Ponsel Anda akan segera berhenti menjadi milik Anda sepenuhnya.

89 hari menjelang penguncian total

Mulai 2027*, sebuah pembaruan senyap yang diterapkan oleh Google tanpa persetujuan pengguna akan memblokir setiap aplikasi Android yang pengembangnya belum terdaftar di Google, menandatangani kontrak, melakukan pembayaran, serta menyerahkan identitas resmi pemerintah.

Berlaku bagi setiap aplikasi dan setiap perangkat di seluruh dunia, tanpa opsi untuk menolak.

↓

Apa yang dilakukan Google

Pada Agustus 2025, Google mengumumkan persyaratan baru: mulai 2027, setiap pengembang aplikasi Android harus mendaftar secara terpusat ke Google sebelum perangkat lunak mereka dapat diinstal di perangkat apa pun. Bukan hanya aplikasi Play Store: semua aplikasi. Ini termasuk aplikasi yang dibagikan antar teman, didistribusikan melalui F-Droid, yang dibuat oleh para penggemar untuk penggunaan pribadi. Pengembang independen, kelompok keagamaan dan komunitas, serta para pehobi, semuanya akan terhalang untuk dapat mengembangkan dan mendistribusikan perangkat lunak mereka.

Pendaftaran memerlukan:

Jika pengembang tidak patuh, aplikasi mereka akan diblokir secara diam-diam di setiap perangkat Android di seluruh dunia.

Siapa yang dirugikan

Anda

Anda membeli ponsel Android karena Google memberi tahu Anda bahwa platform ini terbuka. Anda bisa memasang apa pun yang Anda inginkan, dan itulah kesepakatannya.

Google kini mengubah ketentuan tersebut secara retroaktif, berlaku untuk perangkat keras yang sudah Anda miliki. Setelah pembaruan diterapkan, Anda hanya dapat menjalankan perangkat lunak yang telah disetujui sebelumnya oleh Google. Di ponsel Anda: milik Anda, yang Anda bayar.

Pengembang independen

Aplikasi pertama seorang remaja, alat privasi seorang relawan, atau beta internal rahasia sebuah perusahaan. Tidak masalah. Pada 2027, tidak satu pun dari ini dapat dipasang tanpa restu Google.

F-Droid, rumah bagi ribuan aplikasi Android gratis dan bersumber terbuka, menyebut hal ini sebagai ancaman "eksistensial". Cory Doctorow menyebutnya “Darth Android”.

Pemerintah & masyarakat sipil

Google memiliki rekam jejak yang tercatat dalam menuruti permintaan rezim otoriter untuk menghapus aplikasi. Dengan program ini, perangkat lunak yang menggerakkan lembaga-lembaga di negara Anda akan bergantung sepenuhnya pada kehendak sebuah perusahaan asing yang tidak bertanggung jawab.

EFF melabeli praktik pembatasan aplikasi sebagai 'jalur sensor internet yang terus berkembang'."

"Pintu keluar" Google adalah sebuah jebakan.

Google mengatakan "pengguna tingkat lanjut" masih bisa "memasang" aplikasi yang tidak terverifikasi. Inilah sebenarnya seperti apa prosesnya:"

  1. Masuk ke Setelan Sistem, cari Pilihan Pengembang
  2. Ketuk nomor build tujuh kali untuk mengaktifkan Mode Pengembang
  3. Abaikan layar peringatan tentang paksaan
  4. Masukkan PIN Anda
  5. Mulai ulang perangkat
  6. Tunggu 24 jam
  7. Kembali lagi, abaikan lebih banyak layar peringatan
  8. Pilih "izinkan sementara" (7 hari) atau "izinkan selamanya"
  9. Konfirmasikan, sekali lagi, bahwa Anda memahami "risikonya"

Sembilan langkah. Masa tunggu wajib 24 jam. Untuk memasang perangkat lunak pada perangkat yang Anda miliki sendiri.

Lebih buruk lagi: alur ini berjalan sepenuhnya melalui Layanan Google Play, bukan OS Android. Google dapat mengubah, memperketat, atau mematikannya kapan saja, tanpa perlu pembaruan OS dan tanpa persetujuan.

Persoalan ini lebih besar daripada sekadar Android

Apabila Google dapat secara retroaktif membatasi akses pada miliaran perangkat yang dipasarkan sebagai platform terbuka, maka setiap produsen perangkat keras di seluruh dunia kini tengah mengamati langkah tersebut.

Prinsip yang sedang ditegakkan adalah: perusahaan manufaktur perangkat Anda berhak menentukan perangkat lunak apa yang diizinkan untuk dijalankan, bahkan setelah transaksi pembelian selesai dilakukan. Dalam industri perangkat lunak, praktik ini dikenal sebagai "rug pull" (pencabutan dukungan secara mendadak); namun, dalam situasi tersebut setidaknya Anda masih memiliki kemungkinan untuk memasang perangkat lunak kompetitor. Dalam konteks perangkat keras, hal ini merupakan sebuah fait accompli yang merampas kedaulatan pengguna dan menjadikan Anda tidak berdaya di hadapan kehendak sepihak dari penjaga gerbang (gatekeeper) tunggal yang tidak akuntabel serta pelaku monopoli yang telah terbukti.

Keterbukaan Android tidak pernah sekadar berfungsi sebagai sebuah fitur semata. Hal tersebut merupakan sebuah janji yang membedakannya dari iPhone. Jutaan orang memilih Android tepat karena alasan tersebut. Kini, Google membatalkan janji itu secara sepihak pada perangkat yang sudah berada dalam genggaman masyarakat, karena mereka merasa telah memiliki dominasi pasar dan pengaruh terhadap regulasi (regulatory capture) yang cukup kuat untuk melakukannya tanpa konsekuensi berarti.

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

Namun, bukankah ini...

"...hanya demi keamanan?"

Dalih keamanan hanyalah sebuah tabir asap. Google Play Protect sudah melakukan pemindaian malware secara mandiri tanpa bergantung pada identitas pengembang. Mewajibkan identitas resmi pemerintah (ID) tidak membuat kode program menjadi lebih aman; hal tersebut hanya membuat pengembang dapat diidentifikasi dan dikendalikan. Pembuat malware tetap dapat mendaftarkan diri, sementara pengembang independen dan aktivis sering kali tidak mampu melakukannya. EFF menegaskan dengan lugas: kontrol akses (gatekeeping) berbasis identitas adalah alat sensor, bukan instrumen keamanan.

"...tetap dikategorikan sebagai sideloading jika menggunakan prosedur lanjutan?"

Sembilan tahapan prosedur, waktu tunggu 24 jam, opsi yang tersembunyi di dalam menu Opsi Pengembang, dan dijalankan melalui layanan berpemilik (proprietary) yang aksesnya dapat dicabut Google kapan saja. Itu bukanlah sideloading. Itu adalah sebuah mekanisme penghambat yang dirancang sedemikian rupa agar hampir tidak ada pengguna yang mampu menyelesaikannya. Dan karena prosedur ini berjalan melalui Layanan Google Play (Play Services) dan bukan melalui sistem operasi (OS), Google dapat memperketat atau menghentikan fungsi tersebut secara diam-diam.

"...hanya menjadi masalah bagi mereka yang menyembunyikan sesuatu?"

Pelapor tindak pidana (whistleblowers), jurnalis, dan aktivis di bawah rezim otoriter akan menjadi korban pertama. Kelompok masyarakat dalam situasi kekerasan domestik adalah berikutnya. Semua kelompok ini memiliki alasan yang sah untuk mendistribusikan atau menggunakan perangkat lunak tanpa harus menyerahkan identitas legal mereka ke dalam basis data Google. Kontribusi sumber terbuka (open-source) secara anonim adalah tradisi yang lebih tua dari Google itu sendiri. Kebijakan ini mengakhiri tradisi tersebut di platform Android.

"...praktik yang sama dengan yang dilakukan Apple?"

Apple telah menjadi ekosistem tertutup sejak hari pertama. Masyarakat memilih Android karena ia berbeda. Argumen bahwa "Apple juga melakukannya" adalah sebuah perlombaan menuju standar terendah dan merupakan argumen tu quoque yang lemah. Bahkan di bawah tekanan regulasi (seperti Undang-Undang Pasar Digital/DMA di Uni Eropa), Apple kini mulai dipaksa untuk membuka diri. Sebaliknya, Google justru bergerak ke arah yang berlawanan: berupaya untuk semakin memperkuat statusnya sebagai penjaga gerbang (gatekeeper).

"...hanya persoalan biaya 25 dolar dan beberapa berkas administrasi?"

Mungkin demikian jika Anda adalah seorang pengembang di Amerika Serikat yang memiliki kartu kredit dan surat izin mengemudi. Namun, bayangkan jika Anda adalah seorang mahasiswa di Afrika bagian selatan, seorang aktivis di Myanmar, atau seorang sukarelawan yang mengelola aplikasi kesehatan masyarakat. Biaya yang harus dibayar bukan sekadar finansial: Anda menyerahkan identitas resmi pemerintah dan bukti kunci penandatanganan aplikasi (signing keys) kepada perusahaan yang secara rutin mematuhi tuntutan pemerintah untuk menghapus aplikasi dan mengungkap identitas pengembang.

Langkah Perlawanan

Semua Orang

  • Pasang F-Droid pada setiap perangkat Android milik Anda. Toko aplikasi alternatif hanya dapat bertahan jika masyarakat benar-benar menggunakannya.
  • Hubungi otoritas regulasi Anda. Regulator di seluruh dunia tengah menaruh perhatian serius terhadap isu monopoli dan sentralisasi kekuasaan di sektor teknologi. Mereka perlu mendengar langsung dari individu yang terdampak dan merasa prihatin.
  • Sebarluaskan laman ini. Bagikan tautan keepandroidopen.org kemana saja
  • Lawan narasi semu (astroturfing). Kelompok "tapi, sebenarnya..." sedang gencar beraksi. Jangan biarkan mereka menentukan narasi.
  • Tanda tangani petisi change.org dan bergabunglah dengan lebih dari 100.000 penandatangan yang telah menyuarakan aspirasi mereka.
  • Baca dan sebarluaskan surat terbuka kami
  • Sampaikan pendapat Anda kepada Google melalui survei verifikasi pengembang milik mereka sendiri (terlepas dari seberapa besar dampaknya nanti).

Pengembang

Jangan mendaftarkan diri. Jangan bergabung dalam program ini melalui Konsol Pengembang Android dan menyetujui Syarat dan Ketentuan mereka yang bersifat mengikat secara hukum. Jangan melakukan verifikasi identitas. Jangan berkompromi.

Rencana Google hanya akan berhasil jika pengembang patuh. Jangan.

Karyawan Google

Apabila Anda memiliki informasi terkait implementasi teknis program ini atau latar belakang internalnya, silakan hubungi tips@keepandroidopen.org menggunakan perangkat bukan milik kantor dan akun non-Gmail. Kami menjamin kerahasiaan identitas Anda sepenuhnya.

Semua yang menentang…

71 organisasi dari 23 negara telah menandatangani surat terbuka

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

Baca surat terbuka selengkapnya dan berikan apresiasi kepada para penandatangan →

Apa yang mereka katakan

Pers teknologi

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

Cybernews

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

How-To Geek

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

Open Source For U

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

Infosecurity Magazine

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

The Verge

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

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

"Keep Android Open"

Linux Magazine

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

The Register

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

How-To Geek

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

Thom Holwerda, OSnews

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

heise online

"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"

InfoWorld

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

Tom's Guide

"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

"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"

The New Stack

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

Android Headlines

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

Android Headlines

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

It's FOSS News

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

Reclaim The Net

"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."

Android Police

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

I-Programmer

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

SlashGear

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

XDA Developers

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

How-To Geek

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

Gizmochina

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

Ars Technica

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

Android Headlines

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

The Register

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

Slashdot

"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"

The Register

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

Bleeping Computer

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

9to5Google

"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

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

TechSpot

"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"

MakeUseOf

"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"

Ars Technica

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

Datamation

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

TechCrunch

"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

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

Benzinga

"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"

Internet Freedom Foundation (India)

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

Tuta Blog

Editorial & analisis

Organisasi & surat terbuka

"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

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

AdGuard

"This extends Google's gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role."

Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations

"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

"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

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

Tech-ish Kenya

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

Tuta

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

Nextcloud

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

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

European Parliament

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

F-Droid Open Letter

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

F-Droid

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

F-Droid

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

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

"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

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

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

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

AdGuard

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

Tuta

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

Osservatorio Nessuno

"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

"A policy that forces every Android developer to hand their identity to Google, regardless of whether they use Google's services, makes Android a less-open and less-private platform."

Brave

YouTuber & kreator

"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

"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

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

Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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

"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

"That's not openness. That is control."

ChiefGyk3D – YouTube

"I'm not using the word 'phone.' I'm using the word 'computer.' This has over 8 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage. It's a computer. And I'm also not going to be using words like 'sideload.' When you download an exe file onto your Windows computer, you've installed an application. You haven't 'sideloaded' something."

Louis Rossmann – YouTube

"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

"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

"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

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

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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

"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."

fireborn – Blog

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

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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 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

"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 fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."

Switched to Linux – YouTube

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

ChiefGyk3D – YouTube

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

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube

"This 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

"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

Pengembang & komunitas

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

survirtual, Hacker News

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

layfellow, Hacker News

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

MrZander, Hacker News

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

tejtm, Hacker News

"There's an entire genre of scamming where the scammers spend months building rapport with their victims before cashing out. One day is nothing."

free_bip (on the 24-hour wait defeating scammers), Hacker News

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

Apocryphon, 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

"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."

masterofn001, Lemmy

"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

"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

"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

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

WaffleMonster, Slashdot

"Don't beg. Don't get in a position that freedoms depend on the whims of a corporation or willingness of a government to regulate them. Build."

jzb, Lobsters

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

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

vala, Lemmy

"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."

harry8, Hacker News

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

anordal, Lobsters

"It is a disgrace how Google has managed this situation. The promised 'advanced flow' hasn't appeared in any Android 16 or 17 betas. Google is quietly proceeding with the original lockdown."

fermigier, Hacker News

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

hbn, 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

"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

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

hn92726819, 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

"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

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

girvo, 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

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

yonato, Hacker News

"I 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

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

Max-P, Lemmy

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

gumby271, Hacker News

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

gcupc, Lobsters

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

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

lynxy, Tildes

"Making it harder makes it harder to treat ourselves. Software like AndroidAPS is unique. It's hard to find or very expensive and inferior in the proprietary market."

pimeys (diabetic user on life-critical medical software), Lobsters

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

flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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

"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

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

Zak, 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

"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

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

BenjaminRi, Lobsters

"This isn't just a competition between app stores; it's a struggle for choice and dignity. Your phone shouldn't be a cage carefully constructed by others, but an extension of your own will."

renshijian, Hacker News

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

afferi300rina, 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

"Years ago, I wondered how Google would try to get away with locking down Android and shutting the cage door after capturing such a large dependent user base. Now I see how they are trying to get away with it."

chaznabin, Reddit

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

BenjaminRi, Lobsters

"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

"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

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

koala, Lobsters

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

gspr, Lobsters

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

Zak, Lemmy

"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

Suara dari petisi

"Removing the freedom that Android provides is not the right way at all. If this is enacted, developers will lose their privacy because they have to give their government ID to a tech giant that also has an ad firm and the OS will not be different than its competition. I got an Android device because of the freedom it gave me, and it's sad to have thoughts about switching to iOS. "

Zach, change.org

"#NoMoreCensorship "

Russell, change.org

"As an open-source developer and enthusiast, Google requiring ID Verification is not only unethical, but unsafe, anti-competitor, monopolistic, and is one of the major reasons why people like me switched to using MicroG instead of GApps. "

Garry, change.org

"Google get out of MY phone! "

Mauro, change.org

"the whole point of android is it's not apple, atp I'll just put linux on my phone "

a, change.org

"Save Android !! Without it being open-source and freely usable, there *is* no good alternative to iOS, simply a mere copy of Apple's notoriously awful anti-consumer model. Personally, I won't stand for this blatantly money-focused and privacy-inhibiting change, and you shouldn't either! "

Brandon, change.org

"Doing such would result in possibly riots absolute loss of sales possibly people boycotting Google because of this I don't think it's a good idea I think it could possibly turn the world into chaos just this little thing is a tipping point anything could be Thank you for listening I appreciate your time. "

Matthew, change.org

"User Freedom is the Android standard, what the user chooses to do with his Android device is done under his own accountability. This is an attempt to monopolize and monetize the users "choice" by removing all avenues aside from google's approved path. Sideloading is not a risk that google is trying to protect their users from, it is a risk to their revenue that would come from selling you a tool made of easily copyable code, since all purchases made from apps installed through "normal means" give 30% of that revenue to google. What google wants is money, and they get money by placing their own guiding rails on your attention. they give you a free app that sustains itself with either some "full version purchase/subscription" or google's own ad platform. Their ads are another form of revenue to google, as well as app developers, though they have the downside of attempting to guide your attention away from what you're doing at the time and stimulate you into spending on whatever is being sponsored to be shown to you. There are thousands of apps on the play store, there are thousands more on other sources, and the very ones on the play store are subject to a policy of "update your app within x years or it will be removed from the play store;" this is a death sentence to any developer that simply wants to create a tool to help others by having to constantly update, then having to have some way to make it sustainable by some form of monetization since it's going to have an upkeep. It's either this, or being "doomed to obscurity outside the play store." In every step of the ladder of usage, google wants to have more money, search for an app, sponsored results first, then actual search query response, start downloading an app, the layout changes to show multiple carousels of sponsored apps "tailored to you," open an app, ads, wherever they can be, chosen by years of usage tracking and market control research, making money to google because companies will pay to have their names spread to gather attention, pay for services, subscriptions, and tools, giving 30% of it to google. A company like google measures its success by how much money they make, while the creators of tools, services, and games read through their mail, appreciating good reviews and crying about bad ones because passion is what led them to create. Take GitHub for example, a site comprised entirely to sharing code, entire project libraries free and open-source for anyone to use. Take StackExchange, multiple forums where questions and answers between experts of hundreds of subjects ranging from pure mathematics to writing to Dungeons & Dragons. Take Anna's Archive, a long-standing attempt to preserve literature media and providing methods to acces, preserve, and add to over 63 million books and 95 million papers, all for free. The average person is not me, but the average person includes large numbers of people younger than me that will accept whatever comes to their hands at the end of the day, it includes large numbers of people older than me that will be glad of an oversimplified process that won't take from their time. We need to be lucid enough to not waste time, the old will have too little time to care how they're being led, and the young will be raised into being led and believe it's natural. We need to show that our time is a value to each of us, and be strong enough to not sell our time to the well-oiled machine made to line a distant someone's pockets. "

Carlos, change.org

"Google, let us keep being able to install whatever we want on our own devices. Otherwise there isn't really a reason to NOT get an iPhone because your platform isn't really open anymore. Don't alienate a large portion of your tech savvy customers and developers. Eliminating the possibility for people to write and distribute their own apps would harm the Android ecosystem. You would kill the pipeline for new developers to work their way up to creating the next big thing and your marketshare would suffer as a result. "

Sam, change.org

"The entire reason I left the Apple ecosystem and came back to Android is because of the freedom you get with installing any app you want. If Google locks down app installations, there will be zero reason for me to still stay on an Android opereting system. Don't be evil, Google. "

Amirali, change.org

"Limiting developer and user freedom in the name of "safety" or whatever will only bring Android down to iOS's level. Don't make this mistake, Google! We must keep the right to make and use APKs freely! "

Julian, 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

"if there is no evolution there must be revolution "

Joshua, change.org

"If the current plan moves forward, the few advantages of freedom on Android will be lost, because inhibiting the use of APKs reduces the user's freedom more than its risks, especially because the lack of security on Android is not limited to using APKs from external sources, but using websites or any file from malicious sources, which are not necessarily an APK. If you really want security, should you also disable Android's access to the internet to avoid downloading malicious files, or are you only interested in APKs? Finally, Google Play is not necessarily better than an external store, because it does not expose the source code of Apps to be investigated and verified, unlike F-Droid, for example, which has numerous criteria for uploading apps and prioritizes verifiable FOSS apps. In my opinion, this change is not aimed at the user... "

Gabriel, change.org

"My phone, my apps Let me do what I want or else an iPhone will be my phone "

Aaron, change.org

"I'll be concise. This is not the right direction to go. This really is a monopoly and openness is the right choice. You're causing more harm than good and people's freedom of choice needs to be addressed. Thank you. "

Aaron, change.org

"Google already has too much to say on which apps one is allowed to run on their phone. Play Integrity already ruins the Android experience for most custom ROM users and now they're going for side loading, too. This has to stop. "

Alexander, change.org

"If this doesn't get changed then I'm switching to Apple. "

Julia, change.org

"I do not like doing this to Google but if I have to I will format my phone and I will switch it over to Kiley "

Jonathan, change.org

"We shouldn't accept the platform being closed and controlled this way, reach out to the anti-monopoly institutions in your respective countries! "

Cristian Nicolas, change.org

"let's go, ! Keep Android alive! "

jorge, change.org

"Android was always advertised as an open OS for anyone, and was like Windows or Linux, supporting unsigned app installs. If need to use ADB to install some indie app for things, or need to go through a development environment just to install a singular random app, then I might as well switch to iOS, as Android just lost it's best weapon in the battle against Apple. "

Trenton, change.org

"Keep Android like it started, open and free for anyone! "

Edgar, change.org

"Funny how a principle as straightforward as “don’t be evil” can still turn out to be surprisingly difficult to live up to. "

JV, change.org

"I've always chosen to use Android because I want to have control of how I use my phone. I know installing something might cause problems, but after all it's my decision and my phone too! If I wanted to be "more safe" I'd buy a phone with iOS. Let the users decide how they want to use their phones at their own risk. "

Nicky, change.org

"Take that away and you've destroyed Android. Google's trustworthiness is depths of hell low, and now you want even more control. Disgusting. The last bastion for Android was it's open freedoms compared to Apple, explicitly the ability to install apps without the store without verification. Allowing me to build and install my own creations. You must envision everyone in the entire world as some consumer archetype that just has feeding tubes of corporate sludge go into the consumers digestive tract. You can't imagine anyone innovating for fun not profit, making art and exploring science without corporate approvals. Your world is disgusting and I hate it. "

Aiden, 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

"It's Android's openness that has allowed its development and evolution to this day. To close it would break the promise of an open system and deprive users of great freedom! "

Stark, change.org

"Google always voiced themselves as the "Open Platform" in direct competition with Apple. With the lockdown happening, there is no more competition. It's either "isolated OS" or "fellow isolated OS". In today's day and age, especially, the people value and are drawn to the ability to make their own choices without the difficulties and frustrations of being restricted and banned from doing something. It's *why* so many people switched to Android/ Google devices, and *why* so many Android/Google users *refuse* to use Apple products. The lockdown is just creating another Apple under a different company. "

Amelia, change.org

"Keep android open to all developers. If this goes into effect I'm done with offial android. I don't care what devices I have to use moving forward but it will not be android devices. "

david, change.org

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

Jordan, change.org

"Thie is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but censorship and control everywhere these past several months. They'll all burn for it. "

Jeffrey, change.org

"With Google aiming to lockdown Android, what makes it any different than Apple? The only reason I and many others opt for Android is because it's openness! "

Christian, change.org

"I moved from iOS to Android, to get back the freedom of using my phone according to my wishes. I have a lot of friends who did too. We all condemn this attempt by Google to enshittify Android. Protection and imposition are not the same. Google, don't be evil. "

Max, change.org

"I purchased an Android device just recently and had to send it back because I disliked how central to the user experience Google made itself on the new device. I could never see myself buying another Android if it gets worse than this, and Googles limits on APK file usage is definitely worse. "

Donna Grace, change.org

"I want to have the option of what to download and how to download it because if I wanted something restricted I would use Apple "

Sergio, change.org

"Smh users should be allowed to install whatever they want "

Challen, change.org

"What software I choose to create or install on my computing devices, no matter whether they fit in a pocket, is my choice alone. Google, Microsoft, Apple, et al. have zero business trying to arbitrate how I use the hardware that I own. Android is quickly becoming the very thing it swore to destroy--an opaque, locked-down, walled garden where the very concept of ownership is drawn into question--and I am already taking steps to distance myself from it should the worst come to pass. "

James, change.org

"my devices are mine and mine only. any argument otherwise is tyrannical "

Dee, change.org

"I've been using Android since I was little. Openness of the system was the main reason why I never chose Apple, and never will. Google crosses all lines and has no right to do any promises ever! "

Emil, change.org

"I use android phones and coordinate my digital life using the Google ecosystem. I chose Android/Google because although I loved the iPhone and iOS, I didn't want to use a closed digital environment. I don't "sideload" apps on my phone, just like I don't "sideload" programs on my laptop. I install apps myself, outside of the Google Play Store. I've rooted many of my phones too, for many different reasons. There's nothing illegal going on, I simply want things on my phone to look and function a certain way. When Google takes away my ability to install apps myself in September, it will eliminate it's primary advantage over Apple. When my current phone contract ends I'll buy an iPhone instead of a Samsung or other Android OS phone. There are millions of other people, like myself, that will do the exact same thing. "

John, change.org

"Android has always been shown as an open platform, made for the users to freely develop and share software for it. This change however, goes completely against this picture shown to us and also goes against the freedom and privacy of any developer that still wishes to continue having their work running on the platform; This change isn't safe for anyone but for those that want control of what we do and what we think. "

Jazmin, change.org

"The reason I don't like the IPhone ecosystem is because of how restricted it is, inwas able to support games or authors who don't publish on Google playstore due to what country they live "

Hairon, change.org

"I believe increasingly closed ecosystems lend not only to the monopolization of tech but are a threat to the digital sovereignty of individuals worldwide making them susceptible to government and corporate surveillance. "

Adrian, 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

"Jesus christ google you want to drive away your entire customer base? You realize that the only reason we don't buy iphones is because they don't give us this freedom that Android does. I know you think no one can touch your multi billion dollar empire but know that you have that data because of us. The customers. NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS, NO ONE WANTS THIS. First you "detected root" then you "implemented safety net" then you implemented "play integrity and certification" just pushing and pushing and pushing developers to bow down to you. And now this? No. You aren't staying on top forever. Think very carefully if this is the road you want to tread because we will all leave. And it won't be just Android. Alternative search engines exist. Alternative emails exist. Alternative cloud storage exists. We don't have to bow down to Google. If you do this, it's over. "

Genalio, change.org

"As a life long android user who is also part of open source communities, I have to speak my voice on how this goes against everything about why the people love Android. I've always shared how amazing Android is specifically being able to sideload apps outside of Google Play unlike Apple. I love being able to use my device the way I please in comparison of it being "locked down." The whole sole purpose of Android is for it to have an it open source approach for developers and consumers. I am not a developer, but as a open/close source consumer I cannot express enough how much I truly appreciate have open source applications as an option besides Google Play store. I really hope Google can find a way that we can all be one big happy family and continue what is already great. LET US KEEP OUR ANDROID FREEDOM! "

Justin, change.org

"Keep Android from being like Apple controlling every aspect of what can be installed or not, that's why i don't own iPhones never will. If android is going in the same direction ill get a flip phone I don't need big brother telling me what i can do or can't on my phone, i worked hard to pay for! in the name of safety always same bullshit excuse when they want to violate people's rights... "

melvyn, change.org

"Been using the android platform since 2009. Removing the ability to use MY device in the way it was always intended is disgusting. I won't stand for any of that hogwash. "

Kurt, change.org

"Monopolies are bad for freedom, business, and innovation. Keep Android the phone os where you have the choice to protect your data. "

Thomas, change.org

"Way to get people Ungoogling "

Martin Moe, change.org

"Freedom of application installation on my own device is paramount to democratic computer access. "

John, change.org

"Be better than IOS, this is not the way "

Kai, 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

"Computers and modern technology was built and advanced by hobbyists who could freely develop for and modify their devices. By limiting APKs and off store software installs we are killing the innovation that built this industry. I stand with FOSS, I stand with hobbyists. "

Paul, 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

"Just recently i started learning about how to install f droid to protect myself from g00gle and this is what happens?! death to big tech! "

Noor, change.org

"Why was Brazil the first country mentioned regarding developer verification for apps??? They want control, for pleasure!??? "

Bruno Eduardo, change.org

"Google is going to ruin what they built and turn into Apple. "

Abnormal Software, change.org

"we need to choice. stop google "

Dhlox, change.org

"Don't trust billionare companies, they want to take away our choice! "

Hugo, change.org

"It doesn't surprise me to hear that GOOGLE is going to do this. It's not about creating something that could possibly be of benefit anymore. The all mighty dollar has to raise it's ugly head now days or it's just not worth doing. "

Ralph, change.org

"I am genuinely angry about what Google is trying to do by limiting APK usage. This is not some tiny background tweak. This cuts straight into the reason many of us chose Android in the first place. Android meant freedom. It meant I could install what I wanted. It meant developers could share their work without kneeling before a single approval system. It meant that when I bought my phone, it was actually mine. We keep hearing that this is about “security.” And yes, security matters. Nobody wants malware. But there is a real difference between protecting users and controlling them. Give people warnings. Give them tools. Educate them. Do not take away their ability to choose. I am an adult, fully willing and capable of deciding what I install on my own device. When APK usage is restricted, everything narrows. Developers get pushed into one official channel. One review process. One company deciding what is acceptable and what is not. That kind of centralized control should make all of us uncomfortable. It changes the balance of power, and it does it under the soft language of safety and convenience. This is about ownership. If I cannot freely install apps, do I truly own my device? Or am I just using it within boundaries that can shift whenever it best suits a corporation? I hardly think it is extreme to say that when I pay for hardware, I should have complete control over what runs on it. That is not radical. That is basic digital autonomy. And I am not okay with watching that autonomy slowly disappear without saying something. "

Brooke, change.org

"I have always used android because of the control I have over MY phone. Installing whatever apps I want from WHEREVER I want is one if the main reasons I prefer android! I will do everything I can to keep this from happening! "

Britanie, change.org

"My whole reason to use Android is because it's open. At this point, you're just making a shittier version of IOS by locking down Android... "

Zakaria, change.org

"Google, which has long positioned itself as a defender of freedom on the internet, now seems to be taking worrying steps by trying to limit the installation of apps outside of the Google Play Store. This move not only restricts users' freedom of choice, but also centralizes even more power in the hands of a single corporation, creating a closed and controlled environment. By forcing developers to comply with its rules and fees, Google eliminates the possibility of cheaper or even free alternatives, making the Android ecosystem more restricted and expensive. Moreover, this decision goes against the very essence of Android, which has always been based on freedom of customization and access. It's a setback for users who seek greater control over their devices and privacy. Limiting app installations outside the Play Store is not just a matter of convenience, but a matter of respecting user autonomy. "

Júnior, change.org

"Show us a reason to use Android over iOS. It is this bit of freedom that makes us choose Android. Without it, we might as well save up for Apple products, which are solid, but less choice. It is the choice that makes Android worth looking at. "

J, change.org

"This move by Google is part of a larger trend to limit freedom online and verify everything. Government ID belongs to the government only not Google, so Google has no right to demand usage of it it's not their property and it's not Google users' property either it's the government's. Making developers present this is unnecessary as code review already prevents bad actors on Google Play Store. Limiting side loading APKs is anti freedom, and anti American. When you buy a device that means you are not restricted from doing anything you wish with it. Additionally basically nobody installs something from outside the play store or other markets like Samsung so this clearly isn't a safety thing because only the people who want or need this feature seek it out, and everyone continues to benefit from the availability of open platforms because they could decide tomorrow to install a app store other than google play store to seek out cheaper apps or ones that match their ethics such as open source. Android itself is licensed as open source and inclusion of proprietary google owned code in devices is sketchy anyway. "

Jagur, change.org

"Android users need freedom. How many apps outside the app store help users who may have personal problems to have fun and distract themselves amidst so many problems? That's why freedom is important. "

Kaue, 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 184 likes "

Gabe, 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

"The best part of android is the freedom to do what we want, downloading fan made apps and such is the freedom we like its kinda only reason people buy androids "

Andrew, change.org

"I think that there should be access to install whatever you want on YOUR device, and use it how you want to. "

Jamison, change.org

"google take the L "

Miguel, 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 have used android since the begining and the entire reason ive stuck with it (and this has been getting VERY hard lately with all the locking down of android, version by version, more and more like iOS).. this would just be the nail in the coffin for android, for me.. I'd rather daily drive graphene or a very limited linux os than this. Really a shame though when you talk people into using android and all the reasons people choose to switch are being removed. This is something im a single issue voter on, I will cease all google/yt/gemini/etc subscriptions and use the day I can't sideload any app I please.. and this is a complete change for the device, so massive of a change (would have directly affected many of my purchases) that I dont get how they can just do it, literally the stuff that made it special they choose to gut.. "

Joshua, change.org

"In this day and age, most of the rich and powerful are attempting to restrict the choices normal people have, and Google attempting to limit the open-source nature of Android is just one more example of this. What Google is doing is not protecting anyone and only serves to limit what we are allowed to do, and I don't want to idly stand by as the rich become richer. "

Joseph, 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 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

"Android has been the bastion for users who did not want to accept companies deciding what we do with our devices, it is imperative that users are granted the freedom of choice to install any software they wish, and to develop software to innovate and solve issues that Google or its partners decide is not worth their time. "

Hassan, change.org

"Users don't deserve the Google jail cell to shrink and encroach "

Ben, 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

"When I purchased my Android product, it was with the understanding that I could use it how I pleased. This doesn't make anything better, they are doing this in a bid to control what their consumers are able to access. It is predatory and they must be held accountable. "

Phillip, 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

"Liberdade ao Android! "

Guilherme, change.org

"As someone who enjoys playing modded versions of games, or even fan-games such as FNaF World: Refreshed, I feel as though limiting such use of apks is turning a blind eye. And forcing many people to reveal their real information, info that's sensitive in my opinion isn't safe. I used to feel safer and confine to android, but now I'm not really sure anymore if this is what you consider "safe". "

Ujjal, change.org

"is the monopoly finally going to end? "

Rafael, change.org

"It's like Google looked at the Microsoft debacle (hello! Linux!) that's currently going on and said wait..hold my beer... Not as easy to change from Google Android like Windows to Linux but it can be done! Already have proton emails so the ball is rolling! If this goes thru I will definitely find alternatives. And instead of using a mix of Google Play store apps and gmail and FOSS as of now, I'll just stick to FOSS and stick with proton email as the primary and go the way of degoogled or possibly apple. Or even go with a cheap flip phone and just forget about using any apps at all! see your already helping me curb the addiction you created by these smart phones and with the physical media resurgence this could kind of go with the whole theme so to speak. Thanks for the ideas Google! I've gotten into the habit of changing and finding alternatives in the last ten plus years to everything. This would not be any different. Know your place and keep your promises Google. Or to quote a couple of your slogans. "Don't be evil" and "Do the right thing" "

Marvin, change.org

"my friend told me to sign it so i did "

Ethan, change.org

"The promise was to have an open OS: a walled garden has always been seen as something negative where the supposed pros do NOT outweigh the cons, among them far too much power in the hands of one, central entity. And every time a stunt like this is attempted, it demonstrates how that simply shouldn't be allowed to ANYone. My phone is mine. Let me install whatever I like on it. "

Daniele, change.org

"As an Android developer myself, putting restrictions on an OS that people use to escape the restrictions of — let's say — iOS is a really bold and unconditional move. "

EXPOSED, change.org

"I'm not even a dev and I don't agree with this "

John, change.org

"For a large portion of Android users, the freedom and openness of the OS is why they choose to use it in the first place. I can certainly say for myself that if this goes through, I will no longer use Android as my smartphone OS. Enshittification like this will only cause Android to lose market share and will be destructive in the long run. "

Nawton, change.org

"Play Integrity, Custom ROM/Root discrimination because of that, and now this? What have you BECOME, Google? You're not helping anyone, and I don't even think it helps them. If I had to pick between an unmodded Galaxy S25 (or whatever the latest one is) and a modded Galaxy S10, I'm picking the S25. It doesn't influence sales, all it does it make life harder, for everyone. Including the people imposing the restrictions, HEY, WHAT A COINCIDENCE! Just stop making the available mobile operating systems "iOS, iOS 2, and the other manufacturers' versions of iOS 2." I've talked more about custom ROMs, but replace it with customs apps and the same point is easily carried over. And because the 2 are interconnected in nature of them both being stuff that Google might not like. "

Gavin, change.org

"The only reason why I absolutely love android is because it makes me feel like I actually OWE my device and can do with it whatever I please to do, if google is limiting what I CAN or CANT do this means the device is no longer mine and why would I stick with android when there is other ecosystems like iOS which are SO much better than googles tracking and privacy? I want android to stay the way it’s been, open, amazing and fulfilling for users like me and so many others, all of my friends and family members use/have android because it belongs to them, if google decides to implement this APK blocking I assure them everyone around me will start buying iPhones! "

Andres, change.org

"I use Android phones rather than iphones because it allows for more user end control, including the ability to use/install open-source apk. If the choice is made to restrict this functionality, my next phone will not be an android. "

Rebecca, change.org

"Google is definitely overreaching in it's attempt to lock down users' ability to install apps via sideloading. There are many valid reasons for users to sideload apps, and many have already been stated, so I won't beat a dead horse. If people aren't smart enough to protect themselves from bricking their phones when they sideload a potentially harmful app, them they deserve what they get. It's not Google's place to be Guardian of the Galaxies (see what I did there?) or Pixels. "

Michael, change.org

"Dear Google, As a life-long Android user, the perspective of this program ever coming into place is simply devastating. The Android Project was built with the promise of open-source software, community-driven development and digital freedom at its core. This promise has been a vital part of its success, from its humble beginnings to the widely popular and prolific ecosystem we have today. Any measure that does not fully respect these core values is a direct threat to the Android Project as a whole and a betrayal of its community. I believe the "Android developer verification requirements" program as it stands is such a measure. Therefore, I urge everybody involved at Google to seriously reconsider this program to the benefit of the Android Project and its community. Sincerely- "

Yoann, change.org

"I choose android for freedom of customisation. I know the risks, I'm not silly. People will jailbreak this but I want Google to understand that it's users are intelligent "

Michael, 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

Semua referensi, editorial, liputan pers, dan video →

Ambil Tindakan Daftar sumber daya lengkap, kontak otoritas regulasi, tautan untuk setiap negara, serta panduan langkah perlawanan → Surat Terbuka Tinjau surat terbuka yang ditandatangani oleh berbagai organisasi yang menentang kebijakan verifikasi pengembang →

Anda membeli ponsel Anda.
Anda berhak menentukan perangkat lunak apa yang dijalankan di dalamnya.

Hal tersebut seharusnya tidak memerlukan prosedur sembilan langkah, waktu tunggu 24 jam, maupun izin berkelanjutan dari pihak Google.

Sebarluaskan laman ini. Jangan mendaftarkan diri. Jangan biarkan mereka menjadikan Android sebagai ekosistem tertutup.