Your phone is about to stop being yours.
126 days until lockdownStarting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
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What Google is doing
In August 2025, Google announced a new requirement: starting September 2026, every Android app developer must register centrally with Google before their software can be installed on any device. Not just Play Store apps: all apps. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software.
Registration requires:
- Paying a fee to Google
- Agreeing to Google's Terms and Conditions
- Surrendering your government-issued identification
- Providing evidence of your private signing key
- Listing all current and all future application identifiers
If a developer does not comply, their apps get silently blocked on every Android device worldwide.
Who this hurts
You
You bought an Android phone because Google told you it was open. You could install what you wanted, and that was the deal.
Google is now rewriting that deal, retroactively, on hardware you already own. After the update lands, you can only run software that Google has pre-approved. On your phone: your property, that you paid for.
Independent developers
A teenager's first app, a volunteer's privacy tool, or a company's confidential internal beta. It doesn't matter. After September 2026, none of these can be installed without Google's blessing.
F-Droid, home to thousands of free and open-source Android apps, has called this an "existential" threat. Cory Doctorow calls it "Darth Android".
Governments & civil society
Google has a documented track record of complying when authoritarian regimes demand app removals. With this program, the software that runs your country's institutions will exist at the pleasure of a single unaccountable foreign corporation.
The EFF calls app gatekeeping "an ever-expanding pathway to internet censorship."
Google's "escape hatch" is a trap door
Google says "power users" can "still install" unverified apps. Here's what that actually looks like:
- Delve into System Settings, find Developer Options
- Tap the build number seven times to enable Developer Mode
- Dismiss scare screens about coercion
- Enter your PIN
- Restart the device
- Wait 24 hours
- Come back, dismiss more scare screens
- Pick "allow temporarily" (7 days) or "allow indefinitely"
- Confirm, again, that you understand "the risks"
Nine steps. A mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period. For installing software on a device you own.
Worse: this flow runs entirely through Google Play Services, not the Android OS. Google can change it, tighten it, or kill it at any time, with no OS update required and no consent needed. And as of today, it hasn't shipped in any beta, preview, or canary build. It exists only as a blog post and some mockups.
This is bigger than Android
If Google can retroactively lock down billions of devices that were sold as open platforms, every hardware manufacturer on the planet is watching.
The principle being established: the company that made your device gets to decide, after you've bought it, what software you're allowed to run. In software, this is called a "rug pull"; but at least you could always install competing software. In hardware, it is a fait accompli that strips you of your agency and renders you powerless to the whims of a single unaccountable gatekeeper and convicted monopolist.
Android's openness was never just a feature. It was the promise that distinguished it from iPhone. Millions chose Android for exactly that reason. Google is now revoking that promise unilaterally, on devices already in people's pockets, because they've decided they have enough market dominance and regulatory capture to get away with it.
Ars Technica: "Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy."
But wait, isn't this...
"...just about security?"
The security rationale is a smokescreen. Google Play Protect already scans for malware independent of developer identity. Requiring a government ID doesn't make code safer. It makes developers identifiable and controllable. Malware authors can register. Indie developers and dissidents often can't. The EFF is blunt: identity-based gatekeeping is a censorship tool, not a security one.
"...still sideloading if you use the advanced flow?"
Nine steps, 24-hour wait, buried in Developer Options, delivered through a proprietary service that Google can revoke whenever they want. That's not sideloading. That's a deterrence mechanism built to ensure almost nobody completes it. And since it runs through Play Services rather than the OS, Google can tighten or kill it silently.
"...only a problem if you have something to hide?"
Whistleblowers, journalists, and activists under authoritarian governments will be the first victims. People in domestic abuse situations are next. All these groups have legitimate reasons to distribute or use software without putting their legal identity in a Google database. Anonymous open-source contribution is a tradition older than Google itself. This policy ends it on Android.
"...the same thing Apple does?"
Apple has been a walled garden from day one. People chose Android because it was different. "Apple does it too" is a race to the bottom and a weak tu quoque argument. And under regulatory pressure (the EU's Digital Markets Act), even Apple is being forced to open up. Google is moving in the opposite direction: attempting to further entrench its gatekeeping status.
"...just $25 and some paperwork?"
Maybe, if you're a developer in the US with a credit card and a driver's license. Try being a student in sub-Saharan Africa, or a dissident in Myanmar, or a volunteer maintaining a community health app. The cost isn't only financial: you're surrendering government ID and evidence of your signing keys to a company that routinely complies with government demands to remove apps and expose developers.
Fight back
Everyone
- Install F-Droid on every Android device you own. Alternative stores only survive if people actually use them.
- Contact your regulators. Regulators worldwide are genuinely concerned about monopolies and the centralization of power in the tech sector, and want to hear directly from individuals who are affected and concerned.
- Share this page. Link to keepandroidopen.org everywhere.
- Push back on astroturfers. The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.
- Sign the change.org petition and join the over 100,000 signatories who have made their voices heard.
- Read and share our open letter
- Tell Google what you think of this through their own developer verification survey (for all the good that will do).
Developers
Do not sign up. Don't join the program by signing up for the Android Developer Console and agreeing to their irrevocable Terms and Conditions. Don't verify your identity. Don't play ball.
Google's plan only works if developers comply. Don't.
- Talk other developers and organizations out of signing up.
- Add the FreeDroidWarn library to your apps to warn users.
- Run a website? Add the countdown banner.
Google employees
If you know something about the program's technical implementation or internal rationale, contact tips@keepandroidopen.org from a non-work machine and a non-Gmail account. Strict confidence guaranteed.
All those opposed…
69 organizations from 21 countries have signed the open letter
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org 
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com 
Proton AG proton.me 
microG microg.org 
Italian Linux Society ils.org 
FACILe facil.qc.ca 
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw 
ARTICLE 19 article19.org 
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au 
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net 
The Calyx Institute calyx.org 
JMP.chat jmp.chat 
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de 
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be 
Techlore techlore.tech 
The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) osmfoundation.org 
OpenMedia openmedia.org 
Privacy Guides privacyguides.org 
iodé iode.tech 
The Tor Project torproject.org 
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org 
Tuta Mail tuta.com 
Osservatorio Nessuno OdV osservatorionessuno.org 
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no 
Nextcloud nextcloud.com 
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org 
OW2 ow2.org 
FUTO futo.org 
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org 
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org 
FULU Foundation fulu.org 
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org 
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co 
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu 
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org 
Obtainium obtainium.imranr.dev 
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch 
Open Web Advocacy open-web-advocacy.org 
CryptPad cryptpad.org 
/e/ Foundation e.foundation 
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works 
Aurora Store auroraoss.com 
Fedimedia fedimedia.it 
Data Rights datarights.ngo 
FOSDEM fosdem.org 
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org 
F-Droid f-droid.org 
Codeberg e.V. codeberg.org 
Brave brave.com 
Ghostery ghostery.com 
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk 
KDE e.V. kde.org 
GNOME Foundation gnome.org 
VideoLAN videolan.org 
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org 
IzzyOnDroid izzyondroid.org 
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com 
The Guardian Project guardianproject.info 
AdGuard adguard.com 
GitHub Store github-store.org 
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org 
Molly molly.im 
GrapheneOS Foundation grapheneos.org 
Cryptee crypt.ee 
April april.org 
Fastmail fastmail.com 
Unified Push unifiedpush.org 
The App Fair Project appfair.org 
LineageOS lineageos.org The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com Proton AG proton.me microG microg.org Italian Linux Society ils.org FACILe facil.qc.ca Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw ARTICLE 19 article19.org Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net The Calyx Institute calyx.org JMP.chat jmp.chat The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be Techlore techlore.tech The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) osmfoundation.org OpenMedia openmedia.org Privacy Guides privacyguides.org iodé iode.tech The Tor Project torproject.org Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org Tuta Mail tuta.com Osservatorio Nessuno OdV osservatorionessuno.org Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no Nextcloud nextcloud.com Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org OW2 ow2.org FUTO futo.org The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org FULU Foundation fulu.org The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu Rocky Linux rockylinux.org Obtainium obtainium.imranr.dev Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch Open Web Advocacy open-web-advocacy.org CryptPad cryptpad.org /e/ Foundation e.foundation epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works Aurora Store auroraoss.com Fedimedia fedimedia.it Data Rights datarights.ngo FOSDEM fosdem.org Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org F-Droid f-droid.org Codeberg e.V. codeberg.org Brave brave.com Ghostery ghostery.com The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk KDE e.V. kde.org GNOME Foundation gnome.org VideoLAN videolan.org The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org IzzyOnDroid izzyondroid.org Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com The Guardian Project guardianproject.info AdGuard adguard.com GitHub Store github-store.org European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org Molly molly.im GrapheneOS Foundation grapheneos.org Cryptee crypt.ee April april.org Fastmail fastmail.com Unified Push unifiedpush.org The App Fair Project appfair.org LineageOS lineageos.org Read the full open letter and thank the signatories →
What they're saying
Tech press
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"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
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"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
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
Editorials & analysis
"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'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
"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 has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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 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
"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
"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
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"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
"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
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.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
"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's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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'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
"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 has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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 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
"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
"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
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"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
"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
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.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
"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's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
Organizations & open letters
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open source app distribution sources as we know them today."
F-Droid
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
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
"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
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"A centralized global registration system for Android will inevitably chill this work. Those communities are likely to drop out of developing for Android altogether."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"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 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
"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 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
"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 Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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 invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"There are governments who might very much like to know the names of the developers of those applications so that they can go after them."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open source app distribution sources as we know them today."
F-Droid
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
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
"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
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"A centralized global registration system for Android will inevitably chill this work. Those communities are likely to drop out of developing for Android altogether."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"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 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
"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 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
"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 Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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 invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"There are governments who might very much like to know the names of the developers of those applications so that they can go after them."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
YouTubers & creators
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"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
"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 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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"I have really no more strong reason to not recommend you all get iPhones, because this just is pretty much an iPhone with a Google logo on it at this point."
Techlore – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"This has obvious problems for non-Google operating systems like iodeOS, LineageOS, or BraxOS. Google Android will 'check in' with Google to verify the identity of the app and to validate the operating system."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
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
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google 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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
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
"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
"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
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google isn't testing this in the US or Europe first. They're starting in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Why? Because these are massive growth markets where regulation is weaker. By the time regulators catch up, the damage will already be done."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"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
"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 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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"I have really no more strong reason to not recommend you all get iPhones, because this just is pretty much an iPhone with a Google logo on it at this point."
Techlore – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"This has obvious problems for non-Google operating systems like iodeOS, LineageOS, or BraxOS. Google Android will 'check in' with Google to verify the identity of the app and to validate the operating system."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
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
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google 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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
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
"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
"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
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google isn't testing this in the US or Europe first. They're starting in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Why? Because these are massive growth markets where regulation is weaker. By the time regulators catch up, the damage will already be done."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
Developers & community
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."
Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"You are essentially a child to them. The difference is society has decided not to step in to protect you from your abusive parents."
globular-toast, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"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 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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, and won't give you a key, they're not doing it for your benefit."
vord (quoting Cory Doctorow), Tildes
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."
harry8, Hacker News
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"After 15 years of professional development on Android I too am now thinking about switching my focus to something different. And it sucks."
MrDresden, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"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
"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
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, 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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, 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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."
Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"You are essentially a child to them. The difference is society has decided not to step in to protect you from your abusive parents."
globular-toast, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"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 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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, and won't give you a key, they're not doing it for your benefit."
vord (quoting Cory Doctorow), Tildes
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."
harry8, Hacker News
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"After 15 years of professional development on Android I too am now thinking about switching my focus to something different. And it sucks."
MrDresden, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"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
"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
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, 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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
Voices from the petition
"The point of using Android over iOS is it's openness. Google is destroying one of the core tenets of the operating system under the guise of "protecting users." In reality, this is the same monopoly tactics they've already been legally convicted of. Remember: It's not "side-loading." It's "installing apps." Don't let Google trick you into thinking it's weird by foisting different language on you. "
Wesley, change.org
"Keep Andriod open! "
Andre, change.org
"I figured out how to play Minecraft Java Edition on my phone, and Google is trying to take that away from me? Besides that, there are probably dozens of unverified apps on my phone that I would REALLY like to keep, and Google requiring verification will basically turn my phone into a little YouTube machine. I hate that and you should too. "
David, change.org
"I honestly don't understand why this even has to be petitioned for in the first place. It should be self-evident that it should be entirely up to the user what software should be installed on their own device. "
Patrick, change.org
"I buy android to be able to customize my phone as I please. If you do this you lose a loyal customer of over 20 years. "
Jamell, change.org
"not cool google "
Colin, change.org
"Please dont let die the FOSS community and github hobby projects. "
Nondibianno Ambar, change.org
"if this goes ahead I will simply refuse to use Android and move to a linux 'phone. "
Graham, change.org
"I chose Android for the very reason of it being open and letting me run whatever software I want. Don’t take that away after I’ve already bought my device. Millions of us chose Android for the exact reason of what you're trying to censor. Don’t lock it down because you think you know better. If I wanted a company deciding what I can or can’t do on my own device, I’d buy an iPhone instead. "
Paulo, change.org
"Our phones, our choice!!! "
Robert, change.org
"I have always stayed with Android knowing I was free to create and develop and install and control my own device without the need to root the device. This decision will make this device just as worthless to me as an apple ios device and then looking again for other alternatives. Android was not always as polished and of thr same quality and IOS but having the ability to control my own device and software meant more to me then a fully polished and responsive mobile device. "
Brad, change.org
"Continue to keep our rights to open-source applications a reality for all Android users on every device and keep the option for everyone to create & install the apps they choose. Allow us to make the choice for ourselves and respect the integrity and freedom of the developers & users that love the Android. "
Mitch, change.org
"A company like Google should not be allowed should not be allowed to do something like this. As a regular user I find what they are trying to do deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an Android phone, it's with the expectation of having control over how I use it, not to face restrictions or censorship, this is not even going over the massive privacy risks and data theft, this is an open source operating system and freedom should be key, I do not like how all of these companies and governments are trying to push age verification for everything, and I would hope for the decency of being given privacy "
Ronnie, change.org
"Boa noticia "
Kleberson, 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
"This ridiculous, anti consumer move from google is going to make me completely stop using their products. it will essentially make android the same as ios, and i specifically bought android phones to have more freedom. i might as well get an iphone now. "
Lewis, change.org
"Protect Android FREEDOM... I’ve used Android for years because it stood for freedom and choice. But lately Google has been making it harder to install APK files apps that come from outside the Play Store. That freedom to choose what I put on my own phone is what made Android different, and it’s slowly disappearing. I’m not a developer or hacker just someone who believes that the device I bought should truly belong to me. I should be able to install safe apps from any source without being blocked or discouraged. This isn’t about breaking rules it’s about keeping control over our own technology. If Google keeps tightening these restrictions Android will lose the openness that made it great. I care because user freedom matters and I don’t want to see it taken away bit by bit. "
Boris, change.org
"Literary the biggest reason why I choose android over apple. If android wants to copy apple this way then there's no reason to stay with android anymore. "
Kytt, 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
"As a young developer, you need to stop! What you re doing will prevent anyone below the age of 18 from developing apps for their own purpose and installing on their device, which they payed for, imagine giving a toy to a kid, then putting it into a box that they can't open, that is what you are doing right now. "
Alex, 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
"Android's freedom of choice is what made me switch from apple. I find that limiting that those freedoms such as sideloading an obnoxious spit in the face of all who use and enjoy this operating system. If I wanted an anti consumer product id buy from apple. "
Link, change.org
"Android has always been known for side loading. Android has always been better than IOS because it has side loading. Now, if Google keeps with this plan, our side loading rights will be gone. We can NOT let this happen. I have side loaded apps for years now, getting indie games and apps, getting modded apps, and so much more. I love to emulate, and there are many emulation apps that are approved on the play store. However, apps like Winlator and GameNative are not, and I would be revoked of using these apps. These apps have provided so many hours of fun to me, and without them, I wouldn't even be able to play PC games. Sign this petition to keep the freedom of Android that we should always have. "
Blake, change.org
"The ability of sideloading software is the biggest advantage android has over orther systems. I sideload a lot of apps and losing that ability means i have no reason to stay with android. Yes, apps from outside the play store do have more malware, but i can just not download them if i am afraid of getting hacked, this is not protecting anyone and is just removing freedom for users. Also, the ID verification google wants from the developers is a massive privacy and safety risk. "
miglin, change.org
"가장 큰 강점을 내다버리는 행위이다. 인증을 핑계로 얼마나 많은 컨텐츠들이 접근 불가능해질지 생각하면 크게 걱정이다. "
CH, change.org
"I am in a restricted area (which happens to be the area cited in the petition). Presumably I don't need to explain what this means to me anymore. "
Wings, change.org
"No reason to own a google device if I am limited in what I can do with it. "
Salvatore, change.org
"I sideload and digitally mod a lot of my devices, and while I was just about to consider switching to Android because of this (and Apple's limit in storage), this sort of removal of freedom, even small and masked as 'the right thing' for security, just isn't right. There's already trust issues within Apple's app store, and the 'free' stuff doesn't support developers properly, so why copy paste the same issues that made people want to switch in the first place? How else will people get apps that properly support their device that aren't locked in some way or just won't? How else will people try and test prototypes of apps? How else will people... get this... have fun with the device they bought with money to have and physically own? And yet a company wants the money to steal more water and ruin immune systems of the future. This is totally 'the right thing'. "
Laura, change.org
"This is a horrendous plan. The Android Open Source Project is supposed to be just that... Open source. Requiring developers to provide Id, pay a fee, and register to release software for phones that people own is untenable. This is effectively making Android as much of a walled garden as Apple. Except Apple does it better. The whole draw of Android was the openness of the platform. If you remove that, we would be better off with Apple. PLEASE do not ruin Android by going ahead with this misguided plan. "
Alan, change.org
"Why did I even buy an android phone?? They think I went iOS to android for no reason? WE WANT IT OPEN! "
David, change.org
"There is always the "security" claim, they got so many security tools already, built in the official app distribution, if the user want to experiment on the device they own they must have the freedom to do so, this is how tech should work, freedom is how tech progress "
Roberto, change.org
"I ought to have the right to install any program I'd like on my computer without google acting as gatekeeper. F-droid's Foss nature makes it more trustworthy than the play store has ever been. "
Cris, change.org
"Screw Google... That's all. "
Michael, change.org
"This is like Linux changing into Windows "
A., change.org
"The only reason why I absolutely love android is because it makes me feel like I actually OWE my device and can do with it whatever I please to do, if google is limiting what I CAN or CANT do this means the device is no longer mine and why would I stick with android when there is other ecosystems like iOS which are SO much better than googles tracking and privacy? I want android to stay the way it’s been, open, amazing and fulfilling for users like me and so many others, all of my friends and family members use/have android because it belongs to them, if google decides to implement this APK blocking I assure them everyone around me will start buying iPhones! "
Andres, change.org
"I can't let them have this. This world and especially these last years, tech companies think they can fully control you, utilized you, abuse you. Pls let this be one win for us "
Isaac, change.org
"What guarantee is there that Google will use this data to make money? If only it were used for apk content bar betting houses and violent challenge. "
Waldomiro, 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
"Interesting how F-droid has been successfully been managing their own repo for years while simultaneously maintaining user and developer privacy, yet Google suddenly decides user safety is such an important thing that they have to sacrifice developer privacy on Android and conveniently have what apps users are allowed to install regulated by them and only them. If this was something they were doing on their store it would be disruptive, but developers who don't want to fork over pictures of their government ID, and 25 dollars apparently, could distribute their apps elsewhere. The privacy implications of forcing every developer, regardless of the distribution platform they use, to validate their government ID through a centralized source is far beyond the pale of Google's responsibilities and a major violation of privacy. The fact that they're even able to make a move like this should be treated as a travesty. It's not pro consumer either. As it stands today, users may choose to install apps from other appstores, including ones focused on open source software and privacy. Should Google's policy go into effect, they get to determine what apps we're allowed to install on the phones we bought and paid for. This alongside the sweeping age verification we've been seeing everywhere feels less focused on actual safety as opposed to surveillance. If I wanted a walled garden, I'd have gotten an apple phone. If this crap keeps up, I'm gonna have to search for a Linux phone whether they're ready for mass adoption or not. "
Pyre, change.org
"If Android OS is going to be like Apple OS, it makes more sense to use an iPhone in the next process. "
Özkan, change.org
"Google and Android have built their empire on the promise of letting users modify, adapt or change what they wish on their phone. Taking this incredibly backwards step from what defined their values for so many years is nothing but a slap in the face to all who have supported these companies over all these years. Changing the base use of devices for so many will have knock on effects for security, in disability or aged access and of course a complete abandonment of privacy in all users. Please share this far and wide as this is the opening act to the symphony of absolute control and forced compliance to a handful of Tech companies. "
Robert, change.org
"Google doesn't care about people or their privacy "
Adrian, 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
"Android has always been about freedom and customization. Let's keep it that way "
Jacob, change.org
"Restricting the usage of Android honestly completely removes any point in even getting an Android. Google is doing something very stupid right now. "
Emery, change.org
"The biggest reason I use Android is that I'm free of the lockdown and monitoring imposed by Apple. If Google locks out developers then the system I love will perish. "
Samuel, change.org
"Android used to be all about giving its users freedom over the walled garden approach of iOS. If Google will be following the same path of Apple, they will be losing a major competitive advantage among pro users. "
Freddy, change.org
"This does not protect anybody. All it does is restrict an OS that was supposed to be open. This was one of the main benefits of Android over iOS, and now it's being removed. This also kills the open source ecosystem, since alternative app stores cannot function if all developers are required to pay Google and pay a fee. Ordinary users are already protected from malware with Google Play Protect, and app sideloading disabled by default. This does not help anyone. Even calling it sideloading is misleading, since we own the device NOT Google. On a computer, this is called installing software. It shouldn't be different on a phone. This will also allow government censorship of apps that protect privacy. Overall a terrible idea. "
Daniel, change.org
"It's serious that Android is doing this to those who make independent games, or stealing our data under the guise of security. I want to speak out because this is unfair. "
Cesar, change.org
"Being an "approved developer" is such a stupid word. Android was known for the freedom of developers and now we are being silenced. "
Kash, change.org
"For the freedom of an open and universal system for all! "
Zaphyru's, change.org
"I only bought an Android just for the custom APKs part. If I have to buy an entirely new phone for the slightest bit of sideloading, I will. "
Robert, change.org
"The only reason I prefer Android over iOS is the freedom of sideloading apps. If you remove this feature, lots of users (including me) will no longer have a reason to use Android instead of iOS. Also, isn't Google Play Protect enough to protect users from malware? Besides, sideloading is disabled by default unless you manually enable it in settings. You can add warnings and scan APKs, but please don't block them entirely. "
IPVG, change.org
"I do not want Google to get a third monopoly. That is the whole point of this gatekeeping. I'm sick of these corporations doing whatever they want. "
Aidan, change.org
"This is going to kill Android "
Hazel, change.org
"Thie is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but censorship and control everywhere these past several months. They'll all burn for it. "
Jeffrey, change.org
"We were promised FOSS, keep it that way "
Darius, change.org
"Google shouldn't be able to restrict something that made us purchase the phones in the first place! "
Yousef, change.org
"The thing about Android has always been that it is open, people should have the right to install whatever software they want on their phones. KEEP ANDROID OPEN!!! "
Sofia, change.org
"As an android user I love the way I want to use my phone and which app to install. Apps that are being developed my developers that are not on the play store tends to be even better than those on the play store. The freedom which developers have to develop and distribution of apps has changed on how we use the android devices, giving us more option and great experience with the device. "
Josphat, change.org
"Keep android free. "
Jansen, change.org
"If I wanted to have my apps controlled by a mega corporation, I would have gotten an iPhone "
Eric, change.org
"WE WANT CHOICES! "
Cindy, change.org
"What sets Android apart from other OS' is its open source. This move will make Android just like every other OS. There will be no point in using Android. We'll all take out business to some other OS. "
Evo, change.org
"As a CS Professional and recent CS Grad, the flexibility for Android to allow us to share hobby project apps with friends and family who also use Android is a vital part of the learning experience and what makes Android unique. Requiring paid verification based on government ID will have a stifling effect that will make Android loose the open nature that set it apart from Apple, which has been key to its success for many upcoming CS Students, and for many hobbiests that often lead to professional paths. "
Kyler, change.org
"I only have one thing to comment: Google just wants to make a profit, they are just being greedy. "
Joilton, change.org
"This is really bad, Google needs to keep the OS open "
Mark, change.org
"Technology should forever remain in a position to assist and enrich the lives of everyone, not to control, limit, or profit from the average person who was PAID to own a product, and simply wishes to make their life easier. "
Evan, change.org
"As detailed at https://developer.android.com/developer-verification, Google is planning to impose a requirement that developers of Android applications centrally register their signing keys with Google and pay a fee, enforced by the Google Play Services framework preventing applications from unregistered developers from running on users' devices. Google already lost a case on this issue and was forced to make it easier for users to install applications from third parties (https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-proposes-app-store-reforms-settlement-with-fortnite-maker-epic-games-2025-11-05/). The F-Droid project has clearly stated that Google's current behavior threatens its very existence, which is as far as I can tell in direct violation of the intent of that ruling (https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html). I personally use F-Droid as the primary source of software on my device. If Google goes through with this plan, my freedom to use my device as I see fit will be harmed. "
Duncan, change.org
"How many of the rights of the people will be taken away? This is ridiculous. If given the choice between security and freedom and privacy, I'll take freedom and privacy 100% of the time. I'm sick of this kind of stuff. "
Deagan Euras, change.org
"Android is open source, period. On top of that, I'm buying the device. I own my phone, and that means I should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want with it! If I want to click on links from sketchy sites and download things that are not directly from the Google Play Store, I should be able to. Google claims this is to protect their users, but it's nothing more than censorship and crushing competition from a private, anonymous, and often better competitors making free and open source apps on platforms like F-Droid or Obtanium. It's like saying that you aren't allowed to hang a picture you bought from your friend in your own house that your bought, unless your friend pays Google $25 and gives them their ID, but you can hang as many pictures in your house as you like if you buy them directly from Google. Doesn't that sound absurd? "
Thomas, change.org
"this discourage even people that want to start at programming "
Elton, change.org
"I've used side loading a number of times in the past to load 3rd party developed apps. Not supporting this will make me seriously reconsider other phones and OS "
Richard, 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
"My device is my device. "
arianna, change.org
"Google. Seriously. Stop. You're becoming the definition of the "don't be evil" slogan that you've buried. You're making Android even worse than iOS "
Karkan, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom, let's not change that "
Gabriel, change.org
"The level of control Google is attempting to exert over developers and users is unreal. If I download an app from a source that isn't the play store, I shouldn't need Google's approval. I will seek alternate operating systems from the Android and iOS duopoly if this goes through. "
Alice, 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 openness of the platform is one of the determining factors when choosing in favor of Android. "
Pavel, change.org
"Welp if APK files limited then there is no need for us to use android from now on. "
Emir, change.org
"I signed this petition because Google is slowly turning Android into a locked down version of iOS and it's really frustrating. I bought my phone, it's my property, yet every few months they add more restrictions on APKs, more warnings, more blocks that make it annoying or impossible to install apps from outside the Play Store. Sideloading is something separate that I also want to keep fully open and easy. This isn't about security anymore it's about control and forcing everyone into their ecosystem so they can monitor and profit from everything we do. I want the freedom to install what I want on my own device without Google acting like a parent who doesn't trust me. Developers and power users especially need this ability, and regular users deserve the choice too. If we don't push back now, soon we'll have no real alternatives left and Android will lose what made it special in the first place. Please sign and share if you value your device freedom. "
Christopher, change.org
"The entire reason I left the Apple ecosystem and came back to Android is because of the freedom you get with installing any app you want. If Google locks down app installations, there will be zero reason for me to still stay on an Android opereting system. Don't be evil, Google. "
Amirali, change.org
"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
"Ces é paia mano "
Solalalule, change.org
"I refuse to be locked into only the play store. I need to be able to use f-droid and or install my own apk files as I will. It's my comptuer! "
Tom, change.org
"One of the reasons why we chose Android was its freedom of doing what you want on your device. Now we have to stop this limitation of a recognized right. "
Francesco, change.org
"Don't get rid of the reason I switched from apple in the first place, google. "
Reina, change.org
"I'm only using android for apk's otherwise I would be using IOS/iPhone, Also without apk's there would be no reason to keep updates going for certain developers, we would be losing one of the things that makes android what it is, That is my opinion on this whole idea from google "
JaCureon, change.org
"This is going to change android into a half functional game console locked down to anyone who won't kiss the G, a sure sign of drm, not consumer protection. If only google approved apps are allowed, will we only be able to call google approved phone numbers, visit google approved websites, see google approved images, listen to google approved music? We are not google. "
Willem, change.org
"Ive always been an android user and refused apple products. Ive loved being able to root and openly develop and play with my device. Its shown my how to write software and understand how a computer works. I understand the push for security but this takes away the very nature of Android. There are other ways to verify security if it becomes that necessary. "
Nicholas, 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
"Android's open-source roots NEED to be worth fighting for. When Google released Android under the Apache License in 2007, it was a revolutionary move which allowed manufacturers, developers, and tinkerers worldwide to build on top of it freely. That openness is literally WHY Android became the dominant mobile OS, powering over 70% of the world's smartphones today. The ability to side-load APKs (install apps outside the Play Store) has been a cornerstone of that openness. It's what allows: • Independent developers to distribute apps without paying Google's 30% cut. • Users in regions where the Play Store is restricted to still access software. • Open-source app stores like F-Droid to thrive. • Researchers and security professionals to test and audit applications. • Enthusiast communities to keep older devices alive with custom ROMs which ALSO REDUCES GLOBAL E-WASTE. Compare this to iOS, where Apple has historically locked down side-loading entirely and ask yourself this important question, do we want Android to go down that same path? Restricting APK usage doesn't make users safer it just consolidates Google's control over what software you're allowed to run on hardware YOU purchased & own. The history of computing shows us that open platforms drive innovation, closed ones drive profits for gatekeepers. Android was built on the iconic Linux platform, a global community project. Let's not let that legacy be quietly dismantled in the name of "security". Android was built to be OPEN and its name says it all, ANDROID OPEN SOURCE PROJECT. "
Peter, 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
"I have been an Android user since smartphones became mainstream, and the primary reason I chose Android was the freedom it offers. Unlike other platforms, Android allows users to install applications from outside official stores, enabling innovation, experimentation, and personal control over our own devices. Over the years, I have used open-source applications from platforms like GitHub and F-Droid, many created by independent developers who may not have the resources—or the desire—to publish through centralized stores. In some cases, I have even modified open-source code to suit my personal needs and compiled my own versions of apps. This is not just a niche use case—it represents the very spirit of open computing. Requiring developers to submit personal identification and restricting distribution channels will disproportionately impact: Independent and open-source developers Users in region-restricted environments Applications that are no longer available on official stores This change does not just improve security—it introduces control over who is allowed to distribute software, fundamentally shifting Android away from being an open platform. If users are no longer free to install applications of their choice, Android devices risk becoming restricted ecosystems similar to closed platforms—where functionality is determined not by the user, but by a central authority. The ability to sideload apps is not a loophole—it is a defining feature of Android. Removing or weakening it undermines user autonomy, developer freedom, and the very reason many of us chose this platform in the first place. "
Eranga, change.org
"This OS has been the only place that has felt free, the ability to download anything from anywhere is what a phone should be able to do. They trying to take away my freedom, and I refuse to bend the knee and accept it. "
Austin, change.org
"The entire reason I chose android over apple was the freedom I had to do what I wanted on the device I paid for. Google enforcing this "lock-down" is just shooting themselves in the foot and giving people more reason to give apple a shot. "
Riley, change.org
"This is an attempt to stifle free and open development because that development has created avenues that subvert Google's bottom line. People are becoming tired of being the product and have the right to their privacy- but Google belives they have a right to force people to become said product by limiting where and how they use their devices. Buzz-words like "a more secure ecosystem" are used to hide their true initiative: their bottom line. Ironically, this corse of action may become the driving force that pushes Linux phones into full maturity, thus amputating the open-source-development community as revenue. I don't subsidize my mobile device purchases so that I may have full control over what I can do with them. Upon this move, I will gladly suffer the inconvenience of a less-mature operating system or less-developed device over a walled garden built by greed mascurading under the guise of "This is what will be best for everyone." "
Jake, change.org
"We shouldn't accept the platform being closed and controlled this way, reach out to the anti-monopoly institutions in your respective countries! "
Cristian Nicolas, change.org
"Esse monopólio é injusto! "
Gabriel, change.org
"The point of using Android over iOS is it's openness. Google is destroying one of the core tenets of the operating system under the guise of "protecting users." In reality, this is the same monopoly tactics they've already been legally convicted of. Remember: It's not "side-loading." It's "installing apps." Don't let Google trick you into thinking it's weird by foisting different language on you. "
Wesley, change.org
"Keep Andriod open! "
Andre, change.org
"I figured out how to play Minecraft Java Edition on my phone, and Google is trying to take that away from me? Besides that, there are probably dozens of unverified apps on my phone that I would REALLY like to keep, and Google requiring verification will basically turn my phone into a little YouTube machine. I hate that and you should too. "
David, change.org
"I honestly don't understand why this even has to be petitioned for in the first place. It should be self-evident that it should be entirely up to the user what software should be installed on their own device. "
Patrick, change.org
"I buy android to be able to customize my phone as I please. If you do this you lose a loyal customer of over 20 years. "
Jamell, change.org
"not cool google "
Colin, change.org
"Please dont let die the FOSS community and github hobby projects. "
Nondibianno Ambar, change.org
"if this goes ahead I will simply refuse to use Android and move to a linux 'phone. "
Graham, change.org
"I chose Android for the very reason of it being open and letting me run whatever software I want. Don’t take that away after I’ve already bought my device. Millions of us chose Android for the exact reason of what you're trying to censor. Don’t lock it down because you think you know better. If I wanted a company deciding what I can or can’t do on my own device, I’d buy an iPhone instead. "
Paulo, change.org
"Our phones, our choice!!! "
Robert, change.org
"I have always stayed with Android knowing I was free to create and develop and install and control my own device without the need to root the device. This decision will make this device just as worthless to me as an apple ios device and then looking again for other alternatives. Android was not always as polished and of thr same quality and IOS but having the ability to control my own device and software meant more to me then a fully polished and responsive mobile device. "
Brad, change.org
"Continue to keep our rights to open-source applications a reality for all Android users on every device and keep the option for everyone to create & install the apps they choose. Allow us to make the choice for ourselves and respect the integrity and freedom of the developers & users that love the Android. "
Mitch, change.org
"A company like Google should not be allowed should not be allowed to do something like this. As a regular user I find what they are trying to do deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an Android phone, it's with the expectation of having control over how I use it, not to face restrictions or censorship, this is not even going over the massive privacy risks and data theft, this is an open source operating system and freedom should be key, I do not like how all of these companies and governments are trying to push age verification for everything, and I would hope for the decency of being given privacy "
Ronnie, change.org
"Boa noticia "
Kleberson, 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
"This ridiculous, anti consumer move from google is going to make me completely stop using their products. it will essentially make android the same as ios, and i specifically bought android phones to have more freedom. i might as well get an iphone now. "
Lewis, change.org
"Protect Android FREEDOM... I’ve used Android for years because it stood for freedom and choice. But lately Google has been making it harder to install APK files apps that come from outside the Play Store. That freedom to choose what I put on my own phone is what made Android different, and it’s slowly disappearing. I’m not a developer or hacker just someone who believes that the device I bought should truly belong to me. I should be able to install safe apps from any source without being blocked or discouraged. This isn’t about breaking rules it’s about keeping control over our own technology. If Google keeps tightening these restrictions Android will lose the openness that made it great. I care because user freedom matters and I don’t want to see it taken away bit by bit. "
Boris, change.org
"Literary the biggest reason why I choose android over apple. If android wants to copy apple this way then there's no reason to stay with android anymore. "
Kytt, 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
"As a young developer, you need to stop! What you re doing will prevent anyone below the age of 18 from developing apps for their own purpose and installing on their device, which they payed for, imagine giving a toy to a kid, then putting it into a box that they can't open, that is what you are doing right now. "
Alex, 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
"Android's freedom of choice is what made me switch from apple. I find that limiting that those freedoms such as sideloading an obnoxious spit in the face of all who use and enjoy this operating system. If I wanted an anti consumer product id buy from apple. "
Link, change.org
"Android has always been known for side loading. Android has always been better than IOS because it has side loading. Now, if Google keeps with this plan, our side loading rights will be gone. We can NOT let this happen. I have side loaded apps for years now, getting indie games and apps, getting modded apps, and so much more. I love to emulate, and there are many emulation apps that are approved on the play store. However, apps like Winlator and GameNative are not, and I would be revoked of using these apps. These apps have provided so many hours of fun to me, and without them, I wouldn't even be able to play PC games. Sign this petition to keep the freedom of Android that we should always have. "
Blake, change.org
"The ability of sideloading software is the biggest advantage android has over orther systems. I sideload a lot of apps and losing that ability means i have no reason to stay with android. Yes, apps from outside the play store do have more malware, but i can just not download them if i am afraid of getting hacked, this is not protecting anyone and is just removing freedom for users. Also, the ID verification google wants from the developers is a massive privacy and safety risk. "
miglin, change.org
"가장 큰 강점을 내다버리는 행위이다. 인증을 핑계로 얼마나 많은 컨텐츠들이 접근 불가능해질지 생각하면 크게 걱정이다. "
CH, change.org
"I am in a restricted area (which happens to be the area cited in the petition). Presumably I don't need to explain what this means to me anymore. "
Wings, change.org
"No reason to own a google device if I am limited in what I can do with it. "
Salvatore, change.org
"I sideload and digitally mod a lot of my devices, and while I was just about to consider switching to Android because of this (and Apple's limit in storage), this sort of removal of freedom, even small and masked as 'the right thing' for security, just isn't right. There's already trust issues within Apple's app store, and the 'free' stuff doesn't support developers properly, so why copy paste the same issues that made people want to switch in the first place? How else will people get apps that properly support their device that aren't locked in some way or just won't? How else will people try and test prototypes of apps? How else will people... get this... have fun with the device they bought with money to have and physically own? And yet a company wants the money to steal more water and ruin immune systems of the future. This is totally 'the right thing'. "
Laura, change.org
"This is a horrendous plan. The Android Open Source Project is supposed to be just that... Open source. Requiring developers to provide Id, pay a fee, and register to release software for phones that people own is untenable. This is effectively making Android as much of a walled garden as Apple. Except Apple does it better. The whole draw of Android was the openness of the platform. If you remove that, we would be better off with Apple. PLEASE do not ruin Android by going ahead with this misguided plan. "
Alan, change.org
"Why did I even buy an android phone?? They think I went iOS to android for no reason? WE WANT IT OPEN! "
David, change.org
"There is always the "security" claim, they got so many security tools already, built in the official app distribution, if the user want to experiment on the device they own they must have the freedom to do so, this is how tech should work, freedom is how tech progress "
Roberto, change.org
"I ought to have the right to install any program I'd like on my computer without google acting as gatekeeper. F-droid's Foss nature makes it more trustworthy than the play store has ever been. "
Cris, change.org
"Screw Google... That's all. "
Michael, change.org
"This is like Linux changing into Windows "
A., change.org
"The only reason why I absolutely love android is because it makes me feel like I actually OWE my device and can do with it whatever I please to do, if google is limiting what I CAN or CANT do this means the device is no longer mine and why would I stick with android when there is other ecosystems like iOS which are SO much better than googles tracking and privacy? I want android to stay the way it’s been, open, amazing and fulfilling for users like me and so many others, all of my friends and family members use/have android because it belongs to them, if google decides to implement this APK blocking I assure them everyone around me will start buying iPhones! "
Andres, change.org
"I can't let them have this. This world and especially these last years, tech companies think they can fully control you, utilized you, abuse you. Pls let this be one win for us "
Isaac, change.org
"What guarantee is there that Google will use this data to make money? If only it were used for apk content bar betting houses and violent challenge. "
Waldomiro, 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
"Interesting how F-droid has been successfully been managing their own repo for years while simultaneously maintaining user and developer privacy, yet Google suddenly decides user safety is such an important thing that they have to sacrifice developer privacy on Android and conveniently have what apps users are allowed to install regulated by them and only them. If this was something they were doing on their store it would be disruptive, but developers who don't want to fork over pictures of their government ID, and 25 dollars apparently, could distribute their apps elsewhere. The privacy implications of forcing every developer, regardless of the distribution platform they use, to validate their government ID through a centralized source is far beyond the pale of Google's responsibilities and a major violation of privacy. The fact that they're even able to make a move like this should be treated as a travesty. It's not pro consumer either. As it stands today, users may choose to install apps from other appstores, including ones focused on open source software and privacy. Should Google's policy go into effect, they get to determine what apps we're allowed to install on the phones we bought and paid for. This alongside the sweeping age verification we've been seeing everywhere feels less focused on actual safety as opposed to surveillance. If I wanted a walled garden, I'd have gotten an apple phone. If this crap keeps up, I'm gonna have to search for a Linux phone whether they're ready for mass adoption or not. "
Pyre, change.org
"If Android OS is going to be like Apple OS, it makes more sense to use an iPhone in the next process. "
Özkan, change.org
"Google and Android have built their empire on the promise of letting users modify, adapt or change what they wish on their phone. Taking this incredibly backwards step from what defined their values for so many years is nothing but a slap in the face to all who have supported these companies over all these years. Changing the base use of devices for so many will have knock on effects for security, in disability or aged access and of course a complete abandonment of privacy in all users. Please share this far and wide as this is the opening act to the symphony of absolute control and forced compliance to a handful of Tech companies. "
Robert, change.org
"Google doesn't care about people or their privacy "
Adrian, 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
"Android has always been about freedom and customization. Let's keep it that way "
Jacob, change.org
"Restricting the usage of Android honestly completely removes any point in even getting an Android. Google is doing something very stupid right now. "
Emery, change.org
"The biggest reason I use Android is that I'm free of the lockdown and monitoring imposed by Apple. If Google locks out developers then the system I love will perish. "
Samuel, change.org
"Android used to be all about giving its users freedom over the walled garden approach of iOS. If Google will be following the same path of Apple, they will be losing a major competitive advantage among pro users. "
Freddy, change.org
"This does not protect anybody. All it does is restrict an OS that was supposed to be open. This was one of the main benefits of Android over iOS, and now it's being removed. This also kills the open source ecosystem, since alternative app stores cannot function if all developers are required to pay Google and pay a fee. Ordinary users are already protected from malware with Google Play Protect, and app sideloading disabled by default. This does not help anyone. Even calling it sideloading is misleading, since we own the device NOT Google. On a computer, this is called installing software. It shouldn't be different on a phone. This will also allow government censorship of apps that protect privacy. Overall a terrible idea. "
Daniel, change.org
"It's serious that Android is doing this to those who make independent games, or stealing our data under the guise of security. I want to speak out because this is unfair. "
Cesar, change.org
"Being an "approved developer" is such a stupid word. Android was known for the freedom of developers and now we are being silenced. "
Kash, change.org
"For the freedom of an open and universal system for all! "
Zaphyru's, change.org
"I only bought an Android just for the custom APKs part. If I have to buy an entirely new phone for the slightest bit of sideloading, I will. "
Robert, change.org
"The only reason I prefer Android over iOS is the freedom of sideloading apps. If you remove this feature, lots of users (including me) will no longer have a reason to use Android instead of iOS. Also, isn't Google Play Protect enough to protect users from malware? Besides, sideloading is disabled by default unless you manually enable it in settings. You can add warnings and scan APKs, but please don't block them entirely. "
IPVG, change.org
"I do not want Google to get a third monopoly. That is the whole point of this gatekeeping. I'm sick of these corporations doing whatever they want. "
Aidan, change.org
"This is going to kill Android "
Hazel, change.org
"Thie is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but censorship and control everywhere these past several months. They'll all burn for it. "
Jeffrey, change.org
"We were promised FOSS, keep it that way "
Darius, change.org
"Google shouldn't be able to restrict something that made us purchase the phones in the first place! "
Yousef, change.org
"The thing about Android has always been that it is open, people should have the right to install whatever software they want on their phones. KEEP ANDROID OPEN!!! "
Sofia, change.org
"As an android user I love the way I want to use my phone and which app to install. Apps that are being developed my developers that are not on the play store tends to be even better than those on the play store. The freedom which developers have to develop and distribution of apps has changed on how we use the android devices, giving us more option and great experience with the device. "
Josphat, change.org
"Keep android free. "
Jansen, change.org
"If I wanted to have my apps controlled by a mega corporation, I would have gotten an iPhone "
Eric, change.org
"WE WANT CHOICES! "
Cindy, change.org
"What sets Android apart from other OS' is its open source. This move will make Android just like every other OS. There will be no point in using Android. We'll all take out business to some other OS. "
Evo, change.org
"As a CS Professional and recent CS Grad, the flexibility for Android to allow us to share hobby project apps with friends and family who also use Android is a vital part of the learning experience and what makes Android unique. Requiring paid verification based on government ID will have a stifling effect that will make Android loose the open nature that set it apart from Apple, which has been key to its success for many upcoming CS Students, and for many hobbiests that often lead to professional paths. "
Kyler, change.org
"I only have one thing to comment: Google just wants to make a profit, they are just being greedy. "
Joilton, change.org
"This is really bad, Google needs to keep the OS open "
Mark, change.org
"Technology should forever remain in a position to assist and enrich the lives of everyone, not to control, limit, or profit from the average person who was PAID to own a product, and simply wishes to make their life easier. "
Evan, change.org
"As detailed at https://developer.android.com/developer-verification, Google is planning to impose a requirement that developers of Android applications centrally register their signing keys with Google and pay a fee, enforced by the Google Play Services framework preventing applications from unregistered developers from running on users' devices. Google already lost a case on this issue and was forced to make it easier for users to install applications from third parties (https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-proposes-app-store-reforms-settlement-with-fortnite-maker-epic-games-2025-11-05/). The F-Droid project has clearly stated that Google's current behavior threatens its very existence, which is as far as I can tell in direct violation of the intent of that ruling (https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html). I personally use F-Droid as the primary source of software on my device. If Google goes through with this plan, my freedom to use my device as I see fit will be harmed. "
Duncan, change.org
"How many of the rights of the people will be taken away? This is ridiculous. If given the choice between security and freedom and privacy, I'll take freedom and privacy 100% of the time. I'm sick of this kind of stuff. "
Deagan Euras, change.org
"Android is open source, period. On top of that, I'm buying the device. I own my phone, and that means I should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want with it! If I want to click on links from sketchy sites and download things that are not directly from the Google Play Store, I should be able to. Google claims this is to protect their users, but it's nothing more than censorship and crushing competition from a private, anonymous, and often better competitors making free and open source apps on platforms like F-Droid or Obtanium. It's like saying that you aren't allowed to hang a picture you bought from your friend in your own house that your bought, unless your friend pays Google $25 and gives them their ID, but you can hang as many pictures in your house as you like if you buy them directly from Google. Doesn't that sound absurd? "
Thomas, change.org
"this discourage even people that want to start at programming "
Elton, change.org
"I've used side loading a number of times in the past to load 3rd party developed apps. Not supporting this will make me seriously reconsider other phones and OS "
Richard, 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
"My device is my device. "
arianna, change.org
"Google. Seriously. Stop. You're becoming the definition of the "don't be evil" slogan that you've buried. You're making Android even worse than iOS "
Karkan, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom, let's not change that "
Gabriel, change.org
"The level of control Google is attempting to exert over developers and users is unreal. If I download an app from a source that isn't the play store, I shouldn't need Google's approval. I will seek alternate operating systems from the Android and iOS duopoly if this goes through. "
Alice, 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 openness of the platform is one of the determining factors when choosing in favor of Android. "
Pavel, change.org
"Welp if APK files limited then there is no need for us to use android from now on. "
Emir, change.org
"I signed this petition because Google is slowly turning Android into a locked down version of iOS and it's really frustrating. I bought my phone, it's my property, yet every few months they add more restrictions on APKs, more warnings, more blocks that make it annoying or impossible to install apps from outside the Play Store. Sideloading is something separate that I also want to keep fully open and easy. This isn't about security anymore it's about control and forcing everyone into their ecosystem so they can monitor and profit from everything we do. I want the freedom to install what I want on my own device without Google acting like a parent who doesn't trust me. Developers and power users especially need this ability, and regular users deserve the choice too. If we don't push back now, soon we'll have no real alternatives left and Android will lose what made it special in the first place. Please sign and share if you value your device freedom. "
Christopher, change.org
"The entire reason I left the Apple ecosystem and came back to Android is because of the freedom you get with installing any app you want. If Google locks down app installations, there will be zero reason for me to still stay on an Android opereting system. Don't be evil, Google. "
Amirali, change.org
"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
"Ces é paia mano "
Solalalule, change.org
"I refuse to be locked into only the play store. I need to be able to use f-droid and or install my own apk files as I will. It's my comptuer! "
Tom, change.org
"One of the reasons why we chose Android was its freedom of doing what you want on your device. Now we have to stop this limitation of a recognized right. "
Francesco, change.org
"Don't get rid of the reason I switched from apple in the first place, google. "
Reina, change.org
"I'm only using android for apk's otherwise I would be using IOS/iPhone, Also without apk's there would be no reason to keep updates going for certain developers, we would be losing one of the things that makes android what it is, That is my opinion on this whole idea from google "
JaCureon, change.org
"This is going to change android into a half functional game console locked down to anyone who won't kiss the G, a sure sign of drm, not consumer protection. If only google approved apps are allowed, will we only be able to call google approved phone numbers, visit google approved websites, see google approved images, listen to google approved music? We are not google. "
Willem, change.org
"Ive always been an android user and refused apple products. Ive loved being able to root and openly develop and play with my device. Its shown my how to write software and understand how a computer works. I understand the push for security but this takes away the very nature of Android. There are other ways to verify security if it becomes that necessary. "
Nicholas, 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
"Android's open-source roots NEED to be worth fighting for. When Google released Android under the Apache License in 2007, it was a revolutionary move which allowed manufacturers, developers, and tinkerers worldwide to build on top of it freely. That openness is literally WHY Android became the dominant mobile OS, powering over 70% of the world's smartphones today. The ability to side-load APKs (install apps outside the Play Store) has been a cornerstone of that openness. It's what allows: • Independent developers to distribute apps without paying Google's 30% cut. • Users in regions where the Play Store is restricted to still access software. • Open-source app stores like F-Droid to thrive. • Researchers and security professionals to test and audit applications. • Enthusiast communities to keep older devices alive with custom ROMs which ALSO REDUCES GLOBAL E-WASTE. Compare this to iOS, where Apple has historically locked down side-loading entirely and ask yourself this important question, do we want Android to go down that same path? Restricting APK usage doesn't make users safer it just consolidates Google's control over what software you're allowed to run on hardware YOU purchased & own. The history of computing shows us that open platforms drive innovation, closed ones drive profits for gatekeepers. Android was built on the iconic Linux platform, a global community project. Let's not let that legacy be quietly dismantled in the name of "security". Android was built to be OPEN and its name says it all, ANDROID OPEN SOURCE PROJECT. "
Peter, 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
"I have been an Android user since smartphones became mainstream, and the primary reason I chose Android was the freedom it offers. Unlike other platforms, Android allows users to install applications from outside official stores, enabling innovation, experimentation, and personal control over our own devices. Over the years, I have used open-source applications from platforms like GitHub and F-Droid, many created by independent developers who may not have the resources—or the desire—to publish through centralized stores. In some cases, I have even modified open-source code to suit my personal needs and compiled my own versions of apps. This is not just a niche use case—it represents the very spirit of open computing. Requiring developers to submit personal identification and restricting distribution channels will disproportionately impact: Independent and open-source developers Users in region-restricted environments Applications that are no longer available on official stores This change does not just improve security—it introduces control over who is allowed to distribute software, fundamentally shifting Android away from being an open platform. If users are no longer free to install applications of their choice, Android devices risk becoming restricted ecosystems similar to closed platforms—where functionality is determined not by the user, but by a central authority. The ability to sideload apps is not a loophole—it is a defining feature of Android. Removing or weakening it undermines user autonomy, developer freedom, and the very reason many of us chose this platform in the first place. "
Eranga, change.org
"This OS has been the only place that has felt free, the ability to download anything from anywhere is what a phone should be able to do. They trying to take away my freedom, and I refuse to bend the knee and accept it. "
Austin, change.org
"The entire reason I chose android over apple was the freedom I had to do what I wanted on the device I paid for. Google enforcing this "lock-down" is just shooting themselves in the foot and giving people more reason to give apple a shot. "
Riley, change.org
"This is an attempt to stifle free and open development because that development has created avenues that subvert Google's bottom line. People are becoming tired of being the product and have the right to their privacy- but Google belives they have a right to force people to become said product by limiting where and how they use their devices. Buzz-words like "a more secure ecosystem" are used to hide their true initiative: their bottom line. Ironically, this corse of action may become the driving force that pushes Linux phones into full maturity, thus amputating the open-source-development community as revenue. I don't subsidize my mobile device purchases so that I may have full control over what I can do with them. Upon this move, I will gladly suffer the inconvenience of a less-mature operating system or less-developed device over a walled garden built by greed mascurading under the guise of "This is what will be best for everyone." "
Jake, change.org
"We shouldn't accept the platform being closed and controlled this way, reach out to the anti-monopoly institutions in your respective countries! "
Cristian Nicolas, change.org
"Esse monopólio é injusto! "
Gabriel, change.org
All references, editorials, press coverage, and videos →
Take Action Full resource list, regulator contacts, links for every country, and how to fight back → Open Letter Read the open letter signed by organizations opposing developer verification →You bought your phone.
You should decide what runs on it.
That shouldn't require a 9-step process, a 24-hour wait, and Google's ongoing permission.
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