Предстои телефонът ви да спре да бъде ваш.
През 2027* г. Google, без да иска съгласието на потребителите, публикува тихомълком актуализация, която ще блокира всяко приложение за Android на разработчици, които не са регистрирани в Google и не са подписали съответните договори, не са платили съответните суми и не са предоставили личен документ.
Всяко приложение и всяко устройство по целия свят и без опция за отказ.
↓Какво прави Google
През август 2025 г. Google обяви ново изискване: от 2027 г. всеки разработчик на приложения за Android трябва да бъде централно регистриран в Google, за да може софтуерът му да се инсталира на което и да е устройство. Не става въпрос само за приложения от Google Play Магазин, а за всички приложения. В това число влизат приложения, изпратени от приятели, разпространени през F-Droid, създадени от хоби разработчици за лична употреба. Всички независими разработчици, обществени и църковни групи и любители ще изгубят възможността да разработват и разпространяват софтуера си.
За регистрация е необходимо следното:
- Да се плати такса на Google
- Да се приемат Общите условия на Google
- Да се предоставят собствени официални лични документи
- Да се предостави доказателство за вашия частен ключ за разработчик
- Да се посочат всички текущи и бъдещи идентификатори на приложения
Ако разработчикът не се съгласи, приложенията му ще бъдат блокирани без известие на всяко устройство с Android навсякъде по света.
Кой страда от това
Вие
Когато сте си купили телефон с Android, сте очаквали да имате отворена система, в която можете да инсталирате каквото поискате. Това беше обещанието на Google.
Сега Google променя сделката със задна дата и то за устройства, които вече притежавате. След минаването на актуализацията ще можете да използвате само софтуер, който е предварително одобрен от Google. На вашия телефон, който вие притежавате и за който вие сте платили.
Независими разработчици
Няма значение дали ще става въпрос първото приложение на тийнейджър, инструмент за запазване на поверителността на доброволец, или за поверителна вътрешна бета версия на компания. През 2027 г. нищо от това няма да може да се инсталира без благословията на Google.
Според F-Droid, където се намират хиляди безплатни приложения за Android с отворен код, това е „екзистенциална заплаха“. Cory Doctorow го нарича „Darth Android“.
Правителствата и гражданските общества
Google има документирани случаи, в които е изпълнявал исканията на авторитарни режими, когато става въпрос за премахването на приложения. Когато тази програма влезе в сила, софтуерът, който се използва от институциите във вашата държава, ще бъде зависим от решенията на една чуждестранна корпорация, която не подлежи на законовите изисквания на държавата ви.
Фондация „Електронна граница“ (EFF) нарича тази форма на ограничаване на приложенията „непрестанно разширяващ се път към цензурата в интернет“."
„Резервният вариант“ на Google е всъщност капан
Google твърди, че „power users“ (напреднали потребители) „могат да продължат да инсталират“ непроверени приложения. Ето как всъщност изглежда това:
- Ровите се в системните настройки, намирате опциите за разработчици
- Докосвате номера на компилацията седем пъти, за да активирате режима за разработчици
- Потвърждавате, че действате по собствено желание
- Въвеждате PIN кода си
- Рестартирате устройството
- Изчаквате 24 часа
- Връщате се и минавате още няколко изскачащи прозореца
- Избирате „Разрешаване временно“ (7 дни) или „Разрешаване за постоянно“
- Отново потвърждавате, че сте наясно с „рисковете“
Девет стъпки и задължителен 24-часов период на изчакване. За да инсталирате софтуер на устройство, което притежавате.
По-лошото: Този процес се извършва изцяло през Google Play Services, не през операционната система Android. Google може да го промени, да го ограничи или да го спре, когато пожелае, като за целта не е нужна актуализация на операционната система.
Това е по-голямо от Android
Ако Google има способността със задна дата да заключи милиарди устройства, които са били продадени като отворени платформи, това ще ангажира вниманието на всеки голям производител по света.
Така се установява нов принцип: компанията, която е произвела устройството ви, има силата след като сте го купили да вземе решение какъв софтуер можете да използвате на него. В света на софтуера това се нарича „rug pull“ (неочаквана тотална промяна на правилата), но поне винаги съществуваше възможността да инсталирате конкурентен софтуер. В света на хардуера това обаче ви изправя пред свършен факт, след който нямате ходове и не можете да противодействате на хрумванията на един доказан монополист, който не допуска свободен достъп и не може да бъде подведен под отговорност.
Отвореният характер на Android никога не е бил просто особеност. Той беше обещанието, което го разграничаваше от iPhone и милиони потребители избираха Android точно поради тази причина. С действията си Google сега нарушава едностранно това обещание на устройства, които вече са в джобовете на потребителите, защото са решили, че имат достатъчно доминираща позиция на пазара и влияние върху регулаторите, за да го направят без последствия.
Ars Technica: „Завистта на Google към Apple заплашва да унищожи наследството на Android като отворена операционна система.“
Добре, но това не е ли...
„...само за нашата сигурност?“
Обяснението за сигурността е само пясък в очите. Google Play Protect вече извършва сканиране за злонамерен софтуер без значение от идентичността на разработчика. Изискването на официален документ за самоличност няма да направи кода по-безопасен, но за сметка на това прави разработчиците по-лесни за идентифициране и контрол. Създателите на злонамерен софтуер могат да се регистрират. Инди разработчиците и дисидентите често нямат тази възможност. Фондацията „Електронна граница“ *(EFF) има недвусмислена позиция: системата за идентификация е инструмент за цензура, а не за сигурност.
„...същото като инсталиране на външни приложения, просто със следване на разширената процедура?“
Девет стъпки, 24-часов период на изчакване, ровене в настройки за разработчици и всичко това през собствена услуга, която Google може да анулира по всяко време. Това не е същото като инсталиране на външни приложения, а е възпиращ механизъм, който е така разработен, че да гарантира, че почти никой няма да го ползва. И понеже работи през Play Services, а не в рамките на операционната система, Google винаги може тихомълком да го ограничи или спре.
„...проблем само ако имаш какво да криеш?“
Информаторите, журналистите и активистите срещу авторитарно управление ще бъдат първите жертви на тази промяна. Ще ги последват хората, които са жертви на домашно насилие. Всички тези групи имат основателни причини да разпространяват или използват софтуер, без да въвеждат данните за идентичността си в база данни на Google. Приносът от анонимни потребители към отворен код е традиция, по-стара от самия Google. Тази политика ще убие всичко това на Android.
„...същото, което и Apple прави?“
Apple е затворена система от самото начало. Android беше избиран от потребителите, защото беше различен. „Apple прави същото“ е напълно безпредметен слаб аргумент, който само отнема вината от правилното място. А благодарение на натиска от регулаторите (Закона за дигиталните пазари на ЕС) дори Apple е принуден да работи по-отворено. За сметка на това Google се е насочил в обратната посока с опити да затвърди контрола си върху достъпа.
„...просто 25 долара и малко документи?“
Може би не е нещо особено за разработчик в САЩ, който има кредитна карта и собствен автомобил. Съвсем различно е обаче за един студент в Африка, или за дисидент в Мианмар, или за доброволец, който се грижи за здравно приложение за общността си. Цената не се измерва само във финансова величина. Давате данните от официалния си документ за самоличност и предоставяте доказателства за частния си ключ на компания, която редовно изпълнява исканията на различни правителства за премахване на приложения и разкриване на информация за разработчиците им.
Как да се противопоставим
За всички
- Инсталирайте F-Droid на всяко устройство с Android, което притежавате. Алтернативните магазини за приложения ще оцелеят само ако има хора, които ги използват.
- Свържете се със своите представители в регулаторните комисии. Регулаторите по света са наистина загрижени за ефекта от монопола и централизирането на властта в технологичния сектор. Те приветстват обратна връзка от хора, които са потърпевши и имат свои притеснения.
- Споделяйте тази страница. Изпращайте навсякъде връзката към keepandroidopen.org.
- Борете се с опитите за манипулиране на общественото мнение. Все по-често се срещат мнения от рода на „От гледна точка на Google...“. Не им позволявайте да изменят фокуса.
- Подпишете петицията в change.org и станете част от другите 100 000 подписали.
- Прочетете и споделяйте нашето отворено писмо.
- Кажете на Google какво мислите за това, като използвате тяхната анкета за изискванията за проверка на разработчиците на Android (колкото и да е глас в пустинята).
За разработчиците
НЕ УЧАСТВАЙТЕ. Не се присъединявайте към програмата и не се записвайте в Android Developer Console. Не приемайте техните Общи условия, от които няма да можете после да се откажете. Не потвърждавайте самоличността си. Не играйте по свирката им.
Планът на Google ще сработи само ако разработчиците се подчинят. Не го правете.
- Опитайте се да разубедите другите разработчици и организации около себе си да не се включват в програмата.
- Добавете библиотеката FreeDroidWarn към приложенията си, за да предупредите потребителите.
- Имате уебсайт? Добавете банера с обратно отброяване.
За служители на Google
Ако знаете нещо, свързано с техническото осъществяване на програмата или вътрешна информация, пишете на [email protected] от неслужебно устройство и акаунт, който не е на Gmail. Поверителността на вашата информация ще бъде строго защитена.
Всички, които са против…
71 организации от 23 държави са подписали отвореното писмо
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Cryptee crypt.ee
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
FUTO futo.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
Proton AG proton.me
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
F-Droid f-droid.org
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
iodé iode.tech
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
Techlore techlore.tech
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Brave brave.com
April april.org Тук можете да прочетете цялото отворено писмо и да благодарите на подписалите се →
Какво казват хората
Технологични медии
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"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
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
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
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
Коментари и анализи
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"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
"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
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"This is not about protecting users. This is about control. This is about Google cutting out the last remaining artery of independence in Android."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"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
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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
"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 has announced that they are altering the deal. And telling us that we should pray that they don't alter it further. Block this policy change now before they wrap their cold metal hands around our necks."
Jesse Wilson, PublicObject.com
"Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google 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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Google has 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
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"Developers from sanctioned countries or those without Google Play access cannot verify themselves. This creates systemic discrimination against developers based on birthplace rather than conduct."
agnostic-apollo (Termux developer), GitHub
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"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
Организации и отворени писма
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Google's abusive approach to the Android operating system has only gotten worse in recent years. Software freedom is sorely lacking in the 'computers in our pockets' we call cell phones."
Free Software Foundation
"Developers who choose not to use Google's services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google."
Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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
"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
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."
AdGuard
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"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's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."
Brave
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"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
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"There are governments who might very much like to know the names of the developers of those applications so that they can go after them."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"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
Ютубъри и създатели на съдържание
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"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 is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"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
"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
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – 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
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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 has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Imagine Dell told you that you could no longer install any operating system other than Windows on your laptop. That's what Google is doing to your phone."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
Разработчици и от общността
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"I teach digital literacy and 99% of unsavory software I encounter on people's phones come from the Play Store or App Store. I will believe they're serious about protecting users when I see them do something about the crap ton of borderline scam apps infesting their stores."
1995ToyotaCorolla, Lemmy
"Twice I have had to deal with Google silently disabling my drone app to the point I had to buy an older phone to perform work. When I purchase a device that works with another device, under no circumstances should I be at the mercy of any updates they make."
cbrophoto (drone professional), Reddit
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"If your country is ever in the crosshairs of 'American interests' and bears the brunt of its sanctions, it is possible that you cannot install apps from your fellow citizens. Your own local government, bank, and store apps."
devsda, Hacker News
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"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
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"There's an entire genre of scamming where the scammers spend months building rapport with their victims before cashing out. One day is nothing."
free_bip (on the 24-hour wait defeating scammers), Hacker News
"I want to deploy apps on my device. They are my apps, it's my device, and I should not be required to ask for permission to do so."
fsniper, Hacker News
"After 15 years of professional development on Android I too am now thinking about switching my focus to something different. And it sucks."
MrDresden, Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
"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
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"If Android's sandbox and permission systems actually worked, then the mere act of installing an app from an arbitrary source would be as harmless as visiting an arbitrary website."
mwcampbell, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"Computing is infrastructure. Personal computers are a means of expressing agency. This is like banning people from moving furniture around their house without approval from mortgage lenders."
wervenyt, Tildes
"It is a disgrace how Google has managed this situation. The promised 'advanced flow' hasn't appeared in any Android 16 or 17 betas. Google is quietly proceeding with the original lockdown."
fermigier, Hacker News
"Google 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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"I buy a device with my own money, which I supposedly then own, but then I need to ask some corporation permission to use it."
askonomm, Hacker News
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"Requiring a government ID to distribute software. Holy shit. If you are a kid and want to create a game for your friends, you better get that birth certificate ready!"
llitz, Reddit
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
Мнения от петицията
"Android users should be able develop and install whatever software they want on their devices without approval from Google. The promise of Android — and a marketing advantage it has used to distinguish itself against the iPhone — has always been that it is “open”. But Google clearly feels that they have enough of a lock on the Android ecosystem, along with sufficient regulatory capture, that they can now jettison this principle with prejudice and impunity. "
Ray, change.org
"As others have definitely stated along with me, the Android platform was always chosen over Apple because of the freedom it allowed. Creating another oppressive "nanny" based prison environment for customers is not the answer. No "features" or promises of "safety" are worth giving up freedom of a once open OS. "
Jason, change.org
"I will dtop uding Android if this is beeing implemented "
Cederick, change.org
"I paid for this device and I can do whatever I want with it "
Marcus, change.org
"This change would essentially make android comparable to iOS in the sense of the restricted amount of freedom we have over the operating system and how we want the operating system to function. This will also result in a constant battle between new "crackers" trying to find ways to spoof the signature system and Google patching the spoofs to keep the system restricted. This is not for security, this is corporate control over a dominating service they can milk for profit and add to their greed "
Simon, change.org
"This change would kill the biggest reason I use Android, because I have the freedom to sideload useful apps that aren't available in the official store. I have never once bought an iPhone, but Apple's comparative respect for user privacy seems preferable now, so I'll most likely make the switch. "
Raymond, change.org
"The promise was to have an open OS: a walled garden has always been seen as something negative where the supposed pros do NOT outweigh the cons, among them far too much power in the hands of one, central entity. And every time a stunt like this is attempted, it demonstrates how that simply shouldn't be allowed to ANYone. My phone is mine. Let me install whatever I like on it. "
Daniele, change.org
"Android is built on the Linux kernel and draws much of its foundation from the GNU/Linux ecosystem. The spirit of that ecosystem is openness, transparency, and user freedom. Limiting APK installation beyond reasonable security safeguards risks shifting Android toward a controlled ecosystem rather than keeping it an open platform. Security improvements are important, but they should not come at the expense of developer independence, open-source distribution, and users’ freedom to install software responsibly. Instead of restricting APK usage, a better approach would be to improve user education, provide clearer warnings, and offer optional security layers that protect users without limiting their freedom. "
Alireza, change.org
"Android was promised and sold as an open platform. As many others, I decided to get Android devices considering that that promise was a serious lifetime commitment from Google. All Google has to do now is honor their own word and keep Android open. "
Leo, change.org
"Apple is one of the lamest companies in the world. You have no control on an iPhone. That's always been one of the selling points about Android is that you have basically total control over your device. There's literally no reason to change being able to download independent and open source apps from trusted developers. There are higher chances of getting a sketchy app through the play store. Don't break what isn't broken and then say you fixed something. We already lost our SD card slots. If you see this and you haven't signed the petition, please sign it. Also for more info, go here: https://keepandroidopen.org/ "
Dakota, change.org
"If you break android in this way, we will go elsewhere, and more code will be written, more avenues gone down and new ways to sidestep your control and ditch your software will emerge. You can't win, but you can lose. "
Daniel, change.org
"Limiting developer and user freedom in the name of "safety" or whatever will only bring Android down to iOS's level. Don't make this mistake, Google! We must keep the right to make and use APKs freely! "
Julian, change.org
"I have the right to download apps made from developers I trust. You do not make that decision for me. Hands off! "
Danielle, change.org
"I've always said the reason I was an android user and not an iPhone user was due to the fact that the system was not locked down allowing more advanced use cases. Not to mention allowing individuals to create their own apps and learn without being subjected to fees and restrictions. Can't wait for the linux phone sector to start growing in response just like what is happening to Windows / PC market space. "
Chris, change.org
"More sensorship, more control, just another step into taking away the little bits of freedom we have left in this country in the things we love doing the most. I say no thank you, go away. "
Brandon, change.org
"This is ridiculous the fact that google is causing this will effect everybody it's gonna make it way harder for developers to post there apps to specific users. "
Daisuke, change.org
"Android giving users choice has been the staple point of android OS. Removing choices like sideloading apps is not the move. I develop apps for myself, I do not want to be "an approved developer" I don't have time nor care for that. This action also is the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Android started as an open operating system, you have simply turned it into a reskinned Apple OS. Your choice to go anti-consumer is going to hurt. You are not "protecting" anyone "
Seth, change.org
"If you, as an Android user are happy using Android but dont understand what this is about, go out and buy an iPhone. Then you'll understand. "
ROBERT, change.org
"Android gives us a choice. That is so so important to us in this day and age. Please let us continue to do so. "
Jenna, change.org
"I bought an android phone specifically so I wouldn't be chained to the play store like on iOS. If there's no choice in the matter, I might as well get an iPhone again. "
Audrey, change.org
"No one is happy about this change. F-droid is infinitely more trustworthy than the play store, and does not need google prying into developers personal info to keep people safe. Being an open platform is the fundamental basis of android user's usage "
Cris, change.org
"I am not a developer, just a regular apk user, and the fact that google is trying to remove a vital part of android is crazy "
Gilberto David, change.org
"Tudo e todos vamossss "
Renato, change.org
"The market benefits when there are choices. The choice to lock down Android is the wrong one. When I buy an android phone I buy the right to have control over the system and what happens in that system. Locking down Android phones is anti consumer. "
Jimben, change.org
"I use sideloading very often, especially for Linux terminal emulation, and I can't do nearly as much in that vein without it. "
Sylvia, change.org
"I really liked android phones cause of the freedom they use to have, but with this... they are the same as Apple so.... there's any reason for me to like Android anymore "
Fabián Jhovany, change.org
"The biggest reason I use Android is because I like the fact that it's open and if I don't like something I can just fix it also I like the ability to have my open source apps which you're trying to kill I guess you're just going to help boost The amount of people that are switching over to a true linux-based phone "
Justin, change.org
"As a lifelong Android user and now a beginner developer, I say this is nothing more than an attempt to turn Android into an iPhone 2. You're not protecting anyone, and this seems more like the beginning of an Android monopoly. An open-source system shouldn't have this kind of restriction/censorship, much less force developers to identify themselves and pay fees for beta apps. It shouldn't have a single store. This decision to act against consumers and developers will have very serious negative consequences. After all, when I choose to buy an Android, I choose it for the freedom it gives me and the variety of stores and places where I can download programs that aren't on the Play Store, whether games or development programs. Nobody chooses an Android for its features, much less for the Google system. We choose it because we want the freedom to do what we want with what we buy with our money, taking full responsibility for what we download. Because if I wanted a centralized store with no freedom whatsoever, I would buy an iPhone. "
Sophya, change.org
"Having moved to the Google platform due to limitations on Apple devices, it would be a huge shame to see this implemented. "
Christo, change.org
"Android made it possible for free, open source software to be widely used between everyday consumers instead of locking them into subscriptions or high one time payments, and by restricting APK sideloading, this strips people away from being able to use software that more poeple are able to use. This is downright wrong. "
Michael, change.org
"Drastically changing what I can do with MY devices years after the original purchase is peak anti-consumer behavior. This action should be illegal. Can you imagine if your car manufacturer said you can only use Shell gas to fill up years after you purchased it. Same energy here. Let's STOP THE GOOGLEOPOLY. "
Ayiana, change.org
"Hey Google. You are a silent cancer. You've engulfed everything in your path for decades: true innovation, billions of unsuspecting people's data, healthy competition, and choice. You've been sued, repeatedly fined, and ordered to break up your monopoly (you haven't), yet you keep metastasizing. I could cite historical, philosophical, religious, even SciFi metaphors of what you are, but "plague" is sufficient. For the love of humanity, if in fact there's anyone left at Plague HQ who still identifies as human, keep your metastatic tentacles off the Android Developer Platform. You've done enough harm already. Signed, The last cancer-free organ you have yet to destroy "
Andromeda, 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
"Stop Google "
Sa, change.org
"I want Android to remain an open operating system and platform. "
Eric, change.org
"Google sucks if it changes android and will burn! "
Gage, change.org
"To put it simply it's wrong all of it. The idea that we are so untrustworthy with our own devices that we need this level of invasion/ surveillance implemented to satisfy their idea of safety is laughable. The online tech community is amazing and free to make any kind of customization to their own devices that they bought and paid for. And let's be honest there have been so many questionable decisions already based on security and safety that Google is no longer completely trustworthy. We should still be able to have the choice to use our own customizable apps/systems on our own personal devices. None of this feels safe, none of these changes feel like they have our safety in mind. "
Charles, change.org
"There are Chinese individuals abroad who sideload Chinese app stores and Chinese apps on their non-Chinese Android phones to use those services. Chinese developers are very unlikely to verify with Google. This is a racist update from Google which will inadvertently single out Chinese individuals as well. "
Sunny, change.org
"Android ain’t doing this if we can help it. They CEO types always getting greedy. Let’s keep Android as Android "
Nathanael, change.org
"who thought it was even a good idea "
Joel, change.org
"As an open-source developer and enthusiast, Google requiring ID Verification is not only unethical, but unsafe, anti-competitor, monopolistic, and is one of the major reasons why people like me switched to using MicroG instead of GApps. "
Garry, change.org
"I don't want to have to choose between switching phones and being able to download uncensored apps. Most people simply don't have the time or freedom to switch to Linux, and Google knows it. We are not stupid. We don't need their "protection." We can make our own choices for ourselves. "
Adele, 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
"Google get out of MY phone! "
Mauro, change.org
"This won't make Android surpass Apple - it'll just speed up its demise "
ching, change.org
"Android was built on FOSS foundations and this anti-consumer move goes against the guiding tenants of the OS and Google's mission. No-one who uses Android wants to see Google pervert it into a second-rate apple. This move is a violation of consumer faith and a bad long-term business decision. Revert it in it's entirety before you loose the core attraction of your product. "
Tate, change.org
"Android was always advertised as an open OS for anyone, and was like Windows or Linux, supporting unsigned app installs. If need to use ADB to install some indie app for things, or need to go through a development environment just to install a singular random app, then I might as well switch to iOS, as Android just lost it's best weapon in the battle against Apple. "
Trenton, change.org
"Been using the android platform since 2009. Removing the ability to use MY device in the way it was always intended is disgusting. I won't stand for any of that hogwash. "
Kurt, change.org
"Google shouldn't be able to restrict something that made us purchase the phones in the first place! "
Yousef, change.org
"This restriction simply ruins the entire premise that the android community has based itself on. It deprives users of the basic freedom that they rightfully deserve to have, since they acquired and rightfully paid for their device(s). It's another step into censorship and a monopoly under the premise of "security". The Google Play Store itself is a perpetrator of insecurity and restricting the developer base won't make it any better. If this is pushed foward, I will cease to use any android system that uses Google Play Services. "
Maria, change.org
"Creators of all kinds of developers, whether good or bad put so much of their free time into making something that users on an "Open" device that you decide enough is enough just cause of a few bad eggs. By doing this, you are not only combating them but all the developers who are of innocence and crush their dreams just so you can lose to Apple. "
david, change.org
"Please stop monetizing making your software worse. I will quit using it. "
Bobby, change.org
"Side loading is the way I have made my phone run better, my privacy has been better maintained and it gives me freedom that Google and Apple don't. By blocking side loading apps Google is essentially turning into another Apple. It is no wonder why Motorola is looking at returning GraphineOS as well as other manufacturers are using Linux based phone OS's. People need that freedom that android has given us. "
Daniel, 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
"If google does go through with this I will do everything in my power to convince anyone with an android or google service to stop using it. "
James, change.org
"If android truly blocks what are some of my favorite apps from developers I trust, I will no longer be using "smart" phones without root. It'll be graphine or flip phones, I promise you. "
R, change.org
"It's a limiting choice for users and software engineers and it will depreciate Google's platform. "
Jonathan, change.org
"The restrictive policies blocks me to publish My apps cuz I don't have many testers as they force me to have as an individual developer, now they want to cut off the only way that I have to share My creations "
David, change.org
"Trust is born out of the experience of self-agency. Google always has been trustworthy because of that. It's not been successful for breathtaking design, intuitive user experience or a consistent hardware strategy. Its most successful argument carrying the message of freedom and agency up to date is Android. Have end point management and self written helpers. Let my local plumber have his own app without being asked to update it every half year, let me build my own app for trataka meditation without need to share and make money of it - that's general computing on a mobile device accidentally married to a telephone. I can show off my fluid dynamics simulations, every month a further advanced model, and of course stupidly sink into the screen when I wait for the bus. Wonderful. So listen, Google. Don't take away my freedom, don't take away our freedom and agency. Don't waste our trust. And, with the formula you'll have read too often in your personal messages, dear Sundar, thank you for your attention to this matter. "
Frank, change.org
"The ability to download and install APK's from any source is a choice that should not be taken from users. It's the whole reason Android OS is successful now. Taking away choice will drive users to seek out other software solutions. Keeping Android Open is important to stop corporate overeach, unnecessary tracking and selling of user data, and keeping software available and fair. "
Christopher, change.org
"Yeah let's remove the one thing keeping people on Android 🤨 "
Bobby, change.org
"Android has always been my go-to, even with today’s high user preference being iOS. The reason why I have relied on it so much is because of the freedom we have to do what we want with our product and not be limited like iOS. This is not about "protecting us" this is to assert control and limit the users’ experience which is a breach of the freedom that Android has always promised. "
Alexandra, change.org
"I have been using Android since the HTC G1, and I've never been so disappointed with the whole thing as I am now. I recognise that Google is doing it's best to keep malware and malicious software out of its app store, but for people who are capable of installing F-Droid, NeoStore or one of the other alternative stores, this is a disaster. Many applications I use are only available here, and with this plan from Google, I'll be unable to access tools, applications and services I use on a daily basis. "
Jon, change.org
"We need liberty, the end of the APKs is a extremely bad decision to be honest. "
Anonymous, change.org
"The tight to sideload software is a central feature that sets Android apart from iphone. Without it you can expect Android marketers to drop as users like me shift to Linux phones and Android alternatives. "
Richard, change.org
"Android should be a free platform, thats why it exists, taking this away is creating a monopoly that Apple has created and has also gotten in trouble for in the EU for consumer rights "
William, change.org
"Android meant freedom; it meant the opportunity to make the device your own even when everyone was using the same model. Android allowed the freedom of APKs, the freedom to port video games to the phone without differentiating or hiding anything from users; it allowed them to be free from blame or credits. "
José Roberto, change.org
"Android phones letting me control my apps in my way is why I love and stick with Android. I can't support upstart developers without our current APK framework. A future without one of the lead reasons I own an Android phone, is a future where I just stop owning a phone. "
Kyle, change.org
"We did not ask for this. We do not consent to this. Android's entire identity is built around it being an open platform. We know you aren't doing this for security, you're doing it for control. Don't be evil. "
Gregor, change.org
"This move by Google is part of a larger trend to limit freedom online and verify everything. Government ID belongs to the government only not Google, so Google has no right to demand usage of it it's not their property and it's not Google users' property either it's the government's. Making developers present this is unnecessary as code review already prevents bad actors on Google Play Store. Limiting side loading APKs is anti freedom, and anti American. When you buy a device that means you are not restricted from doing anything you wish with it. Additionally basically nobody installs something from outside the play store or other markets like Samsung so this clearly isn't a safety thing because only the people who want or need this feature seek it out, and everyone continues to benefit from the availability of open platforms because they could decide tomorrow to install a app store other than google play store to seek out cheaper apps or ones that match their ethics such as open source. Android itself is licensed as open source and inclusion of proprietary google owned code in devices is sketchy anyway. "
Jagur, change.org
"Having less autonomy over how we use our devices doesn't make us safer, it just makes us more subject to corporate control. I'm not here for that. "
Eleanor, change.org
"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
"Compared to iOS, Android always felt less restrictive and easier to work with, both as a user and developer. Now, Google would like to take that competitive niche and throw it in the dumpster. This benefits no users or developers. It is blatantly greedy, controlling, and nonsensical. It adds more red tape for developers, higher potential for censorship at the whim of Google, and it will turn Android into another iOS. Android users chose not to go with iOS when they bought their devices, for several reasons. For me personally, I liked that Android allowed certain kinds of apps that Apple did not allow on iOS. If Android didn't have that advantage, I would've picked iOS. It's a bad move for Google's business, it's a bad move for developers, and it's a bad move for consumers. Terrible idea all around. "
Bill, change.org
"Android is one of two operating systems used by almost every smartphone and tablet in the US. While the iphone operating system has been a locked down platform for many years, if it indeed was ever open, android has been marketed as the consumer friendly alternative. However, with android moving to lock unregistered users out of it's ecosystem, that promise may soon disappear. When a consumer purchases an electronic device, it ought to be his or hers to do with as the owner pleases. This includes installing apps from places other than google's native play store. A lockdown like this is a blatant violation of consumer rights. In the absence of widely available third party operating systems for mobile devices, this move by google bottlenecks the availability of applications and locks out independent developers, and those who will not play google's games. I should not have to elaborate on the potential for monopolization, nor the myriad ways this arrangement could be leveraged for censorship. I call on google to reverse this decision immediately, and end this threat to consumer rights and digital liberty. "
Auston, change.org
"Google is not tuff for ts "
John, change.org
"This is literally why I switched to android. The literal only reason. "
Ari Siobhan, change.org
"The new requirements have really killed my motivation to develop apps. I do not want to provide any personal information to big tech companies. The reason I want to work on FOSS is that I don’t want to give up my privacy, and this new policy is undermining that. These requirements will never create a truly safe and secure OS. Criminals can obtain government-issued IDs through the dark web or by scamming others. The only people being blocked are those who intend no harm at all. Please don’t lock down the ecosystem. "
kam kee, change.org
"Yoo wtf? Cant live like dat "
Abs, change.org
"We all need security and FOSS apps! "
Chris, change.org
"User: I do! Developer: I do! Google: I don't! They have no real business doing this - maybe if there was an alternative, but there isn't! This is the continuation of the meltdown they've been having about adblockers. "
Nona, change.org
"Android you are not our parents, stop acting like sanctioned company guardians. Nobody asked for this. It must be your goal to make yourself another worse option for operating devices. "
Eva, change.org
"The freedom Android offers for young inquisitive minds is the entery way to Dev-Land. Certainly they are aware of how many of their employees started from this basic idea and how many they may loose by taking it away. Not only that do they really believe we won't migrate to something better? But as a consumer we need to try and understand what the future will look like, why this is the decision not just for Android but for Windows and more. "
Joseph, change.org
"As someone who has recenlty been looking into privacy. I hope we can limit big corporations hold on our personal lives. "
Ronald, change.org
"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
"Save Android !! Without it being open-source and freely usable, there *is* no good alternative to iOS, simply a mere copy of Apple's notoriously awful anti-consumer model. Personally, I won't stand for this blatantly money-focused and privacy-inhibiting change, and you shouldn't either! "
Brandon, change.org
"We want our freedom of speech "
Mohammed, change.org
"You pay all this money, over a $1000 dollars for a topshelf phones but yet it still isn't yours to do with as you please. This is just another example of corporations taking away your freedoms to choose. "
James, change.org
"I use Android because of the freedom to customize and use my phone the way I want. I don't need Google telling me how to use my phone. "
Deja, change.org
"I'm old enough to remember when Google's company montto was "Don't be evil". "
Ryan, change.org
"Android has always been the superior product because it has allowed it's users the ability to customize their phones and download what they want. To take that away would make you no better than Apple "
Mike, change.org
"Freedom is the reason we all choose android. Android was my gateway into learning how to interact with software, running custom firmware. I now have a great job as a technician and plan to continue growing my career in the technical field. Android played a huge role in my development and it would be such a massive loss to future generations with people like me trying to learn. There is no reason to support android anymore if we are restricted. The only one that stands to gain is Google (and they won't win if they do this, we WILL cut support). We the people, the users, the creators, the developers, only stand to lose if this change goes into effect. "
Mason, change.org
"I first switched over to a Samsung phone because of Android being a open OS. I love being able to make small apps for myself as a developer, and as a user I like that I can find small dev groups on places like GitHub making really cool and useful apps that you would never be able to find on the play store. "
Connor, change.org
"Android, please do not become like Apple os, doing that, you are changing the best thing you have, thats the user having Freedom to do whatever they want "
Pedro, change.org
"We want a free and open Android, or we'll choose a better platform. Android without free and anonymous apk's installation capabilities it's not Android anymore "
Peoplewant, change.org
"I've been using Android for 10+ years instead of iOS sorely because of how open it is. I can customize a lot of my phone for convenience, looks, accessibility; I can download programs from F-Droid or games from Itch.io. Removing that or making it significantly harder is a deal breaker for me. "
Lucas A, change.org
"Android's strength has always been its openness. Closing or limiting this system violates users' trust in the principles that led them (or rather, us) to choose Android as their (our) OS. That's why we urge you to keep Android open and not implement any developer or app registration system. Build bridges and educate your users to venture beyond them, rather than erect walls trying to isolate them. "
Edoardo, change.org
"I stayed away from smart phones in the early days because they were locked down. It was only after I saw that Android was an open platform that I was willing to even try one. If Google locks down Android, then I will either switch to a basic feature phone, with no data (suits me fine, mobile data is ridiculously expensive), or I will hack together a Linux phone. What's the point in having Android if it just turns in to a.aecond-rate iOS? "
William, change.org
"In a time when a few big companies are controlling everything, having access to open source alternatives is more important than ever. We don't need more restrictions and less access. Right now you can come up with a great idea, create said idea, then share it with other android users. The only barriers are your own willingness to learn. But google is trying to destroy what makes android great! Don't let it happen. Sign the petition, make noise on social media, boycott if it comes to it. Don't let the people at the top continue taking away and restricting things we love and need. It can feel like they're untouchable. But they rely on us for that power and control. If enough people resist they will revert the planned changes. Because in the end we're the consumer and all they care about is "the numbers go up". They need us for that. "
Anthony, 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
"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
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