Google enforcing this "lock-down" is just shooting themselves in the foot and giving people more reason to give apple a shot. "
Riley, change.org
"Your going to lose customers to apple to make a quick buck. A lot of android users are android users because you can use the phone how you please. Stop being dumb. "
Christopher, change.org
"Locking down the Android OS does not benefit developers, or users. It gives more control for Google, to eventually extract more from their users. Android has not been the epitome privacy and FOSS, for a while now; but it has at least kept some of those options open for users. Limiting sideloading is ruining my last reason to use Android. Time to switch. "
Steven, 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
"Competition is important and necessary to make anything good. We should be allowed to choose the software we wanna use. I use Linux for my computer and gaming, as well as iPadOS for my tablet, Android for my phone, and WearOS on my smart watch. I've also been watching videos and been intrigued by GrapheneOS, as it's a lot like Linux and can run the Google Play store. I've been using Android since 2017, and never even knew you could sideload apps (I thought you could only use the Google Play store). But if MacOS, Windows, and Linux let you download whatever compatible apps you want from the web, then why do phones have app stores if we don't use them on a computer? This makes no sense to me at all. If we bought a device, then we should own the device, and should be able to do whatever we want with it, whether that's destroying the device, modding the device, installing new software on the device (or even a different skin of Android, if that means prolonging the lifespan of the device), or sideloading apps. All of this is for the consumer, not the company. I love Android, and would hate to see anything bad happen to it. "
Alley, change.org
"Compared to iOS, Android always felt less restrictive and easier to work with, both as a user and developer. Now, Google would like to take that competitive niche and throw it in the dumpster. This benefits no users or developers. It is blatantly greedy, controlling, and nonsensical. It adds more red tape for developers, higher potential for censorship at the whim of Google, and it will turn Android into another iOS. Android users chose not to go with iOS when they bought their devices, for several reasons. For me personally, I liked that Android allowed certain kinds of apps that Apple did not allow on iOS. If Android didn't have that advantage, I would've picked iOS. It's a bad move for Google's business, it's a bad move for developers, and it's a bad move for consumers. Terrible idea all around. "
Bill, change.org
"The whole reason Android is popular is because it's open source. This undermines both user freedom and the open spirit that originally defined Android. Making this change under the guise of security amounts to manipulation, lying, deceiving your customers, and taking away their rights to use their device in their way. By doing this you are killing what make android great, the fact that everyone can make an app and load it on his phone. Google should not be able to say what apps we can and can’t download on a device we purchased. This change would remove the main reason I even purchase these phones, stop it google. As a developer I want to be able to use and test my own apps. Having a monopoly over the eccosystem is going to hurt developers and create move forced overreaching and breaching of constitutional rights. You are not protecting anyone from forcing them to use the googleplaystore, in fact all the spyware and malware I ever came in contact with was from Google Play itself. Calling it "sideloading" is just villianizing what a normal download is, removing basic freedoms to use my device as I so choose is a far overreaching tactic that shouldn't be even an option let alone seriously implimented. If this does happen, I won't be using andriod, And will also stop using any other google services. I can't support a company that is anti-consumer. Dealing with the amount of bloat and spyware that comes preinstalled on these phones is bad enough, pushing user to have to deal with these orwellian nightmares is completely unethical. Where did your company statement of" don't be evil" go? "
Kaleb, change.org
"https://c.org/ztGgdyG2f4 "
Rosita, change.org
"Will Android now be a copy of iOS? "
Miguel, change.org
"We need to stop the monopolies and surveillance of big tech corporations "
Tyler, change.org
"Dear Google, you are single handedly destroying the whole purpose for which we use Android. Not only will you see a mass exodus from Google devices/services, you will force the creation of alternative operating systems that allow for user privacy and fredom for app developers. You all are making it harder for yourselves and for us. "
Kevin, change.org
"People originally went to Android way back in 2008 because of the open source nature of Android. It's what still attracts so many people to use Android. It's what keeps people on Android. Google owes so much to the open source community, from app developers to OS developers like the CyanogenMod/LineageOS teams, the CalyxOS team, and the DivestOS team among others all the way to the people who have used XDA's forums since the days of the HTC Dream. I realize Google wants to go into the 3rd stage of "Embrace, Enhance, Extinguish" but that will drive more people to Linux phones. "
Draken, change.org
"I've said this before on a similar petition, but I sideload apps all the time, and it's a very important feature to me because I can download older versions of apps that I know function better with ease. Just like everybody else is saying, we use Android instead of iOS because we enjoy having this freedom. It won't benefit us: only Google is going to benefit. "
Daniel, change.org
"Android should remain free; we are taking more and more steps towards an authoritarian global society and less individual freedom. FREEDOM is a non-negotiable right. "
Farid, change.org
"Like me and other out there we like to use apks to download apps for free and we should have the freedom to download whatever we want on to our android phones they are our phones and we can download what we want on them and to see Google taking away apks and the freedom of download apps is bad and Google are also taking away features from the recovery screen and we should be free to install whatever software we want on Androids like custom OSs and good wants to make it harder for developers to share their apps and projects and Google wants control over our devices and they want to control of what we can and cannot download we need to stop Google from doing this and spread the word "
Fynch tc, change.org
"We are going to bit this none sense of freak Control of the Mass. "
Gilbert, change.org
"I've been a loyal Android user since I took to technology. If Google goes through with this I WILL abandon everything connected to Google and go elsewhere. "
L, change.org
"Products should be made to give the consumer control of the product they purchase. They should not be used for the corporation that manufactured the product to control the consumer use of that product or what the consumer has access to. This is a form of controlled speech and is a violation of the first amendment of the United States of America. "
Mitch, change.org
"Imagine not being able to install programs on your computer that don't go though Microsoft or Apple first. That is where this will go next if this type of practice is made normal/succeeded. "
Kyle, change.org
"I paid for this device and I can do whatever I want with it "
Marcus, change.org
"Google is already a monolithic company, now they are shutting out any developers and apps that don't conform to whatever arbitrary requirements they decide. Allow people the right to choose their own apps "
Jensen, change.org
"Many of the apps I use daily are FOSS. I would lose a very large portion of the functionality of my phone without them. Some have alternatives available in the Play Store, and some do not. Even for the ones that do have available alternatives, they are measurably worse - crowded with advertisements that make them unusable until you pay (usually a subscription) for the "Pro" version. Then, when the developer stops making enough money, the app breaks and/or disappears from the store. Many of the FOSS apps I use also do exactly what I need, where their alternatives require workarounds or focus on some additional "feature" that I couldn't care less about. There are also several apps that I acquired outside the Play Store that legitimately don't have alternatives, either because they have to violate the rules of the Play Store to function properly, or because the developer believes, as I do, that good software doesn't rely on the existence of a market to function. "
Zachery, change.org
"Doing such would result in possibly riots absolute loss of sales possibly people boycotting Google because of this I don't think it's a good idea I think it could possibly turn the world into chaos just this little thing is a tipping point anything could be Thank you for listening I appreciate your time. "
Matthew, change.org
"This is an authoritarian play by Google to regulate their customers (aka a huge percentage of the public) not by national law but by their own personal whims on what's "best" for their corporation and shareholders. It undermines a customer's right to modify their products how they want, and instills power to themselves to govern essentially all software that gets developed for non-iOS phones, which is highly unethical and anti-consumer. If this gets implemented I will be selling my phone and switching to a non-android product. "
Nick, change.org
"When I was around 13 or 14 I had a real dream to be a coder...I tried to use Google to find a way but found that all of the links were funded by Google and directly discouraged fellow coders...I believed them...now at 22 I refuse to lay down and listen I hope this story hits home for a few people because the coding community is one of the few communities I found I am accepted...do not let Google break this community I am begging you - with all love a fellow coder and human being this is Donald signing off "
donald, 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
"Hey Google. You are a silent cancer. You've engulfed everything in your path for decades: true innovation, billions of unsuspecting people's data, healthy competition, and choice. You've been sued, repeatedly fined, and ordered to break up your monopoly (you haven't), yet you keep metastasizing. I could cite historical, philosophical, religious, even SciFi metaphors of what you are, but "plague" is sufficient. For the love of humanity, if in fact there's anyone left at Plague HQ who still identifies as human, keep your metastatic tentacles off the Android Developer Platform. You've done enough harm already. Signed, The last cancer-free organ you have yet to destroy "
Andromeda, change.org
"FOSS shall not die and we the users shall be free to install what ever software we want "
Erik, change.org
"Esse monopólio é injusto! "
Gabriel, change.org
"The act of restricting a user's choice of how or where they get their applications is against the concept of a free market and is a monopolization of how applications are distributed. Forcing developers into the play store is against everyone's freedom of choice. Point blank and center. There is no logic that suggests such a change is good or necessary. The play store can be a place for an average user to download their apps. But the user should have every right to be able to install software on their device which they purchased outside from other sources if they want. There is no good reason for a hardware vendor, OEM, or software company should have the right to limit you on what you can or cannot do with your device. Nor should they have the right to limit developers either. This is an attack on one of the culprit reasons on what made Android great in the first place. Especially compared to the competition (eg. Apple). Such a restriction would lead Android's package and software installation into a direct monopoly with nearly full control of how applications are distributed, rather than letting user's sourcing them from other places if they prefer. When I buy a desktop computer, I fully expect to be able to install my own OS on it, install my own software, and get the installer from their website, or maybe use a command promot/terminal to install it from a package manager. That is freedom of choice. I fully expect the same from any device I purchase for personal use and that is my right because it is a product I paid for. These companies are consistently abusing software and their terms of agreement to essentially change the terms of sale after you bought it. Which is a different issue in itself, yet can tie directly make into these restrictions and practices. It's highly predictable behavior. And frankly no consumer benefits from such change. It'll be argued "for the sake of security and system integrity", yet these companies do not have the spine and integrity to mention the real reasons behind it. Never mind even with such restriction, the Google Play Store is littered with predatory and malicious applications that float around 24/7, yet they intend on restricting apps on the outside that a lot of legitimate developers who put a lot of work into a free and open software platforms they use to give users alternative options of often what is even better software then what is on the Play Store. This is absolutely undoubtedly a severely anti-consumer practice that does not protect you, but monopolizes the delivery of software and restricts access to users and developers. This should never be supported on an "open platform". Such a change fundamentally would turn Android into a predatory, monopolistic and proprietary anti-consumer software. No different from iOS. "
Steve, change.org
"To quote Louis Rossmann: "A phone is essentially a computer, and you should have the autonomy to install whatever programs you want in your computer." (or something like that) Still, we can't deny that this is Google being petty for a multitude of reasons *cough* YouTube ADS *cough* and hopping aboard the "hand over your [government issued ID]" train in their own way. And apparently, they're going after our hardware with this one, since they just realized they can't prevent users from fiddling with software server-side. Again, there are plenty of privacy-invading and data-harvesting apps on the Play Store itself, but the data also goes to Google, so they're buddy-buddy on that. Anyway, you probably already know the rest of the script at this point. Now, onto my personal experience, I love the fact that I can install so many quality and useful open source apps made by developers who, (I'm probably underestimating here) sometimes, made those apps out of a personal need. Third party GApps front-ends, more tools than I can count, NewPipe forks, gallery apps that won't harvest data in the background — all of those, open source, with no trackers and no free data for Google, which is another reason why they're doing this. "
some dude, change.org
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