Το κινητό σου σύντομα δεν θα σου ανήκει πια.
Από το 2027*, μια αθόρυβη αναβάθμιση, που θα εγκαταστήσει η Google χωρίς συναίνεση, θα μπλοκάρει κάθε εφαρμογή Android της οποίας ο προγραμματιστής δεν έχει εγγραφεί στην Google, δεν έχει υπογράψει το συμβόλαιο της, δεν έχει πληρώσει και δεν έχει παραδώσει κρατικό έγγραφο ταυτοπροσωπίας.
Κάθε εφαρμογή και κάθε συσκευή, παγκοσμίως, χωρίς δυνατότητα άρνησης.
↓Τι κάνει η Google
Τον Αύγουστο του 2025, η Google ανακοίνωσε μία νέα προϋπόθεση: από το 2027, κάθε προγραμματιστής εφαρμογών Android θα πρέπει να εγγραφεί κεντρικά στη Google προτού το λογισμικό του μπορέσει να εγκατασταθεί σε οποιαδήποτε συσκευή. Όχι μόνο εφαρμογές του Play Store: Όλες οι εφαρμογές. Αυτό περιλαμβάνει εφαρμογές που μοιράζονται φίλοι μεταξύ τους, εφαρμογές που διανέμονται μέσω του F-Droid, εφαρμογές φτιαγμένες από ερασιτέχνες για προσωπική χρήση. Ανεξάρτητοι προγραμματιστές, θρησκευτικές και κοινωνικές ομάδες, καθώς και ερασιτέχνες, θα στερηθούν τη δυνατότητα να αναπτύσσουν και να διανέμουν το λογισμικό τους.
Η εγγραφή προϋποθέτει:
- Πληρωμή χρέωσης στην Google
- Συμφωνία με τους Όρους και Προϋποθέσεις της Google
- Παράδοση κρατικού εγγράφου ταυτοπροσωπίας
- Παροχή αποδείξης για το ιδιωτικό κλειδί ψηφιακών υπογραφών
- Απαρίθμηση όλων τον τωρινών και μελλοντικών αναγνωριστικών της εφαρμογής
Αν ένας προγραμματιστής δεν συμμορφωθεί, οι εφαρμογές του μπλοκάρονται αθόρυβα σε όλες τις συσκευές Android παγκοσμίως.
Ποιοί βλάπτονται
Εσύ
Αγόρασες ένα τηλέφωνο Android επειδή η Google σου είπε ότι ήταν ανοιχτό. Μπορούσες να εγκαταστήσεις ό,τι ήθελες, και αυτή ήταν η συμφωνία
Η Google τώρα αλλάζει αυτή τη συμφωνία, αναδρομικά, σε συσκευές που ήδη σου ανήκουν. Μετά την ενημέρωση, θα μπορείς να τρέξεις μόνο λογισμικό που η Google έχει προεγκρίνει. Στο τηλέφωνο σου: Την ιδιοκτησία σου, για την οποία εσύ πλήρωσες.
Ανεξάρτητοι προγραμματιστές
Η πρώτη εφαρμογή ενός εφήβου, το εργαλείο ιδιωτικότητας που έγραψε ένας εθελοντής, ή η εμπιστευτική εσωτερική έκδοση beta μιας εταιρείας. Δεν έχει σημασία ποιο. Το 2027, κανένα από αυτά δε θα μπορεί να εγκατασταθεί χωρίς την «ευλογία» της Google.
Το F-Droid, πηγή για χιλιάδες δωρεάν εφαρμογές Android ανοιχτού κώδικα, έχει αποκαλέσει αυτό το γεγονός ως «υπαρξιακή» απειλή. Ο Cory Doctorow το αποκαλεί "Darth Android".
Κυβερνήσεις και η Κοινωνία των Πολιτών
Η Google έχει αποδεδειγμένο ιστορικό συμμόρφωσης όταν αυταρχικά καθεστώτα απαιτούν την κατάργηση εφαρμογών. Με αυτό το πρόγραμμα, το λογισμικό που υποστηρίζει τις κρατικές υπηρεσίες της χώρας σου θα εξαρτάται από τη βούληση μιας και μόνο ξένης εταιρείας που δεν λογοδοτεί σε κανέναν.
Το EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) χαρακτηρίζει τον έλεγχο πρόσβασης στις εφαρμογές ως «έναν συνεχώς διευρυνόμενο δρόμο προς τη λογοκρισία στο διαδίκτυο».
Η «έξοδος διαφυγής» που προσφέρει η Google είναι μία παγίδα.
Η Google αναφέρει ότι «προχωρημένοι χρήστες» μπορούν «ακόμα να εγκαταστήσουν» μη επαληθευμένες εφαρμογές. Δείτε πώς θα γίνεται αυτό στην πραγματικότητα:
- Άνοιξε τις Ρυθμίσεις, βρες τις «Επιλογές προγραμματιστή»
- Πάτα πάνω στον «Αριθμό Κατασκευής» επτά φορές για να ενεργοποιήσεις τη Λειτουργία Προγραμματιστή
- Αγνόησε τις κινδυνολόγες προειδοποιήσεις περί εξαναγκασμού
- Πληκτρολόγησε το PIN σου
- Κάνε επανεκκίνηση της συσκευής
- Περίμενε 24 ώρες
- Επίστρεψε, αγνόησε ακόμα περισσότερα μηνύματα με κινδυνολογία
- Επίλεξε «Να επιτρέπεται προσωρινά» (7 ημέρες) ή «Να επιτρέπεται πάντα»
- Επιβεβαίωσε, για μία ακόμη φορα, ότι κατανοείς «τους κινδύνους»
Εννέα βήματα. Μία υποχρεωτική περίοδος αναμονής 24 ωρών. Για να εγκαταστήσεις λογισμικό σε μία συσκευή που σου ανήκει
Ακόμη χειρότερα: Αυτή η διαδικασία τρέχει αποκλειστικά μέσω των Υπηρεσιών Google Play, όχι μέσω του λειτουργικού συστήματος Android. Η Google μπορεί να την αλλάξει, να την περιορίσει, ή να την αφαιρέσει ανά πάσα στιγμή, χωρίς να χρειαστεί κάποια ενημέρωση λογισμικού ή έγκριση από τον χρήστη. Και μέχρι σήμερα, δεν έχει κυκλοφορήσει σε καμία έκδοση beta, preview ή canary. Υπάρχει μόνο ως ανάρτηση σε blog και μερικά mockups.
Αυτό είναι μεγαλύτερο από το Android
Αν η Google μπορεί να «κλειδώσει» αναδρομικά δισεκατομμύρια συσκευές που πουλήθηκαν ως ανοιχτές πλατφόρμες, κάθε παραγωγός hardware στον πλανήτη παρακολουθεί.
Η αρχή που καθιερώνεται είναι η εξής: η εταιρεία που κατασκεύασε τη συσκευή σου έχει το δικαίωμα να αποφασίζει, αφού την αγοράσεις, ποιο λογισμικό επιτρέπεται να χρησιμοποιείς. Στον κόσμο του λογισμικού, αυτό ονομάζεται «rug pull» - αλλά τουλάχιστον σε αυτή την περίπτωση μπορούσες πάντα να εγκαταστήσεις ανταγωνιστικό λογισμικό. Στον κόσμο του hardware, πρόκειται για ένα τετελεσμένο γεγονός που σου στερεί κάθε δυνατότητα επιλογής και σε καθιστά ανίσχυρο απέναντι στις ιδιοτροπίες ενός και μοναδικού, μη υπόλογου «φρουρού» και νομικά διαπιστωμένου μονοπωλητή.
Η «ανοιχτή φύση» του Android δεν ήταν ποτέ απλώς ένα χαρακτηριστικό του. Ήταν η υπόσχεση που το καθιστούσε διαφορετικό από το iPhone. Εκατομμύρια χρήστες επέλεξαν το Android ακριβώς για αυτόν τον λόγο. Η Google τώρα ανακαλεί μονομερώς αυτή την υπόσχεση, σε συσκευές που βρίσκονται ήδη στην κατοχή των χρηστών, επειδή αποφάσισε ότι έχει αρκετή κυριαρχία στην αγορά και επιρροή στους ρυθμιστικούς φορείς ώστε να τη γλιτώσει.
Ars Technica: «Ο φθόνος της Google για την Apple απειλεί να καταστρέψει την παράδοση της ανοιχτής πλατφόρμας του Android.»
Μισό λεπτό, μήπως αυτό...
«...έχει να κάνει απλώς με την ασφάλεια;»
Το επιχείρημα της ασφάλειας είναι παραπλανητικό. Το Google Play Protect ήδη ελέγχει για κακόβουλο λογισμικό ανεξάρτητα από την ταυτότητα του προγραμματιστή. Η απαίτηση κρατικής ταυτότητας δεν κάνει τον κώδικα πιο ασφαλή. Κάνει τους προγραμματιστές αναγνωρίσιμους και ελεγχόμενους. Οι δημιουργοί κακόβουλου λογισμικού μπορούν να εγγραφούν. Οι ανεξάρτητοι προγραμματιστές και οι διαφωνούντες συχνά δεν μπορούν. Το EFF είναι κατηγορηματικό: Ο έλεγχος πρόσβασης βάσει ταυτότητας είναι ένα εργαλείο λογοκρισίας, όχι ασφάλειας.
«...συνεχίζει να επιτρέπει το sideloading εάν χρησιμοποιήσεις την προχωρημένη μέθοδο;»
Εννέα βήματα, αναμονή 24 ωρών, κρυμμένα στις Επιλογές Προγραμματιστή, παρεχόμενα μέσω μίας ιδιόκτητης υπηρεσίας που η Google μπορεί να ανακαλέσει όποτε θέλει. Αυτό δεν είναι «sideloading». Είναι ένας μηχανισμός αποτροπής που έχει σχεδιαστεί για να διασφαλίζει ότι σχεδόν κανείς δεν θα τον ολοκληρώσει. Και δεδομένου ότι λειτουργεί μέσω των Play Services και όχι μέσω του λειτουργικού συστήματος, η Google μπορεί να τον περιορίσει ή να τον καταργήσει αθόρυβα.
«...αποτελεί πρόβλημα μόνο αν έχεις να κρύψεις κάτι;»
Οι πληροφοριοδότες, οι δημοσιογράφοι και οι ακτιβιστές που ζουν υπό αυταρχικά καθεστώτα θα είναι τα πρώτα θύματα. Ακολουθούν τα άτομα που βιώνουν ενδοοικογενειακή βία. Όλες αυτές οι ομάδες έχουν βάσιμους λόγους να διανέμουν ή να χρησιμοποιούν λογισμικό χωρίς να καταχωρίζουν τα πραγματικά τους στοιχεία σε μια βάση δεδομένων της Google. Η ανώνυμη συνεισφορά στον ανοιχτό κώδικα είναι μια παράδοση παλαιότερη από την ίδια τη Google. Αυτή η πολιτική, τερματίζει αυτή την παράδοση στο Android.
«...είναι το ίδιο πράγμα που κάνει και η Apple;»
Η Apple ήταν εξαρχής ένα «κλειστό» οικοσύστημα. Ο κόσμος επέλεξε το Android επειδή ήταν διαφορετικό. Η δικαιολογία του «και η Apple το κάνει» αποτελεί ισοπέδωση προς τα κάτω και ένα αδύναμο λογικό επιχείρημα τύπου tu quoque. Και υπό την πίεση των ρυθμιστικών αρχών (ο Νόμος για τις Ψηφιακές Αγορές της ΕΕ), ακόμη και η Apple αναγκάζεται να ανοίξει το οικοσύστημά της. Η Google κινείται προς την αντίθετη κατεύθυνση: προσπαθεί να εδραιώσει περαιτέρω τη θέση της ως «φρουρός».
«...κοστίζει μόνο 25 δολλάρια και εμπεριέχει απλώς λίγη χαρτούρα;
Ίσως, αν είσαι προγραμματιστής στις ΗΠΑ και διαθέτεις πιστωτική κάρτα και άδεια οδήγησης. Προσπάθησε να μπεις στη θέση ενός φοιτητή στην υποσαχάρια Αφρική, ή ενός αντιφρονούντα στη Μιανμάρ, ή ενός εθελοντή που συντηρεί μια εφαρμογή για την υγεία της κοινότητας. Το κόστος δεν είναι μόνο οικονομικό: παραδίδεις την ταυτότητα που σου έχει εκδώσει η κυβέρνηση και τα αποδεικτικά στοιχεία των κλειδιών υπογραφής σου σε μια εταιρεία που συμμορφώνεται συστηματικά με τις απαιτήσεις κυβερνήσεων να αφαιρέσει εφαρμογές και να εκθέσει προγραμματιστές.
Αντιστάσου
Όλοι
- Εγκατάστησε το F-Droid σε κάθε συσκευή Android σου. Τα εναλλακτικά καταστήματα εφαρμογών μπορούν να επιβιώσουν μόνο αν υπάρχουν άνθρωποι που τα χρησιμοποιούν.
- Επικοινώνησε με τις ρυθμιστικές αρχές της χώρας σου. Οι ρυθμιστικές αρχές σε όλο τον κόσμο εκφράζουν πραγματική ανησυχία για τα μονοπώλια και τη συγκέντρωση εξουσίας στον τομέα της τεχνολογίας και επιθυμούν να ακούσουν απευθείας τις απόψεις των ατόμων που επηρεάζονται και ανησυχούν.
- Μοιράσου αυτή τη σελίδα. Βάλε συνδέσμους προς το keepandroidopen.org παντού.
- Αντιστάσου στους ψευτο-ακτιβιστές. Οι «ναι μεν, αλλά...» πληθαίνουν. Μην τους αφήσεις να καθορίσουν την αφήγηση.
- Υπόγραψε την αίτηση στο change.org και γίνε ένας από τους 100.000 και πλέον υπογράφοντες που έκαναν τη φωνή τους να ακουστεί.
- Διάβασε και υπόγραψε την ανοιχτή επιστολή μας
- Πες στην Google την άποψη σου επί του ζητήματος μέσω της επίσημής της έρευνας σχετικά με την επαλήθευση προγραμματιστών(όσο λίγο κι ας μπορεί να βοηθήσει αυτό).
Προγραμματιστές
Μην εγγραφείς. Μην μπεις στο πρόγραμμα κάνοντας εγγραφή στην Κονσόλα Προγραμματιστών Android και μην αποδεχτείς τους αμετάκλητους Όρους και Προϋποθέσεις τους. Μην επαληθεύσεις την ταυτότητά σου. Μη μπεις στο χορό.
Το σχέδιο της Google δουλεύει μόνο εάν οι προγραμματιστές εγγραφούν. Μην το κάνεις.
- Πείσε κι άλλους προγραμματιστές και οργανισμούς να μην εγγραφούν ούτε αυτοί.
- Πρόσθεσε την βιβλιοθήκη FreeDroidWarn στις εφαρμογές σου για να προειδοποιήσεις τους χρήστες.
- Διαχειρίζεσαι μία ιστοσελίδα; Πρόσθεσε το banner αντίστροφης μέτρησης.
Εργαζόμενοι της Google
Αν γνωρίζεις κάτι σχετικά με την τεχνική υλοποίηση ή εσωτερική λογική του προγράμματος, επικοινώνησε με τη διεύθυνση tips@keepandroidopen.org από μία συσκευή εκτός του εργασιακού σου χώρου και μέσω ενός λογαριασμού που δεν είναι Gmail. Εγγυημένη απόλυτη εμπιστευτικότητα.
Ολοί οσοι αντιτίθενται…
71 οργανισμοί από 23 χώρες έχουν υπογράψει την ανοιχτή επιστολή
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Brave brave.com
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
GitHub Store github-store.org
iodé iode.tech
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
OpenMedia openmedia.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
April april.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Proton AG proton.me
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
Techlore techlore.tech
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
FUTO futo.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Italian Linux Society ils.org
FULU Foundation fulu.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org Διάβασε ολόκληρη την ανοιχτή επιστολή και ευχαρίστησε τους υπογράφοντες →
Τι λένε
Δημοσιογράφοι τεχνολογίας
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"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
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"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
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
Editorials & ανάλυση
"The $25 isn't the real cost. The chilling effect is. Submitting government ID to Google is a non-starter for pseudonymous contributors and privacy researchers."
Arafat Alim, DEV Community
"Google has announced what can only be described as a death blow to the open ecosystem that made Android. Under the guise of 'security,' Google is implementing draconian developer verification requirements."
AndroidSage
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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 wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.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
"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
"There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse."
I-Programmer
"This 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
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"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 isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"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 is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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 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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
Οργανισμοί & ανοιχτές επιστολές
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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 are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"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
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"This is a profound change, one that shatters the entire premise of the Android ecosystem, long regarded as the antithesis of the closed Apple ecosystem."
AdGuard
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
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
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"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
"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
"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
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
YouTubers & δημιουργοί
"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
"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
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"Imagine Dell told you that you could no longer install any operating system other than Windows on your laptop. That's what Google is doing to your phone."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google already can disable malware that they find on your device. It's already a built-in feature. So what is developer registration actually adding here? Is it security or control? You decide."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google 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
"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
"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
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"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
"Google is doing to Android what Microsoft once tried to do to the web. Embrace, extend, extinguish. Just wrapped in a shinier open-source package."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"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
Προγραμματιστές & κοινότητα
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."
harry8, Hacker News
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"I hate this so much. More and more I get the feeling I have no control over the devices I own. My fear is that Windows will eventually follow. For security reasons of course. It's the path we're on now."
cheesyvoetjes, Reddit
"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 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
"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
"This is a war on users that want to keep control of their phones and when it's done, you will not be able to escape the enshittification."
ikidd, Lemmy
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, 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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"Whatever Google is doing kind of scares me. We have a big DIY community of diabetics in Germany running tools like AndroidAPS that cannot ever be distributed through official channels."
pimeys (Type 1 diabetic, DIY medical software), Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, 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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, 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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"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 took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, 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
"You are essentially a child to them. The difference is society has decided not to step in to protect you from your abusive parents."
globular-toast, Hacker News
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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 wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), 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
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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
"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
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
Φωνές απο τη συλλογή υπογραφών
"As a FOSS android developer, that has developed two educational projects both free and licensed open source for android, and quite frankly developed a lot of my programming skills on this platform, I am DISGUSTED with the decision to cut off FOSS developers like this. "
Vincent, change.org
"Google wants to become IOS but with this petition we can have a chance for Google not to block apks and it has to work so we all have to vote "
Super, change.org
"As a hobbyist and tinkerer I rely on sideloaded apps to manage my smart devices, maintain privacy and access key items on other devices. Many of these services that I have set up would be unavailable if this goes forward. What's more there is no foreseeable reason why one shouldn't be able to modify, edit and change their own devices as they see fit. Every other computer works in this manner and Android has been no different. Maintaining this freedom is a must going forward and has one of the primary draws to the ecosystem. Google's choice to stop sideloading is not fooling anyone, it's a method of control and siloing. I left Apple because of this, don't think I won't leave Android too. "
Matthew, 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
"You okay Google? Isolation is never the answer. Hope you feel better soon! "
Robert, change.org
"Also consider giving money towards the Graphene OS at grapheneos.org/donate "
Adam, change.org
"F droid is my primary way of installing apps. Blocking sideloading will fundamentally change how I use my phone, and make it impossible for me to use my phone in the way that I have for years. "
T, change.org
"Keep android open. We want to be able to install the software we want on the device we paid for. "
Knoel, 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
"my friend told me to sign it so i did "
Ethan, change.org
"Apenas apoio "
Immer, change.org
"The whole point of Android was it was an os that gave you the freedom to use your phone the way you wanted unlike apple this ruins it's whole purpose "
Cem, change.org
"As a newer developer I was shocked when I heard the app I had been working on was not approved because all the hoops to jump through. Then they wanted a monthly payment. I was so deterred that I discontinued development on a project meant to help mental health. I became the one who needed it. I was depressed and discouraged. To this day I haven't touched the code base and I was team Google. I think I'm more disappointed in my blind faith than anything else. Hope we can turn this around. "
Beau, change.org
"I choose to use android devices because they provide more freedom and ability to control my own devices and how I use them. I cannot support any measure that limits those freedoms in any way or drives up costs in a world where costs are already increasing due to incompetence and lack of care for the average person. "
Scott, 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
"From a U.S. point of view it leaves us with only 2 wall gardens (Apple iOS and Google Android) as choices for smartphone operating systems with no other serious competition. I do not think this is a good thing for consumers. "
Mark, change.org
"Hello, I have been using Android my whole life and I had always disliked IOS due to its highly locked down operating system and hearing that android (Google) wants to lock down android from 3rd party creators really hurts because not everyone can afford to publish an app onto the Google play store. also due to the fact android is the biggest OS worldwide many devices such as "Meta Quest" use android and they're store for applications would get shut down and cause many problems if they (Google) goes through with this plan. Especially as somebody who is soon to make and upload applications for Android this can be very limiting. Keep Android Open. Don't turn it into IOS. "
sqidwerd, change.org
"Keep android open. Keep android from becoming Apple! "
Adam, change.org
"Android will no longer be what it was initially pitched to be, a phone OS with the freedom to do virtually anything you wanted. After many years of owning android phones I have had to move to iPhone as I can no longer stand how google operates and what they are doing to restrict the android OS. "
Aiden, change.org
"I've always loved android because of the freedom to download apps. Now that Google has decided to lock the bootloader, we need to do something so it stays customizable or else. I will switch to a Linux phone if this happens. "
Andrew, change.org
"As someone who writes and uses my own APKs to make my device even more useful to me, this lockdown would be a deal breaker for my use of the Google Android platform "
Luke, change.org
"I choose to use android for the freedom. If thry implement this in such a way that hinders that, I will no longer have a reason to pick android over iPhone. Guess I will see how this plays out. "
James, change.org
"One of the main reasons for using android is the freedom, this gets rid of that. So I may as well use ubuntu touch at this point. "
Yurii, change.org
"I am Japanese and using translation. I am deeply disappointed about this matter. There is no need to restrict the great features of Android. If only a limited number of people can develop, it will only lead to the decline of content. Please stop making things worse. "
成田, change.org
"If this goes in effect there's literally no reason for me to stay on android. Would likely either go graphene but that feels up in the air for long term support so I guess that leaves apple. And I already hate walled gardens. Especially when the play store is basically just a malware repository. I'm so tired of corps eroding our freedoms. Why must everything be enshitified this day an age. "
Coleman, change.org
"Im sick of these souless corps squeezing every cent from us they can! "
Marcus, 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
"Freedom to choose... With this new move by Google, that freedom is ripped away. Moves like this are things monopolies do, and Google has now proven it wants to be a monopoly. Android has been the staple of choice and open source since it's inception and taking that away is a slap in the face to every person who chooses to customize their phone, and create an experience unique and exclusive to them. Google, stop this foolishness by not forcing users and developers hands. They should have the freedom to choose what they want, or how they develop. "
Kevin, change.org
"Why did I even buy an android phone?? They think I went iOS to android for no reason? WE WANT IT OPEN! "
David, change.org
"I've installed dozens to hundreds of APKs on my phone for years. Whether it's personal projects or open source tools. It's really the only defining difference between Android and iOS. Why is this even being considered by Google? "
Joseph, change.org
"👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 "
Cairan Pedro, change.org
"Open source projects are important for not just developers, but users too. Any attempt to close android would be bad for people who want to switch to secure alternatives like graphene or lineage, but also bad for android too, as it strips community development and comments which helps improve the OS. "
Nathan, change.org
"This OS has been the only place that has felt free, the ability to download anything from anywhere is what a phone should be able to do. They trying to take away my freedom, and I refuse to bend the knee and accept it. "
Austin, change.org
"Google's plan to mandate developer verification for all Android apps is a direct betrayal of the platform's open promise. It crushes indie developers, hands a single corporation veto power over our devices, and sets a dangerous precedent for digital freedom. If we don't push back now, Android will become just another walled garden. "
DC, change.org
"Make the open source free for a sideloading app for downloading APKs. I need to download the APK for ReVanced patches and F-Droid. "
David, change.org
"This is, I believe a really dumb decision on Google's part. Personally one of the primary reasons I choose to use Android devices over IOS is because I loathe Apple's locked down environment ... Is Google now wanting to follow in Apple's coat tails with this policy ? I thought Google was about leadership and innovation, if it now wants to play second fiddle to Apple, I hope another OS comes to the forefront, I'm pretty sure one will. It may take a little while, but freedom will out in the end. And personally if Google thinks they can control what I choose to do with my own devices ... well I'm sorry Google, but THAT WILL NOT WORK FOR ME. As it is I already have to sideliad apps I want on my tablet because " they are not compatible with my device " at least according to the Play Store they are not... So tell me Google, if they are so incompatible, WHY DO THE FUNCTION PERFECTLY one I sideload them from a device that you deem to be "compatible " ?? And now you think you can stop me ? and stop me from writing my personal little apps to do other neat stuff that I like ??? I really THINK NOT and if I can no longer work on Android Devices, we'll I WILL FIND / CREATE A WORKABLE ALTERNATIVE. "
Paul, change.org
"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
"Google has shown a lack of respect for user privacy their entire existence. You own your device, you spent hundreds of dollars/Euros for it. It was not a loan by Google, it is yours, and you should control what you use it for. People who want to use only Google verified apps are free to do so without having to infringe on the rights of the people knowledgeable enough to make the decision to use apps from outside Google's Play store. Google and others have long criticized Apple for this exact thing, to the point that they're in a lawsuit for it. For Google to try this shows a complete lack of respect for the customer, a lack of integrity, and complete and utter hypocrisy. If I want to make a personal app to control a toy I made and programmed, why should I have to give Google my personal information, jump through extra hoops, give them my code, and PAY them for the privilege of doing my own work? It's ridiculous. It's pure corporate greed. More than that, it's an attempt from Google to control your device. Yet another avenue for censorship, surveillance, and the road towards a world without any freedom, all under the guise of "safety." This is not just an attack on you and your device. This is an attack on your freedom as an individual and your right to your privacy and choice. This shouldn't just be a petition, this needs to be nonnegotiable. "
Paul, change.org
"After dithering for ages, I finally did what I've always wanted to do, I installed a de-googled android it's, E/Os. Its great! If google persist in this, I'm sure more non technical users will too! I also wrote to my mp & to the UK monopoly commission. Search E/Os murena see if you can too! "
ed, change.org
"Really hurting developers with this move. I implore those that are have good conscience left at google to re-evaluate. "
Calvin, change.org
"If I wanted to use a locked garden ecosystem, I'd just buy an iPhone. Keep Android open, Google. It is also for your best commercial interest. "
Oscar, change.org
"I use android for one and one singular reason. Freedom. If I download malware, that's my own damn fault! Being "approved" by google just means following their political agenda, never these protective measures mean anything good. We didn't asked for this, no consumer wants this, WE DON'T NEED PROTECTION. WE. AREN'T. CHILDREN! "
Henrique, change.org
"I don’t want a walled garden on android like iOS it sucks "
Caleb, change.org
"Android libre. "
Fernando, change.org
"We need spaces where independents can still create and choose freely based on their own values and needs. Kindly leave us that! "
m, 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
"As an android user who picked android because of the principles and mission laid out by the AOSP, this is in direct violation of what the project was set out to do. Please do not do this, this hurts all consumers whether they realize it or not. "
Matthew, change.org
"Google is wrong to limit people installing whatever they want on what's supposed to be their phone. "
Spark, change.org
"Android should remain open my device my choice hands off Google.Especially in today’s climate I do not want apps or delvelopers identities forward to authoritarian governments I’m looking at you United States. "
Henry, change.org
"This is one of the starting points/gates to mass surveillance. If we don't act now it will be too late when there's already multiple structures put in place enabling the next following steps intheir hold on control. "
Dhariuz, change.org
"It's important to know and clarify that if this significant change is made, it will not only ruin the Android ecosystem, but it will also prevent independent or support projects from providing the necessary support.Google will cause it to fall to a low point where there will be nothing but things getting worse. "
Charly, change.org
"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
"The APK file structure is just a file that installs a package, like an EXE on Windows or a variety of extensions for Linux executable files. Our phones are ours, and they are computers; we should be allowed to treat them as ours and not be beholden to big tech deciding how to use our devices for us, we want to own our hardware and use it as we see fit. Give us our devices back and keep Android open! That was the entire appeal for Android dominating the market to begin with! If Android stops being open then there would be no difference between buying an Android and buying an iPhone anymore. "
Nicholas, change.org
"I resent Google trying to invade, record and control more and more of my life. My enthusiasm for tech has really fallen off a cliff over the past 10 years and it just continues to fall. I've continued to move more of my activities to a self-hosted environment to preserve my sanity, information and preferences as mainstream services continue to change for the worse. "
Leah, change.org
"What made Android unique was that you could download and side-load apps. It's what made Android different from iOS, and it's why I preferred Android. This isn't "protecting" anyone, and Google is almost always on the side of profit over consumers. "
Tyler, 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
"I moved from iOS to Android, to get back the freedom of using my phone according to my wishes. I have a lot of friends who did too. We all condemn this attempt by Google to enshittify Android. Protection and imposition are not the same. Google, don't be evil. "
Max, change.org
"I have android to be free, not to be in a digital prison. Android shouldn't be another apple. "
Dominic, change.org
"I use sideloading on Android pretty much daily at this point, the idea of not being able to do anything I want with the phone that I'VE BOUGHT with MY OWN MONEY is just sick. I hope this petition has enough Signatures to make a change "
JOAO, change.org
"Freedom requires the ability for us to harm ourselves if we so choose. We own the devices we buy and should not be required to only go through people Google allows. This is an unacceptable policy when it's my device. "
Matthew, change.org
"I love the freedom to use whatever program APK I wish and Appl........Google wants to take that away from us? Expect lawsuits in your future. BTW I HATE the play store, F-Droid ALL THE WAY "
David, change.org
"Hey Google, remember what you said? "Be together, not the same." "
Christopher, change.org
"Digital freedom matters! "
Koda, change.org
"It's my phone that I bought with my money. Why is Google allowed to determine what apps I install on it? "
Eugene, change.org
"Google's promise was that Android would remain an open ecosystem allowing developers to freely play in an open sandbox and build applications without requiring a central authority. Users are capable of determining and accepting risk on their own, and the barrier to sideloading is high enough to keep most general users safe. It's been shown that even Play Store's security reviews are not perfect and that malware makes its way onto the platform, so there is no basis for this change other than greed and overreach. "
Cameron, change.org
"We ned open source application PLEASE "
french, change.org
"Google's claim is that this is for trust and security, but this is a move to gain profit from and power over its users, nothing more and most certainly nothing less. I am not willing to give Google the decision as to what kind of app or what kind of information is and is not allowed to exist on *my* personal device, and I do not want to live in a world where tens if not hundreds of millions have their entire worldview curated by Google. Remember when your motto was, "Don't be evil"? Try going back to that philosophy. "
Sean, 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
"I've always chosen to use Android because I want to have control of how I use my phone. I know installing something might cause problems, but after all it's my decision and my phone too! If I wanted to be "more safe" I'd buy a phone with iOS. Let the users decide how they want to use their phones at their own risk. "
Nicky, change.org
"Google isn't trying to protect us from malware with these policies; it's simply trying to control the platform it owns to profit from its platform and the data it collects. "
Tiburcio, change.org
"The transformation of Android into a closed platform would likely erode its competitive advantage over Apple, potentially positioning Apple as the superior option. As an open-source project, Android should ideally operate without the necessity of governmental or private authorizations. Should Google proceed with such a change, it is highly probable that new operating systems will emerge. These decisions by Google could result in significant detriments to the company without yielding any discernible benefits. As a shareholder, I strongly recommend that Google refrain from pursuing this course of action. I oppose any initiative that would necessitate third-party authorization upon installing and operating applications for the Android platform, as this represents a threat to consumers and creators alike, and moves us closer to a monopolistic market. "
Pedro, change.org
"The reason people have Android is not only because it's cheap ,but because of the freedom The OS has... taking away this freedom ,is like taking away someone's heart "
Ayrton, 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
"The entire reason I chose an android over an apple phone was the control over my device I got. Taking that away is a mistake! "
Gin, change.org
"The possibility of one of the only features that could jumpstart and maintain rising developers ambitions and the Android community; being able to install any files into their systems getting smothered is a nightmare for anyone who has been sticking to Android themselves due to its customization (I will protect my self-made Miku UI with my life). Going against the reasons of Android's strengths WILL be a bad idea and would force the people to find lower alternatives, whether they are better or not can't be gauged when this move destroys the baseline of a free and modifiable OS. Please listen to the community that is yelling to not aim at poor Bugdroid's shins... "
Ken, change.org
"We people should have a choice in what we download. There are real, legit developers out there that google is trying to push out. This isn't for your safety, google wants to choose for you what you're allowed to download. Google doesn't care what is safe for you, they want to silence and push out developers they don't like. "
UsagiMomo/SquishyCat/MayNayeo, change.org
"Google is essentially deciding to kill their own identity with this move. Side loading apps is a for of freedom that is the core reason people use android. Without this it's just a worse version of iOS... And no one wants that. This move if not corrected will start a movement they don't want and will grow the development of a true Linux based is for phones. This is a greed move. A power move they want full control and to lock developers into their own store front. It's sad really... A pathetic move that will hurt then in the end. I hope they change their mind.. if not I guess I will be going custom firmware on this pixel and strip Google from the device entirely. "
Adam, change.org
"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
"This will be the death of android and Google is holding the gun. My entire attraction to android was the freedom. Now that this will potentially cease to exist, I have no problem finding another source of freedom. Google thinks they're being smart, but they are only killing themselves slowly. Android users everywhere must make sure google pays dearly for the abomination they are creating. "
Kevin, change.org
"The internet should be free for all "
Ev, change.org
"The freedom of apks is one of the best parts about android period. This will kill their identity, our freedom as consumers, and only give more control to the corporate super entity. "
Walace, change.org
"Big tech is trying to collectively normalize mass surveillance requiring government ID's for everything and saying "it's for our safety". It is NOT about anyone's safety. "
Amélie, change.org
"This will cause the only mainstream alternative to be apple. even worse. fight to keep android a safe privacy alternative! if they still go through with it just use Graphene. "
Charlie, change.org
"Stop this madness !! Don’t you have better things to do like stop governments looking at the peoples emails, pictures etc. It’s ridiculous you are tracking and legally hacker everyone’s as it is. Do the right thing and stop trying to track and sell everyone’s Data. You have enough money and data. LEAVE APK AND DEVELOPERS ALO E. "
Brian, change.org
"Google you suck ass. the whole point of Android is freedom. you're going to destroy so much and anger so many people if you do this 3 do it on pixel n ChromeOS or whatever but leave everything else alone you're ruining something beautiful "
liam, change.org
"We need to stop the monopolies and surveillance of big tech corporations "
Tyler, change.org
"As a consumer, I bought and use Android platform devices because I care about my privacy and I care about accessing third-party applications that are not strictly on Google's Play Store. I utilize F-Droid and various other third-party app stores, and this would be a major impediment to me. I did not agree to Google pulling the rug from beneath me well after I bought several thousand dollar Android phones and devices. "
Stephen, change.org
"I've always like Google for supporting open source. If Google doesn't not support open source who will? Come Google please keep being advocate of open source. I don't mind all the tracking Google does as long as they support open source "
allan, change.org
"Your ruining the freedom who ever to download what we wanted to do and stop limiting what we like to download from other websites or anything that is legally. "
Gabriel, change.org
"I can't let them have this. This world and especially these last years, tech companies think they can fully control you, utilized you, abuse you. Pls let this be one win for us "
Isaac, change.org
"I value the open source initiative deeply. I believe that Google putting up barricades to make this harder to access and use for developers and consumers alike is an act against the freedom of the open source initiative. "
Samuel, change.org
"Gghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh "
Pablo, change.org
"Someone alert the attorney's on the ongoing case with Epic Games that Google found a way to try and skirt court orders. I'm sure the judge will be extremely pleased to have been ignored, as they make this change and claim it's somehow not the opposite of what they were told to do. "
Nicholas, change.org
"This would simply make me walk away from using android devices, you act like android is the only phone OS out there and it's not. Linux is a powerful tool, so don't be foolish Google. "
Christopher, change.org
"Unnaceptable betrayal of platform standards "
Lukas, change.org
"Keep Android Open. We are not letting you form a monopoly, Google. It's OUR devices. If you continue with this, you'll remove one of the only reasons most people are not with Apple: freedom. So think about it. "
Bruno Leonel, change.org
"Seriously, this can harm game devs/ports (legally) plus every APK is checked if this decision is accepted. "
Leonardo, change.org
"Many of the apps I use daily are FOSS. I would lose a very large portion of the functionality of my phone without them. Some have alternatives available in the Play Store, and some do not. Even for the ones that do have available alternatives, they are measurably worse - crowded with advertisements that make them unusable until you pay (usually a subscription) for the "Pro" version. Then, when the developer stops making enough money, the app breaks and/or disappears from the store. Many of the FOSS apps I use also do exactly what I need, where their alternatives require workarounds or focus on some additional "feature" that I couldn't care less about. There are also several apps that I acquired outside the Play Store that legitimately don't have alternatives, either because they have to violate the rules of the Play Store to function properly, or because the developer believes, as I do, that good software doesn't rely on the existence of a market to function. "
Zachery, change.org
"Allow Android users to install any APK. Don't require "Identity verification" to publish Apps. "
Eric, change.org
"We will seek another way. Having only google apps would be like an iphone and why then would i keep android? will be jumping on the iphone train!! and using other phones and resources that get around the ban. privacy and diversity are important and there will always be some of us who pursue it. Apps like F-droid have been very cool and usefull. being told you can't use other non-google place store apps will cause the loss of many android phone users. "
sasha, change.org
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