کنترل شما بر تلفن همراهتان در حال از دست رفتن است.
از سال ۲۰۲۷*، یک بهروزرسانی بیصدا که بدون رضایت شما توسط گوگل اعمال میشود، تمام برنامههای اندرویدی که توسعهدهنده آنها در گوگل نامنویسی نکرده باشه، قرارداد را امضا نکرده باشد، هزینه اشتراک را پرداخت نکرده باشد و هویت واقعی خود را ارائه نداده باشد، مسدود خواهد شد.
تمام برنامهها، تمام دستگاهها، در سراسر جهان - بدون هیچ راهی برای غیرفعال کردن این سیاست.
↓گوگل چه کاری انجام میدهد
در ۳ شهریور ۱۴۰۴، گوگل اعلام کرد که از سال ۲۰۲۷، تمام توسعهدهندگان برنامههای اندروید باید بهصورت متمرکز در گوگل نامنویسی کنند تا برنامههایشان روی هر دستگاهی قابل نصب باشد. نه فقط برنامههای پلیاستور—بلکه همه برنامهها. این شامل برنامههایی میشود که بین دوستان همرسانی قرار است بشود، از طریق افدروید منتشر میشوند یا توسط افراد علاقهمند برای استفاده شخصی ساخته شدهاند. در نتیجه، توسعهدهندگان مستقل، گروههای مذهبی و اجتماعها و حتی توسعهدهندگان آماتور، عملا از امکان توسعه و انتشار برنامههای خود محروم خواهند شد.
برای نامنویسی باید:
- پرداخت هزینه به گوگل
- پذیرش شرایط و قوانین گوگل
- ارائه مدرک هویتی برای شناسایی که برای ایرانیان غیرممکن است
- ارائه اطلاعاتی برای اثبات مالکیت کلید امضای برنامه که برای امضای برنامهها استفاده میشود
- ثبت تمام شناسههای برنامههای (فعلی و آینده)
اگر توسعهدهندهای همکاری نکند، برنامههای او بهصورت بیصدا روی تمام دستگاههای اندرویدی در جهان مسدود خواهند شد.
این موضوع به چه کسانی آسیب میزند
شما
شما یک تلفن همراه اندرویدی خریدید چون گوگل گفته بود این یک پلتفرم باز است. میتوانستید هر چیزی که میخواهید نصب کنید — این توافق بود.
حالا گوگل در حال تغییر این توافق است، آن هم بهصورت یکطرفه، روی دستگاهی که شما قبلاً خریدهاید. بعد از این بهروزرسانی، فقط برنامههایی اجرا میشوند که گوگل تأیید کرده باشد. روی گوشی شما که مالک آن هستید، چیزی که برایش پول دادهاید.
توسعهدهندگان مستقل
اولین برنامه یک نوجوان، ابزار حریم خصوصی یک داوطلب، یا نگارش آزمایشی داخلی یک شرکت — فرقی نمیکند. در سال ۲۰۲۷، هیچکدام بدون تأیید گوگل قابل نصب نیستند.
افدروید، این را یک «تهدید وجودی» نامیده است. Cory Doctorow از آن بهعنوان «دارث اندروید» یاد میکند.
دولتها و جامعه مدنی
گوگل سابقه مستندی در همکاری با حکومتهای اقتدارگرا برای حذف برنامهها دارد. در این مدل، برنامههایی که زیرساخت کشورها را اجرا میکنند، عملاً وابسته به یک شرکت خارجی بدون پاسخگویی خواهند شد.
EFF این مدل را «مسیر در حال گسترش سانسور اینترنت» میداند.
«راه فرار» گوگل در واقع یک تله است
گوگل میگوید «کاربران حرفهای» هنوز میتوانند برنامههای تأییدنشده را "نصب کنند". اما واقعیت این است:
- به تنظیمات سیستم وارد شوید و گزینه «تنظیمات توسعهدهنده» را پیدا کنید.
- روی شماره ساخت هفت بار ضربه بزنید تا حالت توسعهدهنده فعال شود
- پیامهای هشدار دهنده درباره اجبار را رد کنید
- وارد کردن PIN
- راهاندازی مجدد تلفن همراه
- ۲۴ ساعت منتظر بمانید
- برگردید به قسمت قبل و پیامهای هشداردهنده بیشتری را رد کنید
- انتخاب «اجازه موقت» (۷ روز) یا «اجازه دائمی»
- تأیید دوباره اینکه «ریسکها» را درک میکنید
۹ مرحله. یک دوره انتظار اجباری ۲۴ ساعته. برای نصب برنامهای روی دستگاهی که متعلق به خودتان است.
بدتر از آن: این فرآیند کاملاً از طریق Google Play Services اجرا میشود، نه خود سیستمعامل اندروید؛ گوگل میتواند هر زمان آن را تغییر دهد، سختتر کند یا حذف کند — بدون نیاز به بهروزرسانی سیستمعامل و بدون رضایت شما.
این موضوع فراتر از اندروید است
اگر گوگل بتواند میلیاردها دستگاهی را که بهعنوان سکوی باز فروخته شدهاند قفل کند، تمام تولیدکنندگان سختافزار در حال تماشا هستند.
اصل ماجرا این است: شرکت سازنده دستگاه شما تصمیم میگیرد، حتی بعد از خرید، چه نرمافزاری اجازه اجرا دارد. در دنیای نرمافزار به این «rug pull» میگویند؛ اما در سختافزار یعنی سلب کامل اختیار از شما.
باز بودن اندروید فقط یک ویژگی نبود، بلکه یک وعده بود که آن را از آیفون متمایز میکرد. میلیونها نفر دقیقاً به همین دلیل اندروید را انتخاب کردند. حالا گوگل این وعده را بهصورت یکطرفه لغو میکند
Ars Technica: «حسادت گوگل به اپل، میراث باز اندروید را تهدید به نابودی میکند.»
اما صبر کنید، آیا این...
«...فقط برای امنیت نیست؟»
این یک بهانه است. Google Play Protect همین حالا هم بدافزار را فارغ از هویت توسعهدهنده بررسی میکند. الزام به ارائه هویت واقعی، کد را امنتر نمیکند — بلکه توسعهدهندگان را قابل شناسایی و کنترل میکند.
«...هنوز میشود sideload کرد؟»
۹ مرحله، ۲۴ ساعت انتظار، و قابل حذف توسط گوگل — این دیگر نصب دستی نیست، بلکه یک مکانیزم بازدارنده است.
«...فقط برای کسانی است که چیزی برای پنهان کردن دارند؟»
افشاگران، خبرنگاران و فعالان — اولین قربانیان خواهند بود. مشارکت ناشناس متنباز، سنتی قدیمی است که قدمت آن از خود گوگل بیشتر است. این سیاست آن را در اندروید از بین میبرد.
«...اپل هم همین کار را میکند؟»
اپل از ابتدا یک اکوسیستم بسته بوده است. بسیاری از کاربران دقیقاً به همین دلیل اندروید را به آیفون ترجیح دادند.
«...فقط ۲۵ دلار و کمی کاغذبازی است؟»
شاید, اگر شما یک توسعهدهنده با یک کارت اعتباری و گواهینامه رانندگی باشید که در آمریکا زندگی میکند. فکر کنید که یک دانش آموز در sun-Saharan آفریقا هستید. هزینه فقط مالی نیست؛ شما در حال واگذاری هویت و اطلاعات حساس خود به یک شرکت هستید که مدام به درخواست حکومت برای حذف کردن برنامه ها یا فاش کردن هویت توسعهدهنده ها پاسخ میدهد. .
اقدام کنید
همگی
- نصب افدروید روی تمام دستگاههای اندرویدی. فروشگاه های جایگزین فقط در صورتی به بقا ادامه میدهند که مردم واقعا از آنها استفاده کنند.
- تماس با نهادهای نظارتی
- این صفحه را با دوستانتان به اشتراک بزارید
- در برابر روایتهای ساختگی مقاومت کنید
- امضای دادخواست اینترنتی
- خواندن و همرسانی نامه درخواست مخالفت
- دیدگاه خود را به گوگل اعلام کنید
توسعهدهندگان
نامنویسی نکنید. با نامنویسی در Android Developer Console و پذیرش شرایط و قوانین غیرقابل بازگشت آنها، به این برنامه نپیوندید. هویت خود را تأیید نکنید. همکاری نکنید.
این طرح فقط در صورتی کار میکند که توسعهدهندگان همکاری کنند. همکاری نکنید.
- سایر توسعهدهندگان و شرکتها را از نامنویسی منصرف کنید.
- کتابخانه FreeDroidWarn را به برنامههای خود اضافه کنید تا به کاربران هشدار دهید.
- وبسایت دارید؟ بنر شمارش معکوس را اضافه کنید.
کارمندان گوگل
اگر درباره نحوه پیادهسازی فنی این برنامه یا دلایل داخلی آن اطلاعاتی دارید، از طریق یک دستگاه غیرکاری و یک حسابکاربری غیر Gmail با tips@keepandroidopen.org تماس بگیرید. محرمانگی کامل تضمین میشود.
همه مخالفان…
71 شرکت از 23 کشور امضا کردن این نامه سرگشاده
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
iodé iode.tech
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
OpenMedia openmedia.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Brave brave.com
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
FULU Foundation fulu.org
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Techlore techlore.tech
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
April april.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
FUTO futo.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
GitHub Store github-store.org
Proton AG proton.me
CryptPad cryptpad.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
Cryptee crypt.ee متن کامل نامه سرگشاده را بخوانید و از امضاکنندگان تشکر کنید →
دیگران چه میگویند
رسانههای فناوری
"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 Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"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
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"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
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
سرتیترها و تحلیلها
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Google has announced that they are altering the deal. And telling us that we should pray that they don't alter it further. Block this policy change now before they wrap their cold metal hands around our necks."
Jesse Wilson, PublicObject.com
"Google'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
"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 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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud 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
"Destroying F-Droid isn't some 'oops.' It's the mission. It's Google finally cutting the last remaining escape route and locking every single user inside their store."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse."
I-Programmer
"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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
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 requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Developers from sanctioned countries or those without Google Play access cannot verify themselves. This creates systemic discrimination against developers based on birthplace rather than conduct."
agnostic-apollo (Termux developer), GitHub
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"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
"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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"The $25 isn't the real cost. The chilling effect is. Submitting government ID to Google is a non-starter for pseudonymous contributors and privacy researchers."
Arafat Alim, DEV Community
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
شرکتها و نامههای سرگشاده
"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
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"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
"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 is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."
Brave
"There are governments who might very much like to know the names of the developers of those applications so that they can go after them."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
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
یوتیوبرها و تولیدکنندگان محتوا
"I'm not using the word 'phone.' I'm using the word 'computer.' This has over 8 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage. It's a computer. And I'm also not going to be using words like 'sideload.' When you download an exe file onto your Windows computer, you've installed an application. You haven't 'sideloaded' something."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"This 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
"The widely-circulated narrative that Google already backed down from this is false. They didn't, and that misunderstanding may be the most dangerous part of the story right now."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"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
"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
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"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
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"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 decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"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 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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google already can disable malware that they find on your device. It's already a built-in feature. So what is developer registration actually adding here? Is it security or control? You decide."
Techlore – YouTube
"This 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
توسعهدهندگان و اجتماع
"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
"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
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Whatever Google is doing kind of scares me. We have a big DIY community of diabetics in Germany running tools like AndroidAPS that cannot ever be distributed through official channels."
pimeys (Type 1 diabetic, DIY medical software), Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"My Pixel 6 just broke, and after 15 years of using Android, I've finally been convinced to move to iOS. If I must live in a walled garden, I suppose I'll choose the one with nicer flowers."
yonato, Hacker News
"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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"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
"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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"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
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."
harry8, Hacker News
"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
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, and won't give you a key, they're not doing it for your benefit."
vord (quoting Cory Doctorow), Tildes
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"If Android's sandbox and permission systems actually worked, then the mere act of installing an app from an arbitrary source would be as harmless as visiting an arbitrary website."
mwcampbell, Lobsters
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
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
"Twice I have had to deal with Google silently disabling my drone app to the point I had to buy an older phone to perform work. When I purchase a device that works with another device, under no circumstances should I be at the mercy of any updates they make."
cbrophoto (drone professional), Reddit
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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
"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
صداهایی از دادخواست اینترنتی
"Google, as a US based company, is trying to seize control over who can and who cannot create applications for Android. If you purchase a phone, you should be able to use it however you see fit. But now, if you want to develop a simple app for your daily use or for a small project that doesn't strictly align with Google or the US government's agenda, you could be denied the right to install it and even persecuted or doxxed. "
Ivan, change.org
"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
"Having moved to the Google platform due to limitations on Apple devices, it would be a huge shame to see this implemented. "
Christo, change.org
"the staple and main "selling" point of android is how open and free it is. Without that it's no different than any other os. This decision is completely asinine on Google's part. "
Thomas, change.org
"Bro this is the only thing keeping android over iOS don't take it "
Alejandro, change.org
"The ability to download external APKs which give my phone some really neat functionality is what prevents me (for the most part) from switching to IOS. Google, please don't take that away from us. At least tell us why you wish to restrict Android. "
D, change.org
"Android is the best platform for testing and developing applications. It would be a shame if such an absurd decision caused many users to abandon the operating system and migrate to another. Google, please reconsider this decision. "
Angel Uriel, change.org
"I've been an user of Android based phones for a very long time. I am fully against the idea of this move Google is trying, as it is just another notch in the attempted censorship and surveillance of the internet as a whole. If this move is allowed to go through, I will find workarounds or work towards getting a third party phone deal where I don't have to deal with this. These big tech companies should not have the authority to force us to bend to them. We have the power to make them back down. Let our voice be heard. Boycott these companies and make them lose money. The moment their financial gains are threatened, they will surrender. "
Brandon, change.org
"I have been an Android user since smartphones became mainstream, and the primary reason I chose Android was the freedom it offers. Unlike other platforms, Android allows users to install applications from outside official stores, enabling innovation, experimentation, and personal control over our own devices. Over the years, I have used open-source applications from platforms like GitHub and F-Droid, many created by independent developers who may not have the resources—or the desire—to publish through centralized stores. In some cases, I have even modified open-source code to suit my personal needs and compiled my own versions of apps. This is not just a niche use case—it represents the very spirit of open computing. Requiring developers to submit personal identification and restricting distribution channels will disproportionately impact: Independent and open-source developers Users in region-restricted environments Applications that are no longer available on official stores This change does not just improve security—it introduces control over who is allowed to distribute software, fundamentally shifting Android away from being an open platform. If users are no longer free to install applications of their choice, Android devices risk becoming restricted ecosystems similar to closed platforms—where functionality is determined not by the user, but by a central authority. The ability to sideload apps is not a loophole—it is a defining feature of Android. Removing or weakening it undermines user autonomy, developer freedom, and the very reason many of us chose this platform in the first place. "
Eranga, change.org
"Freedom of application installation on my own device is paramount to democratic computer access. "
John, change.org
"I have advocated for Android since I first got one, as well as developed for them for the past few years. This is regressive, and in the event that it passes I will immediately drop any projects involving android and attempt to find a new open OS for my phone as soon as humanly possible. "
June, change.org
"I first switched over to a Samsung phone because of Android being a open OS. I love being able to make small apps for myself as a developer, and as a user I like that I can find small dev groups on places like GitHub making really cool and useful apps that you would never be able to find on the play store. "
Connor, change.org
"Android without open means NOTHING "
Lang, 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
"Google is wrong to limit people installing whatever they want on what's supposed to be their phone. "
Spark, change.org
"The reason people have Android is not only because it's cheap ,but because of the freedom The OS has... taking away this freedom ,is like taking away someone's heart "
Ayrton, change.org
"User: I do! Developer: I do! Google: I don't! They have no real business doing this - maybe if there was an alternative, but there isn't! This is the continuation of the meltdown they've been having about adblockers. "
Nona, change.org
"This restriction simply ruins the entire premise that the android community has based itself on. It deprives users of the basic freedom that they rightfully deserve to have, since they acquired and rightfully paid for their device(s). It's another step into censorship and a monopoly under the premise of "security". The Google Play Store itself is a perpetrator of insecurity and restricting the developer base won't make it any better. If this is pushed foward, I will cease to use any android system that uses Google Play Services. "
Maria, change.org
"Talk about the definition of "hypocrite", nice job Google! "
Thomas, change.org
"Another broken Google promise. Keep Android open "
Pero, 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, change.org
"Stop trying to censor & limit everyone! You can't just monoplize everything! "
Caulen, change.org
"Google has shown a lack of respect for user privacy their entire existence. You own your device, you spent hundreds of dollars/Euros for it. It was not a loan by Google, it is yours, and you should control what you use it for. People who want to use only Google verified apps are free to do so without having to infringe on the rights of the people knowledgeable enough to make the decision to use apps from outside Google's Play store. Google and others have long criticized Apple for this exact thing, to the point that they're in a lawsuit for it. For Google to try this shows a complete lack of respect for the customer, a lack of integrity, and complete and utter hypocrisy. If I want to make a personal app to control a toy I made and programmed, why should I have to give Google my personal information, jump through extra hoops, give them my code, and PAY them for the privilege of doing my own work? It's ridiculous. It's pure corporate greed. More than that, it's an attempt from Google to control your device. Yet another avenue for censorship, surveillance, and the road towards a world without any freedom, all under the guise of "safety." This is not just an attack on you and your device. This is an attack on your freedom as an individual and your right to your privacy and choice. This shouldn't just be a petition, this needs to be nonnegotiable. "
Paul, change.org
"It is and has always been important to be able to install an app. Countless times I get an app update that breaks something and I have to downgrade to the old version until it is fixed. This simple and necessary fix will not be possible if APKs are limited. "
Michael, change.org
"The main reason I've always preferred android over apple is the freedom of app development and usage. What's the point of using an android phone when I have to rely on an app store that limits what's available? This decision is gonna affect an already undesirable Google "
Mychal, change.org
"No kings, not even Google. We the people are largely on android instead of IOS because of its open ecosystem. Killing that kills one of your major reasons for existing. Continue and your can bid farewell to massive chunks of users when the decision of what new phone to choose comes around. "
Patrick, change.org
"As a former iOS dev, this move by Google sickens me. Android is the last major mobile OS that allows for open source development. Paying to become a "verified developer" is anti-consumer and anti-competitive. Google should be ashamed! This will allow them to introduce the same planned obsolescence the Apple uses to keep their users buying new phones when the latest OS isn't compatible with their phone. Users installing apps via 3rd party fully understand the risks. Corporate overreach won't "protect" anyone. We are not stupid Google! Stop treating us like sheep who don't know any better! "
Danielle, change.org
"Google can not be allowed its voracious devouring of apps and data. Every move builds on its frightening monopoly, quashing any freedom and privacy. "
Kristi, change.org
"I am a lifelong android user who uses 3rd party apps and would lose much of the functionality of how I use my phone if this update goes through. I would likely stop using the app store and use platforms like F-Droid even more. "
Emily, 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
"I have been an Android evangelist since its very earliest days, driving its adoption by multiple organisations (as well as some very sceptical elderly family members). My admiration for Android has always been founded on the philosophy of open access to customise your device as you see fit. The walled Apple garden is the antithesis of this philosophy, and Google's announcement of a further step to build a similar wall around Android sickens me. Manufacturers - take heed! Google is alienating its most important customer demographic; people who believe, rather reasonably, that their phone belongs to them to do with as they wish. Consider alternatives. "
Dan, change.org
"I have an iPhone currently but hate it because I don’t have the ability to load any application I want. So when this goes into effect I will have zero reason to get another phone with android as it will just be a iPhone knockoff. "
Bill, change.org
"The iOS user experience is invariably more polished and seamless than any Android device. In the tablet market especially, Android can't hold a candle to iOS when it comes to usable. For the entirety of Android's existence, the freedom to use our devices the way we want, rather than being beholden to the whims of a manufacturer, has been THE reason to use Android. Not a reason, not the most important or compelling reason, THE ONE AND ONLY REASON. To remove or hamper the ability to sideload apps is to remove Android's only reason to exist. Remember, no matter how many of our rights and abilities you remove with regard to how customers use their devices, there's one right you cannot touch: our right to purchase an objectively easier to use iOS device. "
Pranam, change.org
"The promise was an open and free OS "
Daniel, change.org
"This is one of the starting points/gates to mass surveillance. If we don't act now it will be too late when there's already multiple structures put in place enabling the next following steps intheir hold on control. "
Dhariuz, change.org
"This is going to change android into a half functional game console locked down to anyone who won't kiss the G, a sure sign of drm, not consumer protection. If only google approved apps are allowed, will we only be able to call google approved phone numbers, visit google approved websites, see google approved images, listen to google approved music? We are not google. "
Willem, change.org
"I use multiple open-source side loaded apps. 60% or more of my time on my phone is using these side-loaded apps. I rather get rid of google than get rid of these apps. "
Yuntin, change.org
"This would be removing a key benefit of android over apple. Having control over what is on your device should be a given to owning it as your personal property, and Google shouldn't have a say in what is and isn't allowed on your phone in any circumstance "
Ethan, change.org
"There are Chinese individuals abroad who sideload Chinese app stores and Chinese apps on their non-Chinese Android phones to use those services. Chinese developers are very unlikely to verify with Google. This is a racist update from Google which will inadvertently single out Chinese individuals as well. "
Sunny, change.org
"This won't stop until we put an end to monopolies! "
daniel, change.org
"Stop trying to lock down Android, you bozos! "
Rares, change.org
"I've been using APKs for years; games, apps, software. So many people might quit from this, and that can't be allowed. "
Bruce, change.org
"Google is going to ruin what they built and turn into Apple. "
Abnormal Software, change.org
"I shouldn't have to build my own services and self host everything if I want freedom and privacy but it's getting to that point. "
Colt, change.org
"I wanted to switch to android because I liked the ability to still have acess to older apps and software when it no longer works. I currently have an Iphone and can no longer use older versions due to the age of my phone. Hearing this news will definitely lead me to proabably buy an Iphone over android. I will no longer have the right to download cool apps like emulators or download apps that no longer work properly on the version of the phone and software I have. I believe Google needs to reverse it decision on banning sideloading. It is a free ecosystem and users understand the risks if they do it. It is unfair for all android phones to be affected because most phones use Android and I belive this monopoly on technology needs to stop. "
Kalista, change.org
"The restriction of an end-user's ability to control what they can and cannot do with their device that they legally own is inherently malicious and should be illegal. Google is pushing and overreaching in a way that is invasive and threatening to users' privacy and freedom. "
Weston, change.org
"This won't make Android surpass Apple - it'll just speed up its demise "
ching, change.org
"Please don't do this, I have always been opposed to the apple mentality, I view this as my device and have loved the openness of the android ecosystem. I used to root my phones and load my own os, replace boot animations, design my own UI. Those are my fondest memories of owning an Android phone, I no longer do those things but I still occasionally side load an app, or go to FDroid, Amazon's app store, if you revoke my ability to do these things I can no longer argue against owning an iphone, as my biggest argument now is Google's android open ecosystem versus apples closed ecosystem. Don't be Apple, be Google, be better. "
Jake, change.org
"Locking down a completely free and open operating system like android only makes the environment more unsafe for the user. Preventing them from having control, and being forced to install service locked bloatware/malware instead of giving the end user control is a pure recipe for disaster. It will be even more prone to incursion, and targeting by malicious entities than if it were left free and open as it has always been. I have always been a massive advocate for 'you buy it, you own it' simply because that's the way it should be, and has always been. If there is no ownership of something in your possession, there's no reason for having it in the first place. "
Chad, change.org
"Giving consumers a choice in their software increases competition and ultimately benefits the consumer in the products they use. Giving choice to developers on how to reach the consumer is beneficial from single developers to large companies as it gives them options to be shown in the spotlight or reach a niche group that would appreciate their product. By giving power to a single organization to determine who the winners and losers are you set that company up to always choose their products over a competitor even if their products are inferior to the competitors. "
John, 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
"I'm a developer considering deploying to Android as a platform. The option to not require Google's involvement is a highly enticing aspect, and I could see playtesting Android games by means of "hey, you're my friend, can you play this on your Android device and see if it works well?" with a signed APK becoming an absolute nightmare to deal with in the event of rapid updates caused by constant back-and-forth discussions if this goes through. Not only is this bad for the consumer on a nightmarish level, it could very well destroy the development environment of the platform, the main reason people develop for it so much more than iOS, as well. Google should be ashamed of even considering this for more than a few minutes and doing anything more than laughing the idea off the moment it was brought up, even less attempting to go through with it. I can't imagine your investors will be happy when everybody stops developing for your platform and you have far less people using it as well, either. Maybe think about the long term here. Y'know, instead of all the short term thinking kinds of mistakes that lead to things like Stadia going wrong. Don't let Android become your next Stadia, Google. Stadia failed not because of the concept, but because of tons of poorly thought out decisions that seemed good for the short-term that were horrible for any longevity, trying to focus too much on existing big heavy hitters being sold on the platform instead of trying to make a proper case for what it could uniquely bring to the table for example. It isn't out of the dang question this could make Android's upcoming versions into your next Stadia-tier failure. "
Adam, change.org
"In the past, Google claimed to be "good" with its "don't be evil" slogan. That time has passed. Now we need to fight against these clearly evil policies. Join this cause! "
Cristiano, change.org
"What Google is doing seems awful to me; taking away the user's freedom to install any APK app they want is like forcing users to install whatever Google wants. It's deplorable. "
Pedro, change.org
"Google is Google's own worst enemy. If this goes through, I will never use any of their services ever again. GOOGLE IS A BAD ACTOR AND A BAD COMPANY! WHAT HAPPENED TO "DON'T BE EVIL"?!?! "
Ryan, change.org
"I choose to use Android as it gives me the ability to freely use my mobile phone the way I intend to. I would like to continue developing apps as a hobby without needing to be an "approved developer" and sharing my government issued identity with Google. "
Christian, change.org
"LEAVE ANDROID ONLY PLEASE "
Chapo, change.org
"I have been avoiding iPhone and using Android specifically for this reason. Why would Google change something that is working for them? Why ruin something good? Short sighted and stupid move. "
Will, change.org
"I don't develop any apps, I do believe in freedom. Freedom to put whatever kind of gas I want in my vehicle(sorry EV's!). Freedom to make make some cash on the side whenever I decide to clean out my storage and have a garage sale. Freedom to choose what apps I can install on a device, running android os which I have rightly paid for. There are other options available Google if helping to keep people safe from running buggy apps on their devices is what you really care about. No need to try and be the app gatekeepers for the future. I pray someone snaps back to reality there before your company proceeds to far down this dark path. "
John, change.org
"Literally one of the only things Android has going for it compared to iOS. You want this gone, fine -- then what advantage do you possibly imagine Android would have over iPhones? Do you really think people are going to continue to buy crap Pixels with Tensor chips at the same price as an iPhone? Android has ALWAYS been about uplifting device ownership. You get rid of APK side loading, you kill the damn OS once and for all. "
Jeremy, change.org
"We want our freedom of speech "
Mohammed, change.org
"The main reason I've used Android over the years was the freedom to use it how I want including installing apps that are not on the app store. If this change goes through, I will start exploring options to move away from Android. "
Daniel, change.org
"I use a de-googled phone and F-Droid is my store. This will destroy F-Droid. If I pay for a device I should be able to load what every I like on that device. Google is using it's monopoly powers to force us into a box. I'm a great believer in privacy and freedom and I see it day by day gradually eroded. "
Peter, change.org
"As an android user I love the way I want to use my phone and which app to install. Apps that are being developed my developers that are not on the play store tends to be even better than those on the play store. The freedom which developers have to develop and distribution of apps has changed on how we use the android devices, giving us more option and great experience with the device. "
Josphat, change.org
"We have the right to choose what apps we want to use or not to use leave it alone "
DENNIS, change.org
"I only choose Android because of the openness and flexibility in how I choose to use my device. Locking down Android with paid developer verification and blocking me from installing apps manually is not being open. "
Jason, change.org
"I use android to *avoid* closed environments and allow for more freedom in what I can do. Don't remove freedom of choice, you damn cowards! "
Douglas, change.org
"Android's strength has always been its openness. Closing or limiting this system violates users' trust in the principles that led them (or rather, us) to choose Android as their (our) OS. That's why we urge you to keep Android open and not implement any developer or app registration system. Build bridges and educate your users to venture beyond them, rather than erect walls trying to isolate them. "
Edoardo, change.org
"I should be able to share my android apps with my family and friends. It's easy to do on Windows and Linux. Why do I have to pay for sharing what is mine with friends and family around the world; yes, my actual family and friends are literally everywhere. Google often distributes malware. They allow Verizon to install unwanted apps that were often just malware. Google and Samsung force install apps we never asked for mostly so they can spy for advertising and traing their AIs. Heck, Google even watches what you put on gdrive and will remove things they don't like due to personal issues. How dystopian! "
Matthew, change.org
"We need to continue to have options on the android platform. Once censorship begins where does it end. Developers need to have freedom and not be oppressed by greed. Side-loading is what makes ANDROID if that is taken, what makes Android unique it’s just like IOS a walled garden. "
Edgar, change.org
"I stayed away from smart phones in the early days because they were locked down. It was only after I saw that Android was an open platform that I was willing to even try one. If Google locks down Android, then I will either switch to a basic feature phone, with no data (suits me fine, mobile data is ridiculously expensive), or I will hack together a Linux phone. What's the point in having Android if it just turns in to a.aecond-rate iOS? "
William, change.org
"Android is built on the Linux kernel and owes much of its foundation to the GNU/Linux ecosystem. The spirit of that ecosystem is openness, transparency, and user freedom. Limiting APK installation beyond reasonable security safeguards risks turning Android into a controlled ecosystem rather than an open platform. Security improvements are important, but they should not come at the cost of developer independence, open-source distribution, and user freedom to install software responsibly. Instead of restricting APK usage, a better approach would be improving user education, providing clearer and more transparent warnings, and offering optional security layers that protect users without limiting their freedom. "
Alireza, change.org
"Dude just stop stealing our personal information already please. -_- "
Evan, change.org
"One of the main reasons people even use Android is because it grants them a choice and freedom as a consumer to choose the software they use on their phones. By demanding that any other app or software made by a third party has to register with Google, provide private and information including their government IDs AND pay a FEE to Google for the privilege of developing an open source application... Google is essentially just creating a censorship tool and the beginning of a monopoly over any and all android software, just with extra steps. Proceeding with this will hurt both the reputation of Android and Google even more than has already been done this past year. "
Rhiannon, change.org
"I don't want to have to choose between switching phones and being able to download uncensored apps. Most people simply don't have the time or freedom to switch to Linux, and Google knows it. We are not stupid. We don't need their "protection." We can make our own choices for ourselves. "
Adele, change.org
"This is a disturbing move by Google. Side loading needs to remain an option for Android users to choose as an alternative when looking for apps made by developers that are not in the PlayStore. Side loading is also invaluable when wanting to utilise previous versions of apps on an Android device. "
Bruce, change.org
"WHAT GOOGLE IS DOING WITH ANDROID IS A BIG SCAM AND WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN. LET'S ADVANCE THIS PETITION MORE AND MORE UNTIL THEY GIVE UP ON THIS IDEA. SHARE THIS PETITION AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND DONATE MONEY SO THAT MORE AND MORE ANDROID USERS SPEAK UP ABOUT THIS CASE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING!!!!! "
Matheus, change.org
"To move forward with the developer verification process is both anticompetitive and counter intuitive. Google stands to lose it's only incentive to attract users and developers. To build from a foundation of open source/free software to this is simple greed. Without such foundations Android wouldn't exist today, nor would modern technology. This process will simply hurt consumers, developers, and Google as a company. It will bring forth a new competitor who cares about digital freedom and open source software. Please reconsider. Don't be evil. "
Davy, change.org
"I paid for the computer, its mine, I should be able to put whatever I want on it. I hate google, I will be removing every google associated anything from my life because of their continued abuse. "
Brenden, change.org
"I don't have much to say other than that this is immensely foolish of Google to do. "
Jaden, change.org
"Android users have had the ability to use APKs for so long. It is a major thing that differentiates them from Apple, and something that has prevented me from switching over. Without the freedom of apks, there is nothing keeping me with Android or Google. "
Kayla, change.org
"I am a self-taught programmer. Without the ability to experiment I could have never learned anything. This change will utterly destroy Android by not only banning a ton of quality software from sources like F-Droid and GitHub, but will also keep the next generation of developers from being able to learn by experience. "
Wesley, change.org
"The whole point of going for an Android over an iPhone is the freedom to customize and install what I want. It's bad enough that there are fewer and fewer makers that allow things that used to be expected (headphone jack, replaceable battery, SD storage) but at least we had the apps we wanted, how we wanted them. If this changes, there will be no point to the entire Android platform. This cannot be allowed to happen. We know this isn't about security, either, it's about surveillance and being able to sell more of our data "
Lewis, change.org
"we pay for these devices and maintain them. we should be able to do anything we want with them. Locking us out is just greed. Like buying a car. then having to pay ever month to use the heated seats that are already in the car. if anything, let us put a different system on the phone. "
David, change.org
"Restrictions like these are a form of control lets not take away anyone's freedom of choice "
Daniel, change.org
"Help new developers earn an income and revolutionize our apps and games! "
João, change.org
"Android shines in giving the user freedom to use their devices however they choose to. If Google closes down on this freedom, in my use case as a power user I will be unable to install apps any except from the play store which is a platform that is littered with bad app that are useless and sometimes they cost money making it unnecessarily difficult for Indy devs working on apps whether it for job or weekend project "
Cristian, change.org
"This may look like a security improvement, safety measure or other goods ideas, but the truth is far from them! This is against our digital rights! It disrespects privacy of developers! It may cause good developers to cease existence in Android! Look for alternative Android OSes, or root your device!! "
Avique, change.org
"Mobile devices are tools, and tools must serve who uses them, not who makes them. "Sideloading" is what makes android so useful for all sorts of tasks. And if one's not convinced by the danger of letting large and unchangeable companies (or even governments in some cases) be in control of what you use everyday, then one should be convinced by the danger of turning your expensive phone or tablet useless by being allowed to use only a very small and limited set of apps. Android is an operating system! not a service for google to rule over! "
Wolfy, change.org
"The biggest reason I use Android is that I'm free of the lockdown and monitoring imposed by Apple. If Google locks out developers then the system I love will perish. "
Samuel, change.org
"Dystopian, unaccountable corporate control and rug pulling. "
Ethan, change.org
"We should not be forced into using Google products. Our society doesn't function without choice and competition "
erik, change.org
"I download many applications outside the Play Store because it doesn’t offer the variety I’m looking for. Instead, it constantly pushes advertised apps in front of me, which makes it feel like I’m being guided toward what benefits the platform, not what I actually want to explore. Restricting this freedom feels less about protecting users and more about protecting the platform’s own interests - its revenue and its control over what people can access. It’s like forcing me into a cage, but making it legal - where my ability to choose and explore freely is no longer truly my own. "
Dawn Alexis, change.org
"hell naw I will stick to using old android if I have to "
Willie, change.org
"I love android. I love how open it is. I love being able to download any app I want. This policy change is dumb. "
Farren, change.org
"No one is happy about this change. F-droid is infinitely more trustworthy than the play store, and does not need google prying into developers personal info to keep people safe. Being an open platform is the fundamental basis of android user's usage "
Cris, change.org
"Google should stop killing Android "
Rafael, change.org
"This change has nothing to do with security, it wants to remove the power of choice from the user and screw up many developer by forcing them to use the Play Store. Android is all about freedom and will always be. "
Yuri, 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
"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