Your phone is about to stop being yours.
Starting in 2027*, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
↓What Google is doing
In August 2025, Google announced a new requirement: starting in 2027, every Android app developer must register centrally with Google before their software can be installed on any device. Not just Play Store apps: all apps. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software.
Registration requires:
- Paying a fee to Google
- Agreeing to Google's Terms and Conditions
- Surrendering your government-issued identification
- Providing evidence of your private signing key
- Listing all current and all future application identifiers
If a developer does not comply, their apps get silently blocked on every Android device worldwide.
Who this hurts
You
You bought an Android phone because Google told you it was open. You could install what you wanted, and that was the deal.
Google is now rewriting that deal, retroactively, on hardware you already own. After the update lands, you can only run software that Google has pre-approved. On your phone: your property, that you paid for.
Independent developers
A teenager's first app, a volunteer's privacy tool, or a company's confidential internal beta. It doesn't matter. In 2027, none of these can be installed without Google's blessing.
F-Droid, home to thousands of free and open-source Android apps, has called this an "existential" threat. Cory Doctorow calls it "Darth Android".
Governments & civil society
Google has a documented track record of complying when authoritarian regimes demand app removals. With this program, the software that runs your country's institutions will exist at the pleasure of a single unaccountable foreign corporation.
The EFF calls app gatekeeping "an ever-expanding pathway to internet censorship."
Google's "escape hatch" is a trap door
Google says "power users" can "still install" unverified apps. Here's what that actually looks like:
- Delve into System Settings, find About Phone
- Tap the build number seven times to enable Developer Mode
- Dismiss scare screens about coercion
- Enter your PIN
- Restart the device
- Wait 24 hours
- Come back, dismiss more scare screens
- Pick "allow temporarily" (7 days) or "allow indefinitely"
- Confirm, again, that you understand "the risks"
Nine steps. A mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period. For installing software on a device you own.
Worse: this flow runs entirely through Google Play Services, not the Android OS. Google can change it, tighten it, or kill it at any time, with no OS update required and no consent needed.
This is bigger than Android
If Google can retroactively lock down billions of devices that were sold as open platforms, every hardware manufacturer on the planet is watching.
The principle being established: the company that made your device gets to decide, after you've bought it, what software you're allowed to run. In software, this is called a "rug pull"; but at least you could always install competing software. In hardware, it is a fait accompli that strips you of your agency and renders you powerless to the whims of a single unaccountable gatekeeper and convicted monopolist.
Android's openness was never just a feature. It was the promise that distinguished it from iPhone. Millions chose Android for exactly that reason. Google is now revoking that promise unilaterally, on devices already in people's pockets, because they've decided they have enough market dominance and regulatory capture to get away with it.
Ars Technica: "Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy."
But wait, isn't this...
"...just about security?"
The security rationale is a smokescreen. Google Play Protect already scans for malware independent of developer identity. Requiring a government ID doesn't make code safer. It makes developers identifiable and controllable. Malware authors can register. Indie developers and dissidents often can't. The EFF is blunt: identity-based gatekeeping is a censorship tool, not a security one.
"...still sideloading if you use the advanced flow?"
Nine steps, 24-hour wait, buried in Developer Options, delivered through a proprietary service that Google can revoke whenever they want. That's not sideloading. That's a deterrence mechanism built to ensure almost nobody completes it. And since it runs through Play Services rather than the OS, Google can tighten or kill it silently.
"...only a problem if you have something to hide?"
Whistleblowers, journalists, and activists under authoritarian governments will be the first victims. People in domestic abuse situations are next. All these groups have legitimate reasons to distribute or use software without putting their legal identity in a Google database. Anonymous open-source contribution is a tradition older than Google itself. This policy ends it on Android.
"...the same thing Apple does?"
Apple has been a walled garden from day one. People chose Android because it was different. "Apple does it too" is a race to the bottom and a weak tu quoque argument. And under regulatory pressure (the EU's Digital Markets Act), even Apple is being forced to open up. Google is moving in the opposite direction: attempting to further entrench its gatekeeping status.
"...just $25 and some paperwork?"
Maybe, if you're a developer in the US with a credit card and a driver's license. Try being a student in sub-Saharan Africa, or a dissident in Myanmar, or a volunteer maintaining a community health app. The cost isn't only financial: you're surrendering government ID and evidence of your signing keys to a company that routinely complies with government demands to remove apps and expose developers.
Fight back
Everyone
- Install F-Droid on every Android device you own. Alternative stores only survive if people actually use them.
- Contact your regulators. Regulators worldwide are genuinely concerned about monopolies and the centralization of power in the tech sector, and want to hear directly from individuals who are affected and concerned.
- Share this page. Link to keepandroidopen.org everywhere.
- Push back on astroturfers. The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.
- Sign the change.org petition and join the over 100,000 signatories who have made their voices heard.
- Read and share our open letter
- Tell Google what you think of this through their own developer verification survey (for all the good that will do).
Developers
Do not sign up. Don't join the program by signing up for the Android Developer Console and agreeing to their irrevocable Terms and Conditions. Don't verify your identity. Don't play ball.
Google's plan only works if developers comply. Don't.
- Talk other developers and organizations out of signing up.
- Add the FreeDroidWarn library to your apps to warn users.
- Run a website? Add the countdown banner.
Google employees
If you know something about the program's technical implementation or internal rationale, contact tips@keepandroidopen.org from a non-work machine and a non-Gmail account. Strict confidence guaranteed.
All those opposed…
71 organizations from 23 countries have signed the open letter
FULU Foundation fulu.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Brave brave.com
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Proton AG proton.me
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
Techlore techlore.tech
iodé iode.tech
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
OpenMedia openmedia.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
FUTO futo.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
F-Droid f-droid.org
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
April april.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no What they're saying
Tech press
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"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
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"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
"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
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"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
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
Editorials & analysis
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"This policy represents a dramatic departure from Android's decades-old tradition of openness, in which developers could build and share apps freely without first submitting to a centralized authority."
Biometric Update
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"The $25 isn't the real cost. The chilling effect is. Submitting government ID to Google is a non-starter for pseudonymous contributors and privacy researchers."
Arafat Alim, DEV Community
"Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Google is turning sideloading from a right into a permission slip, and the open-source community has until September to convince it otherwise."
Reclaim The Net
"Developers from sanctioned countries or those without Google Play access cannot verify themselves. This creates systemic discrimination against developers based on birthplace rather than conduct."
agnostic-apollo (Termux developer), GitHub
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This is not about protecting users. This is about control. This is about Google cutting out the last remaining artery of independence in Android."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Google has announced what can only be described as a death blow to the open ecosystem that made Android. Under the guise of 'security,' Google is implementing draconian developer verification requirements."
AndroidSage
"There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse."
I-Programmer
"Google has announced that they are altering the deal. And telling us that we should pray that they don't alter it further. Block this policy change now before they wrap their cold metal hands around our necks."
Jesse Wilson, PublicObject.com
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Destroying F-Droid isn't some 'oops.' It's the mission. It's Google finally cutting the last remaining escape route and locking every single user inside their store."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
Organizations & open letters
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"When you set up a gate, you invite authorities to use it to block things they don't like. And when you build a database, you invite governments to try to get access."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"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
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"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
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open source app distribution sources as we know them today."
F-Droid
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"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
"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
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
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
"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
"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
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"This extends Google's gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role."
Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
YouTubers & creators
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – 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
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Follow the money. Google makes money when apps are downloaded from its store. Google has completely forgotten about its earlier company motto: Don't be evil."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"I'm not using the word 'phone.' I'm using the word 'computer.' This has over 8 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage. It's a computer. And I'm also not going to be using words like 'sideload.' When you download an exe file onto your Windows computer, you've installed an application. You haven't 'sideloaded' something."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google isn't testing this in the US or Europe first. They're starting in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Why? Because these are massive growth markets where regulation is weaker. By the time regulators catch up, the damage will already be done."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"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
"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
"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
"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 already can disable malware that they find on your device. It's already a built-in feature. So what is developer registration actually adding here? Is it security or control? You decide."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"This 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 is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – 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
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
Developers & community
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"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 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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"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
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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
"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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."
Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit
"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
"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
"We need to start treating phones differently. We're entering a world where we can't choose what we run on them. Their primary purpose is to gather data on us and serve us advertising, they're engineered for addiction, yet engaging in the world is immensely difficult without one."
specproc, Hacker News
"Google 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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"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
"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
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"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
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"Making it harder makes it harder to treat ourselves. Software like AndroidAPS is unique. It's hard to find or very expensive and inferior in the proprietary market."
pimeys (diabetic user on life-critical medical software), Lobsters
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, 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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, 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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, 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 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
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"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
Voices from the petition
"Android is all about being open. Removing the ability to install apps without the play store destroys this freedom. This will kill the dreams of young app developers, and will hurt high-quality open source apps that don't have the funding to pay to Google. This move will stifle app development innovation, and will hurt users by removing choice. Without free choice, I am left asking the question "Why Android anymore?" If Android is locked down like IOS, maybe going with Apple is better. I hope I don't have to switch to IOS. "
Austin, change.org
"After this decision I will just go with iPhone, this was the only reason I was using Android, just making it worse for the consumer, this is not about security but locking down people's choice of store, which in my opinion should be illegal give that we bought our phones and we should be able to do with them as we please "
Colin, change.org
"I personally knew Android because of it's open nature. Seeing this made me heartbroken. I am all about rooting so sideloading is a crucial part in some rooting operations I do on my device. Now I can't have any more cool mods on my device anymore. Thanks Google. "
chau, change.org
"These proposed restrictions by Google are a threat to personal digital autonomy and to app development. "
Daniel, change.org
"Stop destroying our freedom! "
Alberto, change.org
"I bought an Android phone because of the affordability and more open nature compared to iOS, and hope Google listens to the concerned users and changes its mind regarding this decision. "
Luke, change.org
"I do not agree with Google's decision to limit my personal choices about the device I paid for. I bought my phone under the impression I was allowed to use whatever software I choose, but with these restrictions, I feel betrayed and used. I may as well stop using Android phones if it's just going to be another Apple. "
Sabrina, change.org
"Limiting APK file issue is not a good idea. It is basically like apple os and will greatly hurt my projects... "
Josias, change.org
"At the age of 41 I have had the blessing of watching the smartphone grow. From its infant day's, through to the Blackberry fad and into something I couldn't have imagined when I had my first "brick" cellphone. Front end center, the consumer was offered 2 brand's in the modern era of handheld devices. The giants, Apple and Android. Google's "open platform" and their freedom to develop, modify and create kept me loyal my entire life in regards to ownership of said technology. It's a great shame to hear Google is planning to end open user development, following Apple as if it's creating massive net profit loss. If followed through, I'll end my lifetime commitment to using Android and follow the path I swore not to follow... becoming an Apple ID number and forever locked in their digital cage. "
Charles, change.org
"The restriction of an end-user's ability to control what they can and cannot do with their device that they legally own is inherently malicious and should be illegal. Google is pushing and overreaching in a way that is invasive and threatening to users' privacy and freedom. "
Weston, change.org
"I am Japanese and using translation. I am deeply disappointed about this matter. There is no need to restrict the great features of Android. If only a limited number of people can develop, it will only lead to the decline of content. Please stop making things worse. "
成田, change.org
"I 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
"Trust is born out of the experience of self-agency. Google always has been trustworthy because of that. It's not been successful for breathtaking design, intuitive user experience or a consistent hardware strategy. Its most successful argument carrying the message of freedom and agency up to date is Android. Have end point management and self written helpers. Let my local plumber have his own app without being asked to update it every half year, let me build my own app for trataka meditation without need to share and make money of it - that's general computing on a mobile device accidentally married to a telephone. I can show off my fluid dynamics simulations, every month a further advanced model, and of course stupidly sink into the screen when I wait for the bus. Wonderful. So listen, Google. Don't take away my freedom, don't take away our freedom and agency. Don't waste our trust. And, with the formula you'll have read too often in your personal messages, dear Sundar, thank you for your attention to this matter. "
Frank, change.org
"I use Android because of it's ease of use. If this goes through, I will be installing a completely different OS. This is Microsoft forcing us to download Windows 11 all over again. "
Aden, change.org
"Promote Foss and let's talk about the next phone OS "
james, change.org
"Open source is people power "
Nathan, change.org
"Security is important, but it's not the same as control. They close doors to developers and users. I personally use Android precisely because of the free installation of APKs. For this, I prefer to use iOS. "
Dilan Giovanny, 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
"Turning Android into Google is pathetic "
Scott, change.org
"I'll repeat what I have seen many other say. It's not "sideloading", it's installing. It's not "making sure you only get what we know is good", it's a digital company town. We already pay for every aspect of our time on this earth. The fact that they want to make it so you can't go anywhere but them? It's a giant flashing LED sign that says monopoly. And I say to not let it happen, for privacy, for ownership, for the right to do what we want with the stuff we buy. "
Benjamin, change.org
"The advantage of Android is precisely its freedom to choose what to do with your system and applications, just as developers have the freedom to choose where to distribute. Please do not limit the installation of APKs. There is already a warning and optional block for “unknown” apps where we currently have choices. Do not trade freedom for a false sense of security! "
Matheus, change.org
"our digital freedom continues to erode as the years pass, gotta try to slow the degradation "
Kanji, change.org
"Android Freeeeee!! "
Tymmi, change.org
"I have been avoiding iPhone and using Android specifically for this reason. Why would Google change something that is working for them? Why ruin something good? Short sighted and stupid move. "
Will, change.org
"Sideloading is a huge part of what makes android awesome. im not updating my phone anymore if this happens "
Cassius, change.org
"Android being open is the one thing that set it apart . Giving people a option to be open source is the one of the best things about Android . Censorship is not the way to go . as some one just getting development i was looking foreword to making my on apps and becoming a registered developer doesn't sound great to me . "
Jo, change.org
"The whole reason I use an Android based device is for the freedom that comes with the phone. If I wanted to be governed by my cellphone manufacturer I would use an iPhone. "
Zachary, change.org
"Google's September 2026 "Developer Verification" mandate is not a security policy. It is a monopoly play wearing security as a costume. Starting September 2026, every Android developer -- including those who have never used the Play Store -- must register with Google, submit government ID, pay fees, and agree to Google's terms just to distribute an APK. In 2027 this goes global. No registration, no distribution. Period. F-Droid is already banned from the Play Store under Google's own Developer Distribution Agreement. Now Google is closing the only door F-Droid had left. Anonymous FOSS contributors cannot and will not hand Google their home addresses. The project dies. Thousands of privacy tools, accessibility apps, whistleblower utilities, and open source projects built by volunteers with no commercial interest go dark with it. The security argument is a fraud. Android already has Play Protect. Google's own Play Store hosted over a billion malicious app downloads in 2025 alone. Identity registration does not stop malware. It stops competition. What this actually does is give Google indirect control over every app on every Android device on earth, regardless of where it was distributed. You must register with Google. You must agree to Google's terms. You must pay Google. Or your software does not exist on Android. That is not an open platform. That is a toll booth on the entire software ecosystem, built by a company that was handed dominance by the very open ecosystem it is now dismantling. Sign this because the phone in your pocket should not require Google's permission to run software you choose to install on hardware you own. "
Mark, 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
"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
"APK being open is the soul reason the market stayed successful. It is a staple of our freedoms, fun, and expression. This is a Trojan Horse that infringes on our right to privacy and freedom of speech. Anyone can access our private information. The time to act is now. "
Ciara, change.org
"As a former iOS dev, this move by Google sickens me. Android is the last major mobile OS that allows for open source development. Paying to become a "verified developer" is anti-consumer and anti-competitive. Google should be ashamed! This will allow them to introduce the same planned obsolescence the Apple uses to keep their users buying new phones when the latest OS isn't compatible with their phone. Users installing apps via 3rd party fully understand the risks. Corporate overreach won't "protect" anyone. We are not stupid Google! Stop treating us like sheep who don't know any better! "
Danielle, change.org
"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
"Vamos parar essa empresa mercenárias "
Euler, change.org
"I am tired of massive corporations limiting us. I love using android because it is a modified linux kernal and I love using linux. I want android to stay open, android has not right to call itself linux if it will not stay open. "
Charlotte, change.org
"Android has always been defined as the more open platform. What gets people to move away from Apple is to get away from the closed ecosystem from having direct control over their own devices. This runs contrary to Androids original mission statement and what the platform stands for. This is not what I want for my device nor my family wishes for this either. "
Logan, 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
"Ts need to be stopped "
danilao, change.org
"As Student and Junior Developer, I find this petition quite concerning on security and privacy for web data, android is not only a platform, it is a framework, a constant transition of metadata across the WEB. Limitating actions on android, even in level 3 is limitating not only user-friendly policy's of privacy, but freedom on networking. I Highly Recommend Sharing this petition! "
Davi Cristopher, change.org
"I'm not even an Android app developer, but I've always wanted to be. Now, I'm not sure that I do. Making this change will mean that all apps will funnel through Google Play, which gives Google exclusive control and a censorship chokehold on the entire Android ecosystem. I shouldn't have to explain why that would not be good. The whole thing that made Android different from iOS is that it was OPEN. Now Google's just throwing that out of the window. At this point, I might just switch to iOS because Android has lost all of its character. "
Ethan, 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
"This is a blatantly security washing a monopoly move to undermine the open internet and free access that grew Google to what it is today. If Google wants to be Apple it should produce Apple level products and services without being a leach. "
E, change.org
"Google wants to become IOS but with this petition we can have a chance for Google not to block apks and it has to work so we all have to vote "
Super, 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
"This would kill a big company steam games from haveing app. "
Timothy, 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
"Android has always stood for user choice that’s what made it different. Taking away freedoms like sideloading apps goes directly against that foundation. Not every developer wants to go through approval processes just to create or use their own apps. Many of us build things for personal use, experimentation, or learning not for distribution under strict control. These changes don’t just limit developers they set a dangerous precedent. This is how censorship and platform control begin, slowly turning an open ecosystem into a closed one. Android was meant to be open. What made it powerful was the freedom it gave its users. Stripping that away doesn’t protect people it restricts them. If Android continues down this path, it risks losing what made it great in the first place. "
Jared, change.org
"Google, this would absolutely destroy android. Seriously, one of the only reasons people get Androids over iPhones (aside from them being cheaper) is that they can sideboard apps from the factory. Limiting that would be a huge blow to the Android market. "
Christopher, change.org
"HOW NEXT GENS GONNA INSTALL MINECRAFT?! "
Kyouko, change.org
"Android has always been a symbol of freedom, a system that allowed us to use our devices our own way, without chains or limitations imposed by corporations. Now Google wants to take that away from Android users, to control every detail as if we weren’t capable of deciding what’s best for ourselves. I don’t agree, and I will never agree, with this absurd, authoritarian, and completely insane decision. They are killing the very essence of Android, the open spirit that made millions of people choose this platform. We, users and developers, have always stood for the power of choice. If Google thinks it can simply impose restrictions and hide behind a false narrative of security, it’s deeply mistaken. Android wasn’t born to be a digital prison. It was born to be free. And if Google keeps going down this path, make no mistake: the community will not stay silent. Freedom will always find a way to fight back. "
Ronaldo, change.org
"Enough. Google blocking APK usage is an attack on user freedom, innovation, and fair competition. Blocking sideloading centralizes control, stifles small developers, and forces users into a gated ecosystem controlled by one corporate gatekeeper. We deserve the right to choose how we manage our devices, install software we trust, and support independent developers. Security can be improved without stripping choice — transparent warnings and user education. This is about digital sovereignty. Join our petition to demand that Google restore full, responsible APK access now. Defend openness, choice, and the future of a free app ecosystem. Sign now. "
Evela, change.org
"google take the L "
Miguel, change.org
"One of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, Android has had over Apple for the longest time is the freedom of the user to make the phone theirs through downloading third party apps, through developers making their own applications without being required to release it through an app store that requires a fee to put it on. My own personal experience has been that I could play one of my favorite games that's no longer on the app store. With these new restrictions and requirements Google is proposing in September, we would lose that freedom, and would become no better than Apple "
Morgan, change.org
"Please don't do this, I have always been opposed to the apple mentality, I view this as my device and have loved the openness of the android ecosystem. I used to root my phones and load my own os, replace boot animations, design my own UI. Those are my fondest memories of owning an Android phone, I no longer do those things but I still occasionally side load an app, or go to FDroid, Amazon's app store, if you revoke my ability to do these things I can no longer argue against owning an iphone, as my biggest argument now is Google's android open ecosystem versus apples closed ecosystem. Don't be Apple, be Google, be better. "
Jake, change.org
"I didn't think I could dislike Google any less than I do already for their anti freedom posture, but, yeah they've fallen even further. Google is the enemy of freedom no matter where you live. "
Daniel, change.org
"Locking the bootloader is bad. Preventing side loading is bad. If I buy a device, I want to use it as I like. That is the whole reason I've stuck on ith Android in the first place. Guess those days are gone. "
Joseph, 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
"Google and Android have built their empire on the promise of letting users modify, adapt or change what they wish on their phone. Taking this incredibly backwards step from what defined their values for so many years is nothing but a slap in the face to all who have supported these companies over all these years. Changing the base use of devices for so many will have knock on effects for security, in disability or aged access and of course a complete abandonment of privacy in all users. Please share this far and wide as this is the opening act to the symphony of absolute control and forced compliance to a handful of Tech companies. "
Robert, change.org
"As a power user, Android is my go-to option for mobile OS. Even if they retain a method for users like me to install unverified apps, these projects will suffer from the non techy users being blocked from using these apps. "
Brendan, change.org
"Imagine not being able to install programs on your computer that don't go though Microsoft or Apple first. That is where this will go next if this type of practice is made normal/succeeded. "
Kyle, change.org
"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
"Android providing more freedom than any other OS has been it's drawing point for ages. The fact that that is being taken away for the sake of a corporation's whims is absolutely disgusting, and I would see no reason to continue supporting it. The fact that google believes it has absolute authority to filter content is frankly abhorrent, and it would provide no difference between android and any other OS. "
Guadalupe, 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
"independenceeeeeeee "
Spam, change.org
"This is absurd and down right offensive that Google ever thought the thought that contradicts the core ideals for the Android OS! An android device that's no longer open might as well be Apple 2.0. In saying that, it will turn away not only the tech savy users in completion by 100% of them looking for another OS but in turn having the user who wants to express themselves in their Android device... If we wanted a closed source environment we'd conform with the rest of the world who knows nothing else but how to have the "hive mind" think for them and buy an apple. They do it, have done it and will continue to do it the best. Which, tbh, is ok!! Let them have their space in that of the most boring OS, app store, etc... If Google follows suit and actually closes up Android, clearly it will not kill the giant that Google purchased but it will turn away hundreds of millions of users to that "boring side" as in comparison, it makes NO SENSE for one to keep an Android over an iPhone when iPhone already has side loading and other exploitations to help us at the very least feel like we have some sort of control while going with the leading IP of closed OSs.... Android and closed should never be in the same sentence and I can guarantee when it happens Google will see lows they've never experienced in recent years nor could have predicted. However if the corporate overlords didn't think a backlash would occur when Google, likely the most predatory tech company in terms of their business practices who already enables the largest black market empire in that of call centers and scammers across the world to operate by selling our data to them and pushing their ads to the top of its results for the right amount of money. Who tf you think is gonna want to use a phone backed by said company when it's closing it's OS and changing it's TOS to basically "we can see and use everything on your screen for whatever purposes we please?? Literally the largest data broker in THE UNIVERSE???? YEA RIGHT, WE'RE NOT FOOL GOOGLE, WE'RE THE PHONE USERS WHO ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO THINK FOR OURSELVES, Y'ALL FORGET THIS POINT?? "
Steven, change.org
"As someone who has recenlty been looking into privacy. I hope we can limit big corporations hold on our personal lives. "
Ronald, 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
"Control. That is all this is. Protection is a word you use to hide your true intentions, google. Google promised a platform where everybody can choose what they want; Linux does this, Windows does this. But google chose to threaten the very way of technology. We as consumers want freedom over the products we purchase, not "protection" from things "outside" of our control or knowledge. "
Trevor, change.org
"Google shouldn't be able to restrict something that made us purchase the phones in the first place! "
Yousef, change.org
"Without Youtube Revanced on my android phone in september 2026 i have to use official youtube and i hate it when google wants to make more money and everything and will have to kill the apk files ive enjoyed for a long time, even lucky patcher app owners will have to use their money on their favorite app to waste money and so much more...and by the news of the google update it makes me upset and angry about it. Im standing up to prove who i am and will be using youtube revanced app instead of official youtube app for people like me, i will never give up and will protest with other android users who are against google for our glory. #FreeAndroid #JusticeForAndroid #MakeGoogleGoneForever "
Leland, change.org
"Intelectual property is a disgrace! If what Google is trying to do is normalized it will eventually reach other OSes and it could kill game preservation via emulation. Not only that, they are also trying to normalize putting ridiculous restrictions to the freedom of the developers which could eventually kill open-source or at least make it unimaginably worst! "
Guilherme, change.org
"I make little tools for myself and little games for my son, I don't usually distribute apps and when I do it is for free with no ads. Adding a license, divulging personal info and a cost to Android development will make me leave the platform. Allow people to use their computing devices the way they want, don't be evil. "
Paul, change.org
"Developer verification can improve security, but requiring centralized registration for all apps on certified devices risks creating new barriers to competition and innovation. Security shouldn’t come at the cost of openness and choice. "
Caleb, change.org
"Every year my tech gets less and less useful, it seems like every time I look away Alphabet adds more hurdles to jump over simply to have basic access to MY device. Google is a glorified intelligence agency conjured from the depths of DARPA and the CIA. They're allowed to retain their monopoly, not only because of the capitalist dystopia we live in, but because they're a thinly veiled arm of our criminal government, being welded like a cudgel against not only China's much superior tech industry, but the entire world in the form of the tailor made, digital echo chambers they lock us in. "
Steven, change.org
"The internet should be free for all "
Ev, change.org
"this is so dumb, and it makes the whole reason i got an android pointless. i might as well go back to ios but ill probably give pinephone a shot "
Spencer, change.org
"Google is stupid and annoying and I hate them let me do what I want with my phone or imma just use grapheneOS "
David, change.org
"I do not support Google moving android in a totalitarian direction where freedom is removed and central authority is enforced. Keep Android Free! "
Phillip, change.org
"What happened to not being evil? "
Scott, change.org
"If this doesn't get changed then I'm switching to Apple. "
Julia, change.org
"Keep android open. Keep android from becoming Apple! "
Adam, change.org
"Google has been sued up the butt for monopolizing before, and now they're trying again? And on top of these ridiculous surveillance laws all because a few parents can't watch their children, this is just a stupid decision to make. "
Kamareon, change.org
"Android was promised and sold as an open platform. As many others, I decided to get Android devices considering that that promise was a serious lifetime commitment from Google. All Google has to do now is honor their own word and keep Android open. "
Leo, change.org
"Keep the Android Open Source Project... Open Source "
Raymond, change.org
"Genuinely fr "
Hanifinio, change.org
"As a developer, a main appeal of Android has been that I can write my own software for it. I've shared some of my more polished and completed apps with others, although my primary motivation has been to "scratch an itch". Although F-Droid doesn't track download or usage stats, I can tell from comments in my github issues that the majority of the users of my apps have found and installed it from F-Droid. Likewise, most of the software I've installed on my own device comes from F-droid. I like the focus F-Droid apps have on privacy and find the quality to be much higher on average than on the Google play store. I strongly recommend that F-droid, other 3rd party stores, and the ability to install an .apk file from any other source is retained. Users deserve the freedom to use their device as they see fit, and should be respected enough to decide that for themselves. Google has already shown itself to be a poor gatekeeper when it comes to deciding what is allowed in the Play Store. High quality and immensely useful apps have been removed for being incompatible with increasingly restrictive policies (such as Termux), while low quality clones of existing apps, ad spam, scams, and outright malware, continues to be allowed. I will not use, recommend, nor develop for an ecosystem where Google has the only say in what I'm allowed to do with it. "
Matthew, change.org
"If this is Android's future then it's time for Linux phones! My device my rules. "
Juan Antonio, change.org
"As a android user and a newbie developer, android OS is famous by the its freedom. Because we can modify our android operating system by our ways,and decided which software I wanted which I needn't. This freedom is the biggest difference between android and IOS and other fake android, which is full of junk ads and virus-like game. However, if we lost freedom on android operating system, the open-source software developer will lose motivation from this platform. That is a horrorible things to the android and the people who beloved with it. "
su, change.org
"The reason I went with Android at all was its openness, every major release seemed to wear down at that, and now the recently announced lockdown of all apps needing some paid license? That's Google unfairly abusing its monopoly position. "
Adpocalyptic, change.org
"who thought it was even a good idea "
Joel, change.org
"Please don't make this change Because that's why I got an Android in the first place! "
Jerry, change.org
"I feel that Android needs to remain open, as it is the only other OS apart from desktop based OSes which allow for sideloading. It is up to the user to decide what they choose to install, not by Google to verify the developer of the said app the user wants to install. "
Zain, change.org
"The selling point of Android has always been freedom, in contrast to Apple's centralized ecosystem. I use Android because it allows me to tailor my experience to my wants and needs rather than what a big corporation decided that I need. I like supporting small creators and developers, which will be made increasingly more difficult with such a barrier to app creators. If you turn into Apple, there is no more reason to choose Android. You will just be another form of unnecessary censorship and limitation. "
Jackson, change.org
"More sensorship, more control, just another step into taking away the little bits of freedom we have left in this country in the things we love doing the most. I say no thank you, go away. "
Brandon, change.org
"I never liked Apple's highly restrictive service for their app and mobile OS. I chose Android because of the freedom of customizability and choice, and ease of access. Do not make Android a wasteland, Google. People who use andriod value privacy and security, while also easily being able to make it better without worrying about who has what information about them. Please, think about the consequences for once. "
Maygen, change.org
"Freedom to install apps not verified by Google is one the main reasons to choose android over IOS. And claims that it's for security is BS. There are plenty of malicious apps on the playstore anyways, and this is going to lead to people who don't necessarily know what they're doing doing things like rooting their device, unaware of the risks. Besides, why is it any of Google's business what apps I install on a device I purchased? "
Cliff, change.org
"Our phone, our rights. Open source is freedom. We will not comply, we will turn to alternatives. "
Foghorne, change.org
"Google is literally taking away our right. Yes we CAN bypass this with there feature allowing us to install unverified apps but making us wait 24 hours BUT they are going to give our devices a "unsafe" mark stopping banking and many other apps from working the same way they did to ROOTED phones. "
yousef, change.org
"I use apps that I cannot find on the Google Play Store, Google restricting users to only the Play Store is not only bad, but a hindrance to myself as well since some of these apps I use are of every day use. Android was made to be an open source system since day one, and it needs to stay that way. "
Nova, change.org
"If google does go through with this I will do everything in my power to convince anyone with an android or google service to stop using it. "
James, change.org