Je telefoon is straks niet meer van jou.

125 dagen tot de lockdown

Vanaf 2027* zal Google zonder toestemming een stille update uitrollen die elke Android-app blokkeert waarvan de ontwikkelaar zich niet bij Google heeft geregistreerd, een contract heeft getekend, Google heeft betaald én een identiteitsbewijs heeft afgegeven.

Dat geldt voor iedere app op ieder apparaat, wereldwijd, zonder dat je dit kunt voorkomen.

Wat Google van plan is

In augustus 2025 kondigde Google een nieuwe verplichting aan: vanaf 2027 moet iedere Android-app-ontwikkelaar zich centraal registreren bij Google voordat hun software op enig apparaat geïnstalleerd kan worden. Niet alleen Play Store-apps: álle apps. Dit geldt ook voor apps die tussen vrienden gedeeld worden, die via F-Droid verspreid worden, of die door hobbyisten voor eigen gebruik gebouwd worden. Onafhankelijke ontwikkelaars, kerk- en gemeenschapsgroepen en hobbyisten worden allemaal buitengesloten van het ontwikkelen en verspreiden van hun software.

Voor registratie is het volgende vereist:

Als een ontwikkelaar zich er niet aan houdt, worden zijn apps stilletjes geblokkeerd op elk Android-apparaat overal ter wereld.

Wie hier de dupe van wordt

Jij

Je hebt een Android-telefoon gekocht omdat Google je vertelde dat hij open was. Je kon installeren wat je wilde, en dat was de afspraak.

Google herschrijft die afspraak nu, met terugwerkende kracht, op hardware die jij al bezit. Na de update kun je alleen nog software draaien die Google vooraf heeft goedgekeurd. Op jouw telefoon: jouw eigendom, waarvoor jij hebt betaald.

Onafhankelijke ontwikkelaars

De eerste app van een tiener, een privacytool van een vrijwilliger, of een vertrouwelijke interne bèta van een bedrijf. Het maakt niet uit. In 2027 kan geen daarvan geïnstalleerd worden zonder Googles zegen.

F-Droid, thuisbasis van duizenden vrije en open-source Android-apps, heeft dit een "existentiële" bedreiging genoemd. Cory Doctorow noemt het "Darth Android".

Overheden en maatschappelijk middenveld

Google heeft een gedocumenteerde staat van dienst in het meewerken wanneer autoritaire regimes om het verwijderen van apps vragen. Met dit programma bestaat de software die de instituties van je land draait bij de gratie van één enkele, niet ter verantwoording te roepen buitenlandse onderneming.

De EFF noemt app-gatekeeping "een steeds verder uitdijende route naar internetcensuur."

Googles "nooduitgang" is een valluik

Google zegt dat "power users" niet-geverifieerde apps "alsnog kunnen installeren". Zo ziet dat er daadwerkelijk uit:

  1. Ga naar de systeeminstellingen en zoek de Ontwikkelaarsopties op
  2. Tik zeven keer op het buildnummer om de ontwikkelaarsmodus te activeren
  3. Klik de schrikschermen over dwang weg
  4. Voer je pincode in
  5. Start het apparaat opnieuw op
  6. Wacht 24 uur
  7. Kom terug, klik nog meer schrikschermen weg
  8. Kies "tijdelijk toestaan" (7 dagen) of "onbeperkt toestaan"
  9. Bevestig, nogmaals, dat je "de risico's" begrijpt

Negen stappen. Een verplichte bedenktijd van 24 uur. Om software te installeren op een apparaat dat je bezit.

Erger nog: dit proces loopt volledig via Google Play-services, niet via het Android-besturingssysteem. Google kan het op elk moment wijzigen, aanscherpen of stopzetten, zonder dat daar een OS-update of toestemming voor nodig is. En tot op heden is het in geen enkele bèta-, preview- of canary-build uitgebracht. Het bestaat alleen als een blogpost en wat mockups.

Dit gaat verder dan alleen Android

Als Google met terugwerkende kracht miljarden apparaten kan dichttimmeren die als open platformen verkocht zijn, kijkt elke hardwarefabrikant op de planeet goed mee.

Het principe dat hier wordt gevestigd: het bedrijf dat jouw apparaat heeft gemaakt mag, nadat je het hebt gekocht, beslissen welke software je mag draaien. In software heet dit een "rug pull"; maar daar kon je tenminste nog concurrerende software installeren. In hardware is het een fait accompli dat je je handelingsvrijheid ontneemt en je machteloos maakt tegenover de grillen van één enkele, niet ter verantwoording te roepen gatekeeper en veroordeelde monopolist.

Androids openheid was nooit slechts een functie. Het was de belofte die het onderscheidde van de iPhone. Miljoenen kozen voor Android om precies die reden. Google trekt die belofte nu eenzijdig in, op apparaten die al in de zakken van mensen zitten, omdat ze hebben besloten dat ze genoeg marktdominantie en regulatory capture hebben om er mee weg te komen.

Ars Technica: "Googles jaloezie op Apple dreigt de open erfenis van Android te ontmantelen."

Maar wacht, is dit niet...

"...gewoon een kwestie van veiligheid?"

Het veiligheidsargument is een rookgordijn. Google Play Protect scant al op malware, onafhankelijk van de identiteit van de ontwikkelaar. Een identiteitsbewijs eisen maakt de code niet veiliger. Het maakt ontwikkelaars identificeerbaar en controleerbaar. Malware-auteurs kunnen zich gewoon registreren. Indie-ontwikkelaars en dissidenten vaak niet. De EFF is duidelijk: identiteitsgebaseerde gatekeeping is een censuurinstrument, geen beveiligingsinstrument.

"...nog steeds sideloaden als je de uitgebreide procedure gebruikt?"

Negen stappen, 24 uur wachten, verstopt in de Ontwikkelaarsopties, geleverd via een propriëtaire dienst die Google op elk moment kan intrekken. Dat is geen sideloading. Dat is een afschrikkingsmechanisme, gebouwd om ervoor te zorgen dat bijna niemand het doorloopt. En omdat het via Play-services loopt in plaats van via het OS, kan Google het stilletjes aanscherpen of stopzetten.

"...alleen een probleem als je iets te verbergen hebt?"

Klokkenluiders, journalisten en activisten onder autoritaire regeringen zullen de eerste slachtoffers zijn. Daarna mensen in situaties van huiselijk geweld. Al deze groepen hebben legitieme redenen om software te verspreiden of te gebruiken zonder hun juridische identiteit in een database van Google achter te laten. Anonieme open-source bijdragen zijn een traditie die ouder is dan Google zelf. Dit beleid maakt daar op Android een einde aan.

"...hetzelfde wat Apple doet?"

Apple is vanaf dag één een walled garden geweest. Mensen kozen voor Android omdat het anders was. "Apple doet het ook" is een race naar de bodem en een zwak tu quoque-argument. En onder regelgevingsdruk (de Digital Markets Act van de EU) wordt zelfs Apple gedwongen zich open te stellen. Google beweegt in de tegenovergestelde richting: het probeert zijn gatekeeper-status verder te verankeren.

"...gewoon 25 dollar en wat papierwerk?"

Misschien, als je een ontwikkelaar in de VS bent met een creditcard en een rijbewijs. Probeer eens een student in sub-Sahara-Afrika te zijn, of een dissident in Myanmar, of een vrijwilliger die een gezondheidsapp voor de gemeenschap onderhoudt. De kosten zijn niet alleen financieel: je levert je identiteitsbewijs en het bewijs van je ondertekeningssleutels in bij een bedrijf dat routinematig meewerkt aan overheidsverzoeken om apps te verwijderen en ontwikkelaars te ontmaskeren.

Verzet je

Iedereen

Ontwikkelaars

Meld je niet aan. Doe niet mee aan het programma door je in te schrijven bij de Android Developer Console en akkoord te gaan met hun onherroepelijke algemene voorwaarden. Verifieer je identiteit niet. Doe niet mee.

Het plan van Google werkt alleen als ontwikkelaars meewerken. Doe dat niet.

Google-werknemers

Als je iets weet over de technische uitvoering of de interne overwegingen van het programma, neem dan vanaf een niet-werk-machine en een niet-Gmail-account contact op met tips@keepandroidopen.org. Strikte vertrouwelijkheid gegarandeerd.

Allen die zich verzetten…

71 organisaties uit 23 landen hebben de open brief ondertekend

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

Lees de volledige open brief en bedank de ondertekenaars →

Wat anderen erover zeggen

Vakpers

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

Open Source For U

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

Reclaim The Net

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

Tuta Blog

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

Hackaday

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

Tom's Guide

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

How-To Geek

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

Benzinga

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

Cybernews

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

heise online

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

Android Headlines

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

How-To Geek

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

The Register

"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

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

Ars Technica

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

Bleeping Computer

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

I-Programmer

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

Tom's Guide

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

The Register

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

MakeUseOf

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

Android Headlines

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

9to5Google

"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"

InfoWorld

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

Techzine EU

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

Slashdot

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

Datamation

"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 new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"

TechSpot

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

SlashGear

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

It's FOSS News

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

TechCrunch

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

TechRepublic

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

Ars Technica

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

Gizmochina

"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

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

Android Headlines

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

Thom Holwerda, OSnews

"Keep Android Open"

Linux Magazine

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

How-To Geek

"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"

Internet Freedom Foundation (India)

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

How-To Geek

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

The Register

"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"

The New Stack

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

How-To Geek

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

Android Police

Opiniestukken en analyses

Organisaties en open brieven

"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

"This is a profound change, one that shatters the entire premise of the Android ecosystem, long regarded as the antithesis of the closed Apple ecosystem."

AdGuard

"This 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

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

AdGuard

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

F-Droid

"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

"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

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

European Parliament

"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

"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

"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

"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

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

Tuta

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

Nextcloud

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

F-Droid Open Letter

"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

"Developers who build privacy-first browsers, encrypted messaging apps, VPNs, Tor-based software or tools for journalists and activists would be required to upload government ID to Google. These developers are unlikely to trust Google and might stop developing for Android."

Brave

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

AdGuard

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

Osservatorio Nessuno

"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."

KDE

"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

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

Tuta

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

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

"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

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

Tech-ish Kenya

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

ACLU

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

F-Droid

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

F-Droid

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

European Pirate Party

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

Nextcloud

YouTubers en makers

"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

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

fireborn – Blog

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

Switched to Linux – YouTube

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

Louis Rossmann – YouTube

"Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."

Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube

"I have really no more strong reason to not recommend you all get iPhones, because this just is pretty much an iPhone with a Google logo on it at this point."

Techlore – YouTube

"Google is 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

"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

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

The Linux Experiment – YouTube

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

ChiefGyk3D – YouTube

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

ChiefGyk3D – YouTube

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

Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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

"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 decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."

fireborn – Blog

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

Tuta Blog – Blog

"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

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

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

"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

"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

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

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube

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

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube

Ontwikkelaars en gemeenschap

"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

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

flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News

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

lynxy, Tildes

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

koala, 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

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

tejtm, 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

"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

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

Max-P, 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

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

hn92726819, Hacker News

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

Zak, Lemmy

"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

"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

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

hbn, Hacker News

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

BenjaminRi, Lobsters

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

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

gumby271, Hacker News

"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."

masterofn001, Lemmy

"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

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

anordal, Lobsters

"If I go down this path, I will stop all development on Android. I implore all other developers to resist this. This will completely lock down the platform forever, there will be no going back."

BatteryMountain, Hacker News

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

WaffleMonster, Slashdot

"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

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

nibbleyou (developer in India), 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

"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

"I still remember how in the early days of Android vs iOS discussions, the main point was 'but it's OPEN!' The word 'open' was used as a comma by Google people. It was The Thing. The Difference. Good vs Evil and all that."

jwr, Hacker News

"If 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

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

MrZander, Hacker News

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

afferi300rina, Hacker News

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

fermigier, Hacker News

"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

"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

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

chaznabin, Reddit

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

vala, Lemmy

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

Zak, Hacker News

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

jzb, Lobsters

"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

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

layfellow, 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

"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

"I buy a device with my own money, which I supposedly then own, but then I need to ask some corporation permission to use it."

askonomm, Hacker News

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

girvo, Hacker News

"Google selling Android as both open source and open to running any software you like in order to quickly gain market share, only to break those promises after driving competing platforms out of the market is nothing more than fraud."

GeekyBear, Hacker News

"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

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

survirtual, Hacker News

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

Apocryphon, 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

"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

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

Tiraon, 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

Stemmen uit de petitie

"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

"Because Android will become IOS but worse if this goes into effect. "

Dominick, change.org

"It wasn’t enough to allow malicious apps on the Playstore, now they want to remove the one thing that makes someone want to use Android? And I haven’t even commented yet on the fact that they prevent users from exploring their own files freely (date, obb), and applications with security flaws that cannot be uninstalled. the situation does not seem to be good... But there is still hope "

Adonis, change.org

"Save privacy and security "

Pepe, change.org

"Android is the Beacon of Freedom and Open market for many developers to create, test and use their software. Requiring Licensing and restricting this Freedom goes against the very Core of what Android stands for and was built for. It is UNACCEPTABLE for users not to be able to download whatever they want, regardless of Licensing or Approval. If Google closes this door, it will Forever Damage Android and Many users and developers like Myself will leave. There is no longer any reason to remain on Android if this happens. MY hope is that there is enough Sanity left to keep this door Open and fight to protect the Freedom of Android. Those who would give up their Freedom for Security, deserve Neither "

James, change.org

"As a developer, stop! This is the only reason I used Android and didn't have to jailbreak and root it. Making this change under the guise of security amounts to manipulation, lying, deceiving your customers, and taking away their rights to use their device in their way. Mark my words, rooting will become popular again and I will personally be at the forefront of actively working against you and your goals. I cannot agree with such blatant bad faith arguments and poor reasoning. You assume most people aren't developers and too stupid to see through this. You want more money by any means necessary no matter how angry people get. Android was supposed to be an open ecosystem and now you're actively anti-consumer. It's disgusting. "

CARLOS, change.org

"Freedom and anonymity in app development are extremely important. This petition and comment is a declaration that we will not bow to great power and will continue to protect our rights. I hope Google doesn't end up like Apple. "

伊藤, 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

"As a developer, I will NEVER give Google my ID or personal identity. They are already known to post developers home addresses on their app store publicly, which is a huge safety violation. I do not trust google and will not give them any of my personal data. "

Skye, change.org

"If android truly blocks what are some of my favorite apps from developers I trust, I will no longer be using "smart" phones without root. It'll be graphine or flip phones, I promise you. "

R, change.org

"We all need security and FOSS apps! "

Chris, 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

"Completely Unacceptable "

Joe, change.org

"The EU should help us "

Raphael, 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 switched for freedom - not this. "

Harrison, change.org

"APKs have been very useful to me for getting games I would otherwise have to get overseas with my dad earlier. It allows many more other applications to be downloaded on to my phone too, which would allow me to bypass the need to get the admin code to my computer every time I want to get something. What is this bs that Google is doing? "

Ja, change.org

"I sideload and digitally mod a lot of my devices, and while I was just about to consider switching to Android because of this (and Apple's limit in storage), this sort of removal of freedom, even small and masked as 'the right thing' for security, just isn't right. There's already trust issues within Apple's app store, and the 'free' stuff doesn't support developers properly, so why copy paste the same issues that made people want to switch in the first place? How else will people get apps that properly support their device that aren't locked in some way or just won't? How else will people try and test prototypes of apps? How else will people... get this... have fun with the device they bought with money to have and physically own? And yet a company wants the money to steal more water and ruin immune systems of the future. This is totally 'the right thing'. "

Laura, change.org

"If I paid for my device I should be able to do whatever I want with it, you don't own it google I do, and your taking away one of the only reasons I love and use an android. "

Dylan, change.org

"Despicable corporate over reach on full display here. Stop the change, let users choose and decided how they wish to use their devices! "

Markus, change.org

"Android's open platform is the only counter positioning left before it's just a shittier iPhone. Please don't hand the market to Apple. "

Jesse, change.org

"Let's fight for our freedom. "

Juan, change.org

"This OS has been the only place that has felt free, the ability to download anything from anywhere is what a phone should be able to do. They trying to take away my freedom, and I refuse to bend the knee and accept it. "

Austin, change.org

"Open source is people power "

Nathan, change.org

"Removing a huge part of why people choose android is certainly a choice. "

Drae, change.org

"This change would kill the biggest reason I use Android, because I have the freedom to sideload useful apps that aren't available in the official store. I have never once bought an iPhone, but Apple's comparative respect for user privacy seems preferable now, so I'll most likely make the switch. "

Raymond, change.org

"This is a tragedy, it won't stop bad intentions, it will only put our data at risk, and many apps will become lost media. "

Jessé, change.org

"The whole point---for me---to have an Android phone is to stay away from Apple's closed ecosystem. Google locking down APK privileges to "approved developers" spits in the face of this. An owner of a phone should have the right and ability to install whatever they want on it, without deference to any company. If this change goes through, my next phone certainly won't be an Android one. "

Adam, change.org

"As an android user I love the way I want to use my phone and which app to install. Apps that are being developed my developers that are not on the play store tends to be even better than those on the play store. The freedom which developers have to develop and distribution of apps has changed on how we use the android devices, giving us more option and great experience with the device. "

Josphat, change.org

"A company like Google should not be allowed should not be allowed to do something like this. As a regular user I find what they are trying to do deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an Android phone, it's with the expectation of having control over how I use it, not to face restrictions or censorship, this is not even going over the massive privacy risks and data theft, this is an open source operating system and freedom should be key, I do not like how all of these companies and governments are trying to push age verification for everything, and I would hope for the decency of being given privacy "

Ronnie, change.org

"Android's freedom was one of the reasons it attracted so many users, and now they want to take that freedom away? That's like shitting on your customer's plate, the one who helped you get there where is it. "

Kelwiny, change.org

"As a regular user and consumer, I am frightened by this direction. Android has historically differentiated itself by being an open platform that users can customize to their liking - this is THE main reason I continue to purchase Android phones. I am a developer as a hobby, and will occasionally create my own apps to support my unique projects and requirements. I have no interest in becoming an authorized developer - that wouldn't make sense for me. In addition, I benefit STRONGLY from the community of existing open-source apps. I am an avid F-Droid user, and find the apps there to be of equal or better quality than those in the Play Store. If Android is to become as locked-down as iOS, then my next phone purchase will be from Apple to benefit from their increased privacy protections. The main differentiator drawing me.to Android will be gone. "

Patrick, change.org

"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

"Android is not iOS, is monopoly becoming Android to iOS "

RallenPR, change.org

"Every time you centralise something, you are adding a point of failure that used to not exist. And you can not trust those who care only for money to care for anything else. "

Andrew, change.org

"Android’s intended purpose has always been to be an open, permissionless operating system. By requiring developer "verification" to install apps, Google is turning a personal device into a corporate-controlled appliance. I oppose this policy because: Ownership: I bought the hardware; I should decide what software runs on it without a "gatekeeper." Privacy: Forcing independent developers to "dox" themselves to Google kills anonymous, pro-privacy innovation. Freedom: Sideloading must remain a right, not a privilege granted by a Google-controlled ID system. Keep Android open. Don't build a walled garden. "

Jordan, change.org

"Hope all Android devices keep free on apk sideload and Bootloader unlock "

Hanzhang, change.org

"I've spent my entire youth and adult life trying my very best to curate tech that puts me in charge rather than some unaccountable corporation. Unfortunately not everyone has the luxury I do, and even my position is somewhat precarious. As a user of GrapheneOS, theoretically this change will not affect me directly, but that doesn't mean the ripples will not reach me. App developers are being hamstrung in such a way that I have no confidence whatsoever that these proposed changes to the Android ecosystem won't wind up killing useful and important apps that I use. Just using an unverified device is not enough, these changes must not go through. "

Ben, change.org

"I am from Brazil, and having an android closed here makes it impossible for Brazilians, who in our situation, most people cannot have an economic situation that can have video games, PCs to enjoy the culture, with emulators, we can have access to this, even with simpler cell phones, because here even the simplest cell phone, it costs almost 1 minimum wage, I wanted to leave my support so that we can change this bad future "

Icaro, change.org

"Your ruining the freedom who ever to download what we wanted to do and stop limiting what we like to download from other websites or anything that is legally. "

Gabriel, change.org

"I like Android because it feels like a computer. I can administrate my own files, download niche little hobby projects made freely by others off of GitHub. I don't want it to become a walled corporate garden like iOS. If it does, well, might as well switch to the higher-quality walled garden, huh? No point in using a droid anymore. "

Maxima, change.org

"I stayed away from smart phones in the early days because they were locked down. It was only after I saw that Android was an open platform that I was willing to even try one. If Google locks down Android, then I will either switch to a basic feature phone, with no data (suits me fine, mobile data is ridiculously expensive), or I will hack together a Linux phone. What's the point in having Android if it just turns in to a.aecond-rate iOS? "

William, change.org

"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

"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

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

John, change.org

"I have been a supporter of Android since release in 2008 precisely because it is an open market. What I choose to put on hardware I own should be my decision, not a big brother acting like a babysitter. This action by Google is simply eroding my good will for them. We need to be able to do what we please with our devices. "

Anthony, change.org

"Google, this accomplish two things: 1/ This will limit privacy respecting apps to those of us who run degoogled OSs. 2/ More people will flash degoogled OSs onto their phones. Do you really want less data coming in to monetize? Your call. "

Scott, change.org

"Leave our phones alone. Dont turn Android into Apple "

leavemyphonealone, 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

"I support Signature verification for security, but centralised verification is harmful for open Android ecosystem. "

Wenyi, change.org

"this will kill the freedom that android provides and will make you lose a lot of customers you're gonna lose a ton of money from this stupid change "

Jimmy, change.org

"I have always preferred Android phones over Apple phones, just for the freedom that Android gave to download applications without having to limit and control you all the time, but now Android wants to become an APPLE 2.0, if that happens I will throw away my Android phone and directly buy an iPhone, if it is going to have restrictions too, all bad Android 👎 "

Mauricio, change.org

"What sets Android apart from other OS' is its open source. This move will make Android just like every other OS. There will be no point in using Android. We'll all take out business to some other OS. "

Evo, change.org

"The entire reason I have stuck with Android phones until now was my ability to INSTALL apps outside of the play store—key word install, not sideload. Even using that term is brainwashed lingo. A phone is just as much of a computer as a PC is, and I should be allowed to download whatever I want on a device a pay for. Especially when, in some cases, a laptop can be cheaper than a phone these days. This has always been a meaningful feature to me. Then there is the fact of censorship & creating a hostile environment for smaller dev teams. Having to pay a fee to Google, having to disclose IDs (this is also counterproductive to privacy focused apps). Any application that Google deems unfit, they can rip from the store. The 3rd party stores that Google will "let us" download from are no different from the Play Store. All those developers will still be subject to what Google is doing. If Android is going to become reskinned IOS, I would rather move to Apple. It's better optimized with many apps that absolutely DO NOT function near as well on Android or get updates way later than Apple. It's a smoother, cleaner product. Though, truly, I want to go to Motorola as they are planning to work with GrapheneOS which is privacy & security focused (which Google isn't! And this move is not making Android more secure!) These practices are anti-consumer AND anti-competition. Monopolistic, dirty practices. It's shameful that Google is still trying to act like they are an "open" system in the slightest while they actively shut out our ability to—again, INSTALL applications on our phone, which is essentially just a computer in our hands. Imagine if Windows did this, or even a Macbook. The free world is about having free choice, and this isn't that. I will absolutely be moving away from Android if this changes take effect. In the meantime, I'll take my in-app purchases to the actual websites behind them, use F-Droid & various places to download APKs to update in place of the Play Store. This is abhorent. TL;DR: Google is awful, hates consumer and developer freedoms, & yearns for censorship and growing it's monopolistic empire. I will be moving to any other phone if this happens. "

Jaden, change.org

"I do not want Google to get a third monopoly. That is the whole point of this gatekeeping. I'm sick of these corporations doing whatever they want. "

Aidan, change.org

"Prohibition is not the way to safety and health. Good UX is enough to allow power user to own their devices. Don't listen to excuses from big corporations that play the victims, while they treat their users like disposables, in order to maximize their profits. Android must stay open. "

Lorenzo, change.org

"As others have definitely stated along with me, the Android platform was always chosen over Apple because of the freedom it allowed. Creating another oppressive "nanny" based prison environment for customers is not the answer. No "features" or promises of "safety" are worth giving up freedom of a once open OS. "

Jason, 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

"Android has always been the more free-range mobile OS. Had this not been the case, I would have switched to Apple long ago. Open-source, third-party software has driven the Android ecosystem and app development. It's no coincidence this is coming at a time when surveillance and squashing opposition is rising parallel with fascism. "

Kahina, change.org

"If android isn't open source then it's straight up just a worse iOS literally the only reason we use it is the fact that it's open source 💀 "

Natalia, change.org

"I’m not sure how Google arrived at this decision. Android’s openness is the very foundation of its existence. If Android is no longer open, I think I would choose iOS for its more cohesive ecosystem. In reality, the Play Protect mechanism has very limited ability to guard against malicious software and does not improve the user experience. On the contrary, it would exacerbate the monopoly of the software ecosystem, add to the burden on individual developers and small gaming companies, and could be devastating to the entire ecosystem. I often download games from itch.io and useful tools from GitHub, and if this policy is implemented, these activities will no longer be convenient. Perhaps this is a fine example of Google’s contribution to a global anti-addiction mechanism for smartphones. "

Yi, change.org

"The reason people have Android is not only because it's cheap ,but because of the freedom The OS has... taking away this freedom ,is like taking away someone's heart "

Ayrton, change.org

"Google has painted developer verification as 'security' but the Play Store already hosts malware and Play Protect scans for it already. This is simply another attempt at Google to try and monopolise (see Chrome or the RCS protocol) and no one should be wanting this to happen. This affects anyone who develops outside of the Play Store (including F-Droid or GitHub repos), privacy or anonymous apps, it suffocates our OSS devs, and introduces another way for Google to oversee everything or another vector for data to be leaked. Android has always been about freedom and user control and Google should not have a say in how users use their devices. I have been an Android user since Ice Cream Sandwhich and there are multiple reasons as to why I have never owned an iPhone. I would not be able to have the phone I do today or be able to use it to its full extent without the contributions of FOSS/OSS devs and their community. Shame on you, Google. If this goes through, I'll take my chances with Linux. "

A, change.org

"The freedom and flexibility was literally the reason I never owned an iPhone. It's like Google wants me to use Ubuntu Touch or something... "

Katrina, change.org

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

Ben, change.org

"Android gives us a choice. That is so so important to us in this day and age. Please let us continue to do so. "

Jenna, change.org

"Apenas apoio "

Immer, change.org

"This is the main appeal of android to me. Having the freedom with my own device that I paid for instead of being limited. "

Joshua, change.org

"I got an Android specifically to be able to get apps from third party developers. This level of censorship is not right, and will hurt many independent developers "

Caspian, change.org

"As someone who regularly uses apk files on my phone to help fight loneliness and to prevent myself from taking my own life, DO NOT TAKE AWAY OUR FILES!! "

Eric, change.org

"Android was built as a open technology which made it stand against other proprietary operating systems such as iOS. This decision is not about "protection". It is about locking the system in order to benefit from a lockdown system. Developing app on Android is meant to be about learning and testing in the simplest way without having to be "an approved developer". "

Albert, 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

"Google's attempt to prevent outside app installation on Android is very concerning. Only allowing approved developers will make it so developers will feel less inclined to make new apps. Additionally, this should raise antitrust laws into full affect as there ownership over android and attempted control over the whole market of phones that use the android ecosystem is very wrong. "

Joey, change.org

"Android is the only system the you can do anything with. by closing it. there will be no privacy in the internet. "

jack, change.org

"The entire selling point of Android was the open ecosystem. Locking down on APKs will alienate millions of users. "

G, change.org

"Forcing developers to pay fees and hand over identifying documentation will never be the solution to malware. It creates opportunities for censorship, removes one of the major reasons uses android over apple products. As a hobbyist developer, I do not wish to throw my identity left and right just to run my own app on my own phone that I have no intention of publishing. If I do, it would be open source for others to use and when the time comes that I wish to sell an app, sure I will register to the Google play store or any other store as needed. "

Christopher, change.org

"I switched to android specifically because I felt like it was truly a device I OWNED. I used Apple in the past but hated the amount of features that were gate kept. Having the ability to download open source apps on my android device has reshaped the way I use my phone and has made my workflows significantly better. This new change will not only completely destroy the open source ecosystem I've become accustomed to, but will actively turn away myself, and Android's main user base. What's the point of ruining your reputation and the only real reason to own an android device? "

Steven, change.org

"Android is open source, period. On top of that, I'm buying the device. I own my phone, and that means I should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want with it! If I want to click on links from sketchy sites and download things that are not directly from the Google Play Store, I should be able to. Google claims this is to protect their users, but it's nothing more than censorship and crushing competition from a private, anonymous, and often better competitors making free and open source apps on platforms like F-Droid or Obtanium. It's like saying that you aren't allowed to hang a picture you bought from your friend in your own house that your bought, unless your friend pays Google $25 and gives them their ID, but you can hang as many pictures in your house as you like if you buy them directly from Google. Doesn't that sound absurd? "

Thomas, change.org

"This is an outrageous monopolizing effort that not only chokes out competition and a healthy ecosystem for application development, it also is hugely concerning from a security perspective. One entire company should NOT have control over everything. Google has grown far too large, and history has taught us that large corporations are obscenely corrupt and controlling of people's safety, freedom, and wellbeing. This cannot go unchecked. "

Sarah, change.org

"Yeah let's remove the one thing keeping people on Android 🤨 "

Bobby, change.org

"It's not sideloading. It's installing an application on a personal computing device I own and payed for... This move is unacceptable. "

Benjamin, change.org

"This is exactly why I will NEVER use Apple *anything* not even movies on Apple TV. I've championed Android since it first came on the scene in my 25+ years of work in the wireless industry because of the open source nature of Android. It is also why I have switch all my devices but one to Linux in place of Windows (They have forever lost my support). Open source matters. It's also what sets Android apart from Apple. I will absolutely not purchase another Android device going forward if it is no longer open source. I have no problem falling back to a basic phone and running open source OSes on my PC, gaming handhelds and the like. This, to me, feels akin to the idea of the United States just erasing the first amendment. I doubt words will change your mind, but my dollars will back my opinion. It's sad that Google has decided to go this route. You've fallen so far since the beginning. I remember getting my Gmail account with beta invite. I remember being happy to see Google become a publicly traded company. I fear now I'll remember how Google became a huge disappointment. At least it's an interesting story seeing first hand the rise and fall of a search engine who's name became a verb because it was so superior. To just become a huge bully to the types of users that propped you up from the start. Of course jailbreaking will happen but how does that improve security? How does that differentiate you from the competition? "

Jeremy, change.org

"Censorship and authoritarian regime in the guise of security is asinine and should be illegal. Monopoly is illegal. Google is digging its own grave. "

Billy, change.org

"I am a self-taught programmer. Without the ability to experiment I could have never learned anything. This change will utterly destroy Android by not only banning a ton of quality software from sources like F-Droid and GitHub, but will also keep the next generation of developers from being able to learn by experience. "

Wesley, change.org

"Hands off the APK! I left Russia for Freedom in 2022 and now you trying to restrict our Freedom like a criminal Putin. "

Alex, change.org

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

Jordan, change.org

"Digital freedom matters! "

Koda, change.org

"Google's plan to mandate developer verification for all Android apps is a direct betrayal of the platform's open promise. It crushes indie developers, hands a single corporation veto power over our devices, and sets a dangerous precedent for digital freedom. If we don't push back now, Android will become just another walled garden. "

DC, 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

"This is going to change android into a half functional game console locked down to anyone who won't kiss the G, a sure sign of drm, not consumer protection. If only google approved apps are allowed, will we only be able to call google approved phone numbers, visit google approved websites, see google approved images, listen to google approved music? We are not google. "

Willem, change.org

"If I wanted to use a locked garden ecosystem, I'd just buy an iPhone. Keep Android open, Google. It is also for your best commercial interest. "

Oscar, change.org

"Android is about freedom, not control this change will ruin android forever "

Eli, change.org

"We've all feared a day like this might come but it was always on the back burner if you will. My how times have changed. I am even more than just concerned ,so much so that I'm giving 30 a month to GNU. I am a limited income individual but I enjoy the advancement de-googling my life very much. F-droid is where I got my feet wet and I am eternally grateful. I told everyone about FOSS ..... Spread the word spread the word spread the word. L.....!!! It is not something you can consider doing any longer. You should already be doing it... Civil war isn't going to be between the rich and the poor, it will be the tech and the non-tech. Film at 11:00.... It sounds to me like they could actually put a huge dent in anything we call normal life. Don't let this happen to us. "

Gregory, change.org

"I am not a developer, just a regular apk user, and the fact that google is trying to remove a vital part of android is crazy "

Gilberto David, change.org

"The freedom on Android is the best and that is exactly why we choose android. Please do not close off our experience on this platform. "

yer, change.org

"I really liked android phones cause of the freedom they use to have, but with this... they are the same as Apple so.... there's any reason for me to like Android anymore "

Fabián Jhovany, change.org

"I use android because its easy to mod and customize. If I own the device, I want complete control of it. That comes with the understanding that my modifications could break it . If we lose sideloading and indie and open source development, we'll just have to stray further from the platform to find it again. In a world where the easy to access services and products are becoming increasingly controlled and locked down to the detriment of the consumer, there's real benefit to be had in being one of the few exceptions. "

Cole, change.org

"I despise ALPHABET's manipulative and self-serving gestures, toward gate-keeping OUR FREEDOMS and coyly investing themselves in THEIR PROMOTION, of our best intetests! 601=VC1 "

Ian, change.org

"To whom it may concern. Recently it was brought to my attention that Google is planning on violating my rights by removing the ability to install applications on devices I OWN without googles permission. This decision places ultimate power with google to suppress any speech and crush any competition which operates against their interests. As a consumer, i should have the right to install any software i choose within the boundaries of the law. The devices which i install software on belong to me, therefore, i should be the ultimate arbiter of what runs on my property. Google should not have that power. Please, i beg of you. If there are any principled people left in the US government, then please do not allow google to continue down this path. Below this point are statements which i believe accurately reflect the situation sourced from https://keepandroidopen.org/ In August 2025, Google announced that as of September 2026, it will no longer be possible to develop apps for the Android platform without first registering centrally with Google. This registration will involve: Paying a fee to Google Agreeing to Google’s Terms and Conditions Providing government identification Uploading evidence of the developer’s private signing key Listing all current and future application identifiers What this means for our rights ➤ You, the consumer, purchased your Android device believing in Google’s promise that it was an open computing platform and that you could run whatever software you choose on it. Instead, as of September 2026, they will be non-consensually pushing an update to your operating system that irrevocably blocks this right and leaves you at the mercy of their judgement over what software you are permitted to trust. ➤ You, the creator, can no longer develop an app and share it directly with your friends, family, and community without first seeking Google’s approval. The promise of Android — and a marketing advantage it has used to distinguish itself against the iPhone — has always been that it is “open”. But Google clearly feels that they have enough of a lock on the Android ecosystem, along with sufficient regulatory capture, that they can now jettison this principle with prejudice and impunity. ➤ You, the state, are ceding the rights of your citizens and your own digital sovereignty to a company with a track record of complying with the extrajudicial demands of authoritarian regimes to remove perfectly legal apps that they happen to dislike. The software that is critical to the running of your businesses and governments will be at the mercy of the opaque whims of a distant and unaccountable corporation. "

Micheal, change.org

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