당신의 스마트폰이 당신의 손에서 벗어나려 합니다.
2027년*부터 Google이 강제로 시행하는 자동 업데이트를 통해, 개발자가 Google에 등록하지 않고 계약에 서명하거나 비용을 지불하지 않은 모든 Android 앱이 차단될 예정입니다.
전 세계 모든 앱과 모든 기기에 적용되며, 거부권은 없습니다.
↓Google이 하려는 일
2025년 8월, Google은 새로운 요구사항을 발표했습니다. 2027년부터 모든 Android 앱은...
등록에 필요한 사항:
- Google에 수수료 지불
- Google 서비스 약관 동의
- 정부 발행 신분증 제출
- 개인 서명 키 소유 증명
- 현재 및 향후 모든 애플리케이션 식별자 목록 제출
개발자가 이를 따르지 않을 경우, 해당 앱은 전 세계 모든 Android 기기에서 소리 없이 차단됩니다.
피해를 입는 사람들
사용자
당신은 Android가 개방형 플랫폼이라는 Google의 말을 믿고 기기를 구매했습니다. 원하는 앱을 직접 설치할 수 있다는 것이 그 계약 조건이었습니다.
이제 Google은 이미 소유하고 있는 하드웨어에 대해 소급 적용하여 그 계약을 수정하려 합니다. 업데이트 이후에는 Google이 사전 승인한 소프트웨어만 실행할 수 있습니다. 당신의 자산인 스마트폰에서 말입니다.
Google의 '비상구'는 함정입니다
Google은 '파워 유저'가 미인증 앱을 "여전히 설치"할 수 있다고 말합니다. 하지만 그 과정은 이렇습니다.
- 시스템 설정 깊숙이 들어가 '개발자 옵션'을 찾습니다.
- 빌드 번호를 일곱 번 탭하여 개발자 모드를 활성화합니다.
- 강압적 활성화에 대한 경고 화면을 무시합니다.
- PIN 번호를 입력합니다.
- 기기를 재부팅합니다.
- 24시간 동안 기다립니다.
- 다시 돌아와 더 많은 경고 화면을 무시합니다.
- '일시적 허용'(7일) 또는 '무기한 허용'을 선택합니다.
- '위험'을 이해했다는 사실을 다시 한번 확인합니다.
9단계의 절차, 강제적인 24시간의 대기 기간이 있습니다. 본인 소유의 기기에 소프트웨어를 설치하는 데 필요한 절차입니다.
더 심각한 점은, 이 과정이 Android OS가 아닌 Google Play 서비스를 통해 실행된다는 것입니다. Google은 OS 업데이트 없이도 사용자 동의 없이 언제든 이 과정을 변경, 강화 또는 삭제할 수 있습니다.
Android만의 문제가 아닙니다
Google이 개방형 플랫폼으로 판매된 수십억 대의 기기를 소급하여 폐쇄할 수 있다면, 지구상의 모든 하드웨어 제조사가 이를 지켜보게 될 것입니다.
확립되고 있는 원칙은 이렇습니다. **'당신이 기기를 구매한 후에도 당신이 실행할 수 있는 소프트웨어를 제조사가 제한할 수 있다'**는 것입니다. 소프트웨어 업계에서는 이를 '러그 풀(Rug pull)'이라고 부릅니다.
Android의 개방성은 단순한 기능이 아니라, iPhone과 차별화되는 약속이었습니다. 수백만 명이 바로 그 이유로 Android를 선택했습니다. Google은 이제 그 약속을 일방적으로 파기하려 합니다.
Ars Technica: "Google의 Apple 따라하기가 Android의 개방적 유산을 해체하려 한다"
잠시만요, 이건...
"...결국 보안을 위한 것 아닌가요?"
보안 명분은 연막에 불과합니다. Google Play Protect는 개발자 신원과 관계없이 이미 악성코드를 검사하고 있습니다. 정부 ID 제출이 코드를 더 안전하게 만들지는 않습니다. 대신 개발자를 추적 가능하게 만들 뿐입니다.
"...고급 설정을 쓰면 여전히 사이드로딩이 가능하지 않나요?"
9단계의 절차, 24시간의 대기 시간, 개발자 옵션 깊숙이 숨겨진 설정, 그리고 Google이 원할 때 취소할 수 있는 독점 서비스를 통하는 것은 사이드로딩이 아닙니다. 그것은 억제 장치입니다.
"...숨길 게 있는 사람들에게만 문제 아닌가요?"
권위주의 정부 하의 내부 고발자, 저널리스트, 활동가들이 첫 번째 희생자가 될 것입니다. 가정 폭력 상황에 처한 사람들도 마찬가지입니다. 이들은 모두 Google과 정부의 신원 확인을 불신할 정당한 이유가 있습니다.
"...Apple도 똑같이 하고 있지 않나요?"
Apple은 처음부터 폐쇄적인 환경이었습니다. 사람들은 Android가 다르기 때문에 선택했습니다. "Apple도 하니까"라는 말은 하향 평준화를 정당화하는 논리일 뿐입니다.
"...겨우 25달러와 서류 몇 장 아닌가요?"
신용카드와 운전면허증이 있는 미국 개발자에게는 그럴지도 모릅니다. 하지만 사하라 이남 아프리카의 학생이나, 미얀마의 반체제 인사, 또는 지역 사회 보건 도구를 관리하는 자원봉사자에게는 불가능한 장벽이 될 수 있습니다.
함께 싸워주세요
모두를 위한 행동
- 소유한 모든 Android 기기에 F-Droid를 설치해 주세요. 대안 앱 스토어는 사람들이 실제로 사용해야만 살아남을 수 있습니다.
- 규제 당국에 연락해 주세요. 전 세계 규제 기관은 빅테크의 권력 집중을 우려하고 있으며 사용자의 목소리를 듣고 싶어 합니다.
- 이 페이지를 공유해 주세요. keepandroidopen.org 링크를 널리 퍼뜨려 주세요.
- 여론 조작에 맞서세요. Google의 논리를 대변하는 이들이 늘어나고 있습니다. 그들이 담론을 장악하게 두지 마세요.
- change.org 청원에 서명해 주세요. 이미 10만 명 이상이 동참했습니다.
- 공개 서한을 읽고 공유해 주세요.
- Google의 공식 피드백 양식을 통해 의견을 전달하세요.
개발자를 위한 행동
등록하지 마세요. Android 개발자 콘솔에 가입하거나 철회 불가능한 약관에 동의하지 마세요.
Google의 계획은 개발자들이 따를 때만 성공합니다. 거부해 주세요.
- 다른 개발자와 단체들이 등록하지 않도록 설득해 주세요.
- 앱에 FreeDroidWarn 라이브러리를 추가하여 사용자에게 경고해 주세요.
- 웹사이트를 운영하시나요? 카운트다운 배너를 추가해 주세요.
Google 직원들에게
이 프로그램의 기술적 구현이나 내부적인 부분에 대해 알고 계신다면, 비업무용 장치 및 Gmail이 아닌 계정으로 [email protected]에 제보해 주세요. 모든 정보는 철저히 비밀로 유지됩니다.
인증에 반대하는 단체들
23개국의 71개 단체가 다음에 서명했습니다: 공개 서한
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
FUTO futo.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
iodé iode.tech
CryptPad cryptpad.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
Techlore techlore.tech
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Proton AG proton.me
Brave brave.com
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
April april.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
Data Rights datarights.ngo 사람들의 목소리
테크 전문 미디어
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"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
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"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
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
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 will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"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
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"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
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
사설 및 분석
"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
"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 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
"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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"Google has 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
"There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse."
I-Programmer
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
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
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This is not about protecting users. This is about control. This is about Google cutting out the last remaining artery of independence in Android."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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 has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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 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 is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
단체 및 공개 서한
"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
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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
"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
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"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
"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
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
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
"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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."
Brave
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"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
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"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
"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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
유튜버 및 크리에이터
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
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 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
"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 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
"Imagine Dell told you that you could no longer install any operating system other than Windows on your laptop. That's what Google is doing to your phone."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google 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
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"F-Droid is basically saying that the new Google developer registration process will likely kill the open-source app store entirely."
The Linux Experiment – YouTube
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"I'm not using the word 'phone.' I'm using the word 'computer.' This has over 8 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage. It's a computer. And I'm also not going to be using words like 'sideload.' When you download an exe file onto your Windows computer, you've installed an application. You haven't 'sideloaded' something."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"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
"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 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
"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
"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
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – 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
개발자 및 커뮤니티
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
"Twice I have had to deal with Google silently disabling my drone app to the point I had to buy an older phone to perform work. When I purchase a device that works with another device, under no circumstances should I be at the mercy of any updates they make."
cbrophoto (drone professional), Reddit
"I 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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, 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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"Making it harder makes it harder to treat ourselves. Software like AndroidAPS is unique. It's hard to find or very expensive and inferior in the proprietary market."
pimeys (diabetic user on life-critical medical software), Lobsters
"Google 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
"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 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, 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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"This is a war on users that want to keep control of their phones and when it's done, you will not be able to escape the enshittification."
ikidd, Lemmy
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"The fundamental problem is that we are relying on the good graces of Google to keep Android open, despite the fact that it often runs contrary to their goals as a $4T for-profit behemoth. The 'don't be evil' days are very far behind us."
paxys, Hacker News
"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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Whatever Google is doing kind of scares me. We have a big DIY community of diabetics in Germany running tools like AndroidAPS that cannot ever be distributed through official channels."
pimeys (Type 1 diabetic, DIY medical software), Lobsters
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, 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
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Requiring a government ID to distribute software. Holy shit. If you are a kid and want to create a game for your friends, you better get that birth certificate ready!"
llitz, Reddit
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
청원 참여자들의 목소리
"APK being open is the soul reason the market stayed successful. It is a staple of our freedoms, fun, and expression. This is a Trojan Horse that infringes on our right to privacy and freedom of speech. Anyone can access our private information. The time to act is now. "
Ciara, change.org
"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
"Android users have had the ability to use APKs for so long. It is a major thing that differentiates them from Apple, and something that has prevented me from switching over. Without the freedom of apks, there is nothing keeping me with Android or Google. "
Kayla, change.org
"Im hating Google for this, i hope they not do this to Android system "
Pepino, 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
"Ces é paia mano "
Solalalule, change.org
"Android having access to custom software is a main thing that separates it from iOS. Don't destroy this amazing feature. "
Henry, change.org
"SKYNET HAS INITIATED WWIII :( "
Daniel Alberto, change.org
"Ive used both IPhone and Android, and the biggest reason I stayed with android is the ability to download any app I want. While Google is allowing legit malware and scam apps onto their platform, they are attacking indie developers who are just making useful apps. This is completely against user freedom and is essentially going to just send a lot of us Apple, what is the point? This needs to stop! "
Gina, 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
"Google's monopolistic power over what we can and cannot download/do/say is already too strong. This cannot continue. "
Briar, change.org
"Android earned its place in the market because it was open. The ability to sideload applications isn't a loophole — it's a feature, and a promise. It's what set Android apart, attracted developers, and gave users real ownership over their devices. That openness, rooted in the same Linux principles Android was built on, is the reason Google is where it is today. Restricting sideloading would be a profound betrayal of that foundation. It trades user freedom for platform control, and developer trust for gatekeeper revenue. It is, in short, pulling up the ladder after climbing it. I believe many in this community — developers, enthusiasts, and everyday users alike — feel the same way. We chose Android because it respected our autonomy. If that changes, so will our choices. I urge Google to listen to this community and protect what made Android worth building for in the first place. "
Felix, change.org
"As a user, I will always opt to sideload apps whenever possible. Whether I need a photo editor, keyboard app, audio equalizer app, or any other kinds of apps, I consistently seek open-sourced sideloading options before I even consider using the Google Play Store. Whenever I need any mobile app that isn't social, I prioritize finding an open-sourced app solution. With Google's dominance in the global mobile OS market, it's clear they will attempt to restrict any freedoms of their OS that they can get their hands on if they're not stopped. The importance of maintaining the freedom to sideload apps has never been more critical. Legislative initiatives like the App Store Accountability Act, which pushes users into surrendering personal private details to proprietary third-party solutions for identity verification, underscore why sideloading is a crucial defense line. If Google is allowed to proceed with implementing these restrictions, users will likely get funneled into using its proprietary app store, forced to share personal information like age and biometric data that links back to them for targeted ads and surveillance. Google's push for limiting sideloading is a textbook case of anti-competitiveness as well. The danger of this change can be summed up in an analogy: if some people occasionally get food poisoning from non-vetted sources, should we altogether limit food access to vendors that are deemed as, 'approved' or 'verified' by a multibillion-dollar, anti-consumer corporation? If this decision doesn't get shot down, there is a risk of being forced to give up personal privacy, autonomy, and choice. "
Matthew, change.org
"I wanted android mainly for its ability to download things in third party app stores, unlike Apple, now that Google is going to be doing this, it makes Google look no better than Apple, Android, infamous for its open sourcability now getting locked down just like iOS. I really hope that this is refuted instead of pushed to Android. "
Joshua, change.org
"Google is stupid and annoying and I hate them let me do what I want with my phone or imma just use grapheneOS "
David, change.org
"I want my freedom to install any app I want on MY DEVICE!!! "
Aswin, change.org
"Your treason against humanity's freedom is going to be your downfall we will rise up against you sick sob's !!! "
Fu google, change.org
"As someone who has started making my own apps for fun, the prospect of not being able to test them on my device or share them with friends is ridiculous. If this goes through my next phone upgrade will not have anything to do with google. "
Al, change.org
"As the market stands the whole point of having an Android device over an iPhone is that you have more freedom over your device. Android is secure. Any claim that this change is for security is a farce. Unwitting users are not downloading random malicious APKs and then clicking through warnings to install them. It just is a non-existent problem. This change is about Google seizing power for personal gain. It's remarkably short sighted and foolish. If they're going to get rid of developer and subsequently user freedom then there's no reason to stay with Android/Google. I don't like Apple, but they already do security and privacy better and are in all other ways comparable. Google has had no claim to any kind of morality for quite some time, but with this move they are now so greedy and so stupid that they're actively working against their own interests. "
Steven, change.org
"Many game developers who don't want to go to the trouble of posting in an app store (because they don't want to be exploited by the algorithm or are just programming students wanting to share Your creation with friends) would have difficulties with the new apk restriction, in addition to old games that no longer exist in any store are made available in Apk form,Some older phones also cannot install applications from the play store etc. so applications are often installed through apk, especially Work apps "
Emanuelle, change.org
"the staple and main "selling" point of android is how open and free it is. Without that it's no different than any other os. This decision is completely asinine on Google's part. "
Thomas, change.org
"Restrictions like these are a form of control lets not take away anyone's freedom of choice "
Daniel, change.org
"Goggle shouldn't limit our freedoms on our own devices for any reason "
Tristin, 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
"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 184 likes "
Gabe, change.org
"I am not a developer, I am just a user, and I think it is very important to say that this does not just affect developers. There is nothing good about locking down an open ecosystem. There is no good reason for Google mandating ID Verification aside from pushing their dominance over Android. This is disgusting, given that Android has always been seen as the free haven away from Apple's walled garden. Now the only way to achieve freedom is by using a fork of Android, which will become harder and harder as Google inevitably enforces locked bootloaders. Seeing Android turn into a Google flavored IOS is just a huge punch in the gut, and really puts into perspective what can be lost under greedy leadership. "
Zakery, change.org
"Closing off the ability for the average consumer to engage with their device on their terms is outright dystopian and also part of why so many younger people struggle with computer literacy. "
Joseph, change.org
"I don't want some mega corporation to tell me what code I can and cannot run on my own phone. The AI BS they're pushing is bad enough, this is even worse. "
Jackie, 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
"Dear Google, you are single handedly destroying the whole purpose for which we use Android. Not only will you see a mass exodus from Google devices/services, you will force the creation of alternative operating systems that allow for user privacy and fredom for app developers. You all are making it harder for yourselves and for us. "
Kevin, change.org
"I release my apps on Github, this change will make my apps unusable. "
Mitch, change.org
"Like me and other out there we like to use apks to download apps for free and we should have the freedom to download whatever we want on to our android phones they are our phones and we can download what we want on them and to see Google taking away apks and the freedom of download apps is bad and Google are also taking away features from the recovery screen and we should be free to install whatever software we want on Androids like custom OSs and good wants to make it harder for developers to share their apps and projects and Google wants control over our devices and they want to control of what we can and cannot download we need to stop Google from doing this and spread the word "
Fynch tc, change.org
"They just need to be killed. "
Erich, change.org
"I am from Brazil, and having an android closed here makes it impossible for Brazilians, who in our situation, most people cannot have an economic situation that can have video games, PCs to enjoy the culture, with emulators, we can have access to this, even with simpler cell phones, because here even the simplest cell phone, it costs almost 1 minimum wage, I wanted to leave my support so that we can change this bad future "
Icaro, change.org
"Please don't do this, I have always been opposed to the apple mentality, I view this as my device and have loved the openness of the android ecosystem. I used to root my phones and load my own os, replace boot animations, design my own UI. Those are my fondest memories of owning an Android phone, I no longer do those things but I still occasionally side load an app, or go to FDroid, Amazon's app store, if you revoke my ability to do these things I can no longer argue against owning an iphone, as my biggest argument now is Google's android open ecosystem versus apples closed ecosystem. Don't be Apple, be Google, be better. "
Jake, change.org
"Everyday Google becomes more and more of a monopoly and governments are letting them get away with it so they can use them to enact censorship and surveillance. "
Ciara, change.org
"my devices are mine and mine only. any argument otherwise is tyrannical "
Dee, change.org
"The whole reason I choose Android over iOS is because of the choices I have when I purchase the device. Android make me feel that I own the device. However, if Android takes iOS's walled garden approach there's little reason to select Android over iOS. "
Tyler, 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
"I feel that Android needs to remain open, as it is the only other OS apart from desktop based OSes which allow for sideloading. It is up to the user to decide what they choose to install, not by Google to verify the developer of the said app the user wants to install. "
Zain, change.org
"It's simple. No one else should have the right or the power to control any aspect of your life, not even when it comes to software and information sharing. Of course, security is important, but so are privacy and freedom. What they're trying to do is nothing more than a political ploy, a quest for surveillance and control. "
Gonzalo, change.org
"The entire selling point of Android was the open ecosystem. Locking down on APKs will alienate millions of users. "
G, 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
"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
"You're forcing us to create an alternative. We live in an age of increasingly powerful AI, we will not let you control everything. "
Anthony, change.org
"It doesn't surprise me to hear that GOOGLE is going to do this. It's not about creating something that could possibly be of benefit anymore. The all mighty dollar has to raise it's ugly head now days or it's just not worth doing. "
Ralph, change.org
"I am sad to see this is the way the world is going. We are slowly giving away our rights and freedom and nearly no one is noticing. Liberty dies when no one is looking "
Jacob, change.org
"As an ex user of legacy iOS devices, I felt so frustrated by the base system that I always had to try overcome limitations through jailbreak. What a fresh breeze it was when I finally switched to android more than a decade ago! The openness and flexibility of the system was, even from a simple user POV, a liberation. Fast forward, we're at an era where being an indie dev is accessible. And when this era is flourishing, you tell me Google wants to lock up all machines relying on its system? This is terrible. We don't want a locked ecosystem. There are plenty already. We want flexibility and keep power in our decisions. Simple. So I'm signing this petition. "
Christopher-Harold, change.org
"If I choose to install a piece of software written by someone who "isn't verified" on my device that is my business, not Google's. To Google : Right now, one of the few remaining reasons I would choose an Android device over an iOS device is due to the presence of alternate app stores, like F-Droid that allow me to install open source apps. If I lose that ability, why would I continue to use Android over the competition? Don't be evil. "
Cameron, change.org
"this will only benefit google and authoritarian governments "
Antônio, change.org
"I got an android phone in order to limit the harvesting of my personal data. Steps like these tighten the screws of surveillance and reduce our freedom to use our own devices as we see fit "
N, change.org
"Google is heading down a dangerous path by trying to block or restrict APK installations from unofficial sources. This is a direct attack on one of the core reasons people chose Android in the first place: freedom. Android was supposed to be the alternative to locked-down ecosystems, not a copy of them. Let’s be honest about what this looks like. This is the same model used by Apple Inc. with iOS, where users are forced into a single app store, developers are squeezed by high fees, and anything outside that system is treated as suspicious or outright blocked. Android was never supposed to be that. Copying the worst parts of iOS defeats the entire purpose of Android existing at all. Sideloading APKs is not some fringe feature for hackers. It is essential for developers, for users in regions with limited access to official stores, and for anyone who values control over their own device. Taking that away is not about safety, it is about control. It is about deciding what users are allowed to install and where developers are allowed to distribute their work. Yes, security matters. But using “security” as an excuse to lock down the platform is lazy and dishonest. Users can handle informed choices. Warnings, permissions, and transparency already exist. Removing freedom entirely is not protection, it is restriction. If Google continues down this road, Android will lose what made it different and valuable. At that point, it becomes just another closed system pretending to be open. And if users are going to be treated like they have no control over their own devices, then there is no real difference left. People are not asking for less security. They are demanding the right to choose. And that right should not be taken away. "
Keep, change.org
"The main reason I ditched ios was that I felt the restrictions of what kinds of apps apple felt benevolent to allow me to download was choking my experience. I'm very disappointed to see that android is just going to evolve into a cheap offbrand iPhone. ( °︵°) "
Gino, change.org
"The only way for android to compete with Apple is to allow side loading apps. If you remove this what is the selling point of ANDROID! "
Kendall, change.org
"APK or go away "
Joshua, change.org
"The world can live without android if it's just an apple clone, and the Chinese will copy/clone better if you give them such a easy opportunity sense your taking away freedom, all they have to do is give some freedom and everyone won't be buying apple or android anymore. "
Hilario, change.org
"I've always installed software from whatever source I chose. I don't think locking things down on Android any more than they already are helps anyone. It just adds fuel to suspicions we already have about Google vision due the Android ecosystem. "
Jason, change.org
"I'm tired of the world becoming largely more authoritarian and censorial in general. Forcing developers to tie their personal identification, pay a fee to Google, and requiring one to be a part of a poorly curated program of developers makes absolutely no sense at all. It is clear this is an attempt to further monopolize the app market by Google in order to extract more profits, while also making it easier to surveil and censor owners of Android devices. As an open source developer, and privacy enthusiast, these points allow such communities to not even flourish, but to simply exist. This locking down of the operating system, while providing no meaningful alternatives WILL kill such communities. I make a point to use as many open source applications on my phone as possible, because so many applications on the Play Store are primarily data collection mechanisms with the app's advertised use being secondary. This sucks. "
Shaun, change.org
"Google has been sued up the butt for monopolizing before, and now they're trying again? And on top of these ridiculous surveillance laws all because a few parents can't watch their children, this is just a stupid decision to make. "
Kamareon, change.org
"it's always for "safety" but in reality it's to control the user base. you're forcing all these developers to submit legal ID to "prove" themselves but then data breaches happen risking so many people's identity. what do you do then? hide the fact that data breach happens or at most say sorry? android being open has benefited you as a company for decades and is what's keeping you different from iOS. lock down your platform and what's to keep anyone from switching over? what reason do you have to keep your userbase when you eventually make them choose between two locked down platforms when one is at default better than the other? and the better one is definitely not android if this happens. "
Adrian, change.org
"Keep android open. Keep android from becoming Apple! "
Adam, change.org
"Computers and modern technology was built and advanced by hobbyists who could freely develop for and modify their devices. By limiting APKs and off store software installs we are killing the innovation that built this industry. I stand with FOSS, I stand with hobbyists. "
Paul, change.org
"Products should be made to give the consumer control of the product they purchase. They should not be used for the corporation that manufactured the product to control the consumer use of that product or what the consumer has access to. This is a form of controlled speech and is a violation of the first amendment of the United States of America. "
Mitch, change.org
"I have been with Android since the Motorola Droid on Android 2.0 and been with Android all the way till now. The reason I went with Android is because of the openness and freedom I can do with my device that I bought. Throughout the years, I have installed really amazing apps outside the Play Store. I should have the ability to install any app I want and App developers should be able to create any app they want without having to give their information away. Google, please don't become like Apple and lock everything down. "
Rafael, change.org
"We don’t want Android to be the next IOS —— the well known Anti-GNU softwares. Protection is a cover, Operation of False Flag should not and would not be able to succeed. "
Danny, change.org
"hell yea stop google "
Lewis, change.org
"Security is important, but it's not the same as control. They close doors to developers and users. I personally use Android precisely because of the free installation of APKs. For this, I prefer to use iOS. "
Dilan Giovanny, change.org
"I should be allowed to download whatever I want onto the phone I paid for "
Celia, change.org
"I, as an Android user for 17 years, believe in, and chose Android for, device openness and the freedom of choice. To choose my device, the services I use, from where I download my applications, and to choose FOSS apps that don't require developer registration or sacrificing personal privacy by accepting trackers and/or unnecessary permissions being tied to my app usage. Choice and freedom is what built Android and differentiated it from other platforms, like iOS, Windows Mobile, and other early smartphone operating systems. The trend of destroying user choice through the inability to unlock bootloader and easily root devices, the effective and increasing destruction of the custom ROM community and options, and now the elimination of third party app stores that offer incredible FOSS apps with greater focus on user privacy is one more step Google and Android are taking towards an undesirable ecosystem for many of us who still choose Android for its few remaining, and quickly disappearing, advantages. The argument that Google is requiring developer registration and restricting the ability of alternative app stores, like F-Droid, to continue to thrive as legitimate and worthwhile options is anti-consumer and isn't to protect users. Rather, it's to give users and consumers less control over their devices and data and, in my opinion, that is unacceptable. "
Roger, change.org
"This would kill a big company steam games from haveing app. "
Timothy, change.org
"Sideloading does not exist. I bought the device, I own it and will use it as I see fit. I'm sure Sundar wouldn't appreciate his gardener telling him what grass he's allowed to grow. "
Eric, change.org
"I only have one thing to comment: Google just wants to make a profit, they are just being greedy. "
Joilton, change.org
"We own the devices that we buy with our money. We should have the freedom to do with them as we like. This includes the installation of apps from any developer without some rediculous google verification. "
Edwin, change.org
"The whole point---for me---to have an Android phone is to stay away from Apple's closed ecosystem. Google locking down APK privileges to "approved developers" spits in the face of this. An owner of a phone should have the right and ability to install whatever they want on it, without deference to any company. If this change goes through, my next phone certainly won't be an Android one. "
Adam, 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
"The device that you bought that you own should not have any restrictions added after the purchase of what you can or cannot download onto said device. What (Google) is trying to do is going directly against that. "
Emilie, change.org
"Locking down the Android OS does not benefit developers, or users. It gives more control for Google, to eventually extract more from their users. Android has not been the epitome privacy and FOSS, for a while now; but it has at least kept some of those options open for users. Limiting sideloading is ruining my last reason to use Android. Time to switch. "
Steven, change.org
"The openness of Android is perhaps one of the greatest features of Android. While many people do not sideload apps, many others do for a variety of reasons. Having the ability to use your own devices as you want want to, is crucial for many people around the world. We have seen many times in the past, that "security" measures like this one do very little to increase security, but restrict users heavily. "
Eric, change.org
"I like to have a choice to choose and I understand the risks, that is why I check, Google should not have monopoly over it. "
Rosalie, change.org
"Keep Android Open "
Timothy, change.org
"My business uses and older app distributed via apk. It is no longer maintainable but works perfectly fine. It will be a huge hassle rebuilding the app just to comply with this new rule to be certified. "
Aaron, change.org
"This is absolute NUTS. I have some small apps I made that simply allow me to copy text to and from the clipboard to a central server I run, and I have programs on other OS's that can access it in a similar way. It's possibly THE most useful program I ever wrote in my life as I use it nearly every day. The idea that I have to pay to do the google dance just to run my own damn code is insane. Being able to run whatever software we like and access the file system is the whole point of android. Without that, we might as all just pay apple tax. "
Jonathan, change.org
"As an android user myself. I want to help make a change by signing this petition. We cannot let Google take away user freedom as the whole reason android got popular in the first place is because it is open-source. People should not be told what to do and what not to do on their device and it should be up to the user. "
Anonymous, 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
"When we buy a phone, we’re buying the right to use it as we see fit. For years, the core promise of Android was that it was an "open" platform, a space where users had the freedom to choose their software and developers had the freedom to innovate without a middleman. The move to mandate central registration for APK files and developer verification fundamentally breaks that promise. I believe in a future where technology serves the person who bought it. Let's call on Google to honor the original vision of Android as an open computing platform. Let’s keep Android open for the creators, for the consumers, and for the sake of a free and diverse digital future. "
Jessie, change.org
"Take that away and you've destroyed Android. Google's trustworthiness is depths of hell low, and now you want even more control. Disgusting. The last bastion for Android was it's open freedoms compared to Apple, explicitly the ability to install apps without the store without verification. Allowing me to build and install my own creations. You must envision everyone in the entire world as some consumer archetype that just has feeding tubes of corporate sludge go into the consumers digestive tract. You can't imagine anyone innovating for fun not profit, making art and exploring science without corporate approvals. Your world is disgusting and I hate it. "
Aiden, change.org
"Let's be real, this isn't about security, it's about forcing people to use Google playstore, and trying to get peoples info just like what Youtube is doing right now. "
Draven, change.org
"I have been an Android evangelist since its very earliest days, driving its adoption by multiple organisations (as well as some very sceptical elderly family members). My admiration for Android has always been founded on the philosophy of open access to customise your device as you see fit. The walled Apple garden is the antithesis of this philosophy, and Google's announcement of a further step to build a similar wall around Android sickens me. Manufacturers - take heed! Google is alienating its most important customer demographic; people who believe, rather reasonably, that their phone belongs to them to do with as they wish. Consider alternatives. "
Dan, change.org
"This is another blasphemous attempt from Google to assert itself as a complete monopoly and their reasoning to protect users is just a mask for generating massive revenue. Being "open" coupled with the "freedom of choice" are the underlying factors for why Android dominates the market share. Crushing both these fundamental reasons to be a dictator is pure insanity. Developers shouldn't comply and users should stop buying Google infected Android devices. Thankfully, there's other options so no need to convert to iPhone. "
James, change.org
"Google needs to STOP! Taking away MY Right to choose what apps I will or won't use is completely UNACCEPTABLE and ILLEGAL! Freedom of Choice has always been a hallmark of the Android lifestyle. Unlike Apple's closed-box system, Android's relatively open nature gives me the ability to choose FOSS apps over paid closed-source apps, saving me both money AND the lost sleep over repeated worries about tracking, ads and spyware in the apps I regularly use. Google's recent decision to lock the system down and force devs to pay huge "membership" fees, surrender ALL their rights under a TOS that is AGAINST them developing without providing the ID and private signature keys and listing any application IDs they have. If this isn't the behavior of a monopoly, than please define to me what is?! "
Stephen, change.org
"가장 큰 강점을 내다버리는 행위이다. 인증을 핑계로 얼마나 많은 컨텐츠들이 접근 불가능해질지 생각하면 크게 걱정이다. "
CH, change.org
"I am developer and i need work that, dont block my work "
Celso, change.org
"Google’s strength has always come from the openness of the Android ecosystem. At its core, Android is built on the philosophy of open source—freedom, flexibility, and user control. Limiting APK file usage directly contradicts that foundation. The ability to install applications from any source is not a flaw in the system; it is one of its defining advantages. It empowers developers to distribute their work independently, allows users to maintain control over their own devices, and fosters innovation outside of centralized gatekeeping. Removing or restricting this capability undermines the very principles that made Android successful in the first place. Open source is not just about access to code. it is about freedom of choice. When users and developers can no longer decide how and where software is installed, the platform shifts away from openness toward control. That change does not simply affect APK files; it reshapes the entire identity of the ecosystem. Developers rely on this openness to experiment, distribute, and build without unnecessary barriers. Many tools, apps, and communities exist specifically because Android allows installation outside of a single controlled marketplace. Restricting APK usage risks alienating the very developers who contribute to the platform’s growth and diversity. It is also important to recognize that users expect a level of ownership over their devices. When someone purchases a device, they expect to decide what software runs on it. Limiting APK installation sends the message that users do not fully control their own hardware, which can erode trust. Policies that restrict openness often face strong resistance because they conflict with the expectations that have been established over time. The Android ecosystem grew precisely because it was different; because it allowed freedom where others imposed limits. Moving away from that principle risks not only developer dissatisfaction but also a loss of identity. Maintaining support for APK installation is not just a technical decision; it is a commitment to the philosophy that built the platform. Preserving that openness ensures continued innovation, trust, and engagement from both developers and users. If Android is to remain true to its roots, it must continue to support the freedom that defines open source: freedom to build, freedom to distribute, and freedom to choose. "
Matthew, change.org
"Android is the only system the you can do anything with. by closing it. there will be no privacy in the internet. "
jack, change.org
"I have been an android user for as long as I can remember, do not change that now Google. I have just started to develop android apps, because I find the alternatives not so friendly and bothersome. Android has been my driving flag and I would not want that to change for any reason. "
Nijel, change.org
"Completely Unacceptable "
Joe, change.org
"Fight for internet freedom/anonymity! "
m, change.org
"I started using an Android device because of the freedom to use the software I wanted to use. If Google goes forward with these restrictions, I wont have any reason to use Android devices anymore. "
Luis, change.org
"Android for a long as I remember was the free option for downloading apps, games, and anything thats not supported anymore through alturnative app stores, unlike apple where everything is lockdown and MUST gobe downloaded through them. by using android and other app stores I can play games or get apps that arent supported/ dont show up on the current play store, but would still work on my phone just fine by downloading it on a 3rd party app store. By google locking down android (in other words becoming a Apple wanna'be) to downloadimg apps through THEIR playstore, they kill off any way for me to use older apps or games because they either cant run in 64bit and are stuck as 32bit apps, or because people dont want to give out their personal information to release their app on the playstore. by google having YOU, the developer, give up your personal info to publish apps on the playstore opens up MANY security vulnrabilities that can lead to the developers personal lnformation being leakedd/doxes/put on the dark web/or sold off to sketchy 3rd party conpanys without their consent. ANDROID has always been OPEN-SOURCED and should remain that way. "
Mathew, change.org
"Remember, "DON'T BE EVIL." These are still worthy and wise words to live by. Don't be a competition crushing monopoly, driven by the love of money and power which, is the root of much evil. With wisdom and awareness, operate according to the principles of enlightened self-interest, acting in the world with peace and virtue in order to more readily manifest Heaven on Earth, Our Earth in Heaven. Let us be good for our own sake if not for goodness sake. "
Mark, change.org