Your phone is about to stop being yours.
Starting in 2027*, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
↓What Google is doing
In August 2025, Google announced a new requirement: starting in 2027, every Android app developer must register centrally with Google before their software can be installed on any device. Not just Play Store apps: all apps. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software.
Registration requires:
- Paying a fee to Google
- Agreeing to Google's Terms and Conditions
- Surrendering your government-issued identification
- Providing evidence of your private signing key
- Listing all current and all future application identifiers
If a developer does not comply, their apps get silently blocked on every Android device worldwide.
Who this hurts
You
You bought an Android phone because Google told you it was open. You could install what you wanted, and that was the deal.
Google is now rewriting that deal, retroactively, on hardware you already own. After the update lands, you can only run software that Google has pre-approved. On your phone: your property, that you paid for.
Independent developers
A teenager's first app, a volunteer's privacy tool, or a company's confidential internal beta. It doesn't matter. In 2027, none of these can be installed without Google's blessing.
F-Droid, home to thousands of free and open-source Android apps, has called this an "existential" threat. Cory Doctorow calls it "Darth Android".
Governments & civil society
Google has a documented track record of complying when authoritarian regimes demand app removals. With this program, the software that runs your country's institutions will exist at the pleasure of a single unaccountable foreign corporation.
The EFF calls app gatekeeping "an ever-expanding pathway to internet censorship."
Google's "escape hatch" is a trap door
Google says "power users" can "still install" unverified apps. Here's what that actually looks like:
- Delve into System Settings, find About Phone
- Tap the build number seven times to enable Developer Mode
- Dismiss scare screens about coercion
- Enter your PIN
- Restart the device
- Wait 24 hours
- Come back, dismiss more scare screens
- Pick "allow temporarily" (7 days) or "allow indefinitely"
- Confirm, again, that you understand "the risks"
Nine steps. A mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period. For installing software on a device you own.
Worse: this flow runs entirely through Google Play Services, not the Android OS. Google can change it, tighten it, or kill it at any time, with no OS update required and no consent needed. And as of today, it hasn't shipped in any beta, preview, or canary build. It exists only as a blog post and some mockups.
This is bigger than Android
If Google can retroactively lock down billions of devices that were sold as open platforms, every hardware manufacturer on the planet is watching.
The principle being established: the company that made your device gets to decide, after you've bought it, what software you're allowed to run. In software, this is called a "rug pull"; but at least you could always install competing software. In hardware, it is a fait accompli that strips you of your agency and renders you powerless to the whims of a single unaccountable gatekeeper and convicted monopolist.
Android's openness was never just a feature. It was the promise that distinguished it from iPhone. Millions chose Android for exactly that reason. Google is now revoking that promise unilaterally, on devices already in people's pockets, because they've decided they have enough market dominance and regulatory capture to get away with it.
Ars Technica: "Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy."
But wait, isn't this...
"...just about security?"
The security rationale is a smokescreen. Google Play Protect already scans for malware independent of developer identity. Requiring a government ID doesn't make code safer. It makes developers identifiable and controllable. Malware authors can register. Indie developers and dissidents often can't. The EFF is blunt: identity-based gatekeeping is a censorship tool, not a security one.
"...still sideloading if you use the advanced flow?"
Nine steps, 24-hour wait, buried in Developer Options, delivered through a proprietary service that Google can revoke whenever they want. That's not sideloading. That's a deterrence mechanism built to ensure almost nobody completes it. And since it runs through Play Services rather than the OS, Google can tighten or kill it silently.
"...only a problem if you have something to hide?"
Whistleblowers, journalists, and activists under authoritarian governments will be the first victims. People in domestic abuse situations are next. All these groups have legitimate reasons to distribute or use software without putting their legal identity in a Google database. Anonymous open-source contribution is a tradition older than Google itself. This policy ends it on Android.
"...the same thing Apple does?"
Apple has been a walled garden from day one. People chose Android because it was different. "Apple does it too" is a race to the bottom and a weak tu quoque argument. And under regulatory pressure (the EU's Digital Markets Act), even Apple is being forced to open up. Google is moving in the opposite direction: attempting to further entrench its gatekeeping status.
"...just $25 and some paperwork?"
Maybe, if you're a developer in the US with a credit card and a driver's license. Try being a student in sub-Saharan Africa, or a dissident in Myanmar, or a volunteer maintaining a community health app. The cost isn't only financial: you're surrendering government ID and evidence of your signing keys to a company that routinely complies with government demands to remove apps and expose developers.
Fight back
Everyone
- Install F-Droid on every Android device you own. Alternative stores only survive if people actually use them.
- Contact your regulators. Regulators worldwide are genuinely concerned about monopolies and the centralization of power in the tech sector, and want to hear directly from individuals who are affected and concerned.
- Share this page. Link to keepandroidopen.org everywhere.
- Push back on astroturfers. The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.
- Sign the change.org petition and join the over 100,000 signatories who have made their voices heard.
- Read and share our open letter
- Tell Google what you think of this through their own developer verification survey (for all the good that will do).
Developers
Do not sign up. Don't join the program by signing up for the Android Developer Console and agreeing to their irrevocable Terms and Conditions. Don't verify your identity. Don't play ball.
Google's plan only works if developers comply. Don't.
- Talk other developers and organizations out of signing up.
- Add the FreeDroidWarn library to your apps to warn users.
- Run a website? Add the countdown banner.
Google employees
If you know something about the program's technical implementation or internal rationale, contact tips@keepandroidopen.org from a non-work machine and a non-Gmail account. Strict confidence guaranteed.
All those opposed…
71 organizations from 23 countries have signed the open letter
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
FACiL facil.qc.ca
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
April april.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org
iodé iode.tech
GitHub Store github-store.org
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Italian Linux Society ils.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Proton AG proton.me
Techlore techlore.tech
F-Droid f-droid.org
FUTO futo.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
Brave brave.com
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
Cryptee crypt.ee
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be What they're saying
Tech press
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"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
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google'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 will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"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 New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"'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
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
Editorials & analysis
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google is turning sideloading from a right into a permission slip, and the open-source community has until September to convince it otherwise."
Reclaim The Net
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud 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
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"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
"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 attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"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
"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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"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
Organizations & open letters
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"Google's abusive approach to the Android operating system has only gotten worse in recent years. Software freedom is sorely lacking in the 'computers in our pockets' we call cell phones."
Free Software Foundation
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"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
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"A policy that forces every Android developer to hand their identity to Google, regardless of whether they use Google's services, makes Android a less-open and less-private platform."
Brave
"Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."
Brave
"This invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"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
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"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 Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
YouTubers & creators
"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 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
"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
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"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 has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"I'm not using the word 'phone.' I'm using the word 'computer.' This has over 8 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage. It's a computer. And I'm also not going to be using words like 'sideload.' When you download an exe file onto your Windows computer, you've installed an application. You haven't 'sideloaded' something."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"Google already can disable malware that they find on your device. It's already a built-in feature. So what is developer registration actually adding here? Is it security or control? You decide."
Techlore – YouTube
"Follow the money. Google makes money when apps are downloaded from its store. Google has completely forgotten about its earlier company motto: Don't be evil."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"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 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
"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
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
Developers & community
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"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
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"Years ago, I wondered how Google would try to get away with locking down Android and shutting the cage door after capturing such a large dependent user base. Now I see how they are trying to get away with it."
chaznabin, Reddit
"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
"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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"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
"Software gatekeeping is a threat to human rights. Just recently an app to track ICE was banned from the iOS app store even though this should clearly be protected first amendment speech."
gthing, Reddit
"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."
Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"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
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"I buy a device with my own money, which I supposedly then own, but then I need to ask some corporation permission to use it."
askonomm, Hacker News
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), 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
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, 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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, 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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"After 15 years of professional development on Android I too am now thinking about switching my focus to something different. And it sucks."
MrDresden, Hacker News
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
Voices from the petition
"Android ain’t doing this if we can help it. They CEO types always getting greedy. Let’s keep Android as Android "
Nathanael, change.org
"Dear Google. You have paid games. Players are trying to get the modded apk. You slap them with an "unsafe" warning. Not all modded apks can be unsafe, some are. If you want free robux, steal some. Sincerely, Yaoi Ulshade "
Yaoi, change.org
"We can stand together to save Android and keep downloading what we love on our Android devices! "
Austin, change.org
"This will eliminate a large number of users from the Android platform, most will leave because they are being restricted, and the others like myself will leave purely on principle. Teaching people to use technology in a smarter way will always be better than restrictions, and all of this will just be the beginning of censorship and control on a global scale, as is already happening with other Google applications. "
Bradley, change.org
"Stop trying to lock down Android, you bozos! "
Rares, change.org
"This is a blatantly security washing a monopoly move to undermine the open internet and free access that grew Google to what it is today. If Google wants to be Apple it should produce Apple level products and services without being a leach. "
E, change.org
"Either way this is going to lead to a massive lawsuit My phone is my device Google doesn't own it nor does it have the power to tell me what I can and can't install on the device that I own Google believes that it rules the world it's censorship completely destroyed YouTube now they plan to destroy Android in the same way but $1,000 says by this time next year Google will cave to the demands of the people "
Isaiah, change.org
"Been using the android platform since 2009. Removing the ability to use MY device in the way it was always intended is disgusting. I won't stand for any of that hogwash. "
Kurt, change.org
"Android earned its place in the market because it was open. The ability to sideload applications isn't a loophole — it's a feature, and a promise. It's what set Android apart, attracted developers, and gave users real ownership over their devices. That openness, rooted in the same Linux principles Android was built on, is the reason Google is where it is today. Restricting sideloading would be a profound betrayal of that foundation. It trades user freedom for platform control, and developer trust for gatekeeper revenue. It is, in short, pulling up the ladder after climbing it. I believe many in this community — developers, enthusiasts, and everyday users alike — feel the same way. We chose Android because it respected our autonomy. If that changes, so will our choices. I urge Google to listen to this community and protect what made Android worth building for in the first place. "
Felix, change.org
"If Google chooses to block any apps they don't approve of from their fork of android, the community will move to other forks. This is already starting to happen and will happen more the more they squeeze. And I'll be hopping on that ship ASAP unless things turn around fast. "
Nayr, change.org
"I like Android because it feels like a computer. I can administrate my own files, download niche little hobby projects made freely by others off of GitHub. I don't want it to become a walled corporate garden like iOS. If it does, well, might as well switch to the higher-quality walled garden, huh? No point in using a droid anymore. "
Maxima, change.org
"keeping android open enables far more indie studios to continue to operate on android, and thats what i love, i love finding the most random game, and not having to worry about if its on one store or the other, i can just download it keep it open, please "
Evan, change.org
"#NoMoreCorruption "
Russell, change.org
"I never liked Apple's highly restrictive service for their app and mobile OS. I chose Android because of the freedom of customizability and choice, and ease of access. Do not make Android a wasteland, Google. People who use andriod value privacy and security, while also easily being able to make it better without worrying about who has what information about them. Please, think about the consequences for once. "
Maygen, change.org
"It would be a catastrophic degradation for quality of human life if portable computing were to become locked behind the domineering control of platform companies such as Google. It must be stopped. "
Edward, change.org
"Pure authoritarian control tendency barely even trying to disguise itself as caring for the consumers security. "
Jared, change.org
"It doesn't surprise me to hear that GOOGLE is going to do this. It's not about creating something that could possibly be of benefit anymore. The all mighty dollar has to raise it's ugly head now days or it's just not worth doing. "
Ralph, change.org
"It's disappointing that Google wants to take away the only good thing about Android. I said it last time and I'll say it again: if they do it, I'm switching to Apple. There won't be any difference anyway. "
Rubén, change.org
"Google taking this next step seriously shows to me as a person that they only care truly about money, and do not value their community. I know we were never to expect more from this company, but it is an offense to try and censor what we're allowed to do on our own phones. I do not own a Google phone, I own an android phone, and I was proud to say that, but not anymore. Half the apps on the Play Store are junky, and ad-filled apps that are competing, and suck. If you have ever searched for piano tiles or voice recorder you know what I mean. F-droid, Zapstore, Github store - They are all REAL stores, and I feel safer on them realistically. This decision is not improving the life of consumers for safety, or for developers that wish to remain anonymous. I remember when Google was a liked company (at least for their products), but now it feels like all everyone is trying to do is dodge their bullets. Google, enough. "
A, change.org
"Android has always stood for user choice. The freedom to install apps from outside an official store is a core part of what made the platform different and appealing in the first place. Removing options like sideloading moves Android away from its original philosophy. I develop apps for personal use, and I have no interest in becoming an “approved developer” just to run my own software. Not everyone has the time or desire to navigate additional gatekeeping just to maintain control over their own devices. Limiting these freedoms sets a concerning precedent. It shifts the platform toward tighter control, reduced openness, and potential monopolization. Android began as an open operating system — moving away from that foundation risks turning it into a closed ecosystem that mirrors the very model it once differentiated itself from. Restricting user choice under the banner of “protection” doesn’t benefit everyone. Many users value autonomy, flexibility, and control over their own hardware. Removing those options feels less like protection and more like limitation. "
Dennis, change.org
"Installing APKs has been one of the strongest points of Android. Erasing it will lead to Android losing users, Android becoming a same-same with Apple and destroy its reputation. Think twice before making this change, it can be the start of Android's downfall. "
Lautaro, change.org
"Google doesn't realise that for many Android users, the ability to install .apk files from unverified developers is the sole reason we don't flock to IOS or another mobile OS. Let's make sure they know. "
Marshall, change.org
"Turning Android into Google is pathetic "
Scott, change.org
"It's just because I like piracy and I was born into piracy. "
Simp, change.org
"Don't tread on us Google! "
Trevor, change.org
"Lets keep android open or change to linux phone. Together we can. "
Sin, change.org
"I think the freedom to have a choice on this matter is important, not just because there is a case to make regarding unsupported products let alone possible monopoly concerns, but also because there is a major issue regarding the freedom of choice on this matter that I think should not be taken away as an option for consumers. "
Ronald, 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
"Show us a reason to use Android over iOS. It is this bit of freedom that makes us choose Android. Without it, we might as well save up for Apple products, which are solid, but less choice. It is the choice that makes Android worth looking at. "
J, change.org
"I see why this could be a potential issue if this does happen. Hopefully it doesn't go through and it stays the same. "
Gavin, change.org
"If this is Android's future then it's time for Linux phones! My device my rules. "
Juan Antonio, change.org
"Play Integrity, Custom ROM/Root discrimination because of that, and now this? What have you BECOME, Google? You're not helping anyone, and I don't even think it helps them. If I had to pick between an unmodded Galaxy S25 (or whatever the latest one is) and a modded Galaxy S10, I'm picking the S25. It doesn't influence sales, all it does it make life harder, for everyone. Including the people imposing the restrictions, HEY, WHAT A COINCIDENCE! Just stop making the available mobile operating systems "iOS, iOS 2, and the other manufacturers' versions of iOS 2." I've talked more about custom ROMs, but replace it with customs apps and the same point is easily carried over. And because the 2 are interconnected in nature of them both being stuff that Google might not like. "
Gavin, change.org
"I've always said the reason I was an android user and not an iPhone user was due to the fact that the system was not locked down allowing more advanced use cases. Not to mention allowing individuals to create their own apps and learn without being subjected to fees and restrictions. Can't wait for the linux phone sector to start growing in response just like what is happening to Windows / PC market space. "
Chris, change.org
"Android began as the open-source, mod-friendly underdog in the cell phone market years ago. I watched it as it grew into a thriving scene where we could brag to our Apple-loyal friends about the freedom we had in our platform, the platform we bolstered up and supported and went against the culture at the time to get behind. Over time, it's become less and less free and open; locking bootloaders, denying permission to access all of the storage we pay for on our devices, penalizing power users who root their phones by disabling basic functionality, and now that their Play Store monopoly has been called out for what it is Google, so desperately in need of more money than they earn from collecting and selling all of our private data to finance their AI ambitions, which are trained on all of our data in the first place, is locking down the user's ability to control how they can utilize the device they own even further, just so they can have a say (and a fee collected) in every application that others produce for what used to be a truly open-source platform. It's disgusting how for ensh*tification has gone. These are Our devices. We pay for them. They are ours to have to replace, to finance, to insure, to charge, and to use. You should have a say in literally every single aspect of how they're used, and exploiting small developers under the guise of "security" is just pathetic. "
Sheldon, change.org
"Android gives users choice and that is literally the reason why I use Android. For people in places like Iran, China, Russia, and others who want to use apps that can get them unbias news media, but cannot install western news media apps from the Google Play Store how do you think they get their apps. If Google really cared about the security of their users they would actually fix stock Android's issues with permissions management and lack of zero trust architecture. Instead of fighting the symptoms (third part apps) Google should be finding the cure which is fixing the first lines of user's defense browers and OS. Google isn't coming for third party browser extentions, but they are coming for our apps. This makes no sense. It is clearly a ploy to give Google more Apple like control of OUR devices and wants to stop users who do not want to go as far as installing a more secure Android ROM (*cough* *cough* install GrapheneOS *cough*), but who still want a DeGoogled phone. "
Jannet, change.org
"I've said this before on a similar petition, but I sideload apps all the time, and it's a very important feature to me because I can download older versions of apps that I know function better with ease. Just like everybody else is saying, we use Android instead of iOS because we enjoy having this freedom. It won't benefit us: only Google is going to benefit. "
Daniel, change.org
"Literally one of the only things Android has going for it compared to iOS. You want this gone, fine -- then what advantage do you possibly imagine Android would have over iPhones? Do you really think people are going to continue to buy crap Pixels with Tensor chips at the same price as an iPhone? Android has ALWAYS been about uplifting device ownership. You get rid of APK side loading, you kill the damn OS once and for all. "
Jeremy, change.org
"I wanted to switch to android because I liked the ability to still have acess to older apps and software when it no longer works. I currently have an Iphone and can no longer use older versions due to the age of my phone. Hearing this news will definitely lead me to proabably buy an Iphone over android. I will no longer have the right to download cool apps like emulators or download apps that no longer work properly on the version of the phone and software I have. I believe Google needs to reverse it decision on banning sideloading. It is a free ecosystem and users understand the risks if they do it. It is unfair for all android phones to be affected because most phones use Android and I belive this monopoly on technology needs to stop. "
Kalista, change.org
"Smh users should be allowed to install whatever they want "
Challen, change.org
"Hopefully this movement is successful for the custom developmental purposes and devotion from the developers themselves. "
Jerrod, change.org
"There is absolutely no reason for this. Google is once again using its money and influence to bully and suppress independent developers and choke out options for user, all while further its goal to insert itself in every aspect of the digital life. I enjoy having choice. I do not require every aspect of my life to be "verified". And the endless fees heaped on every small independent, be they developer or user, need to stop. "
Cat, change.org
"Keep android open. Keep android from becoming Apple! "
Adam, change.org
"This is the only reason I've bought android phones all my life, if this passes then I'll either install custom software to avoid it or I'll find an alternative device and stop supporting android at all. If i'm not free to do what I want with my phone, then I don't own it and I don't want it. "
brandon, change.org
"Android promised us a choice. We shouldn't let them take it away from users and developers alike just to have more control. "
Cross, change.org
"Being able to install what you want on your device is the main selling point of android, I'll fully switch to something else if this change is made "
Luna, change.org
"One of the main reasons people even use Android is because it grants them a choice and freedom as a consumer to choose the software they use on their phones. By demanding that any other app or software made by a third party has to register with Google, provide private and information including their government IDs AND pay a FEE to Google for the privilege of developing an open source application... Google is essentially just creating a censorship tool and the beginning of a monopoly over any and all android software, just with extra steps. Proceeding with this will hurt both the reputation of Android and Google even more than has already been done this past year. "
Rhiannon, change.org
"Removing the only reason to use Android... "
John, change.org
"The world needs more freedom, not less. Nobody said you *have* to use a free APK, but we need to keep the option open for anybody who does. "
Evan, change.org
"If this happens then I might as well move over to Apple. Shame on you Google. "
Darren, change.org
"As a user and advocate of free and open-source software, I express my deep concern regarding Google's recent decisions that progressively erode the open nature of Android. The reduction of AOSP releases from four to two times per year [[13]], the development of the system behind closed doors [[21]], and the new developer verification program that threatens independent repositories like F-Droid [[17]], represent a shift toward a more controlled and restrictive model. Android was born as a promise of freedom for manufacturers, developers, and users; turning it into a closed ecosystem not only betrays its foundational principles, but also limits innovation, competition, and users' right to control their own devices. I demand transparency and a genuine commitment to open source. "
Dalien, change.org
"Removing the ability to side-load apps is an egregious deviation from what made Android better. Android should remain free and open, the experience should not be lobotomized into what ends up being just a "cheaper iPhone". "
Luke, change.org
"I find this measure deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an phone, it is with the expectation of having control over how I use it. A company should not decide how I use my devices. "
Abdoul, change.org
"I've always been an avid android user because of its open nature, but since the pandemic google has been clamping down on the freedom provided by the platform. First they added extra steps to install appstores other than the play store. Then they took away the ability to install older applications. Then they blocked you from being able to access the filesystem of your own device. Now they want to close the ecosystem, and make it easy for them to oppress the people who made this OS worthwhile in the first place. Google is heartless, and it's only a matter of time until they closed-source the android project. I will not stand for a corporation that willingly hands over the innocent to this authoritarian regime. Leave android alone! "
Issac, 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
""Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin "
ethical, 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
"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
"Ok,So as anAndroid User,It is known that Android has a very large freedom on apps,and that's also why many users prefer the system.And In This Way ,Google's banning on apps is a killing action that ruins its powerful use.So if Google don't want to see it,PLEASE STOP THIS STUPID DECISION! "
Huang, change.org
"I use open source apps from F Droid in place of stock apps because they require less permissions, use less resources and offer better theming and customization. The whole point of Android was supposed to be that you can do whatever you want on it as apposed to iOS. Sure, not everyone installs custom or third party apps, but why take the option away from people who do? "
Cory, 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
"This level of control over a phone i own is unacceptable if i own it i should be allowed to put what ever i want on it whenever i want without googles permission "
Frank, change.org
"Having a device where you control what does or does not go on it is our right to have. We bought this device and we should have the freedom to do what we want with the device, regardless of the manufacturer or operating system it is on. Allowing this change to happen is just one more step towards a controlled ecosystem; by Google, for Google and this is exactly what they want. "
Clayton, change.org
"Genuinely fr "
Hanifinio, change.org
"Android is freedom. Plain and simple. Android let's us the users decide what we want to do with our devices. I have only ever used android because it is open and free. "
Drew, change.org
"I don't want some mega corporation to tell me what code I can and cannot run on my own phone. The AI BS they're pushing is bad enough, this is even worse. "
Jackie, change.org
"Google always voiced themselves as the "Open Platform" in direct competition with Apple. With the lockdown happening, there is no more competition. It's either "isolated OS" or "fellow isolated OS". In today's day and age, especially, the people value and are drawn to the ability to make their own choices without the difficulties and frustrations of being restricted and banned from doing something. It's *why* so many people switched to Android/ Google devices, and *why* so many Android/Google users *refuse* to use Apple products. The lockdown is just creating another Apple under a different company. "
Amelia, change.org
"Please let us have freedom with our phones Google, thank you. "
Michael, change.org
"I cannot count the amount of times a sideloaded application has provided me with a much needed service or feature! Removing the ability to install such applications would be a massive blow not only to the users of android, but the operating system as a whole, and what it has and should still stand for. Which is the "your device your choice" mentality. The choice by Google to implement this change is nothing more than corporate greed. This decision should be reversed and an apology issued as soon as possible. "
Josh, change.org
"This is the main reason I am a android user. If I have to choice between 2 closed systems then I will go to OS "
Victor Daniel, change.org
"what does google think'll happen when they remove this aspect of android. this is the only distinguishable feature between ios and android "
Mail-main, change.org
"This decision is about maximizing revenue. And it is Google's near monopoly they are leveraging to do it, despite the negatives for every other person and organisation. Forcing users out of Android with this decision only increases pressure for real alternatives to Android on the smartphone OS, and in the end is Google shooting themselves in the foot. Bit it hurts us too. It's cheaper and easier for everyone to maintain the status quo. Please don't do this, as it erases now decades of work by thousands (millions?) of developers around the world. "
Oliver, change.org
"Im an adult. I paid for a device based on the promise of features. If I wanted someone to hold my hand while im online I'd get an iPhone or hire a state nurse to watch me. Really this is small, but a first step toward total control from big companies, good luck being an independent developer or whatever in the future when no one can download you stuff bc Google said so. And, as a consumer, think of all the good crowd funded and indie games and products that come out and rival if not demolish the big companies. This is how they stop that, dont let them. "
Ryan, change.org
"Intelectual property is a disgrace! If what Google is trying to do is normalized it will eventually reach other OSes and it could kill game preservation via emulation. Not only that, they are also trying to normalize putting ridiculous restrictions to the freedom of the developers which could eventually kill open-source or at least make it unimaginably worst! "
Guilherme, change.org
"I have been avoiding iPhone and using Android specifically for this reason. Why would Google change something that is working for them? Why ruin something good? Short sighted and stupid move. "
Will, change.org
"I use Android because I believe in its policy on freedom of software. If Google is able to take that away, it puts immense power in the hands of 2 giant companies (Apple and Google) as the sole arbiters of what software billions of people are and aren't allowed to use. That scares me, and it should scare you too. "
Nate, change.org
"Keep android app development open! "
Samuel, change.org
"Google is wrong to limit people installing whatever they want on what's supposed to be their phone. "
Spark, 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
"As others have definitely stated along with me, the Android platform was always chosen over Apple because of the freedom it allowed. Creating another oppressive "nanny" based prison environment for customers is not the answer. No "features" or promises of "safety" are worth giving up freedom of a once open OS. "
Jason, change.org
"I object to being forced to use Google "approved" bloatware and non-open source software on my devices. "
Kinene, change.org
"APKs have brought really cool Android ports to game sites like GameJolt, and and I don't want to see that go away. Also, I heard licenses for these things can get pretty darn expensive, which isn't cool. "
Deirdre, change.org
"Android became what it is today because it was open, flexible, and gave users real control over their own devices. When companies lock down Android, restrict sideloading, or punish people for rooting and customizing, they’re not just limiting features—they’re limiting freedom.Our phones are how we communicate, organize, learn, and participate in public life. If a handful of companies get to decide which apps, stores, and tools are “allowed,” they gain gatekeeper power over what we can say, what we can access, and how we can exist online. That directly impacts our freedom of speech and our freedom to choose how we use the devices we paid for.We are asking you to keep Android open:Stop adding policies and technical barriers that break custom ROMs, root tools, and alternative app stores.Allow users to fully control their devices, including what software they install and how they modify it.Respect the right of users and developers to experiment, innovate, and speak without being blocked by arbitrary restrictions.Locking down Android might be framed as “security,” but real security and privacy should empower users—not take away their choices. Please protect the open nature of Android and the digital freedoms that come with it. "
Cory, change.org
"Save privacy and security "
Pepe, change.org
"LEAVE ANDROID ONLY PLEASE "
Chapo, change.org
"The main reason I've used Android over the years was the freedom to use it how I want including installing apps that are not on the app store. If this change goes through, I will start exploring options to move away from Android. "
Daniel, change.org
"I've been an Android user for ever since i was 12, im about to be 30 now and i have never looked back, this is do to one main reason, freedom of choice. I always liked that i can install games and apps directly from developers most of the times. Is one of those things that set Android apart from iOS. Im not as tech savvy as some of my peers, but i do often show off the things i can do on my Android device that family and friends cant do on their iOS, so far i have been able to convince people to switch to Android and they have been enjoying the switch. I feel like iOS is finally catching up to Android in terms of customization features that Android has had for years now, but this decision to limit where i can get apps from would make the system just like iOS. I already quit from newer Samsung Galaxy devices since they got rid of features i still utilize to this day like the Headphone jack and Expandable storage. Today i use a Sony Xperia 1 V, which features both. I even did this personal experiment last year where i got an iPhone for 3 months to truly experience "the other side" and apart from getting use to the new User Interface (UI) the thought i kept having for those 3 months was "i cant get that one app im used to" or "i wish i could get this specific app, but is not on the App Store". When i finally got back to an Android phone the difference felt big, not only was i back to an UI i was so used to, i also didn't feel restricted from my choices in what apps i wanted to install. All and all, this decision to restrict Android users from where we can get our apps, is just another thing that i think will not longer set them apart from an iOS device, and there will be less reasons to choose an phone over the other, making them unexciting and eventually just all blend together. "
Anthony, change.org
"APK being open is the soul reason the market stayed successful. It is a staple of our freedoms, fun, and expression. This is a Trojan Horse that infringes on our right to privacy and freedom of speech. Anyone can access our private information. The time to act is now. "
Ciara, change.org
"This would severely limit any reason I have to use a google certified android phone. Without the ability to easily support open source developers and tinker with my own projects -- the android phone would cease to be my "daily driver". These are our computers, and we should be able to install what we want on them. It's disrespectful to take that right away. Please reconsider removing your hardware's greatest and most consumer friendly strength in the mobile market. "
Kedryn, change.org
"Apple would be the only entity to benefit from this change. The ability to side load apps and to support (and greatly benefit from) the FOSS community are the only meaningful reasons that anyone would choose to have an Android phone. "
Jake, change.org
"If Google goes through with this, there will be no more Free and Open Source Software on Android. This move by Google has nothing to do with malware, and everything to do with oversight and control. I bought this Android device specifically because it was sold to me as an open platform. If Google goes through with this, I will be throwing this device in the garbage and sending them an invoice for $600 "
Llywel, change.org
"Freedom of expression and choice, without filtering. "
Ralph, change.org
"Android giving users choice has been the staple point of android OS. Removing choices like sideloading apps is not the move. I develop apps for myself, I do not want to be "an approved developer" I don't have time nor care for that. This action also is the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Android started as an open operating system, you have simply turned it into a reskinned Apple OS. Your choice to go anti-consumer is going to hurt. You are not "protecting" anyone "
Seth, change.org
"As an iPhone user, Android's ability to sideload apps was the single reason I purchased an Android tablet instead of an iPad. Now that this is going away, Google can go away because they're no different than an Apple phone now. "
Robert, 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
"1 federal lawsuit wasn't enough? This only scratches the surface of the game they keep playing. Why after all that's happened, being convicted of monopoly must Google feel the need to lockdown the one shot we have at staying private on mobile? Even if they do want to collect more data it will cost them some of their userbase. The terms of the update alone are outrageous. Fees & gov't ID? Let's sue 'em again! 😂 "
Zach, change.org
"User Freedom is the Android standard, what the user chooses to do with his Android device is done under his own accountability. This is an attempt to monopolize and monetize the users "choice" by removing all avenues aside from google's approved path. Sideloading is not a risk that google is trying to protect their users from, it is a risk to their revenue that would come from selling you a tool made of easily copyable code, since all purchases made from apps installed through "normal means" give 30% of that revenue to google. What google wants is money, and they get money by placing their own guiding rails on your attention. they give you a free app that sustains itself with either some "full version purchase/subscription" or google's own ad platform. Their ads are another form of revenue to google, as well as app developers, though they have the downside of attempting to guide your attention away from what you're doing at the time and stimulate you into spending on whatever is being sponsored to be shown to you. There are thousands of apps on the play store, there are thousands more on other sources, and the very ones on the play store are subject to a policy of "update your app within x years or it will be removed from the play store;" this is a death sentence to any developer that simply wants to create a tool to help others by having to constantly update, then having to have some way to make it sustainable by some form of monetization since it's going to have an upkeep. It's either this, or being "doomed to obscurity outside the play store." In every step of the ladder of usage, google wants to have more money, search for an app, sponsored results first, then actual search query response, start downloading an app, the layout changes to show multiple carousels of sponsored apps "tailored to you," open an app, ads, wherever they can be, chosen by years of usage tracking and market control research, making money to google because companies will pay to have their names spread to gather attention, pay for services, subscriptions, and tools, giving 30% of it to google. A company like google measures its success by how much money they make, while the creators of tools, services, and games read through their mail, appreciating good reviews and crying about bad ones because passion is what led them to create. Take GitHub for example, a site comprised entirely to sharing code, entire project libraries free and open-source for anyone to use. Take StackExchange, multiple forums where questions and answers between experts of hundreds of subjects ranging from pure mathematics to writing to Dungeons & Dragons. Take Anna's Archive, a long-standing attempt to preserve literature media and providing methods to acces, preserve, and add to over 63 million books and 95 million papers, all for free. The average person is not me, but the average person includes large numbers of people younger than me that will accept whatever comes to their hands at the end of the day, it includes large numbers of people older than me that will be glad of an oversimplified process that won't take from their time. We need to be lucid enough to not waste time, the old will have too little time to care how they're being led, and the young will be raised into being led and believe it's natural. We need to show that our time is a value to each of us, and be strong enough to not sell our time to the well-oiled machine made to line a distant someone's pockets. "
Carlos, change.org
"It is called installing on devices that I own. I don't need to be hand held under the guise of safety "
Paul, change.org
"Invasion of privacy in the name of security "
Sadegh, change.org
"I use software that is not in the google play store. I want the freedom to use my phones. tablets, and other devices how I want them. "
Doug, change.org
"I didn't sideload an app on my phone. I installed software on my handheld computer (phone). I own my device, not Google. This overreach of only being able to install Apple, Google, or Microsoft apps and nothing else is likely to spread to our personal computers if it is not stopped now with our phones. Google Play already protects from malware on the phone no matter where an app was installed from. This is NOT about security and lowering risk. "
Amber, change.org