Điện thoại của bạn sắp không còn là của bạn.
Từ năm 2027*, một bản cập nhật âm thầm do Google triển khai, không cần sự đồng ý của người dùng, sẽ chặn các ứng dụng Android nếu nhà phát triển chưa đăng ký với Google, chưa ký điều khoản, chưa trả phí và chưa nộp giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp.
Mọi ứng dụng. Mọi thiết bị. Trên toàn thế giới. Không có lựa chọn từ chối.
↓Google đang làm gì?
Tháng 8 năm 2025, Google công bố một yêu cầu mới: từ năm 2027, mọi nhà phát triển ứng dụng Android đều phải đăng ký với Google trước khi phần mềm của họ có thể được cài trên bất kỳ thiết bị nào. Không chỉ ứng dụng trên Play Store, mà tất cả ứng dụng đều bị áp dụng. Điều này bao gồm cả ứng dụng chia sẻ giữa bạn bè, phân phối qua F-Droid, hoặc do người dùng tự viết cho nhu cầu cá nhân. Nhà phát triển độc lập, nhóm nhà thờ, tổ chức cộng đồng và người làm ứng dụng vì sở thích đều sẽ bị chặn khỏi việc phát triển và phân phối phần mềm của chính họ.
Trong quá trình đăng ký, nhà phát triển sẽ phải:
- Trả phí cho Google
- Chấp nhận điều khoản và điều kiện của Google
- Cung cấp giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp
- Cung cấp bằng chứng bạn sở hữu khóa ký riêng
- Liệt kê toàn bộ mã định danh ứng dụng hiện có và sẽ có trong tương lai
Nếu nhà phát triển không tuân thủ, mọi ứng dụng của họ sẽ bị âm thầm chặn trên mọi thiết bị Android trên thế giới.
Ai bị ảnh hưởng?
Người dùng
Bạn mua điện thoại Android vì Google hứa rằng Android là một nền tảng mở. Bạn có thể cài thứ mình muốn — đó vốn là thỏa thuận.
Giờ, Google đang viết lại thỏa thuận đó, áp ngược lên cả phần cứng mà bạn đã mua. Sau khi cập nhật được triển khai, bạn chỉ có thể chạy phần mềm đã được Google phê duyệt trên chính chiếc điện thoại của bạn, là tài sản của bạn, thứ mà bạn đã bỏ tiền ra mua.
Nhà phát triển độc lập
Ứng dụng đầu tiên của một học sinh, công cụ bảo vệ quyền riêng tư do tình nguyện viên làm, hay bản beta nội bộ của một công ty — tất cả đều không khác gì nhau. Từ năm 2027, những ứng dụng đó sẽ không thể được cài nếu chưa được Google cho phép.
F-Droid, nơi lưu trữ hàng nghìn ứng dụng Android tự do và mã nguồn mở, gọi đây là một mối đe dọa “mang tính sống còn”. Cory Doctorow gọi nó là “Darth Android”.
Chính quyền và xã hội dân sự
Google đã nhiều lần tuân thủ khi các chính quyền độc tài yêu cầu gỡ ứng dụng. Với chương trình này, phần mềm vận hành các thiết chế của một quốc gia sẽ phải phụ thuộc vào thiện chí của một tập đoàn nước ngoài duy nhất, không chịu trách nhiệm trước công chúng.
EFF gọi việc kiểm soát cổng ứng dụng là “một con đường ngày càng mở rộng dẫn tới kiểm duyệt Internet.”
“Lối thoát” của Google thực ra là cửa sập
Google nói rằng “người dùng nâng cao” “vẫn có thể cài” ứng dụng chưa xác minh. Nhưng thực tế sẽ như sau:
- Mò vào Cài đặt hệ thống, tìm 'Tùy chọn nhà phát triển'
- Nhấn vào số bản dựng bảy lần để bật Chế độ nhà phát triển
- Bỏ qua các màn hình cảnh báo gây sợ hãi về ép buộc
- Nhập mã PIN
- Khởi động lại thiết bị
- Chờ 24 tiếng (một ngày!)
- Quay lại và bỏ qua thêm các màn hình cảnh báo khác
- Chọn “cho phép tạm thời” (7 ngày) hoặc “cho phép vô thời hạn”
- Xác nhận thêm một lần nữa rằng bạn hiểu “rủi ro”
Chín bước. Bắt buộc chờ 24 tiếng. Chỉ để cài phần mềm trên thiết bị bạn sở hữu.
Tệ hơn nữa: toàn bộ luồng này chạy qua Google Play Services, không phải hệ điều hành Android. Google có thể thay đổi, siết chặt hoặc xóa nó bất cứ lúc nào, không cần cập nhật hệ điều hành và không cần sự đồng ý của người dùng.
Chuyện này lớn hơn Android
Nếu Google có thể khóa ngược hàng tỷ thiết bị từng được bán ra như những nền tảng mở, mọi hãng phần cứng trên hành tinh này đều đang quan sát.
Nguyên tắc đang được thiết lập là: công ty sản xuất thiết bị của bạn có quyền quyết định, sau khi bạn đã mua thiết bị, phần mềm nào bạn được phép chạy. Trong phần mềm, chuyện này gọi là “rug pull”; nhưng ít nhất bạn vẫn có thể cài phần mềm cạnh tranh. Với phần cứng, đây là một fait accompli: một việc đã rồi, tước đi quyền tự quyết của bạn và đặt bạn dưới ý muốn của một kẻ gác cổng duy nhất, không chịu trách nhiệm trước ai, lại còn là một bên đã bị kết luận độc quyền.
Sự mở của Android chưa bao giờ chỉ là một tính năng. Đó là lời hứa khiến Android khác với iPhone. Hàng triệu người chọn Android chính vì lý do đó. Giờ Google đang đơn phương rút lại lời hứa ấy trên những thiết bị đã nằm trong túi người dùng, vì họ cho rằng mình đã có đủ sức mạnh thị trường và đủ lợi thế pháp lý để làm vậy mà không phải trả giá.
Ars Technica: “Cơn ghen tị Apple của Google đe dọa phá vỡ di sản mở của Android.”
Nhưng khoan, chẳng phải đây là...
"...chỉ để bảo mật thôi sao?"
Lý do bảo mật chỉ là màn khói. Google Play Protect vốn đã quét phần mềm độc hại độc lập với danh tính của nhà phát triển. Yêu cầu giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp không làm mã nguồn an toàn hơn. Nó chỉ khiến nhà phát triển dễ bị nhận diện và kiểm soát hơn. Người viết mã độc vẫn có thể đăng ký. Nhà phát triển độc lập và người bất đồng chính kiến thì nhiều khi không thể. EFF nói thẳng: kiểm soát dựa trên danh tính là công cụ kiểm duyệt, không phải công cụ bảo mật.
"...vẫn sideload được nếu dùng luồng nâng cao mà?"
Chín bước, chờ 24 tiếng, bị giấu trong Tùy chọn nhà phát triển, lại chạy qua một dịch vụ độc quyền mà Google có thể thu hồi bất cứ lúc nào. Đó không phải sideloading. Đó là một cơ chế gây nản được thiết kế để gần như không ai đi hết quy trình. Và vì nó chạy qua Play Services thay vì hệ điều hành, Google có thể âm thầm siết chặt hoặc xóa hẳn nó.
"...chỉ là vấn đề nếu bạn có cần giấu giếm thôi mà?"
Người tố giác, nhà báo và nhà hoạt động dưới các chính quyền độc tài sẽ là những nạn nhân đầu tiên. Tiếp theo là những người đang ở trong tình huống bị bạo hành gia đình. Tất cả những nhóm này đều có lý do chính đáng để phân phối hoặc sử dụng phần mềm mà không phải đưa danh tính pháp lý của mình vào cơ sở dữ liệu của Google. Đóng góp mã nguồn mở ẩn danh là một truyền thống còn lâu đời hơn cả Google. Chính sách này sẽ chấm dứt điều đó trên Android.
"...cũng giống Apple thôi mà?"
Apple là một khu vườn có tường bao ngay từ ngày đầu. Người ta chọn Android vì nó khác. “Apple cũng làm vậy” là một cuộc đua xuống đáy và là một lập luận tu quoque yếu. Hơn nữa, dưới áp lực quản lý như Đạo luật Thị trường Kỹ thuật số của EU, ngay cả Apple cũng đang bị buộc phải mở ra. Google thì đi theo hướng ngược lại: cố củng cố thêm vị thế gác cổng của mình.
"...chỉ 25 đô và làm giấy tờ thôi mà?"
Có thể là vậy, nếu bạn là một nhà phát triển ở Mỹ, có thẻ tín dụng và bằng lái xe. Nhưng hãy thử là một học sinh ở châu Phi hạ Sahara, một người bất đồng chính kiến ở Myanmar, hoặc một tình nguyện viên đang duy trì ứng dụng y tế cộng đồng. Cái giá không chỉ là tiền: bạn đang giao giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp và bằng chứng về khóa ký của mình cho một công ty thường xuyên tuân thủ yêu cầu của chính phủ về việc gỡ ứng dụng và lộ danh tính nhà phát triển.
Phản ứng lại
Mọi người
- Cài F-Droid trên mọi thiết bị Android bạn có. Các kho ứng dụng thay thế chỉ sống được nếu có người thật sự dùng chúng.
- Liên hệ cơ quan quản lý. Cơ quan quản lý trên khắp thế giới đang thực sự lo ngại về độc quyền và việc tập trung quyền lực trong lĩnh vực công nghệ. Họ cần nghe trực tiếp từ những người bị ảnh hưởng và quan tâm.
- Chia sẻ trang này. Đưa link keepandroidopen.org lên mọi nơi.
- Phản bác các nhóm dựng dư luận giả. Đám “thật ra thì...” đang xuất hiện rất nhiều. Đừng để họ dẫn dắt câu chuyện.
- Ký kiến nghị trên change.org và tham gia cùng hơn 100.000 người đã lên tiếng.
- Đọc và chia sẻ thư ngỏ của chúng tôi
- Nói cho Google biết bạn nghĩ gì thông qua khảo sát xác minh nhà phát triển của chính họ — dù hiệu quả đến đâu thì còn phải xem.
Nhà phát triển
ĐỪNG ĐĂNG KÝ. Đừng tham gia chương trình bằng cách đăng ký Android Developer Console và chấp nhận Điều khoản & Điều kiện không thể rút lại của họ. Đừng xác minh danh tính. Đừng chơi theo luật của họ.
Kế hoạch của Google chỉ thành công nếu nhà phát triển chịu tuân theo. Đừng làm vậy.
- Thuyết phục các nhà phát triển và tổ chức khác đừng đăng ký.
- Thêm thư viện FreeDroidWarn vào ứng dụng của bạn để cảnh báo người dùng.
- Có website? Thêm banner đếm ngược.
Nhân viên Google
Nếu bạn biết thông tin về cách chương trình này được triển khai về mặt kỹ thuật hoặc lý do nội bộ đứng sau nó, hãy liên hệ tips@keepandroidopen.org từ một máy không dùng cho công việc và một tài khoản không phải Gmail. Chúng tôi cam kết bảo mật tuyệt đối.
Tất cả những bên phản đối...
71 tổ chức từ 23 quốc gia đã ký thư ngỏ
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Brave brave.com
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
April april.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
iodé iode.tech
F-Droid f-droid.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Techlore techlore.tech
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Proton AG proton.me
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
FUTO futo.org
GitHub Store github-store.org Các bên đang nói gì
Báo công nghệ
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"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
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"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
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
Bình luận & phân tích
"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
"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
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"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
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"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
"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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
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
"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
"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
"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 a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google 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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"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
"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
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
Tổ chức & thư ngỏ
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"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
"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
"A policy that forces every Android developer to hand their identity to Google, regardless of whether they use Google's services, makes Android a less-open and less-private platform."
Brave
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"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
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"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
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
YouTuber & nhà sáng tạo nội dung
"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
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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 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 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
"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
"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
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"Follow the money. Google makes money when apps are downloaded from its store. Google has completely forgotten about its earlier company motto: Don't be evil."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"The widely-circulated narrative that Google already backed down from this is false. They didn't, and that misunderstanding may be the most dangerous part of the story right now."
Techlore – YouTube
"I have really no more strong reason to not recommend you all get iPhones, because this just is pretty much an iPhone with a Google logo on it at this point."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google 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
"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
"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
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
Nhà phát triển & cộng đồng
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"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
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"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
"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
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, 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
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"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
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, 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
"I buy a device with my own money, which I supposedly then own, but then I need to ask some corporation permission to use it."
askonomm, Hacker News
"Years ago, I wondered how Google would try to get away with locking down Android and shutting the cage door after capturing such a large dependent user base. Now I see how they are trying to get away with it."
chaznabin, Reddit
"Don't beg. Don't get in a position that freedoms depend on the whims of a corporation or willingness of a government to regulate them. Build."
jzb, Lobsters
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"This is a war on users that want to keep control of their phones and when it's done, you will not be able to escape the enshittification."
ikidd, Lemmy
"Google 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
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"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
"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
"This isn't just a competition between app stores; it's a struggle for choice and dignity. Your phone shouldn't be a cage carefully constructed by others, but an extension of your own will."
renshijian, Hacker News
"I 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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, 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
"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
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"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
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"The fundamental problem is that we are relying on the good graces of Google to keep Android open, despite the fact that it often runs contrary to their goals as a $4T for-profit behemoth. The 'don't be evil' days are very far behind us."
paxys, Hacker News
"I still remember how in the early days of Android vs iOS discussions, the main point was 'but it's OPEN!' The word 'open' was used as a comma by Google people. It was The Thing. The Difference. Good vs Evil and all that."
jwr, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, 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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"If your country is ever in the crosshairs of 'American interests' and bears the brunt of its sanctions, it is possible that you cannot install apps from your fellow citizens. Your own local government, bank, and store apps."
devsda, Hacker News
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
Ý kiến từ kiến nghị
"Spread this everywhere, we can't afford to be lazy. Also, for my fellow Aussies! You can fight against the Online Censorship Act here! https://t.co/ZqH6nemOJb and https://freespeechunion.au/esafety/ and https://endesafety.au/ please take some time to check these out! "
Sara, change.org
"Google detente. "
Angel Gabriel, change.org
"Why do company's always get more predatory and throw away reasons that adopters use them for? We need to be less loyal to services in general because they are not loyal to us. If there is no alternatives then remove a subscription (e.g. for storage), remove/replace a feature (e.g. Google Maps to a 3rd Party, or Chrome with Brave), add friction (e.g. use a VPN, randomize your identifiable info, switch OS's). React immediately although inconvenient, because they derive much of their value from how we behave as consumers, and we cannot be complacent. We can bite back, if for anything, if they get their way we will be only one step away from out the door (adoption of something and everything outside of the Google and Apple ecosystem including the physical phone itself). Example: Fairtrade running Graphene or Calpyx or e/ OS with a Brave default browser and search. "
Robel, change.org
"This is, I believe a really dumb decision on Google's part. Personally one of the primary reasons I choose to use Android devices over IOS is because I loathe Apple's locked down environment ... Is Google now wanting to follow in Apple's coat tails with this policy ? I thought Google was about leadership and innovation, if it now wants to play second fiddle to Apple, I hope another OS comes to the forefront, I'm pretty sure one will. It may take a little while, but freedom will out in the end. And personally if Google thinks they can control what I choose to do with my own devices ... well I'm sorry Google, but THAT WILL NOT WORK FOR ME. As it is I already have to sideliad apps I want on my tablet because " they are not compatible with my device " at least according to the Play Store they are not... So tell me Google, if they are so incompatible, WHY DO THE FUNCTION PERFECTLY one I sideload them from a device that you deem to be "compatible " ?? And now you think you can stop me ? and stop me from writing my personal little apps to do other neat stuff that I like ??? I really THINK NOT and if I can no longer work on Android Devices, we'll I WILL FIND / CREATE A WORKABLE ALTERNATIVE. "
Paul, change.org
"Sick and tired of Google's garbage. "
Gabriel, change.org
"Not everybody wants to be forced into paying a fee to Google, agreeing to their Terms and Conditions, providing a government ID, upload evidence of the developer’s private signing key, or listing all current and future application identifiers. When purchasing an Android, installers like F-Droid served to help with having a widely used open computing platform where you could run whatever software you choose on it rather than having a large tech company like Google control what apps and store fronts you can install from. By making this new change world wide to Android, we're ceding the rights of citizens and their 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. Google actively has been paying other companies like Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla Corporation, and Opera to keep their search engine as the default option either pre-installed or after manual installation. Additionally, we’ve seen Google completely deprecate support for Manifest V2 extensions to intentionally block the use of powerful free open-source tools like uBlock Origin to consolidate control over the browser ecosystem and protect its advertising revenue over privacy and security. Google claims it’s their “job” to do the right thing by “caring” about our customers well-being despite having a track record of being abysmal with both their web browser and account settings. Even down to the way your Google account is setup and the kind of sensitive information required just to make one. To forcefully reject such a drastic and unethical change, I’d highly recommend everyone to use F-Droid and install apps which are either completely unavailable in the Google Play Store or ones that utilize free open-source software with an emphasis on privacy and security. Most of which you’ll find are very useful apps that do everyday tasks without added bloat and even valuable ones which aren’t Google’s proprietary solution. We as humans have every right to use whatever software and hardware is most desired along with retaining a very high standard for both privacy and security respecting applications, tools, and resources. "
David, change.org
"Welp if APK files limited then there is no need for us to use android from now on. "
Emir, change.org
"I will stop using Android if that actually happens and goes through, because what's the point then? "
Cederick, change.org
"It's important to know and clarify that if this significant change is made, it will not only ruin the Android ecosystem, but it will also prevent independent or support projects from providing the necessary support.Google will cause it to fall to a low point where there will be nothing but things getting worse. "
Charly, change.org
"As a certified Android glazer I think age verification is stupid and Android should stay open forever "
Anony, change.org
"The actions of Google are asinine, and the fact the company is trying to do this is appalling. "
Grace, 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
"Why are these changes a necessity? What scary changes are happening in the technological realm that's causing Google to take these ecosystem changing moves? It appears as if you're ignoring a large section of your fan base. I hope freedom wins, but I think with the ever quickening development of A. I. that this measure may be the new necessity with mobile technology try to keep had actors at bay. "
Gene, change.org
"I've always bought Android phones because I always liked the freedom of being able to download anything without having to be limited by the phone itself, like Apple. But now that Android is going to become Android 2.0, I'll throw away my Android phone and just buy an Apple if it's going to be the same. 👎 Android is all wrong. "
Mauricio, change.org
"Bribed their way outta the consequences for being an evil monopoly. Corporations behave kinda like sociopaths, but sociopaths atleast pretend not to be evil. When Google removed their motto "Don't be evil", they went from evil, to cartoonishly evil. When 300 million people realize 3 people have half of the money, half of the money in 'merica wont be eneough to save them. "
Jason, change.org
"Please reconsider "
Calvin, change.org
"are we really trying to iOs android? why are we trying to be the competition? if this occurs, android will LOSE so many users "
Ronin, change.org
"I was really shocked when I heard that such thing is happening. I mean, isn't the point of Android itself to be fully open, especially compared to competitors as iOS? What's so wrong with a person developing apps as their passion/hobby? I don't think it is necessary to have to upload a government ID to a corporation just to make your app be able to be usable. It also impacts me, because I use very many open source apps as alternatives, which fit my usage a lot better, and I like to support those projects, and one more point, many people switching from iOS to Android are looking for the freedom that is sideloading apps without any hurdles. This has to change, or chaos would ensue around the Android world, and especially FOSS communities. "
Arsen, change.org
"Google, don't be evil. "
Eric, 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
"This move is a step backward for the Android ecosystem for so many reasons, but most of because all Google claiming this is for "security" is very disingenuous. Malware already exists on the Play Store, and restricting independent, open-source software does not make users safer, it only makes the ecosystem more closed and worse off. This is anti-consumer to a tee and should not be allowed to happen. "
Teemu, change.org
"Google is making this change for control not for security. these changes will give Google sole control over who can create apps for their platform and by extension it means they have complete control over what apps are allowed. In short this is censorship. "
Drake, change.org
"We want Android as it was intended and created to be, free and for everyone, not a cheap reskin of iOS. "
TARS-, change.org
"Android was always meant to be versatile and open for users and developers alike. It was always about freedom of choice when it came to creating and usage of applications and Android was a big part of that vision... Otherwise, everyone would've just purchased and use Apple iPhones instead---there wouldn't BE an incentive to be on Android. Google... get your act together! "
Ray, change.org
"Google has their own line of phones already. If people wanted Google to have this level of power over them, they would buy the devices the company is selling. This is simply trying to create a monopoly, if not a universe in which a company holds more power than any government, and I think we all know that that is no good outcome. This is a direct attempt to hinder people's creative freedom and ability to share their own projects with the world, whether it's a fun game, or a useful tool, anything. A policy like this has to go. "
Lucy, change.org
"As an android user who picked android because of the principles and mission laid out by the AOSP, this is in direct violation of what the project was set out to do. Please do not do this, this hurts all consumers whether they realize it or not. "
Matthew, change.org
"I use android for one and one singular reason. Freedom. If I download malware, that's my own damn fault! Being "approved" by google just means following their political agenda, never these protective measures mean anything good. We didn't asked for this, no consumer wants this, WE DON'T NEED PROTECTION. WE. AREN'T. CHILDREN! "
Henrique, change.org
"Gghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh "
Pablo, change.org
"Android being open source and accessible to everyone to install and modify as they choose is the most import thing. It's why android has the market share that it does, without developers being able to build for the platform as they wish android will wither and inovation will be stiffled. "
Guy, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom. "
ben, 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
"Sounds good on paper but will only make things way, way worse. They say the main reason they're doing this is for security since you're reportedly more likely to get a virus outside of Google Play than inside, but honestly, that'll only happen if you're irresponsible enough (you're even warned that it's at your own risk and responsibility if you decide to download something outside of GP). Again, sounds good on paper, problem is, by doing this, you'll be unable to download lots of other, virus-free software that are good or can be useful (e.g. gaming emulators or delisted apps), all because it doesn't come from an "approved developer", which would be a huge pain in the ass for millions of people, including me. In my opinion, L update. "
Mario, change.org
"This is a step towards global disaster... Letting Google and Apple control any and all functionality you have on your handheld computer is absolutely absurd. The right android phone can be tuned to a perfect workhorse and sidekick, this new Android Developer Verification Requirement would kill any hope of having personalized and properly functional phones whilst letting Google choose exactly what Developers get to provide tools, collect your data, and offer in-app purchases. I think we all know Google has ruined almost every program on these devices already: accessing local files on the device requires that you use their "google files app" which is ridiculous and clearly them trying to take control where they shouldnt; photos is now "google photos"; wallet? google.; calendar? google; want to have a phone without some BS ai or something hard baked into it? well too bad! assistant cant be turned off; these little briefings with ads that pop up when you unlock your phone?; the adds in the weather app?; how about when you want to go to the nearest restaurant, just trust google to take you there i guess. Here's a very important part of all this: notice that Google replaces all of your PRIVATE apps! My files, which are private, are no longer private since by default the files app is a Google app now. My photos, which are private, owned by Google. My super secure offline location which holds my bank cards, very private, now online and stored somewhere by Google, the company that paid millions to cover up a data breach of 53 million users from 2015 to 2018 (if you were wondering why your info shows up on so many dark websites, thanks incognito!). Pretty much in short: Google is trying to own and control society and this pretty much is a huge leap for them to get there. Don't get me started on Apple. "
Kaden, change.org
"This is a spit in the face of open-source and Android's userbase. "
Mark, change.org
"Without users being able yo choose where they get their apps from, smartphones will be a completely locked down means of computing. It does not protect the average user's data, it just makes it so that only the people that Google says can harvest and sell are doing it. They aren't going to vet those people, they're just going to collect their entry fee. "
Nick, change.org
"Android has one major thing over apple, and that is the ability to download and use whatever software you want on your device alongside the variety of said software. As someone who enjoys finding projects made by other users, or full apps that can alter your experience for the better, we can't just let Google change that. "
Dakota, change.org
"This is ridiculous the fact that google is causing this will effect everybody it's gonna make it way harder for developers to post there apps to specific users. "
Daisuke, change.org
"Rules requiring app developers to pay Google and submit identification documents undermines Android as free and open source software and further exposes Google for the greedy, controlling corporate entity it is, now so far away from it's original "don't be evil" ethos. Privacy concerns about what happens when identification information is exposed have no value to them, and the chilling effect this will have on everyone from minor students learning to develop apps to developers surveilled by their governments will ruin the internet even more than it already has. "
Mary, change.org
"Google should be ashamed of itself and give users the freedom to install any app they want. Why don't they remove those apps from their store where thousands of people suffer from viruses? Bunch of scoundrels! "
Jorge, change.org
"Android is supposed to be open, as a dirrect counter to Apples closed system. If you continue down this road, we will just make something else. Open source is a powerful community "
Serissa, change.org
"We need to continue to have options on the android platform. Once censorship begins where does it end. Developers need to have freedom and not be oppressed by greed. Side-loading is what makes ANDROID if that is taken, what makes Android unique it’s just like IOS a walled garden. "
Edgar, change.org
"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
"Google, go rethink your choices! what is wrong with companies nowadays?!?! "
am, change.org
"This will be the end of the android power user base, and will likely completely fracture things as open source os developers will be forced to do a complete fork. "
Matt, change.org
"Google is definitely overreaching in it's attempt to lock down users' ability to install apps via sideloading. There are many valid reasons for users to sideload apps, and many have already been stated, so I won't beat a dead horse. If people aren't smart enough to protect themselves from bricking their phones when they sideload a potentially harmful app, them they deserve what they get. It's not Google's place to be Guardian of the Galaxies (see what I did there?) or Pixels. "
Michael, change.org
"Do not fix something that is not broken. "
Pavel, change.org
"Let's all join forces in this fight because freedom cannot be violated "
Fernando, change.org
"Because Android will become IOS but worse if this goes into effect. "
Dominick, change.org
"Bro this is the only thing keeping android over iOS don't take it "
Alejandro, change.org
"I'm a new Android game developer but unfortunately what Google did is unacceptable! We need to stop this stupid idea before it becomes a reality!! "
Guilherme, change.org
"Side loading is my main reason to use Android. It's the only way I can watch YouTube on the Kindle "
Max, change.org
"No one is happy about this change. F-droid is infinitely more trustworthy than the play store, and does not need google prying into developers personal info to keep people safe. Being an open platform is the fundamental basis of android user's usage "
Cris, change.org
"What a spit in the face from Google. I switched from iOS to Android for the freedom, and this is what they do to me? Google gave me yet another reason to migrate away from their technocratic oligarchy & seek independence from profit-seeking corporations. Frankly, I don't expect Google to care about its customers anymore. But I'm still going to raise my voice. "
Samuel, change.org
"If I want to be restricted in where I get my apps from, which ones to install and my phone to look each year the same, I buy a device with an apple on it (never did). It should be your choice which apps you want to install and where to obtain them from - not the device vendors or OS manufacturers. Keep android open! "
Andreas, change.org
"Android gives users choice and that is literally the reason why I use Android. For people in places like Iran, China, Russia, and others who want to use apps that can get them unbias news media, but cannot install western news media apps from the Google Play Store how do you think they get their apps. If Google really cared about the security of their users they would actually fix stock Android's issues with permissions management and lack of zero trust architecture. Instead of fighting the symptoms (third part apps) Google should be finding the cure which is fixing the first lines of user's defense browers and OS. Google isn't coming for third party browser extentions, but they are coming for our apps. This makes no sense. It is clearly a ploy to give Google more Apple like control of OUR devices and wants to stop users who do not want to go as far as installing a more secure Android ROM (*cough* *cough* install GrapheneOS *cough*), but who still want a DeGoogled phone. "
Jannet, change.org
"Android OS IS and SHOULD STAY “my device, my rules,” not “Google’s walled garden with extra steps.” Locking down sideloading and making people become “approved developers” is not safety, it’s control. - F!@# Off -- You control everything else Google .. Leave Android alone! You’re stripping away the one thing that made Android different from Apple, and calling it protection doesn’t make it less anti‑consumer. -- You're just masking it as control in pretty language !! Leave it alone! "
Jon, change.org
"I've been using APKs ever since I got my first phone, and now, it's an indispensable part of my life. Things I downloaded, games that I played that would be lost to time because the very people who made them forgot about them, things I watched, all those experiences... How can one take it away from us? We want our freedom. So what if we may be downloading viruses and having our data stolen? It's our choice, and it's nothing to be worried about by other people. And in my experience, there aren't as many viruses in the internet as people think. I know that I never got one. If APKs are gone, my main sources of entertainment — the things that kept me alive all this time by brightening up my days — they will be gone too. So, this cannot happen. This can't go on. I need my APKs. And I will not stop fighting for their existence, because they are a valuable part of my existence. - The Meteor "
João Pedro, change.org
"It's like Google looked at the Microsoft debacle (hello! Linux!) that's currently going on and said wait..hold my beer... Not as easy to change from Google Android like Windows to Linux but it can be done! Already have proton emails so the ball is rolling! If this goes thru I will definitely find alternatives. And instead of using a mix of Google Play store apps and gmail and FOSS as of now, I'll just stick to FOSS and stick with proton email as the primary and go the way of degoogled or possibly apple. Or even go with a cheap flip phone and just forget about using any apps at all! see your already helping me curb the addiction you created by these smart phones and with the physical media resurgence this could kind of go with the whole theme so to speak. Thanks for the ideas Google! I've gotten into the habit of changing and finding alternatives in the last ten plus years to everything. This would not be any different. Know your place and keep your promises Google. Or to quote a couple of your slogans. "Don't be evil" and "Do the right thing" "
Marvin, change.org
"Penuit butter "
Dylan, change.org
"Be better than IOS, this is not the way "
Kai, change.org
"I dropped iOS and moved to Android when I learned the importance of freedom. If Google makes this movement I don't see what sense makes that change anymore. "
Josh, change.org
"That cannot be allowed, it even attacks the freedom of all users who use Android, for years that has always been the case, therefore, making that change, It would result in a catastrophic situation for many users, including Google itself, with many losses in every sense. "
Javier, change.org
"Ive used exclusively Android for years because of the freedom it gives its users. Such a wonderful community of developers and users that I know everyone would mourn if it went away. POWER TO THE PEOPLE! "
Alora, change.org
"The last thing differentiating Android from iOS was the freedom to be different, to be a power user, to truly own the very device you hold in your hand. Taking that away not only strips Android of its identity, it makes it just like iOS: locked down, useless, and incapable of serving the user. If you want to protect people, teach them how to protect themselves, don't be a helicopter parent to someone else's child. "
Evan, change.org
"The only reason I've stuck with Android all these years has been its open ecosystem. If that's removed, I'd switch to Apple in a heartbeat. "
Anjali, change.org
"Stop trying to lock down Android, you bozos! "
Rares, change.org
"Apoio à liberdade "
Kayo Junior, 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
"It's not much, but this is the first steps towards change. "
Alex, change.org
"I completely disagree because it is a form of Android dictatorship taking away the freedom to download apks like MT manager Play Story already gives an error when downloading and installing it, so please share this so that Google stops it. "
Ezer, change.org
"Google should not be able to say what apps we can and can’t download. I use my android to download indie games that are not on the Google Play Store, so this will hurt a lot of indie devs that have their games downloadable as APK’s "
Owen, change.org
"I will dtop uding Android if this is beeing implemented "
Cederick, change.org
"I have advocated for android over apple for years in large part due to freedom of software and hardware choices. Ive gotten many to convert over. If google implements this change it will be a huge problem and make me and many others start considering alternative options. Google, be a pioneer and supporter of developers worldwide, not a stifler of technology and innovation. "
Emmanuel, change.org
"If google makes this change i will find any alternative OS and switch to that. "
Ron, change.org
"I use Android because it's free than OS so what will be the difference between iOS and Android if it's not for "site loading".i am simply user not a developer I like to be able to take a software and install it with my device.Don't be evil but that's not true anymore but remember for where you coming from if you forget this your roots you have no future. "
Krasimir, change.org
"This decision makes you seem even more authoritarian and greedy than usual. Regardless, since we all know you care about your profit margins more than anything else I'd like to point out that you're depriving yourselves of potential profits. The small developers that are honing their skills developing apps that; for whatever reason; they can't or don't want to publish through you, they may create the next viral app as a result of their efforts. If you take away their ability to develop without you being in complete control you are killing potential profits. "
Caleb, change.org
"Android was built on FOSS foundations and this anti-consumer move goes against the guiding tenants of the OS and Google's mission. No-one who uses Android wants to see Google pervert it into a second-rate apple. This move is a violation of consumer faith and a bad long-term business decision. Revert it in it's entirety before you loose the core attraction of your product. "
Tate, change.org
"I switched to Android OS because apple's OS is closed. There will be no upsides to Android once it is closed. I will switch back to iPhones in a heartbeat so I can be on the same system as the rest of my family. "
devin, change.org
"The reason I use Andoid is because of its openess, I would not be using a Samsung or Google device if it didn't mean I could download and boot my own OS or developp my own apps for fun without having to jump through hoops. I also use APKs on the regular because they allow better backwards compatibility with older versions of Android and ease of installation. FOSS for the win. "
Nico, change.org
"Sideloading? I call it installing! We own these phones, not you! The reason we buy Android is not simply the 'AI Features', but because it isn't as dystopian as iOS. Android has been about giving the user the choice on what apps they personally want, and to customize what they prefer. Google has been slowly taking it away from us, and they can't do this anymore! This is the final straw! "
William, change.org
"The main reason I bought a Pixel was for the freedom of installing whatever I want, but If this is taken away, they would be taking the only reason many people buy their devices. "
Jjr, change.org
"I like an open source because we're not stuck to when we might not. It about prefence. I have never used iOS but this might change my mind. I will look for an alternative to android if this takes place. "
Leoncio, change.org
"You will bury yourselves. "
William, change.org
"The only reason I have a Samsung is because my VTuber software is an open-source APK, and I doubt Google will approve it then the restriction happens. "
Jesse, change.org
"Drastically changing what I can do with MY devices years after the original purchase is peak anti-consumer behavior. This action should be illegal. Can you imagine if your car manufacturer said you can only use Shell gas to fill up years after you purchased it. Same energy here. Let's STOP THE GOOGLEOPOLY. "
Ayiana, 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
"Android Freeeeee!! "
Tymmi, change.org
"The whole point of going for an Android over an iPhone is the freedom to customize and install what I want. It's bad enough that there are fewer and fewer makers that allow things that used to be expected (headphone jack, replaceable battery, SD storage) but at least we had the apps we wanted, how we wanted them. If this changes, there will be no point to the entire Android platform. This cannot be allowed to happen. We know this isn't about security, either, it's about surveillance and being able to sell more of our data "
Lewis, change.org
"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
"Not only are open platforms important in general, but this effort specifically is an anticompetitive and a fraudulent attempt by Google to begin walling the garden after profiting off of the work of devs in the community and the consumers who bought their products FOR the open nature of the software and devices. The goal here is not to secure the platform, its to kill open source and privacy conscious competition to Google's corporate surveillance complex. "
Shelden, change.org
"If Google "Walled gardens" Android, I will never buy a phone with their OS ever again. That's literally the only reason people buy Android, is because it is open not locked down like Apple. F.A.F.O. how much money you'll really lose Google. "
Brandon, change.org
"if this goes ahead I will simply refuse to use Android and move to a linux 'phone. "
Graham, change.org
"I think this a terrible thing since what if you're trying to create your own project app but with this you wont be able to create your own app easily with no problem for your own personal self "
Angel, change.org
"Need to stop Google from controlling us! "
Carmen, change.org
"We want our freedom of speech "
Mohammed, change.org
"Android giving users choice has been the staple point of android OS. Removing choices like sideloading apps is not the move. I develop apps for myself, I do not want to be "an approved developer" I don't have time nor care for that. This action also is the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Android started as an open operating system, you have simply turned it into a reskinned Apple OS. Your choice to go anti-consumer is going to hurt. You are not "protecting" anyone. ~Seth "
Nathan, change.org
"I have contributed to FOSS apps that were published to Google play and F-Droid + similar stores, as well as written multiple apps for myself and family members. Android has long been an open platform that actually gives the user(s) freedom to do what they want with the device they own. However, that free and open model is coming under threat more and more in the name of "security" all while collecting and monetizing our user data. We do not need another walled garden Apple experience. Android users use Android BECAUSE of choice and freedom, not in spite of it. "
Christopher, change.org
"well ima an artist and i dont have much money wich mean i cant even afford to even exist sometimes but using open source tools and side loading allows me to even have a chance to compete e end with other artists who may be alot more wealthy or privlaged .not only that its my right as Amarican citizen since the first amendment i have every right to free speach and self expression and to extension the Bible as a divine right giving to me as a human being from god him self and every other living thing on this eath across the world and even the universe if you will.my freedom mean i have a chance if you take that way that make things harder for everyone not just the ones that already had nothing. ppl are willing to do so much if you give them even the smallest chance if it mean achieving there dreams so ,plz reconsider. as some one whos used google practically for evey single input in there os its turned me into someone better then even i could imagine and bough me so much hope. i think it would break my heart if you didn't. "
light, change.org
"In the past, Google claimed to be "good" with its "don't be evil" slogan. That time has passed. Now we need to fight against these clearly evil policies. Join this cause! "
Cristiano, change.org
"Apple would be the only entity to benefit from this change. The ability to side load apps and to support (and greatly benefit from) the FOSS community are the only meaningful reasons that anyone would choose to have an Android phone. "
Jake, change.org
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