کنترل شما بر تلفن همراهتان در حال از دست رفتن است.
از سال ۲۰۲۷*، یک بهروزرسانی بیصدا که بدون رضایت شما توسط گوگل اعمال میشود، تمام برنامههای اندرویدی که توسعهدهنده آنها در گوگل نامنویسی نکرده باشه، قرارداد را امضا نکرده باشد، هزینه اشتراک را پرداخت نکرده باشد و هویت واقعی خود را ارائه نداده باشد، مسدود خواهد شد.
تمام برنامهها، تمام دستگاهها، در سراسر جهان - بدون هیچ راهی برای غیرفعال کردن این سیاست.
↓گوگل چه کاری انجام میدهد
در ۳ شهریور ۱۴۰۴، گوگل اعلام کرد که از سال ۲۰۲۷، تمام توسعهدهندگان برنامههای اندروید باید بهصورت متمرکز در گوگل نامنویسی کنند تا برنامههایشان روی هر دستگاهی قابل نصب باشد. نه فقط برنامههای پلیاستور—بلکه همه برنامهها. این شامل برنامههایی میشود که بین دوستان همرسانی قرار است بشود، از طریق افدروید منتشر میشوند یا توسط افراد علاقهمند برای استفاده شخصی ساخته شدهاند. در نتیجه، توسعهدهندگان مستقل، گروههای مذهبی و اجتماعها و حتی توسعهدهندگان آماتور، عملا از امکان توسعه و انتشار برنامههای خود محروم خواهند شد.
برای نامنویسی باید:
- پرداخت هزینه به گوگل
- پذیرش شرایط و قوانین گوگل
- ارائه مدرک هویتی برای شناسایی که برای ایرانیان غیرممکن است
- ارائه اطلاعاتی برای اثبات مالکیت کلید امضای برنامه که برای امضای برنامهها استفاده میشود
- ثبت تمام شناسههای برنامههای (فعلی و آینده)
اگر توسعهدهندهای همکاری نکند، برنامههای او بهصورت بیصدا روی تمام دستگاههای اندرویدی در جهان مسدود خواهند شد.
این موضوع به چه کسانی آسیب میزند
شما
شما یک تلفن همراه اندرویدی خریدید چون گوگل گفته بود این یک پلتفرم باز است. میتوانستید هر چیزی که میخواهید نصب کنید — این توافق بود.
حالا گوگل در حال تغییر این توافق است، آن هم بهصورت یکطرفه، روی دستگاهی که شما قبلاً خریدهاید. بعد از این بهروزرسانی، فقط برنامههایی اجرا میشوند که گوگل تأیید کرده باشد. روی گوشی شما که مالک آن هستید، چیزی که برایش پول دادهاید.
توسعهدهندگان مستقل
اولین برنامه یک نوجوان، ابزار حریم خصوصی یک داوطلب، یا نگارش آزمایشی داخلی یک شرکت — فرقی نمیکند. در سال ۲۰۲۷، هیچکدام بدون تأیید گوگل قابل نصب نیستند.
افدروید، این را یک «تهدید وجودی» نامیده است. Cory Doctorow از آن بهعنوان «دارث اندروید» یاد میکند.
دولتها و جامعه مدنی
گوگل سابقه مستندی در همکاری با حکومتهای اقتدارگرا برای حذف برنامهها دارد. در این مدل، برنامههایی که زیرساخت کشورها را اجرا میکنند، عملاً وابسته به یک شرکت خارجی بدون پاسخگویی خواهند شد.
EFF این مدل را «مسیر در حال گسترش سانسور اینترنت» میداند.
«راه فرار» گوگل در واقع یک تله است
گوگل میگوید «کاربران حرفهای» هنوز میتوانند برنامههای تأییدنشده را "نصب کنند". اما واقعیت این است:
- به تنظیمات سیستم وارد شوید و گزینه «تنظیمات توسعهدهنده» را پیدا کنید.
- روی شماره ساخت هفت بار ضربه بزنید تا حالت توسعهدهنده فعال شود
- پیامهای هشدار دهنده درباره اجبار را رد کنید
- وارد کردن PIN
- راهاندازی مجدد تلفن همراه
- ۲۴ ساعت منتظر بمانید
- برگردید به قسمت قبل و پیامهای هشداردهنده بیشتری را رد کنید
- انتخاب «اجازه موقت» (۷ روز) یا «اجازه دائمی»
- تأیید دوباره اینکه «ریسکها» را درک میکنید
۹ مرحله. یک دوره انتظار اجباری ۲۴ ساعته. برای نصب برنامهای روی دستگاهی که متعلق به خودتان است.
بدتر از آن: این فرآیند کاملاً از طریق Google Play Services اجرا میشود، نه خود سیستمعامل اندروید؛ گوگل میتواند هر زمان آن را تغییر دهد، سختتر کند یا حذف کند — بدون نیاز به بهروزرسانی سیستمعامل و بدون رضایت شما. و تا امروز، حتی در نگارشهای آزمایشی هم ارائه نشده است.
این موضوع فراتر از اندروید است
اگر گوگل بتواند میلیاردها دستگاهی را که بهعنوان سکوی باز فروخته شدهاند قفل کند، تمام تولیدکنندگان سختافزار در حال تماشا هستند.
اصل ماجرا این است: شرکت سازنده دستگاه شما تصمیم میگیرد، حتی بعد از خرید، چه نرمافزاری اجازه اجرا دارد. در دنیای نرمافزار به این «rug pull» میگویند؛ اما در سختافزار یعنی سلب کامل اختیار از شما.
باز بودن اندروید فقط یک ویژگی نبود، بلکه یک وعده بود که آن را از آیفون متمایز میکرد. میلیونها نفر دقیقاً به همین دلیل اندروید را انتخاب کردند. حالا گوگل این وعده را بهصورت یکطرفه لغو میکند
Ars Technica: «حسادت گوگل به اپل، میراث باز اندروید را تهدید به نابودی میکند.»
اما صبر کنید، آیا این...
«...فقط برای امنیت نیست؟»
این یک بهانه است. Google Play Protect همین حالا هم بدافزار را فارغ از هویت توسعهدهنده بررسی میکند. الزام به ارائه هویت واقعی، کد را امنتر نمیکند — بلکه توسعهدهندگان را قابل شناسایی و کنترل میکند.
«...هنوز میشود sideload کرد؟»
۹ مرحله، ۲۴ ساعت انتظار، و قابل حذف توسط گوگل — این دیگر نصب دستی نیست، بلکه یک مکانیزم بازدارنده است.
«...فقط برای کسانی است که چیزی برای پنهان کردن دارند؟»
افشاگران، خبرنگاران و فعالان — اولین قربانیان خواهند بود. مشارکت ناشناس متنباز، سنتی قدیمی است که قدمت آن از خود گوگل بیشتر است. این سیاست آن را در اندروید از بین میبرد.
«...اپل هم همین کار را میکند؟»
اپل از ابتدا یک اکوسیستم بسته بوده است. بسیاری از کاربران دقیقاً به همین دلیل اندروید را به آیفون ترجیح دادند.
«...فقط ۲۵ دلار و کمی کاغذبازی است؟»
شاید, اگر شما یک توسعهدهنده با یک کارت اعتباری و گواهینامه رانندگی باشید که در آمریکا زندگی میکند. فکر کنید که یک دانش آموز در sun-Saharan آفریقا هستید. هزینه فقط مالی نیست؛ شما در حال واگذاری هویت و اطلاعات حساس خود به یک شرکت هستید که مدام به درخواست حکومت برای حذف کردن برنامه ها یا فاش کردن هویت توسعهدهنده ها پاسخ میدهد. .
اقدام کنید
همگی
- نصب افدروید روی تمام دستگاههای اندرویدی. فروشگاه های جایگزین فقط در صورتی به بقا ادامه میدهند که مردم واقعا از آنها استفاده کنند.
- تماس با نهادهای نظارتی
- این صفحه را با دوستانتان به اشتراک بزارید
- در برابر روایتهای ساختگی مقاومت کنید
- امضای دادخواست اینترنتی
- خواندن و همرسانی نامه درخواست مخالفت
- دیدگاه خود را به گوگل اعلام کنید
توسعهدهندگان
نامنویسی نکنید. با نامنویسی در Android Developer Console و پذیرش شرایط و قوانین غیرقابل بازگشت آنها، به این برنامه نپیوندید. هویت خود را تأیید نکنید. همکاری نکنید.
این طرح فقط در صورتی کار میکند که توسعهدهندگان همکاری کنند. همکاری نکنید.
- سایر توسعهدهندگان و شرکتها را از نامنویسی منصرف کنید.
- کتابخانه FreeDroidWarn را به برنامههای خود اضافه کنید تا به کاربران هشدار دهید.
- وبسایت دارید؟ بنر شمارش معکوس را اضافه کنید.
کارمندان گوگل
اگر درباره نحوه پیادهسازی فنی این برنامه یا دلایل داخلی آن اطلاعاتی دارید، از طریق یک دستگاه غیرکاری و یک حسابکاربری غیر Gmail با tips@keepandroidopen.org تماس بگیرید. محرمانگی کامل تضمین میشود.
همه مخالفان…
71 شرکت از 23 کشور امضا کردن این نامه سرگشاده
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
FUTO futo.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
iodé iode.tech
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
April april.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Proton AG proton.me
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Brave brave.com
FULU Foundation fulu.org
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Cryptee crypt.ee
OpenMedia openmedia.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Techlore techlore.tech متن کامل نامه سرگشاده را بخوانید و از امضاکنندگان تشکر کنید →
دیگران چه میگویند
رسانههای فناوری
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"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
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"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
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"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's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"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
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
سرتیترها و تحلیلها
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"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
"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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"The $25 isn't the real cost. The chilling effect is. Submitting government ID to Google is a non-starter for pseudonymous contributors and privacy researchers."
Arafat Alim, DEV Community
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Google is turning sideloading from a right into a permission slip, and the open-source community has until September to convince it otherwise."
Reclaim The Net
"Google has announced what can only be described as a death blow to the open ecosystem that made Android. Under the guise of 'security,' Google is implementing draconian developer verification requirements."
AndroidSage
"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
"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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"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
"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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
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
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
شرکتها و نامههای سرگشاده
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"This extends Google's gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role."
Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"Changes would impose barriers to entry for individual developers, small teams and volunteer projects by imposing fees, identity checks and terms that may not align with the principles of an open ecosystem."
Infosecurity Magazine
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
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
"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
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"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
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"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
یوتیوبرها و تولیدکنندگان محتوا
"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 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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
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
"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 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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Imagine Dell told you that you could no longer install any operating system other than Windows on your laptop. That's what Google is doing to your phone."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"A world where two tech companies from the same city that dominate all of our mobile devices both require centralized developer registration is a world with one more lever for surveillance, one more checkpoint for censorship."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google is 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
"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
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"Google 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
"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"Google isn't testing this in the US or Europe first. They're starting in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Why? Because these are massive growth markets where regulation is weaker. By the time regulators catch up, the damage will already be done."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
توسعهدهندگان و اجتماع
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."
Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"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
"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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"I still remember how in the early days of Android vs iOS discussions, the main point was 'but it's OPEN!' The word 'open' was used as a comma by Google people. It was The Thing. The Difference. Good vs Evil and all that."
jwr, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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 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
"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
"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
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Google selling Android as both open source and open to running any software you like in order to quickly gain market share, only to break those promises after driving competing platforms out of the market is nothing more than fraud."
GeekyBear, Hacker News
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), 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 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
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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
"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 was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Don't beg. Don't get in a position that freedoms depend on the whims of a corporation or willingness of a government to regulate them. Build."
jzb, Lobsters
"We need to start treating phones differently. We're entering a world where we can't choose what we run on them. Their primary purpose is to gather data on us and serve us advertising, they're engineered for addiction, yet engaging in the world is immensely difficult without one."
specproc, Hacker News
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"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
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
صداهایی از دادخواست اینترنتی
"Open source has always been foundational to everything Google and Android have accomplished. But locking off local installation will hurt open source development on the Android platform. I personally have apps I won't be able to use anymore. Please don't do this to us, we don't want to have to change platforms yet again. "
David, change.org
"KEEP ANDROID OPEN "
Dennis, change.org
"Google is Google's own worst enemy. If this goes through, I will never use any of their services ever again. GOOGLE IS A BAD ACTOR AND A BAD COMPANY! WHAT HAPPENED TO "DON'T BE EVIL"?!?! "
Ryan, change.org
"One of the reasons that people want to use Android is because of its freedom in installing apps. Locking it is like shooting your feet. "
John, change.org
"When I was around 13 or 14 I had a real dream to be a coder...I tried to use Google to find a way but found that all of the links were funded by Google and directly discouraged fellow coders...I believed them...now at 22 I refuse to lay down and listen I hope this story hits home for a few people because the coding community is one of the few communities I found I am accepted...do not let Google break this community I am begging you - with all love a fellow coder and human being this is Donald signing off "
donald, change.org
"Leave our phones alone. Dont turn Android into Apple "
leavemyphonealone, change.org
"Way to get people Ungoogling "
Martin Moe, change.org
"Seriously, this can harm game devs/ports (legally) plus every APK is checked if this decision is accepted. "
Leonardo, change.org
"The promise was to have an open OS: a walled garden has always been seen as something negative where the supposed pros do NOT outweigh the cons, among them far too much power in the hands of one, central entity. And every time a stunt like this is attempted, it demonstrates how that simply shouldn't be allowed to ANYone. My phone is mine. Let me install whatever I like on it. "
Daniele, change.org
"Google already limited us with Android apps that are from the Play Store, now they want to censor even more?? What's the goal behind all this?! Control?? And I'm from Brazil, why Brazil was in first place regarding this??? Is the law more important than the customers? So why are they adopting ideas that Restrict consumer Freedom??? Don't you think about the Well-Being of People, of the Consumer!??? All of this is a Game to me, and you're Using the Controller for Pleasure, NOT for the Good of Society in General! That's why I'm Really Against this law!! "
Bruno Eduardo, change.org
"Locking the bootloader is bad. Preventing side loading is bad. If I buy a device, I want to use it as I like. That is the whole reason I've stuck on ith Android in the first place. Guess those days are gone. "
Joseph, change.org
"I've been an Android user since the start of my career and the whole reason I chose it is the freedom — to set it up how I want and load what I want. Locking it down just turns it into another Apple, and if I wanted that I'd have an iPhone. The small developers are where the real innovation comes from, and cutting them out kills that. Don't ruin what makes Android the best. Don't fix what isn't broken. Keep Android open. "
Mike, change.org
"I've used side loading a number of times in the past to load 3rd party developed apps. Not supporting this will make me seriously reconsider other phones and OS "
Richard, change.org
"Me and many of my peers have been android users for over a decade, mainly due to the open nature and freedom to use my device as I wish without friction. Revoking this freedom by forcing developers into this program will harm developer privacy and freedom of speech, accessibility of development, user control over their devices, and preservation of older apps. It's not as easy as move to another OS, as the only other option is iOS and alternatives don't have as many applications needed for general day to day life. This is an overreach of power feigning "caring about user safety" to restrict user and developer freedoms "
Natasha, change.org
"Android is OPEN SOURCE That's why Android is everywhere. But Google is using this power dangerously. Technology should empower, not confine. Restricting APK installation weakens innovation, discourages experimentation, and chips away at the diversity that made Android thrive in the first place. "
Kerem, change.org
"I figured out how to play Minecraft Java Edition on my phone, and Google is trying to take that away from me? Besides that, there are probably dozens of unverified apps on my phone that I would REALLY like to keep, and Google requiring verification will basically turn my phone into a little YouTube machine. I hate that and you should too. "
David, change.org
"My name is Lawrence Wider Jr. I am a huge fan of Android. The ability flawlessly download the individuals files (APKs) of smartphone apps on my smartphone is the reason why I decided to choose Android as my first ever smartphone OS to use over iOS a couple of decades ago. In short, it was Freedom Of Choice that caused me to choose Android over IOS decades ago. If Google decides to go through with their plan to limit APK usage this September, then I will no longer have that awesome choice and I will no longer be able to choose the awesome smartphone OS known as Android as my smartphone os. The ability to flawlessly download the individuals files (APKs) of smartphone apps on my smartphone had also caused Android to be a fun smartphone OS for me to use. Another advantage of the ability for me to download individual files (APKs) of APKs on my Android smartphone has given me is the ability for it to be easier for me to use Android. If Google decides to limit APK file usage this September, then it would cause me to no longer choose Android as my smartphone is to use. Thank you. "
Lawrence, change.org
"User: I do! Developer: I do! Google: I don't! They have no real business doing this - maybe if there was an alternative, but there isn't! This is the continuation of the meltdown they've been having about adblockers. "
Nona, change.org
"Some people live hard lifes, APKs gave us freedom and versatility with our smartphones, that one of the greatest things that made me buy and use android "
João Gabriel, change.org
"This change is disastrous for both the privacy of developers and the general health of the open source software community for android. Keep Android Open!! Let us install what we want, without asking for your permission. "
Thomas, change.org
"Please STOP being evil Google-u promised it once but obviously those words were hollow & meaningless so just stop it. "
Steven, 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
"Google can not be allowed its voracious devouring of apps and data. Every move builds on its frightening monopoly, quashing any freedom and privacy. "
Kristi, change.org
"first off i bought this phone i should have the right to put what ever program i want on it, I'm already upset so many things are locked behind root access my wife is a programmer and she fiddles with android programs. this would mean she can't do this anymore. it makes it a lot harder for indie android programmers to get started "
Joshua, change.org
"This is a violation of free speech and freedom of choice. We are not apple! "
Gearrard, change.org
"Bro this is the only thing keeping android over iOS don't take it "
Alejandro, change.org
"Well google showed their true colours. Time to start migrating all my accounts away from them. What a joke. "
Jordan, change.org
"Let me preface this. Sideloading is *installing a program on a personal computer,* for all that it's phone shaped. You might be used to this behavior from iOS, but even Mac PCs will let you install applications that are unsigned and made by other people, and on the closed-source Windows environment it's still *the main way to get applications,* despite there now being two different official app stores on that platform. Nothing needs to be said about the various Linux/Unix environments. The centralized registration of both apps and developers is not the right approach. It creates a monopoly over who can be an Android developer and will greatly limit the desire to develop apps if it is no longer something that can be done as a hobby but a slow, complicated expense with the requirement to identify oneself. I've done some hobbyist development, but I would not have learned coding if these were the standards I had to meet, and I'd only be losing money. It encourages turning a problem-solving hobby project others might benefit from into a cash grab, or just discourages it entirely. It will in one blow destroy all apps which are no longer maintained, or those who are developed by people who can't or won't escrow their identities with Google, including myself. It also integrates Google's control over the phone even more deeply into how even the phone's software runs, locking these allegedly open devices even more under Google's remote control, and which is already a challenge for makers of de-Googled devices. I strongly suspect it will also become used to apply arbitrary limitations to developers (read the XScreenSaver privacy policy if you'd like to know more) and block many of the tools we currently take for granted, such as those used to root phones. After all, rooting a phone would likely permit installing arbitrary apps, and Google's security model already "distrusts" those devices to the point that they break e.g. banking apps or DRM, so why would they allow something if it conflicts with their security model and they can now control any code that runs on your device? In the end, this WILL be used by Google to permanently remove many people's ability to develop apps on Android at all, likely because those people made tools that provided capabilities Google is not willing to offer or let exist on the free market anymore. The ID requirement will prevent them from creating new accounts and the devices will retroactively block even their installed apps from working while preventing those developers, those _people,_ from making more even on other stores (if other stores even continue existing, given that they would effectively become arms of Google just to have the apps work). "
Russell, change.org
"Hands off the APK! I left Russia for Freedom in 2022 and now you trying to restrict our Freedom like a criminal Putin. "
Alex, change.org
"I have always used android because of the control I have over MY phone. Installing whatever apps I want from WHEREVER I want is one if the main reasons I prefer android! I will do everything I can to keep this from happening! "
Britanie, change.org
"It's just because I like piracy and I was born into piracy. "
Simp, 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
"First they monopolize the internet, then they banned adblocks, and now they are coming after one of the last truly open platforms people still have. This is not just about Android, it is about the direction the entire digital world is heading. If we do not push back now, there may soon be no open platforms left. "
Maxim, change.org
"HOW NEXT GENS GONNA INSTALL MINECRAFT?! "
Kyouko, change.org
"If Android no longer allows me to install what I want, how I want, there is no reason for me to not use Apple products. Your company is already going down the wrong path in so many ways with not properly supporting third-party open source Android variants; do not let this be the final nail in your OS's coffin. "
Peter, change.org
"You okay Google? Isolation is never the answer. Hope you feel better soon! "
Robert, change.org
"Why do company's always get more predatory and throw away reasons that adopters use them for? We need to be less loyal to services in general because they are not loyal to us. If there is no alternatives then remove a subscription (e.g. for storage), remove/replace a feature (e.g. Google Maps to a 3rd Party, or Chrome with Brave), add friction (e.g. use a VPN, randomize your identifiable info, switch OS's). React immediately although inconvenient, because they derive much of their value from how we behave as consumers, and we cannot be complacent. We can bite back, if for anything, if they get their way we will be only one step away from out the door (adoption of something and everything outside of the Google and Apple ecosystem including the physical phone itself). Example: Fairtrade running Graphene or Calpyx or e/ OS with a Brave default browser and search. "
Robel, change.org
"Because Android will become IOS but worse if this goes into effect. "
Dominick, change.org
"What is an android without weird apps installed from a weird website... I'm just kidding but that is what make better android you can make anything that you want. but if you can't install apps from outside of the play store you are going to lose so much content and I don't talk English so well but for this cause I'm did learn... An android without free apps not is an real android. And I'm not talking about like all apps need to don't cost I'm talking of being free of install any thing that you need. That's all thanks for read and remember being free is better than being dreaming. "
Elias, 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 first switched over to a Samsung phone because of Android being a open OS. I love being able to make small apps for myself as a developer, and as a user I like that I can find small dev groups on places like GitHub making really cool and useful apps that you would never be able to find on the play store. "
Connor, change.org
"Android has always stood for freedom, openness, and user choice. Blocking APKs goes against the very spirit of what makes Android great. Users should have the right to install the apps they want, from the sources they trust, not just from one store. Limiting APKs doesn’t make Android safer; it only takes control away from users and developers alike. Keep Android open. Keep Android free.Android has always stood for freedom, openness, and user choice. Blocking APKs goes against the very spirit of what makes Android great. Users should have the right to install the apps they want, from the sources they trust, not just from one store. Limiting APKs doesn’t make Android safer; it only takes control away from users and developers alike. Keep Android open. Keep Android free. "
Pedro, change.org
"This issue would directly negatively effect my day to day usage of my android phone, concerns of this issue have resulted in me installing GrapheneOS on my phone to avoid this potentially becoming a reality. "
Kyler, change.org
"Google should not limit our ability to do what we want with the devices we paid for with our own money. Google has a history of limiting or removing things (an example being the whole Manifest V3 and ad-blocker situation), often using 'security' as a way to take more control over their device and services, and I believe that if we do not stop Google from limiting APKs and forcing developers to be verified, we may well be opening up the door for them to do even more. "
Mr., change.org
"Android was always meant to be versatile and open for users and developers alike. It was always about freedom of choice when it came to creating and usage of applications and Android was a big part of that vision... Otherwise, everyone would've just purchased and use Apple iPhones instead---there wouldn't BE an incentive to be on Android. Google... get your act together! "
Ray, change.org
"Open source is people power "
Nathan, change.org
"Android has always been the superior product because it has allowed it's users the ability to customize their phones and download what they want. To take that away would make you no better than Apple "
Mike, change.org
"As a regular user of Android, I've always loved the freedom that Android gave me when it came to downloading apps and APKs. I've never had an issue with Android up until now. This policy is going to be restricting and a violation of the digital rights of both consumers and the creators. This does not protect anybody in the equation, and if this policy goes through then I will not use Android services anymore. Google, please hear our voices and do not go through with this. You will lose many supporters if you do. "
Simon, change.org
"I strongly believe that Android used to be the go to for app developers and it is essential that they keep their open policy because it only opens up more users to test their apps for them before a full official release "
Garrette, change.org
"Literally the only reason I swapped to android years ago was because it had freedoms that iPhones didn't. I may as well swap back if this is how things are going. "
Robert, change.org
"Google is long overdue to be broken up like AT&T was and this blatantly anti consumer decision to lock down Android proves this. "
Kris, change.org
"Hopefully this movement is successful for the custom developmental purposes and devotion from the developers themselves. "
Jerrod, change.org
"I chose to use android for the freedom and customization within its current limits. I have never owned any other type. If this passes, I will be leaving galaxy and Google android devices. I believe in freedom and privacy for all. "
Joel, change.org
"While, I'm not an average user of an Android device, I completely understand the need for programs to be open source and to have the freedom to do whatever you would like with the device that's been bought by you. So to see Google attempt to censor a beloved part of Android for many users? I find myself quite outraged! It's not exactly protection if everyone's data is at risk of being leaked next week, and it would be all thanks to these planned restrictions! "
Marielle, change.org
"Freedom of application installation on my own device is paramount to democratic computer access. "
John, change.org
"I use sideloading very often, especially for Linux terminal emulation, and I can't do nearly as much in that vein without it. "
Sylvia, change.org
"Built off the back of free software and then removing the free... "
Paul, 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
"Limiting developer and user freedom in the name of "safety" or whatever will only bring Android down to iOS's level. Don't make this mistake, Google! We must keep the right to make and use APKs freely! "
Julian, change.org
"This is an authoritarian play by Google to regulate their customers (aka a huge percentage of the public) not by national law but by their own personal whims on what's "best" for their corporation and shareholders. It undermines a customer's right to modify their products how they want, and instills power to themselves to govern essentially all software that gets developed for non-iOS phones, which is highly unethical and anti-consumer. If this gets implemented I will be selling my phone and switching to a non-android product. "
Nick, change.org
"Stop this bullshit of trying to control our lives, deciding what I can and can't do. Enough with planned obsolescence, enough with authoritarianism. I, and only I, decide what's best for me, what I can and can't download on MY PHONE. "
Leonardo, change.org
"Android being "open" is what draws a lot of people to it from the others. This effectively makes it more closed. "
Glenn, change.org
"Let's all join forces in this fight because freedom cannot be violated "
Fernando, change.org
"This is a de facto monopolization strategy and must not be allowed. Censorship and data harvesting are already proliferating, this will make those issues worse. "
Michel, change.org
"I'll repeat what I have seen many other say. It's not "sideloading", it's installing. It's not "making sure you only get what we know is good", it's a digital company town. We already pay for every aspect of our time on this earth. The fact that they want to make it so you can't go anywhere but them? It's a giant flashing LED sign that says monopoly. And I say to not let it happen, for privacy, for ownership, for the right to do what we want with the stuff we buy. "
Benjamin, 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
"I object to being forced to use Google "approved" bloatware and non-open source software on my devices. "
Kinene, change.org
"Allow Android users to install any APK. Don't require "Identity verification" to publish Apps. "
Eric, change.org
"Interesting how F-droid has been successfully been managing their own repo for years while simultaneously maintaining user and developer privacy, yet Google suddenly decides user safety is such an important thing that they have to sacrifice developer privacy on Android and conveniently have what apps users are allowed to install regulated by them and only them. If this was something they were doing on their store it would be disruptive, but developers who don't want to fork over pictures of their government ID, and 25 dollars apparently, could distribute their apps elsewhere. The privacy implications of forcing every developer, regardless of the distribution platform they use, to validate their government ID through a centralized source is far beyond the pale of Google's responsibilities and a major violation of privacy. The fact that they're even able to make a move like this should be treated as a travesty. It's not pro consumer either. As it stands today, users may choose to install apps from other appstores, including ones focused on open source software and privacy. Should Google's policy go into effect, they get to determine what apps we're allowed to install on the phones we bought and paid for. This alongside the sweeping age verification we've been seeing everywhere feels less focused on actual safety as opposed to surveillance. If I wanted a walled garden, I'd have gotten an apple phone. If this crap keeps up, I'm gonna have to search for a Linux phone whether they're ready for mass adoption or not. "
Pyre, change.org
"The ability to download apps directly from developers is one of the main differentials of Android from IOS. Limiting this will severely impact the market share of Android by removing basically any reason anyone would want to use Android over IOS. "
gabriel, 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
"Once the promise of running open software on Android is broken I ll simply toss the device into the bin and never look back. "
David, change.org
"When I'm bored, I don't look through the play store - it's full of ads and mind-numbing time wasters. Instead, I look through f-droid, which is full of solo developer apps designed to actually be useful and solve a problem. Maybe a problem unique to that one developer, but it's always interesting to look at. We flock to Android because apple doesn't let us side-load. Why take away something that is core to many users experience and has only limited security problems? We all know this isn't about security, it's about control. It's my phone, let me do what I want with it. (And don't even get me started about Android's rollback "protection" >:( ) "
Spencer, change.org
"Android was once the pinacle of freedom, not letting that stay in the past "
Juan, change.org
"As an open source developer, keeping Android open is what Android was all about! Let's keep it open so we can differentiate from other platforms, and keep Android what we all got to love! "
Benjamin, change.org
"Freedom of expression and choice, without filtering. "
Ralph, change.org
"The iOS user experience is invariably more polished and seamless than any Android device. In the tablet market especially, Android can't hold a candle to iOS when it comes to usable. For the entirety of Android's existence, the freedom to use our devices the way we want, rather than being beholden to the whims of a manufacturer, has been THE reason to use Android. Not a reason, not the most important or compelling reason, THE ONE AND ONLY REASON. To remove or hamper the ability to sideload apps is to remove Android's only reason to exist. Remember, no matter how many of our rights and abilities you remove with regard to how customers use their devices, there's one right you cannot touch: our right to purchase an objectively easier to use iOS device. "
Pranam, change.org
"I use android phones and coordinate my digital life using the Google ecosystem. I chose Android/Google because although I loved the iPhone and iOS, I didn't want to use a closed digital environment. I don't "sideload" apps on my phone, just like I don't "sideload" programs on my laptop. I install apps myself, outside of the Google Play Store. I've rooted many of my phones too, for many different reasons. There's nothing illegal going on, I simply want things on my phone to look and function a certain way. When Google takes away my ability to install apps myself in September, it will eliminate it's primary advantage over Apple. When my current phone contract ends I'll buy an iPhone instead of a Samsung or other Android OS phone. There are millions of other people, like myself, that will do the exact same thing. "
John, change.org
"Android is dying but we shall together to save Android. "
Elmer, change.org
"SCREW GOOGLE FOR DOING THIS! F-Droid and other 3rf party app stores ARE IMPORTANT and losing them means Google wins and everyone else LOSES. Help support these platforms in any way you can peeps!!! "
Jack, change.org
"We already can't chose our OS and can't choosing the app is discussing. "
Alihan, change.org
"The internet should be free for all "
Ev, change.org
"My phone, my apps Let me do what I want or else an iPhone will be my phone "
Aaron, change.org
"Google’s decision to end sideloading isn’t about user safety, it’s about control. By banning the ability to install apps outside the Play Store, Google isn’t protecting us it’s protecting its profits. Sideloading is what keeps Android open. It’s what allows small, independent developers to create and share apps without paying Google’s gatekeeping fees or begging for corporate approval. It’s what lets users, creators, and innovators build their own digital spaces, free from monopolized ecosystems. Ending sideloading means the end of true user choice. It hands Google even more power over what software we can access, what tools we can use, and ultimately what voices can reach us. This move strengthens surveillance capitalism, deepens corporate monopolies, and pushes us closer to a future where our devices — and our data — belong to corporations, not people. This is about more than Android. It’s about who controls our technology, our privacy, and our freedom online. We cannot allow one of the wealthiest corporations in history to dictate how billions interact with their own devices under the guise of “security.” Sign this petition to demand that Google stop its plan to remove sideloading in 2026. Defend open-source values, user rights, and digital democracy. The internet should serve people, not profit. Together, we can stand up for an open Android and a free digital future for everyone. "
Cole, 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
"Save Android !! Without it being open-source and freely usable, there *is* no good alternative to iOS, simply a mere copy of Apple's notoriously awful anti-consumer model. Personally, I won't stand for this blatantly money-focused and privacy-inhibiting change, and you shouldn't either! "
Brandon, change.org
"I chose Android over Apple because of its openness and flexibility. I want to be the one who controls my device, not some central decision making body. "
Liana, change.org
"I think it is a slap in the face for users and developers alike. "
Timothy, change.org
"Keep Android an open platform, avoid a massive class action lawsuit. I along many others bought an android phone precisely because of the open ecosystem, you change that, you get sued and lose customers "
Joseph, change.org
"Android has always been my go-to, even with today’s high user preference being iOS. The reason why I have relied on it so much is because of the freedom we have to do what we want with our product and not be limited like iOS. This is not about "protecting us" this is to assert control and limit the users’ experience which is a breach of the freedom that Android has always promised. "
Alexandra, change.org
"I do not want Google to get a third monopoly. That is the whole point of this gatekeeping. I'm sick of these corporations doing whatever they want. "
Aidan, change.org
"Android has always been the free alternative to iOS’s restrictions. Without the freedom we’ve come to understand, what’s the draw to this OS? I’ve had some interest in small app development, but if this goes through it will kill that interest dead. "
Katylyn, change.org
"Google, as a US based company, is trying to seize control over who can and who cannot create applications for Android. If you purchase a phone, you should be able to use it however you see fit. But now, if you want to develop a simple app for your daily use or for a small project that doesn't strictly align with Google or the US government's agenda, you could be denied the right to install it and even persecuted or doxxed. "
Ivan, change.org
"There is no valid reason to do this except greed and control. If someone installs malicious software on their own device thats their issue. "
Jonathan, change.org
"who thought it was even a good idea "
Joel, change.org
"The reason I chose Android is for the openness of the software. If Android isn't going to stay that than myself and millions more will find other phones to use and own. Choice matters. "
Andrew, change.org
"This is going to change android into a half functional game console locked down to anyone who won't kiss the G, a sure sign of drm, not consumer protection. If only google approved apps are allowed, will we only be able to call google approved phone numbers, visit google approved websites, see google approved images, listen to google approved music? We are not google. "
Willem, change.org
"Keep Android open to any app. I continue to use and develop for Android because it's the only mobile OS that allows me to install and use the software that I decide to use. I frequently develop software for me and my close friends. We need Android to stay open! "
Oleksandr, change.org
"Google is wrong to limit people installing whatever they want on what's supposed to be their phone. "
Spark, change.org
"Also consider giving money towards the Graphene OS at grapheneos.org/donate "
Adam, change.org