你的手机很快就不再属于你。
自 2027 年*起,Google 将强行推送静默更新,若开发者未在 Google 进行注册、未签署协议、付款或上传官方身份证件,其开发的应用就会被封禁。
全世界所有应用、所有设备都不例外。
↓Google 在做什么?
2025 年 8 月,Google 宣布 了一条新规:自 2027 年起,所有 Android 开发者都必须集中向 Google 注册,否则开发的软件就无法安装到任何设备上。所有应用均会受影响,包括朋友间互传的应用、在 F-Droid 上发布的应用以及由爱好者开发、个人使用的软件,而不仅限于 Play Store 中的应用。独立开发者、社区组织、爱好者等都将被挡在软件开发与分发的大门之外。
为了注册,开发者需要:
- 向 Google 支付费用
- 同意 Google 的条款
- 提交政府签发的身份证件
- 证明自己拥有私有签名密钥
- 列出现在和将来所有要使用的应用 ID
若开发者不服从规定,则全球所有 Android 设备会悄然屏蔽他开发的应用。
谁会受害
你
你购买 Android 手机,是因为 Google 曾承诺它会开放。你可以自由安装想要的软件,这是当初的承诺。
然而,Google 如今要重写这份协议,而且是追溯到你已拥有的设备。更新落地后,你的手机 —— 你的财产,你花钱购买的 —— 将只能运行 Google 许可的软件。
独立开发者
无论是求学少年编写的第一个应用、志愿开发者制作的隐私工具,还是公司内部的保密测试版,均难逃一劫。到了 2027 年,以上软件若未获得 Google 许可,则都无法安装。
F-Droid 上有数千个自由开源的 Android 应用,它们认为这次更新堪称“存亡”威胁。Cory Doctorow 称之为 “Darth Android”。
Google 给予的“退路”,实则是陷阱
Google 声称“高级用户”可以“继续安装”未验证的应用。可实际情况却是:
- 你需要打开系统设置,找到开发者选项
- 连续点击版本号七次,打开开发者模式
- 关闭“确认你是否受到了胁迫”的恐吓性提示
- 输入设备的 PIN 码
- 重启设备
- 等待 24 小时
- 回到设置,再次关闭恐吓性提示
- 选择“暂时允许”(7 天)或“永久允许”
- 再次确认你清楚所谓的“风险”
*仅仅为了在自己的设备上安装侧载软件,*你就需要九步操作、等待二十四小时强制冷静期。
祸不单行:这一流程完全受Google Play 服务控制,而和 Android 系统无关。Google 可以随时改动、收紧甚至废止,无需系统更新,也无需用户同意。直至今日,它还仅存在于一篇博文和几张效果图里,暂未加入任何 beta、preview 或 canary 版本。
Android 只是起始
如果 Google 能事后锁定数十亿台当初打着“开放平台”旗号售卖出去的设备,全世界其他硬件厂商都可能效仿。
Google 此举将确立 “设备制造商有权在消费者购买后决定其能装什么软件” 的规则。软件圈中,这称为“撤梯子”,但至少用户仍可安装其他竞品。而在硬件上,剥夺用户自主权,让用户任由不受制衡的“守门人”、已被判垄断的巨头摆布,即将成为既定事实。
Android 的开放性从来不仅是一项功能,而是其区别于 iPhone 的承诺。数百万用户正是出于这一承诺选择了 Android。但如今,Google 自恃市场主导地位和监管影响力足以让其逍遥法外,要单方面撕毁承诺,波及用户早已到手的设备。
Ars Technica:“Google 嫉妒苹果,要摧毁 Android 开放的传统。”
但是稍等,这不就是……
“……说到底不就是安全吗?”
安全只是借口。Google Play Protect 本身无需了解开发者的身份即可扫描恶意软件。要求提交身份证件并不能让代码更安全,只能让开发者被识别和监控。恶意软件制作者照样能注册,独立开发者和异见人士却反而未必。EFF 一针见血:以身份为依据的把关是审查手段,而非安全措施。
“……走高级流程,不还是能侧载吗?”
然而需要九步操作、等待二十四小时强制冷静期,不仅埋藏在开发者选项中,还依赖 Google 随时可中断的专有服务。这并非侧载,而是劝退机制,意图正是让大多数人都无法侧载。而且因为该功能通过 Play 服务而非系统实现,Google 可以悄然收紧或关停。
“……没什么见不得人的,怕什么?”
威权政府下的吹哨人、记者、活动家会首当其冲。其次会轮到家庭暴力受害者。这些群体有必要在分发或使用软件时不向 Google 数据库提供真实身份,理由正当。匿名贡献开源代码的传统早在 Google 建立前就已形成,但新政策会在 Android 上消灭这一传统。
“……苹果不也这么干吗?”
苹果从一开始就是封闭生态。人们选择 Android,正是因为它不一样。“苹果也这样”是竞相逐底的恶性竞争、五十步笑百步。更何况,在欧盟《数字市场法》的监管压力下,连苹果都被迫开放。Google 却反其道而行之,试图进一步巩固自身在 Android 世界的“守门人”地位。
“……不就是 25 美元和填几张表而已?”
或许如此,但前提是你身在美国,有信用卡和驾照。倘若你是撒哈拉以南非洲的学生、缅甸的异见人士或维护社区健康应用的志愿者,成本就远不止于金钱了:还要将身份证件和签名密钥交给一家经常配合政府下架应用、曝光开发者身份的公司。
如何反击
所有人
- 在你拥有的所有 Android 手机上安装 F-Droid。只有人们大量使用,平替应用商店才能存活下来。
- 联系监管部门。全世界的监管部门都在密切关注科技巨头的垄断和集权问题,也想聆听受害者的真实心声。
- 分享这个页面。让 keepandroidopen.org 遍布网络世界。
- 对抗水军。言必及“其实吧……”的水军已然出动,不可让他们定义叙事。
- 签署 change.org 的请愿书。加入已有超 10 万人签名的行列,让我们的声音被听到。
- 阅读并转发我们的公开信
- 在 Google 自己的调查问卷中,填写你的想法 (大概率无用,但尽力而为)。
开发者
不要注册开发者账号。不要注册 Android 开发者控制台,不要签署 Google 的不可撤销条款,更不要验证身份。不要授人以柄。
Google 的计划只有在开发者配合时才能生效。因此不要配合。
- 劝说其他开发者和组织不要注册。
- 将 FreeDroidWarn 库集成到你的应用中,提醒用户。
- 你在运营网站吗?可以添加一条倒计时横幅。
Google 员工
如果你了解该计划的技术实现方式或内部逻辑,使用非工作电脑、非 Gmail 账号发送邮件到 tips@keepandroidopen.org。我们保证绝对保密。
所有反对者……
来自 23 个国家的 71 个组织签署了 公开信
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
iodé iode.tech
Brave brave.com
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
FULU Foundation fulu.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
FOSDEM fosdem.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
April april.org
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
OpenMedia openmedia.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Cryptee crypt.ee
Techlore techlore.tech
FUTO futo.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
Proton AG proton.me 大家怎么说
科技媒体
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"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 New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"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
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
评论和分析
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"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
"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's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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
"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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"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
"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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"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
"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
"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
组织和公开信
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"This is a profound change, one that shatters the entire premise of the Android ecosystem, long regarded as the antithesis of the closed Apple ecosystem."
AdGuard
"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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"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
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"This invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"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
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"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
"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
"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 Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"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
YouTube 博主和创作者
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
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
"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 keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"The widely-circulated narrative that Google already backed down from this is false. They didn't, and that misunderstanding may be the most dangerous part of the story right now."
Techlore – YouTube
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google is 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
"I have really no more strong reason to not recommend you all get iPhones, because this just is pretty much an iPhone with a Google logo on it at this point."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"Google 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
"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 decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
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
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – 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
"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
"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
开发者和社区
"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
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, 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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"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
"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
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
"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
"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
"It is a disgrace how Google has managed this situation. The promised 'advanced flow' hasn't appeared in any Android 16 or 17 betas. Google is quietly proceeding with the original lockdown."
fermigier, Hacker News
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, 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
"Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, and won't give you a key, they're not doing it for your benefit."
vord (quoting Cory Doctorow), Tildes
"Google selling Android as both open source and open to running any software you like in order to quickly gain market share, only to break those promises after driving competing platforms out of the market is nothing more than fraud."
GeekyBear, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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 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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"This isn't just a competition between app stores; it's a struggle for choice and dignity. Your phone shouldn't be a cage carefully constructed by others, but an extension of your own will."
renshijian, Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"This is a war on users that want to keep control of their phones and when it's done, you will not be able to escape the enshittification."
ikidd, Lemmy
"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
"Twice I have had to deal with Google silently disabling my drone app to the point I had to buy an older phone to perform work. When I purchase a device that works with another device, under no circumstances should I be at the mercy of any updates they make."
cbrophoto (drone professional), Reddit
"If 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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
请愿者的呼声
"Well google showed their true colours. Time to start migrating all my accounts away from them. What a joke. "
Jordan, change.org
"Don't be Apple! "
Wenshan, 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
"Privacy is a human right (just like the man who developed Telegram). It's a necessity too. Android is the ultimate choice because if I recall, 85% of all mobile phone sales worldwide are Android. The ability to customize at will much like a person buying a Nissan Skyline GT-R 34 has as much right as they want to modify their vehicle to their specific needs like more HP! 2000 HP sounds sexy! The same can be said about people with Android phones. Sure, not all people are into customizing but if you buy, it's yours. No excuses from greedy corporate stooges. I love the beauty of side loading 3rd party apps because of the Freedom that it comes with. Android is the choice for hackers too! Linux based kernel under the hood. If Google released the Android platform, imagine how better it would be. It's like George Hotz (who hacked the 1st iPhone) once said "Open source is the best source! Everyone profits from it". " The people should not be afraid of their government, the government should be afraid of their own people " - V from V for Vendetta. I don't remember who said "Give me liberty or give me death!". Developers should band together and be steadfast for there is strength in numbers. Even those who aren't developers! "
Juan, change.org
"Its important to me that developers aren't forced to give away personally identifiable information to any agency, private or public. Google shouldn't have the right to require you to give up your GOVERNMENT ID in order to make an app. "
Alex, change.org
"Having less autonomy over how we use our devices doesn't make us safer, it just makes us more subject to corporate control. I'm not here for that. "
Eleanor, change.org
"Being able to install "unverified" apps from third party app repositories has allowed me to discover ad-free software that fits my needs perfectly that aren't available on the Google Play store. Removing support for "unverified" apps would destroy all ability for me to use the phone I purchased how I see fit. "
Nella, change.org
"I want Android to remain an open operating system and platform. "
Eric, change.org
"I download many applications outside the Play Store because it doesn’t offer the variety I’m looking for. Instead, it constantly pushes advertised apps in front of me, which makes it feel like I’m being guided toward what benefits the platform, not what I actually want to explore. Restricting this freedom feels less about protecting users and more about protecting the platform’s own interests - its revenue and its control over what people can access. It’s like forcing me into a cage, but making it legal - where my ability to choose and explore freely is no longer truly my own. "
Dawn Alexis, change.org
"Google always voiced themselves as the "Open Platform" in direct competition with Apple. With the lockdown happening, there is no more competition. It's either "isolated OS" or "fellow isolated OS". In today's day and age, especially, the people value and are drawn to the ability to make their own choices without the difficulties and frustrations of being restricted and banned from doing something. It's *why* so many people switched to Android/ Google devices, and *why* so many Android/Google users *refuse* to use Apple products. The lockdown is just creating another Apple under a different company. "
Amelia, change.org
"Once the promise of running open software on Android is broken I ll simply toss the device into the bin and never look back. "
David, change.org
"I grew up on Android devices, and I find it saddening that Google is making this decision. It’s clearly not for the security reasons they claim; it's about control. "
Gabriel, 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
"For Freedom! "
Ömer Can Devrim, change.org
"Products should be made to give the consumer control of the product they purchase. They should not be used for the corporation that manufactured the product to control the consumer use of that product or what the consumer has access to. This is a form of controlled speech and is a violation of the first amendment of the United States of America. "
Mitch, change.org
"keeping android open enables far more indie studios to continue to operate on android, and thats what i love, i love finding the most random game, and not having to worry about if its on one store or the other, i can just download it keep it open, please "
Evan, change.org
"Anyone who wants to write an Android app should be fully allowed, and should never be forced to pay for your own program through fees. "
Keiran, change.org
"Android has always been a platform for freedom of choice and exploration. This restrictions from Google go against the core element that made users stick with Android for all these years. If I bought something with my own money I should be free to use it as I please. "
Eric, change.org
"As someone who writes and uses my own APKs to make my device even more useful to me, this lockdown would be a deal breaker for my use of the Google Android platform "
Luke, change.org
"Android became popular because it offered freedom and customization. Reducing APK access risks moving away from those values and limiting innovation within the ecosystem. We are asking Google to protect user choice, maintain transparency, and preserve the openness that defines Android. "
Assif, change.org
"가장 큰 강점을 내다버리는 행위이다. 인증을 핑계로 얼마나 많은 컨텐츠들이 접근 불가능해질지 생각하면 크게 걱정이다. "
CH, change.org
"This new directive from GOOGLE is clearly an anti-consumer practice so the users would have even less control of their devices, so they can prevent people from installing better and free alternatives, all being done under the false intention of "making android more secure", as if the play store isn't riddled with malware or scams "
Olivia, change.org
"After dithering for ages, I finally did what I've always wanted to do, I installed a de-googled android it's, E/Os. Its great! If google persist in this, I'm sure more non technical users will too! I also wrote to my mp & to the UK monopoly commission. Search E/Os murena see if you can too! "
ed, change.org
"Android’s intended purpose has always been to be an open, permissionless operating system. By requiring developer "verification" to install apps, Google is turning a personal device into a corporate-controlled appliance. I oppose this policy because: Ownership: I bought the hardware; I should decide what software runs on it without a "gatekeeper." Privacy: Forcing independent developers to "dox" themselves to Google kills anonymous, pro-privacy innovation. Freedom: Sideloading must remain a right, not a privilege granted by a Google-controlled ID system. Keep Android open. Don't build a walled garden. "
Jordan, change.org
"Android's open platform is the only counter positioning left before it's just a shittier iPhone. Please don't hand the market to Apple. "
Jesse, change.org
"Google is essentially deciding to kill their own identity with this move. Side loading apps is a for of freedom that is the core reason people use android. Without this it's just a worse version of iOS... And no one wants that. This move if not corrected will start a movement they don't want and will grow the development of a true Linux based is for phones. This is a greed move. A power move they want full control and to lock developers into their own store front. It's sad really... A pathetic move that will hurt then in the end. I hope they change their mind.. if not I guess I will be going custom firmware on this pixel and strip Google from the device entirely. "
Adam, change.org
"Top muito bom "
Paulo, change.org
"I have used android since the begining and the entire reason ive stuck with it (and this has been getting VERY hard lately with all the locking down of android, version by version, more and more like iOS).. this would just be the nail in the coffin for android, for me.. I'd rather daily drive graphene or a very limited linux os than this. Really a shame though when you talk people into using android and all the reasons people choose to switch are being removed. This is something im a single issue voter on, I will cease all google/yt/gemini/etc subscriptions and use the day I can't sideload any app I please.. and this is a complete change for the device, so massive of a change (would have directly affected many of my purchases) that I dont get how they can just do it, literally the stuff that made it special they choose to gut.. "
Joshua, change.org
"This change will kill one of the biggest reasons to go Android-the freedom to choose what software YOU want to run. Without this freedom, Android becomes significantly less differentiable to iOS, and NOT in a good way. "
Muhammad, 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
"I will stop using Android if that actually happens and goes through, because what's the point then? "
Cederick, change.org
"I despise ALPHABET's manipulative and self-serving gestures, toward gate-keeping OUR FREEDOMS and coyly investing themselves in THEIR PROMOTION, of our best intetests! 601=VC1 "
Ian, change.org
"I have been an android user ever since I got my first smartphone over a decade ago. The only reason I still rock an android phone is the ability to customize my phone to my liking and being able to install whatever I want on the machine that I purchased with my money. Taking away the only feature that separates android from iOS is a terrible decision. This will definitely make a good chunk of your fanbase move over to iOS, including myself. "
Luis, change.org
"This would kill a big company steam games from haveing app. "
Timothy, change.org
"Control is what made Android different, taking that away would make it no better than Apple and the rest. "
Matthew, change.org
"There is no valid reason to do this except greed and control. If someone installs malicious software on their own device thats their issue. "
Jonathan, 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
"Google loves trying to downfall their own creation by doing stupids things. Android is a best OS to side load apps, and also freedom to install apps outside of google play, but this goes so bad that i prefer apple over this. we can also side load without apple trying to remove side load. and no, i don't want to be "an approved developer" i don't want pay to a boring business who trys to downfall their own creation by doing shitty updates, because who wants to show their identify just for be "an approved 18+ old" user? well, NOBODYS. even adults. bye android, hello apple. "
Juh, change.org
"this is the opposite of the free and open source platform that they set out to make. "
Denzel, change.org
"The world needs more freedom, not less. Nobody said you *have* to use a free APK, but we need to keep the option open for anybody who does. "
Evan, change.org
"Please no. This is what makes Android special. But if you do, then fine - it will finally open an opportunity for a 2nd player to enter the market. "
Sam, change.org
"Prohibition is not the way to safety and health. Good UX is enough to allow power user to own their devices. Don't listen to excuses from big corporations that play the victims, while they treat their users like disposables, in order to maximize their profits. Android must stay open. "
Lorenzo, change.org
"Android should remain free; we are taking more and more steps towards an authoritarian global society and less individual freedom. FREEDOM is a non-negotiable right. "
Farid, change.org
"Google doesn't realise that for many Android users, the ability to install .apk files from unverified developers is the sole reason we don't flock to IOS or another mobile OS. Let's make sure they know. "
Marshall, change.org
"My property. My rules. "
Steven, 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
"Keep android open the main reason I got android is because it's open sourced do not close off android "
Patrick, change.org
"This is absolute NUTS. I have some small apps I made that simply allow me to copy text to and from the clipboard to a central server I run, and I have programs on other OS's that can access it in a similar way. It's possibly THE most useful program I ever wrote in my life as I use it nearly every day. The idea that I have to pay to do the google dance just to run my own damn code is insane. Being able to run whatever software we like and access the file system is the whole point of android. Without that, we might as all just pay apple tax. "
Jonathan, change.org
"One of the few remaining features that Android provides over it's completion is a relatively open ecosystem for app development. Having to sign all apps through Google kills any motivation to have fun and develop apps for yourself and friends. Let's be honest, Android is not the best mobile operations stream. Openness was it's advantage. With that soon to be gone, there will be very little holding people back from switching over to Apple. "
Terence, change.org
"independenceeeeeeee "
Spam, change.org
"Being free and open is the number one reason I use Android. If that were to go away, it would reduce its competitiveness with ios "
Vivian, change.org
"Google, side loading is one of the few things that made android unique. Bring it back. "
Grayson, change.org
"You pay all this money, over a $1000 dollars for a topshelf phones but yet it still isn't yours to do with as you please. This is just another example of corporations taking away your freedoms to choose. "
James, 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
"Android was always marketed as an operating system where you could create applications freely and without problems; seeing the shift to a closed operating system is discouraging for small developers and an attack on user freedom. "
Enzo, 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
"The people will ask if they feel they need to be represented. "
Catherine, change.org
"Open APK usage is literally the only reason I switched to Android in the first place "
John, change.org
"I wanted android mainly for its ability to download things in third party app stores, unlike Apple, now that Google is going to be doing this, it makes Google look no better than Apple, Android, infamous for its open sourcability now getting locked down just like iOS. I really hope that this is refuted instead of pushed to Android. "
Joshua, change.org
"Android has always been my preferred due to the freedom and flexibility it allows developers and consumers like me. To take that away, you're becoming more like apple and deciding what I, the consumer of your devices and software do with my device. If this goes forward, I will utilize an alternative to apple or android. "
Genesis, change.org
"this discourage even people that want to start at programming "
Elton, change.org
"Completely Unacceptable "
Joe, 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
"Allow Android users to install any APK. Don't require "Identity verification" to publish Apps. "
Eric, change.org
"Google shouldn’t have the power to take away choice from users and developers "
Job, change.org
"Google needs to stop monopolizing Android access "
Allen, change.org
"Goolag, you are destroying Android and becoming the new Apple. Soon, there will be no escape from your lifeless, locked-down, prison-sentence operating system. Anyone who wants to use real Android, with APKs, custom ROMs, actual Material design, will be locked out. Rooting will be impossible, and Android will be gone. No more cuddly bugdroids to open the lock. No more Graphene OS. No more Lineage OS. No more TWRP. Terabytes upon terabytes of open-source projects, all rendered obsolete. Keep Android open. Because nobody will buy your half-baked, Gemini-centered trash, and live in your dystopian agentic world. Your aiPhones will sit on shelves, never purchased. Sideloading bans will not protect anyone. They will only make the Android community collapse. If you are not from Goolag, listen carefully. Get a custom ROM now, and remove everything with the word “Google” from your devices. Use Startpage instead. Install NewPipe and bypass Goolag’s ad revenue. Sabotage Goolag in every way possible. But do it legally, friends! You don’t want to be caught by the FBI for criminally pirating paid software off of sites like Aptoide! "
squooshy, change.org
"There are so many useful apps outside of the play store, including medical apps. It would limit us and restrict our freedoms to do as well please with OUR phones. Android began as an alternative to IOS that didn't limit side loading and alternative apps. Android restricting APKs is a violation of what they stand for and our rights as smartphone owners. This cannot happen. "
Lia, change.org
"Monopole kosten,vdas tragen dann wir alle. "
Richard, change.org
"I really like the apps that I have found outside of the Google play store. I would be really upset to lose them and for them to stop working "
Jason, change.org
"We will seek another way. Having only google apps would be like an iphone and why then would i keep android? will be jumping on the iphone train!! and using other phones and resources that get around the ban. privacy and diversity are important and there will always be some of us who pursue it. Apps like F-droid have been very cool and usefull. being told you can't use other non-google place store apps will cause the loss of many android phone users. "
sasha, change.org
"Literally one of the only things Android has going for it compared to iOS. You want this gone, fine -- then what advantage do you possibly imagine Android would have over iPhones? Do you really think people are going to continue to buy crap Pixels with Tensor chips at the same price as an iPhone? Android has ALWAYS been about uplifting device ownership. You get rid of APK side loading, you kill the damn OS once and for all. "
Jeremy, change.org
"This is unreal, time to change to non android, play store devices.... "
Robert, change.org
"The entire reason I chose an android over an apple phone was the control over my device I got. Taking that away is a mistake! "
Gin, change.org
"make android good again "
Samuel, change.org
"Keep android app development open! "
Samuel, change.org
"Android is the operating system for those who want freedom, and to take away our ability to install what we wish, is the start of Google trying to take further control over us. The internet is already falling apart with attempts to "protect" people, but in reality, the internet isn't a place for big companies to try and protect people against their will. "
Dino, change.org
"Bora solar esses miserentos "
GATO, change.org
"Censorship and authoritarian regime in the guise of security is asinine and should be illegal. Monopoly is illegal. Google is digging its own grave. "
Billy, change.org
"This would create a closed system like the Apple iPhone. I have an Android phone specifically because it is an open system. As well described on: https://keepandroidopen.org/ "
Joseph, change.org
"Honestly with having used Android multiple times throughout my life, platforms like F-Droid have provided me with some very good open source applications and I'd hate to see that go away. "
Lucas, change.org
"WHAT GOOGLE IS DOING WITH ANDROID IS A BIG SCAM AND WE CANNOT LET THIS HAPPEN. LET'S ADVANCE THIS PETITION MORE AND MORE UNTIL THEY GIVE UP ON THIS IDEA. SHARE THIS PETITION AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND DONATE MONEY SO THAT MORE AND MORE ANDROID USERS SPEAK UP ABOUT THIS CASE TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING!!!!! "
Matheus, change.org
"my devices are mine and mine only. any argument otherwise is tyrannical "
Dee, change.org
"Free will is pretty cool. Kinda the whole reason Android is superior to Apple. Maybe don't become Apple. That'd be pretty cool. If I didn't want free will anymore I would have purchased an Apple device. Google. Don't be like Apple. Thank you. "
Tyler, change.org
"Nobody asked for this. It's the users choice to install apks on their OWN device that they paid for. Stop doing this google! "
Alexander, change.org
"Take that away and you've destroyed Android. Google's trustworthiness is depths of hell low, and now you want even more control. Disgusting. The last bastion for Android was it's open freedoms compared to Apple, explicitly the ability to install apps without the store without verification. Allowing me to build and install my own creations. You must envision everyone in the entire world as some consumer archetype that just has feeding tubes of corporate sludge go into the consumers digestive tract. You can't imagine anyone innovating for fun not profit, making art and exploring science without corporate approvals. Your world is disgusting and I hate it. "
Aiden, change.org
"my friend told me to sign it so i did "
Ethan, change.org
"This is just another tiny step in the journey to control your device. The more they control the more they extract. "
Michael, change.org
"Removing the ability to side load apps is taking away owners right to their own devices. As one of the best phones I've owned this is disheartening. I might as well buy an iPhone "
Kamau, change.org
"Hello, I have been using Android my whole life, and I have always disliked iOS because of how locked down its operating system is. Recently, I have heard that Google may want to lock down Android and restrict third-party creators, and that is very concerning. Android’s openness is one of its biggest strengths. Not everyone can afford the cost and requirements to publish apps on the Google Play Store, and many independent developers rely on the ability to distribute apps outside of it. Android is also the largest operating system worldwide, and many devices such as the Meta Quest depend on Android and their own app stores. Locking down Android could create major problems for these platforms and users. As someone who plans to create and upload Android applications in the near future, this kind of change would be very limiting and would hurt creativity and development. Please keep Android open, and do not turn it into a system like iOS. Thank you for your time. "
charlie, change.org
"We live in a declining society where it is becoming ever more apparent that those in power wish to hoard & guide technologies to enrich themselves more. Enough! Proprietary systems are no different than a safe, one you may use only in the manner that those with enough wealth & influence to have the safe's combination are willing to allow its usage. Such systems are a net negative to wider societal growth & stability. Meant to lock out new talent & stifle overall creativity which could massively improve the system overall. Just another example of a tech company's massive overreach. It should 100% be stopped. "
Aaron, change.org
"Without sideloading in Android, it will be impossible for us to install any app outside the Google Play Store, making traditional unverified sideloading much more difficult on certified devices, and therefore blocking it in 2027. This isn’t about protection here. It was more like the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Let make our voices heard "
Jacob, change.org
"Time to summon Nokia to make Google show some respect bruh "
Rafael, change.org
"I've been an Android user since 2.1 on my LG Ally in 2010. In all that time I've used a single iOS device and ran straight back to Android for one major reason: Control. Android offered a level of control over my own device that Apple simply did not. Unfortunately, over the last several years Google has decided it prudent to strip away the "privelage" of using my device how I see fit. With each new update, Android becomes more similar to the locked-down iOS platform that I shied away from. With this detestable update, why would I stick with Android? If Android becomes a less privacy-focused iOS, why would I not simply migrate back to Apple's platform? "
Nathaniel, 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
"Please dont let die the FOSS community and github hobby projects. "
Nondibianno Ambar, 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
"The main reason I use Android products at all is for their modability. To require ID verification just invades the privacy of app developers and does absolutely nothing to protect Android users. At this point, what would make Android products any different from Apple? This is completely unacceptable; this will end up hurting more people than it does help. "
Elise, change.org
"Let's all join forces in this fight because freedom cannot be violated "
Fernando, change.org
"This change would kill the biggest reason I use Android, because I have the freedom to sideload useful apps that aren't available in the official store. I have never once bought an iPhone, but Apple's comparative respect for user privacy seems preferable now, so I'll most likely make the switch. "
Raymond, change.org