הטלפון שלך עומד להפסיק להיות שלך.

81 ימים עד להיסגרות

החל מספטמבר 2026, עדכון שקט, ש־Google תדחוף מבלי הסכמתך, יחסום כל יישום לאנדרואיד שהמפתחים שלו לא נרשמו אצל Google, חתמו על החוזה שלהם, שילמו, ומסרו להם את תעודת הזהות שלהם שהונפקה במשרדים הממשלתיים.

כל היישומים בכל המכשירים, בכל רחבי העולם, מבלי אפשרות לבטל את החסימה.

מה Google עושה

In August 2025, Google announced a new requirement: starting September 2026, every Android app developer must register centrally with Google before their software can be installed on any device. Not just Play Store apps: all apps. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software.

ההרשמה דורשת:

אם מפתח מסוים לא נענה להנחיות, היישומים שלו ייחסמו בחשאי בכל מכשירי האנדרואיד בכל רחבי העולם.

במי זה פוגע

בך

You bought an Android phone because Google told you it was open. You could install what you wanted, and that was the deal.

Google is now rewriting that deal, retroactively, on hardware you already own. After the update lands, you can only run software that Google has pre-approved. On your phone: your property, that you paid for.

במפתחים עצמאיים

בין אם זה היישום הראשון של הנער או הנערה, כלי הפרטיות הקהילתי, או תוכנית הביתא הסגורה חֶברה טכנולוגית. זה לא משנה. החל מספטמבר 2026, לא יהיה ניתן להתקין אף אחד מהיישומים האלה ללא אישורה של Google.

F-Droid, home to thousands of free and open-source Android apps, has called this an "existential" threat. Cory Doctorow calls it "Darth Android".

Governments & civil society

Google has a documented track record of complying when authoritarian regimes demand app removals. With this program, the software that runs your country's institutions will exist at the pleasure of a single unaccountable foreign corporation.

The EFF calls app gatekeeping "an ever-expanding pathway to internet censorship."

Google's "escape hatch" is a trap door

Google says "power users" can "still install" unverified apps. Here's what that actually looks like:

  1. כניסה להגדרות המערכת ואיתור האפשרויות למפתחים
  2. Tap the build number seven times to enable Developer Mode
  3. Dismiss scare screens about coercion
  4. הקלדת קוד האימות האישי
  5. הפעלה מחדש של המכשיר
  6. המתנה של 24 שעות
  7. Come back, dismiss more scare screens
  8. Pick "allow temporarily" (7 days) or "allow indefinitely"
  9. Confirm, again, that you understand "the risks"

Nine steps. A mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period. For installing software on a device you own.

Worse: this flow runs entirely through Google Play Services, not the Android OS. Google can change it, tighten it, or kill it at any time, with no OS update required and no consent needed. And as of today, it hasn't shipped in any beta, preview, or canary build. It exists only as a blog post and some mockups.

This is bigger than Android

If Google can retroactively lock down billions of devices that were sold as open platforms, every hardware manufacturer on the planet is watching.

The principle being established: the company that made your device gets to decide, after you've bought it, what software you're allowed to run. In software, this is called a "rug pull"; but at least you could always install competing software. In hardware, it is a fait accompli that strips you of your agency and renders you powerless to the whims of a single unaccountable gatekeeper and convicted monopolist.

Android's openness was never just a feature. It was the promise that distinguished it from iPhone. Millions chose Android for exactly that reason. Google is now revoking that promise unilaterally, on devices already in people's pockets, because they've decided they have enough market dominance and regulatory capture to get away with it.

Ars Technica: "Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy."

אבל רגע, האם זה לא...

"...פשוט משהו בנוגע לאבטחה?"

The security rationale is a smokescreen. Google Play Protect already scans for malware independent of developer identity. Requiring a government ID doesn't make code safer. It makes developers identifiable and controllable. Malware authors can register. Indie developers and dissidents often can't. The EFF is blunt: identity-based gatekeeping is a censorship tool, not a security one.

"...still sideloading if you use the advanced flow?"

Nine steps, 24-hour wait, buried in Developer Options, delivered through a proprietary service that Google can revoke whenever they want. That's not sideloading. That's a deterrence mechanism built to ensure almost nobody completes it. And since it runs through Play Services rather than the OS, Google can tighten or kill it silently.

"...only a problem if you have something to hide?"

Whistleblowers, journalists, and activists under authoritarian governments will be the first victims. People in domestic abuse situations are next. All these groups have legitimate reasons to distribute or use software without putting their legal identity in a Google database. Anonymous open-source contribution is a tradition older than Google itself. This policy ends it on Android.

"...the same thing Apple does?"

Apple has been a walled garden from day one. People chose Android because it was different. "Apple does it too" is a race to the bottom and a weak tu quoque argument. And under regulatory pressure (the EU's Digital Markets Act), even Apple is being forced to open up. Google is moving in the opposite direction: attempting to further entrench its gatekeeping status.

"...just $25 and some paperwork?"

Maybe, if you're a developer in the US with a credit card and a driver's license. Try being a student in sub-Saharan Africa, or a dissident in Myanmar, or a volunteer maintaining a community health app. The cost isn't only financial: you're surrendering government ID and evidence of your signing keys to a company that routinely complies with government demands to remove apps and expose developers.

נלחמים בחזרה

כולם

  • Install F-Droid on every Android device you own. Alternative stores only survive if people actually use them.
  • Contact your regulators. Regulators worldwide are genuinely concerned about monopolies and the centralization of power in the tech sector, and want to hear directly from individuals who are affected and concerned.
  • Share this page. Link to keepandroidopen.org everywhere.
  • Push back on astroturfers. The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.
  • Sign the change.org petition and join the over 100,000 signatories who have made their voices heard.
  • Read and share our open letter
  • Tell Google what you think of this through their own developer verification survey (for all the good that will do).

מפתחים

Do not sign up. Don't join the program by signing up for the Android Developer Console and agreeing to their irrevocable Terms and Conditions. Don't verify your identity. Don't play ball.

Google's plan only works if developers comply. Don't.

עובדי Google

If you know something about the program's technical implementation or internal rationale, contact tips@keepandroidopen.org from a non-work machine and a non-Gmail account. Strict confidence guaranteed.

All those opposed…

71 organizations from 23 countries have signed the open letter

Proton AG proton.me European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org Italian Linux Society ils.org OW2 ow2.org Data Rights datarights.ngo FUTO futo.org The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de XMPP Standards Foundation xmpp.org The App Fair Project appfair.org Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com Brave brave.com Unified Push unifiedpush.org IzzyOnDroid izzyondroid.org Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no Rocky Linux rockylinux.org April april.org Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) osmfoundation.org Fedimedia fedimedia.it ARTICLE 19 article19.org /e/ Foundation e.foundation FACiL facil.qc.ca CryptPad cryptpad.org Fastmail fastmail.com Open Web Advocacy open-web-advocacy.org Nextcloud nextcloud.com Ghostery ghostery.com The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org VideoLAN videolan.org Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com FOSDEM fosdem.org Aurora Store auroraoss.com OpenMedia openmedia.org The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org Tuta Mail tuta.com Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org Codeberg e.V. codeberg.org Privacy Guides privacyguides.org FULU Foundation fulu.org Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch microG microg.org GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org The Tor Project torproject.org LineageOS lineageos.org KDE e.V. kde.org Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co JMP.chat jmp.chat The Calyx Institute calyx.org La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au GrapheneOS Foundation grapheneos.org Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org Osservatorio Nessuno OdV osservatorionessuno.org GNOME Foundation gnome.org Molly molly.im The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org GitHub Store github-store.org F-Droid f-droid.org iodé iode.tech Obtainium obtainium.imranr.dev Cryptee crypt.ee The Guardian Project guardianproject.info Techlore techlore.tech AdGuard adguard.com

Read the full open letter and thank the signatories →

מה הם אומרים

Tech press

"Keep Android Open"

Linux Magazine

"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"

Android Headlines

"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"

Ars Technica

"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"

SlashGear

"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"

How-To Geek

"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"

Datamation

"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"

Slashdot

"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"

Cybernews

"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"

Bleeping Computer

"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"

Infosecurity Magazine

"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."

Thom Holwerda, OSnews

"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"

Tuta Blog

"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"

XDA Developers

"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"

How-To Geek

"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."

I-Programmer

"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

"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 kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"

The Register

"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"

TechSpot

"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"

TechRepublic

"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."

Hackaday

"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"

The Register

"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"

Reclaim The Net

"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"

Open Source For U

"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"

The New Stack

"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"

TechCrunch

"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"

How-To Geek

"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"

9to5Google

"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"

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

"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

"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"

Techzine EU

"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"

It's FOSS News

"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"

How-To Geek

"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"

Tom's Guide

"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

"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"

Android Headlines

"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"

heise online

"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"

Benzinga

"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"

The Verge

"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"

Gizmochina

"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"

Internet Freedom Foundation (India)

"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"

The Register

Editorials & analysis

ארגונים ועצומות פתוחות

"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

"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."

Osservatorio Nessuno

"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."

AdGuard

"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."

Tuta

"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."

Tuta

"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."

AdGuard

"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."

F-Droid Open Letter

"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."

European Parliament

"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

"When you set up a gate, you invite authorities to use it to block things they don't like. And when you build a database, you invite governments to try to get access."

Electronic Frontier Foundation

"This 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

"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."

AdGuard

"Changes would impose barriers to entry for individual developers, small teams and volunteer projects by imposing fees, identity checks and terms that may not align with the principles of an open ecosystem."

Infosecurity Magazine

"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."

F-Droid

"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."

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

"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."

European Pirate Party

"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."

ACLU

"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

"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."

Tuta

"This invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."

Software Freedom Conservancy

"Google 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

"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

"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."

Nextcloud

"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."

F-Droid

"Developers who choose not to use Google's services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google."

Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations

"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

"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

"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."

F-Droid

"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"

Tech-ish Kenya

"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."

AdGuard

"Google's abusive approach to the Android operating system has only gotten worse in recent years. Software freedom is sorely lacking in the 'computers in our pockets' we call cell phones."

Free Software Foundation

יוצרי תוכן וערוצי YouTube

"F-Droid is basically saying that the new Google developer registration process will likely kill the open-source app store entirely."

The Linux Experiment – YouTube

"Google is doing to Android what Microsoft once tried to do to the web. Embrace, extend, extinguish. Just wrapped in a shinier open-source package."

ChiefGyk3D – YouTube

"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

"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

"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube

"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"

Louis Rossmann – YouTube

"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

"Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out."

Louis Rossmann – YouTube

"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube

"Android has become what they set out to destroy."

Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube

"Google isn't testing this in the US or Europe first. They're starting in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Why? Because these are massive growth markets where regulation is weaker. By the time regulators catch up, the damage will already be done."

ChiefGyk3D – YouTube

"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

"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 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

"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

"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

"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."

Tuta Blog – Blog

"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

"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 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 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

"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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

"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

"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

מפתחים וקהילה

"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."

layfellow, 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

"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."

TheTearMiser, Lemmy

"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."

Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit

"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

"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 took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."

Apocryphon, Hacker News

"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."

hn92726819, Hacker News

"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."

gspr, Lobsters

"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."

BenjaminRi, Lobsters

"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

"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."

nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News

"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."

anordal, Lobsters

"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."

MrZander, 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

"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

"My Pixel 6 just broke, and after 15 years of using Android, I've finally been convinced to move to iOS. If I must live in a walled garden, I suppose I'll choose the one with nicer flowers."

yonato, Hacker News

"Google 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

"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

"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

"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."

hbn, 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

"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

"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

"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

"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."

Max-P, Lemmy

"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."

girvo, 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

"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."

vala, Lemmy

"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."

gcupc, Lobsters

"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."

masterofn001, Lemmy

"Can't come at a worse time. People are just learning to make things through vibe coding, and they're gonna want to put their own apps on their phones. And now Google says no."

Serinus, Lemmy

"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

"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

"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

"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

"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."

BenjaminRi, Lobsters

"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

"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

"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

"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

"I want to deploy apps on my device. They are my apps, it's my device, and I should not be required to ask for permission to do so."

fsniper, Hacker News

"If 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

"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."

Zak, Hacker News

"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."

survirtual, 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

"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."

Zak, Lemmy

"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."

gumby271, Hacker News

"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."

Tiraon, Tildes

"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

"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."

lynxy, Tildes

"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

"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."

koala, Lobsters

"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."

WaffleMonster, Slashdot

"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."

flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News

"We need to start treating phones differently. We're entering a world where we can't choose what we run on them. Their primary purpose is to gather data on us and serve us advertising, they're engineered for addiction, yet engaging in the world is immensely difficult without one."

specproc, Hacker News

"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."

afferi300rina, Hacker News

"You are essentially a child to them. The difference is society has decided not to step in to protect you from your abusive parents."

globular-toast, Hacker News

"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."

tejtm, Hacker News

Voices from the petition

"dont do that man "

Kaktus, change.org

"Google’s success with Android has always been built on the foundation of an open ecosystem. I am signing this petition to urge Google to preserve the right to sideload applications and install APKs. Restricting this functionality would significantly limit user autonomy, stifle innovation from independent developers, and consolidate control in a way that goes against the spirit of the platform. Android should remain a tool that gives power to its users, not one that restricts their ability to choose where their software comes from. Please keep Android open "

Pablo, change.org

"The main reason I always chose to buy Android devices for myself (and my wife and son as well) instead of iOS devices was that Android wasn't a "walled garden." Now that Google is making Android the same as iOS, I'll be looking for alternatives... "

Silas, change.org

"Google removing the freedom to install whatever software on MY device that I paid for and own goes against the android ethos. It was built on being an open project that anyone can change and use, this is why I use android over other companys. I use Fdroid for all of my apps and like to make and load my own for my own useage. If this is taken away it will be a great loss to android. "

Perry, 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

"Why do company's always get more predatory and throw away reasons that adopters use them for? We need to be less loyal to services in general because they are not loyal to us. If there is no alternatives then remove a subscription (e.g. for storage), remove/replace a feature (e.g. Google Maps to a 3rd Party, or Chrome with Brave), add friction (e.g. use a VPN, randomize your identifiable info, switch OS's). React immediately although inconvenient, because they derive much of their value from how we behave as consumers, and we cannot be complacent. We can bite back, if for anything, if they get their way we will be only one step away from out the door (adoption of something and everything outside of the Google and Apple ecosystem including the physical phone itself). Example: Fairtrade running Graphene or Calpyx or e/ OS with a Brave default browser and search. "

Robel, 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

"How Google came about to be the say all of android is probably by phone users lazyness to learn or try other Interfaces then the default paid preinstalled apps.. "

Chris, change.org

"Well google showed their true colours. Time to start migrating all my accounts away from them. What a joke. "

Jordan, change.org

"Android should be a free platform, thats why it exists, taking this away is creating a monopoly that Apple has created and has also gotten in trouble for in the EU for consumer rights "

William, change.org

"We need android to stay open "

Mark, change.org

"Android used to be all about giving its users freedom over the walled garden approach of iOS. If Google will be following the same path of Apple, they will be losing a major competitive advantage among pro users. "

Freddy, change.org

"Yeah i like the big man having control over the phone i bought. Thats the only reason i went to Android. Never again. Hope Android is dying for it "

Tobias, change.org

"Why are all these companies trying to push me to Linux? Do they not like money? "

Niel, change.org

"One of the things that makes Android special is the freedom it gives developers and users, I hope it doesn't go away. "

Chris, change.org

"Android since it start has its premisse of being a free place that you can do what you want, but with this change it is not possible anymore. This is restricting user freedom and censoring what can and cannot be displayed at android. "

Kaio, change.org

"Keep google free and open to use third party apps and app stores. "

Robert, change.org

"I signed this petition because Google is slowly turning Android into a locked down version of iOS and it's really frustrating. I bought my phone, it's my property, yet every few months they add more restrictions on APKs, more warnings, more blocks that make it annoying or impossible to install apps from outside the Play Store. Sideloading is something separate that I also want to keep fully open and easy. This isn't about security anymore it's about control and forcing everyone into their ecosystem so they can monitor and profit from everything we do. I want the freedom to install what I want on my own device without Google acting like a parent who doesn't trust me. Developers and power users especially need this ability, and regular users deserve the choice too. If we don't push back now, soon we'll have no real alternatives left and Android will lose what made it special in the first place. Please sign and share if you value your device freedom. "

Christopher, change.org

"I'm tired of the world becoming largely more authoritarian and censorial in general. Forcing developers to tie their personal identification, pay a fee to Google, and requiring one to be a part of a poorly curated program of developers makes absolutely no sense at all. It is clear this is an attempt to further monopolize the app market by Google in order to extract more profits, while also making it easier to surveil and censor owners of Android devices. As an open source developer, and privacy enthusiast, these points allow such communities to not even flourish, but to simply exist. This locking down of the operating system, while providing no meaningful alternatives WILL kill such communities. I make a point to use as many open source applications on my phone as possible, because so many applications on the Play Store are primarily data collection mechanisms with the app's advertised use being secondary. This sucks. "

Shaun, change.org

"I use Android specifically because it is a more open platform. I develop apps for myself and family members and I have no intention of becoming any kind of approved developer just to continue to do that. This is an absolute bait and switch to the most loyal of Android users and is going to drive many of us to seek out alternative operating systems. And sadly makes me want to de-google my life even further. "

greg, change.org

"Google will lose so much money from this, and frankly, we know money is all they care about. Not only is this an obvious nosedive into fascism, it's anti-consumer and I hope Google suffers for it. "

Darien, 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

"If Google does this I will move to iOS. If given a choice for locked down mobile OS I feel safer with Apple. And the way the world is going with all the horrible AI etc.. and corporate control of our lives I will take the lesser of two evils. At least with Apple you can OPT out of Apple intelligence during setup with iPhone just like with Mac OS which I recently went to after MS's windows 11. I'm pretty pessimistic about this change and realize that I will likely be purchasing my first iPhone in the end of the year. "

Trent, 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

"The whole reason I use an Android based device is for the freedom that comes with the phone. If I wanted to be governed by my cellphone manufacturer I would use an iPhone. "

Zachary, change.org

"Ts need to be stopped "

danilao, change.org

"Keep Android Open. We are not letting you form a monopoly, Google. It's OUR devices. If you continue with this, you'll remove one of the only reasons most people are not with Apple: freedom. So think about it. "

Bruno Leonel, change.org

"Dude just stop stealing our personal information already please. -_- "

Evan, change.org

"Hi, I've been using an android phone for over a decade and, like the computers I grew up with, I've been able to choose which operating system to install and where I get my apps/programs from too. There are currently a number of app stores, beyond those provided by Apple and Google. Sadly, Google has decided (https://developer.android.com/developer-verification) to use their near-monopoly position in the android market to engage in blatantly anti-competitive behaviour by requiring app developers to register with Google. Google is trying to sell this as a "security" but this "security" marketing ploy not convincing nor does it tell the whole story. Further, having put an arbitrary barrier to competition, Google has decided to charge app developers for the "privilege" of having the app on android - where previously there was no such fee (https://keepandroidopen.org/). Google has stated they will begin this from September 2026, so action is needed promptly. As an Australian, I recall the time in 2021 when Google threatened to remove it's search engine from Australians (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-55760673 and https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/inside-google-s-mothballed-plans-to-quit-search-in-australia-20231108-p5eil7) and when Google threatened to sue the Australian government in 2025 (https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/google-threatens-to-sue-if-youtube-is-included-in-australias-kids-social-media-ban/axud666av). Happily, we have not responded to their threats. This is another time to stand up, exercise our national sovereignty and make companies that operate in Australia, abide by applicable Australian legislation. Multi-nationals, like Google, are no exception. "

Colin, change.org

"Google detente. "

Angel Gabriel, change.org

"You okay Google? Isolation is never the answer. Hope you feel better soon! "

Robert, change.org

"Boydan girmek lazım "

Said, change.org

"I switched to Android OS because apple's OS is closed. There will be no upsides to Android once it is closed. I will switch back to iPhones in a heartbeat so I can be on the same system as the rest of my family. "

devin, change.org

"Open source projects are important for not just developers, but users too. Any attempt to close android would be bad for people who want to switch to secure alternatives like graphene or lineage, but also bad for android too, as it strips community development and comments which helps improve the OS. "

Nathan, change.org

"Keep android app development open! "

Samuel, change.org

"I WANT MY RIGHTS I BOUGHT THE SMARTPHONE! you can add like a warning but dont block. We want older versions of software. #ourtechourrights So many old games i used to play all gone! So many outfit7 games, old minecraft versions, shopkins, angry birds they are at risk even cut the rope "

Edu, change.org

"I’m not even a developer, but this whole Google lockdown thing ticks me off. The reason I went with Android was freedom — being able to choose where I get my apps, try stuff from outside the Play Store, and actually use my phone how I want. Now Google’s trying to turn it into another Apple-style cage. If they force everything through the Play Store, it’s not just developers that get screwed. We do too. Prices will go up because Google takes its cut, and half the cool niche or indie apps will disappear. I shouldn’t have to beg permission to install something from GitHub or F-Droid. It’s my phone, I paid for it — not some rental Google gets to control. This isn’t about safety or quality, it’s straight-up greed. Android was always the “open” option, and Google’s throwing that away. "

Jared, change.org

"Companies have been continually chipping away at our rights as owners to use our property as we see fit. From TVs to cars our ability to freely maintain, use, and expand the features of devices we paid for have been pulled slowly out from under us. This is another slowly driven nail in the coffin of our digital freedom! We need to push back and make it known that we will not continue to tolerate this. "

Donovan, change.org

"Sideloading is not a term. It is called installing. Do not take our choices away. Isn't America proud of their freedom, so don't take ours freedom away. Our device, our decisions "

Quoc Huy, change.org

"Will Android now be a copy of iOS? "

Miguel, change.org

"Google, side loading is one of the few things that made android unique. Bring it back. "

Grayson, change.org

"I like to have a choice to choose and I understand the risks, that is why I check, Google should not have monopoly over it. "

Rosalie, change.org

"google, it is not your job to parent any user on what they wish to do with the items they purchase. No one wants your control and no one asked. "

Kyi, change.org

"If this happens, Android will ko longer be an open platform with options. Google and other OEMS that they work with will be the only ones who can dictate what your own personal device can run. This also completely halts hobbyist and low income development by cutting off an extremely accessible platform and imposing a fee (Which could very easily turn into an Apple style subscription later.). So, people will not be able to easily to learn, experiment, and practice with mobile app development. Only the very few with sufficient disposable money will be able to do it. "

Jeffrey, change.org

"This will effectively remove the android edge over apple. Modifying my phone is the main reason I choose not just android but GOOGLE PIXEL phone and accessories. Literally a huge market mistake. Signed by android consumer and advocate... "

Michael, change.org

"Google can't do whatever it wants with Android. I paid for Android precisely for the freedom. If I wanted to stay in a closed system, I would have bought an iPhone. '-' "

Sandro, change.org

"They never let us have nice things, i hope we win. "

Victor, change.org

"Freedom has not been free. I had to change my name to even talk here without feeling like I am spied on. Let the people be free and happiness shall come, that is all I want to add. "

Fawks, change.org

"Just another horrible move from Big Tech companies to further control the rate of which Technology can advance. The only thing I enjoyed about Android - it being very open source and developer friendly - but now that it is being threatened, maybe I should start rallying towards buying ACTUAL Open-Sourced Tech instead of prioritizing capital gain instead of Technical Advancements. "

Aaron, change.org

"Now we cant even test our own projects on android without licking the boots of microslop "

William, change.org

"I am Japanese and using translation. I am deeply disappointed about this matter. There is no need to restrict the great features of Android. If only a limited number of people can develop, it will only lead to the decline of content. Please stop making things worse. "

成田, change.org

"I use android for one and one singular reason. Freedom. If I download malware, that's my own damn fault! Being "approved" by google just means following their political agenda, never these protective measures mean anything good. We didn't asked for this, no consumer wants this, WE DON'T NEED PROTECTION. WE. AREN'T. CHILDREN! "

Henrique, 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

"Anyone who wants to write an Android app should be fully allowed, and should never be forced to pay for your own program through fees. "

Keiran, change.org

"Let's fight for our freedom. "

Juan, change.org

"This errodes competition by giving Google more control over what content is easily allowed. Fundamentally, this is anti-competition and a way for Google to cement their ability as the "taste maker" for Android devices. "

David, change.org

"Guys, let's join forces and stop Google from putting these restrictions on Android. "

Kettisson, change.org

"I use Android because of it's ease of use. If this goes through, I will be installing a completely different OS. This is Microsoft forcing us to download Windows 11 all over again. "

Aden, change.org

"It's my phone that I bought with my money. Why is Google allowed to determine what apps I install on it? "

Eugene, change.org

"I use android because it is an open platform. If this goes through, developers will stop making apps so I might as well move to apple. "

John, change.org

"I buy android to be able to customize my phone as I please. If you do this you lose a loyal customer of over 20 years. "

Jamell, change.org

"Our phone, our rights. Open source is freedom. We will not comply, we will turn to alternatives. "

Foghorne, 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

"This ridiculous, anti consumer move from google is going to make me completely stop using their products. it will essentially make android the same as ios, and i specifically bought android phones to have more freedom. i might as well get an iphone now. "

Lewis, change.org

"I am very conceded that our government and big technology is building a electronic prison to enslave humanity. Google is working to this end by implementing tactics like requiring their permission to create and use apps that big government and big technology approve. This is evil and must be stopped if we are to have any freedom and privacy. "

Pamela, change.org

"this is so dumb, and it makes the whole reason i got an android pointless. i might as well go back to ios but ill probably give pinephone a shot "

Spencer, change.org

"https://keepandroidopen.org/ "

Shrewd, change.org

"Apenas apoio "

Immer, change.org

"Google, don't be evil. "

Eric, change.org

"Locking Android down is an evil decision and completely goes against the original design intention. If this happens, I will no longer use ANY google products and services and publicly boycott. "

Chris, change.org

"We need to live free with our freedom, Apk files is the only reason that I use Android device. "

Laurent, change.org

"Hold Google accountable to the original vision of Android. Stop Google from limiting APK file usage. "

Jeff, change.org

"When I'm bored, I don't look through the play store - it's full of ads and mind-numbing time wasters. Instead, I look through f-droid, which is full of solo developer apps designed to actually be useful and solve a problem. Maybe a problem unique to that one developer, but it's always interesting to look at. We flock to Android because apple doesn't let us side-load. Why take away something that is core to many users experience and has only limited security problems? We all know this isn't about security, it's about control. It's my phone, let me do what I want with it. (And don't even get me started about Android's rollback "protection" >:( ) "

Spencer, change.org

"I will switch to iOS and get rid of my android devices and Google home setup if this policy is implemented. I use android because it is open. If Google makes it an inferior version of the iPhone then I will switch over to iPhone. "

Scott, change.org

"To block sideload in all newer Android devices, not only for Pixel phones that Google own, is not going to enhance user's safety. It makes life more difficult for developers and you are taking away one of the only things that made Android better than Apple. If Google really wanted to enhance users' safety, they would verify better apps on their Play Store or implement a better antivirus that could scan apks and check for malware. I bought my phone and my tablet with my hardwork and money, I am not a child to not know what I should or shouldn't install inside my phone. Imagine if I couldn't install a necessary software in my computer or test my code just because Microsoft didn't approve of it? That would be absurd. It is my responsibility to know what I can or cannot install in my device, that is not up to a multi-billion company to decide. By blocking sideload, Google is breaking the trust they had from thousands of developers and millions of users of this OS. "

Bianca, change.org

"The whole reason I choose Android over iOS is because of the choices I have when I purchase the device. Android make me feel that I own the device. However, if Android takes iOS's walled garden approach there's little reason to select Android over iOS. "

Tyler, change.org

"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

"You are BETRAYING the loyal users who went against the social hype crowd and went with Android over Apple because of your damn promises of keeping Android as an open platform!! I never purchased an iPhone because of the locked OS and refused to purchase the first iPhone when it was released and instead went for the G Droid!! DO YOU A**HOLES REALIZE HOW MUCH WE WERE LAUGHED AT, LOOKED DOWN ON, CUT OUT OF GROUP CHATS WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY, BEING THE BUTT OF THE GREEN BUBBLE JOKES, BEING TOLD "EWWW GREEN BUBBLES!!" "ARE YOU POOR? NO WHY? YOU HAVE THE GREEN BUBBLES AND THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T AFFORD AN IPHONE" AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD END AS WE BECAME ADULTS BUT NO IT STILL HAPPENED TO US!!! AFTER ALL OUR LOYAL SUPPORT OVER DECADES THE THANKS WE GET IS YOU UNGRATEFUL A**HOLES TURNING ON US WITH THIS GARBAGE? AS IF WE'RE TOO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO KEEP SAFE WHILE USING OUR ANDROID DEVICES? I PRAY THOSE ANTITRUST LAWSUITS SPLIT YOUR COMPANY INTO PIECES!! IF IT HAPPENS TO GO THROUGH THERE IS LITERALLY NO MORE REASON TO STAY ON ANDROID AND I WILL HAPPILY GO TO APPLE AT LEAST THEY DON'T LIE AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE OS IS LOCKED!! "

Armen, change.org

"This is very clearly about "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" and Google/Alphabet cashing in on control, rather than any kind of measure for protection or security. The main appeal of Android to most users was the openness, transparency, and extensibility, and with this move, all of these are being harmed. "

Anubis, 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

"This is a huge advantage over ios, you can't take this away 😢 "

Abhinav, change.org

"Yeah, when you buy a product it belongs to you. You can do whatever you want with your product. I like it open source since it gives full control on the potential you can do with your cellphone. I don't need a nanny telling any consumer what to do or monitor constantly on where I go. I don't like having to give out my personal information to a corporation that has had history of abusing personal information of users. And I don't like the direction it's going by making everything closed source. Android would be no different than Apple. I'm considering purchasing a linux phone so that I can fully have privacy and some form of freedom. Hope this will be a start of a change. Have an odd feeling Android will be going in the direction of what Discord is trying to implement with biometrics and building a profile off of the user of the things the user searches, the contacts the user has, and even the calls. Enough said. "

Cely, change.org

"As a user STOP! What made me choose Android over iOS is the openness of it. By doing this you are killing what make android great, the fact that everyone can make an app and load it on his phone. You don't have iOS fan base. We will go elsewhere. "

marie-france, 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

"Keep it open source! "

Brad, change.org

"Please, allow for users to make exceptions or some other control, keep Android flexible. "

Boris, change.org

"No reason to own a google device if I am limited in what I can do with it. "

Salvatore, change.org

"There are so many useful apps outside of the play store, including medical apps. It would limit us and restrict our freedoms to do as well please with OUR phones. Android began as an alternative to IOS that didn't limit side loading and alternative apps. Android restricting APKs is a violation of what they stand for and our rights as smartphone owners. This cannot happen. "

Lia, change.org

"Communities survive and thrive based on their ability to collaborate and share. Android is the superior platform in my eyes because it's not a closed garden that requires tithe to be paid to some arbitrary group to function. Requiring developers to cede to Google for the simple opportunity to exist would greatly hinder creativity and limit the scope of what an app could do. Were this to go forward, I would certainly be looking to alternatives for my phone and app needs, even if it is inconvenient and difficult. "

Joel, change.org

"I have advocated for android over apple for years in large part due to freedom of software and hardware choices. Ive gotten many to convert over. If google implements this change it will be a huge problem and make me and many others start considering alternative options. Google, be a pioneer and supporter of developers worldwide, not a stifler of technology and innovation. "

Emmanuel, change.org

"Wasn't the whole point of android the freedom to do anything you wanted because it wasn't a locked down system? "

snot, change.org

"I have Android phones for just one reason: The freedom they provided so far. Some of my main apps are side-loaded. This move of Google is a huge disappointment. It’s a terrible abuse of monopoly power. "

Andreas, change.org

"Keeping android open would be doing the right thing, if that is still the motto google believes in among hopefully not doing evil. I would hate to see the platform that prided itself on being open and lending itself to it's community of users and manufacturers, betray the very reason it built up the strong and varied ecosystem it is today. I would like strongly urge those in power of this decision to reconsider, not as a threat, but to see the something great, remain great. "

Kyle, change.org

"Independent application distribution and creation is incredibly important and is one of the core reasons that I use Android over Apple devices. It's fine to prefer users access apps from a controlled "safe" store, but eliminating the possibility of installing outside applications is definitely not okay. There's no reason for this other than greed both monetary and data Creed. This is not okay for Google to do. "

Brandon, change.org

"Android has always been about freedom and customization. Let's keep it that way "

Jacob, change.org

"Android is betraying it's one purpose, the "don't be evil" "

M, change.org

"I really don't want this to happen because downloading external applications is what makes this operating system special: it allows you to be free to do whatever you want with your phone. I don't want it to become an iPhone 2.0. Please don't do it. "

Dark, change.org

"This will affect corporate privacy for those that rely on FOSS. Personal and Business privacy will be even more at risk if these changes are applied. From the Conglomerate owner to the DIY hobbyist, we will all be affected only negatively by this. So much of the world relies and depends of FOSS, and with the already dying privacy, many people are going to be literally put at risk of injury or cessation of life because of these changes. No this isn't an overstatement, I'm serious. The amount of NDIS and NDIA workers that use FOSS to protect their clients and their information is staggering. And this will effectively cause them to provide a lower quality service. "

Tobias, change.org

"#NoMoreCorruption "

Russell, change.org

"Thair trying to take everything that gives free people power and control. We need to stop them, stop the billionaires, stop the corrupt officials, stop Israel, stop the child abusers. The more you undermine there control the better for it is for everyone. "

Octavio, change.org

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Take Action Full resource list, regulator contacts, links for every country, and how to fight back Open Letter Read the open letter signed by organizations opposing developer verification

קנית את הטלפון מכספך.
אמורה להיות לך הזכות להחליט מה להפעיל בו.

That shouldn't require a 9-step process, a 24-hour wait, and Google's ongoing permission.

נא לשתף את העמוד הזה, לא להירשם. לא ניתן להם להפוך את אנדרואיד לסגורה.