Dein Handy wird bald nicht mehr dir gehören.
Ab September 2026 wird ein stilles Update von Google ohne Zustimmung der Nutzer alle Android-Apps blockieren, deren Entwickler sich nicht bei Google registriert, ihren Vertrag nicht unterzeichnet und nicht bezahlt haben.
Jede App und jedes Gerät, weltweit, ohne Möglichkeit des Widerspruchs.
↓Was Google tut
Im August 2025 hat Google eine neue Bedingung angekündigt: ab September 2026 muss sich jeder Android-App-Entwickler zentral bei Google anmelden bevor seine oder ihre Software auf irgend einem Gerät installiert werden kann. Nicht nur Apps aus dem Play Store: alle Apps. Das beinhaltet auch Apps, die unter Freunden geteilt werden, die über F-Droid verteilt werden, die von Hobbyisten zur persönlichen Verwendung entwickelt werden. Unabhängige Entwickler, Kirchen- und Gemeinschaftsgruppen sowie Hobbyisten werden gleichermaßen von der Entwicklung und der Weitergabe ihrer Software ausgeschlossen.
Für die Registrierung ist folgendes erforderlich:
- Eine Gebühr an Google zahlen
- Zustimmung zu den Nutzungsbedingungen von Google
- Abgabe des amtlichen Ausweises
- Nachweis des privaten Signaturschlüssels
- Auflistung aller aktuellen und zukünftigen App-Bezeichner
Wenn ein Entwickler sich nicht daran hält, werden seine Apps stillschweigend auf allen Android-Geräten weltweit gesperrt.
Wen trifft das?
Dich
Du hast Dich für ein Android-Smartphone entschieden, weil Google Dir versichert hat, dass es offen für neue Technologien sei. Du konntest installieren, was Du willst, und das war die Abmachung.
Google ändert diese Vereinbarung nun rückwirkend für bereits vorhandene Hardware. Nach dem Update kannst Du nur noch von Google vorab genehmigte Software nutzen. Auf Deinem Smartphone: Deinem Eigentum, wofür Du bezahlt hast.
Unabhängige Entwickler
Ob die erste App eines Teenagers, ein Datenschutztool für Freiwillige oder die vertrauliche interne Betaversion eines Unternehmens – das spielt keine Rolle. Nach September 2026 lässt sich keine dieser Apps mehr ohne Googles Zustimmung installieren.
F-Droid, die Heimat Tausender kostenloser und Open-Source-Android-Apps, hat dies als eine "existenzielle" Bedrohung bezeichnet. Cory Doctorow nennt es "Darth Android".
Regierungen und Zivilgesellschaft
Google hat eine dokumentierte Erfolgsbilanz bei der Erfüllung von Forderungen autoritärer Regime nach App-Entfernungen. Mit diesem Programm wird die Software, die die Institutionen Ihres Landes steuert, dem Gutdünken eines einzigen, nicht rechenschaftspflichtigen ausländischen Konzerns unterworfen sein.
Die EFF bezeichnet App-Gatekeeping "einen sich ständig erweiternden Weg zur Internetzensur."
Googles "Notausgang" ist eine Falltür
Google sagt, dass "Power-User" nicht überprüfte Apps immer noch installieren können. Hier erläutern wir, was das tatsächlich bedeutet:
- Öffne die Systemeinstellungen und suche nach den Entwickleroptionen.
- Tippe sieben Mal auf die Build-Nummer, um den Entwicklermodus zu aktivieren.
- Ignoriere die Angstmacherei bezüglich Zwang.
- Gebe Deine PIN ein.
- Starte des Gerät neu.
- Warte 24 Stunden.
- Komme zurück und blende weitere Angstbildschirme aus.
- Wähle "vorübergehend erlauben" (7 Tage) oder "unbegrenzt erlauben".
- Bestätige, dass Du "die Risiken" verstehst.
Neun Schritte. Eine obligatorische 24-stündige Bedenkzeit. Zur Installtion von Software auf einem Gerät, was Dein Eigentum ist.
Schlimmer noch: dieser Ablauf findet vollständig über die Google Play Dienste statt, nicht dem Android-Betriebssystem. Google kann dies jederzeit ändern, einschränken oder ganz abschalten, ohne dass ein Betriebssystem-Update oder eine Zustimmung erforderlich ist. Bis heute wurde es noch in keiner Beta-, Vorschau- oder Canary-Version veröffentlicht. Es existiert lediglich als Blogbeitrag und einigen Mockups.
Das ist größer als Android.
Wenn Google nachträglich Milliarden von Geräten sperren kann, die als offene Plattformen verkauft wurden, schaut jeder Hardwarehersteller auf dem Planeten genau hin.
Das Prinzip was eingeführt wird: Das Unternehmen, welches Dein Gerät hergestellt hat, entscheidet nach dem Kauf, welche Software Du darauf ausführen darfst. In der Softwarebranche spricht man von einem "Rug Pull"; zumindest könnte man aber immer noch Konkurrenzprodukte installieren. In der Hardwarebranche hingegen handelt es sich um eine vollendete Tatsache, die einem die Handlungsfähigkeit raubt und einen den Launen eines einzelnen, nicht zur Rechenschaft gezogenen Gatekeepers und verurteilten Monopolisten ausliefert.
Die Offenheit von Android war nie nur ein Feature. Sie war das Versprechen, das es vom iPhone unterschied. Millionen entschieden sich genau aus diesem Grund für Android. Google widerruft dieses Versprechen nun einseitig - auf Geräten, die sich bereits in den Taschen der Nutzer befinden – weil das Unternehmen der Ansicht ist, dass seine Marktmacht und der Einfluss der Regulierungsbehörden ausreichen, um damit durchzukommen.
Ars Technica: "Googles Neid auf Apple droht, Androids offene Tradition zu zerstören."
Aber Moment mal, ist das nicht...
"...nur zur Sicherheit?"
Die Sicherheitsbegründung ist ein Vorwand. Google Play Protect scannt bereits unabhängig von der Entwickleridentität nach Malware. Die Pflicht zur Vorlage eines amtlichen Ausweises macht den Code nicht sicherer. Sie macht Entwickler identifizierbar und kontrollierbar. Malware-Autoren können sich registrieren. Indie-Entwickler und Dissidenten hingegen oft nicht. Die EFF (Economic Frontier Foundation) bringt es auf den Punkt: identitätsbasierte Zugangskontrolle ist ein Instrument der Zensur, nicht der Sicherheit.
"...weiterhin Sideloading, wenn man den erweiterten Ablauf verwendet?"
Neun Schritte, 24 Stunden Wartezeit, versteckt in den Entwickleroptionen, bereitgestellt über einen proprietären Dienst, den Google jederzeit widerrufen kann. Das ist kein Sideloading. Das ist ein Abschreckungsmechanismus, der sicherstellen soll, dass ihn praktisch niemand durchführt. Und da er über die Play-Dienste und nicht über das Betriebssystem läuft, kann Google ihn stillschweigend einschränken oder ganz abschalten.
"...nur dann ein Problem, wenn man etwas zu verbergen hat?"
Whistleblower, Journalisten und Aktivisten unter autoritären Regierungen werden die ersten Opfer sein. Menschen in Fällen häuslicher Gewalt folgen als Nächstes. Alle diese Gruppen haben legitime Gründe, Software zu verbreiten oder zu nutzen, ohne ihre Identität in einer Google-Datenbank preiszugeben. Anonyme Open-Source-Beiträge sind eine Tradition, die älter ist als Google selbst. Diese Richtlinie beendet sie auf Android.
"...das gleiche, was Apple macht?"
Apple war von Anfang an ein geschlossenes System. Die Leute wählten Android, weil es anders war. "Apple macht das auch" ist ein ruinöser Wettbewerb und ein schwaches Tu-quoque-Argument. Und unter dem Druck der Regulierungsbehörden (EU-Digitalgesetz) ist selbst Apple gezwungen, sich zu öffnen. Google geht den entgegengesetzten Weg: Es versucht, seine Gatekeeper-Position weiter zu festigen.
"...nur 25 Dollar und etwas Papierkram?"
Vielleicht, wenn Du ein Entwickler in den USA mit Kreditkarte und Führerschein bist. Versuche mal, Student in Subsahara-Afrika zu sein, Dissident in Myanmar oder Freiwilliger, der eine Gesundheits-App für die Gemeinschaft betreut. Die Kosten sind nicht nur finanzieller Natur: Du gibst deine Ausweispapiere und Nachweise oder deine Signaturschlüssel an ein Unternehmen ab, das routinemäßig staatlichen Forderungen nachkommt, Apps zu entfernen und Entwickler bloßzustellen.
Wehrt euch
Alle
- Installiere F-Droid auf jedem Deiner Android-Geräte. Alternative App-Stores können nur überleben, wenn sie auch genutzt werden.
- Wende Dich an Deine Aufsichtsbehörde. Aufsichtsbehörden weltweit sind ernsthaft besorgt über Monopole und die Machtkonzentration im Technologiesektor und möchten direkt von Betroffenen und besorgten Personen hören.
- Teile diese Seite. Setze einen Link zu keepandroidopen.org überall.
- Wehre Dich gegen Astroturfer. Die "Nun ja, eigentlich ..."-Fraktion ist zahlreich vertreten. Lasse nicht zu, dass sie die Deutungshoheit übernehmen.
- Unterzeichne die Petition und schließe Dich den über 100.000 Unterzeichnenden an, die ihre Stimme erhoben haben.
- Lese und teile unseren offenen Brief
- Sage Google was Du davon hältst über ihre eigene Befragung zur Entwicklerverifizierung (für all den Nutzen, den das bringen wird.).
Entwickler
Melde Dich nicht an. Melde Dich nicht für das Programm an, indem Du dich bei der Android Developer Console registrierst und deren unwiderruflichen Nutzungsbedingungen zustimmst. Verifiziere Deine Identität nicht. Mach nicht mit.
Googles Plan funktioniert nur, wenn sich Entwickler daran halten. Mach das nicht.
- Halte andere Entwickler und Organisationen davon ab, sich anzumelden.
- Füge die FreeDroidWarn-Bibliothek zu deinen Apps hinzu, um Benutzer zu warnen.
- Du hast eine Website? Füge den Countdown-Banner hinzu.
Mitarbeiter von Google
Wenn Sie etwas über die technische Umsetzung oder die internen Hintergründe des Programms wissen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte von einem privaten Computer und einem Nicht-Gmail-Konto unter tips@keepandroidopen.org. Absolute Vertraulichkeit wird garantiert.
Alle, die dagegen waren…
71 Organisationen aus 23 Ländern haben den offenen Brief unterzeichnet
Brave brave.com 
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org 
The Tor Project torproject.org 
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk 
Tuta Mail tuta.com 
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de 
Proton AG proton.me 
The App Fair Project appfair.org 
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org 
F-Droid f-droid.org 
FACiL facil.qc.ca 
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw 
KDE e.V. kde.org 
Italian Linux Society ils.org 
XMPP Standards Foundation xmpp.org 
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au 
The Calyx Institute calyx.org 
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net 
Ghostery ghostery.com 
CryptPad cryptpad.org 
Nextcloud nextcloud.com 
Privacy Guides privacyguides.org 
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com 
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org 
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org 
Unified Push unifiedpush.org 
Techlore techlore.tech 
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no 
Data Rights datarights.ngo 
FUTO futo.org 
Cryptee crypt.ee 
/e/ Foundation e.foundation 
Open Web Advocacy open-web-advocacy.org 
IzzyOnDroid izzyondroid.org 
The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) osmfoundation.org 
GrapheneOS Foundation grapheneos.org 
OW2 ow2.org 
JMP.chat jmp.chat 
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu 
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com 
Molly molly.im 
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co 
The Guardian Project guardianproject.info 
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch 
ARTICLE 19 article19.org 
VideoLAN videolan.org 
Obtainium obtainium.imranr.dev 
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org 
Osservatorio Nessuno OdV osservatorionessuno.org 
Fastmail fastmail.com 
OpenMedia openmedia.org 
Fedimedia fedimedia.it 
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org 
FULU Foundation fulu.org 
April april.org 
Codeberg e.V. codeberg.org 
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be 
AdGuard adguard.com 
FOSDEM fosdem.org 
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org 
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org 
Aurora Store auroraoss.com 
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works 
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org 
GitHub Store github-store.org 
LineageOS lineageos.org 
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org 
microG microg.org 
GNOME Foundation gnome.org 
iodé iode.tech 
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org Lies den vollständigen offenen Brief und danke den Unterzeichnenden →
Was Andere sagen
Presse
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"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 new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"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 New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's 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
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"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
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
Leitartikel & Analysen
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
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
"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
"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
"The $25 isn't the real cost. The chilling effect is. Submitting government ID to Google is a non-starter for pseudonymous contributors and privacy researchers."
Arafat Alim, DEV Community
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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 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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"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
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"Google is turning sideloading from a right into a permission slip, and the open-source community has until September to convince it otherwise."
Reclaim The Net
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"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
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Google has announced that they are altering the deal. And telling us that we should pray that they don't alter it further. Block this policy change now before they wrap their cold metal hands around our necks."
Jesse Wilson, PublicObject.com
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"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
"This policy represents a dramatic departure from Android's decades-old tradition of openness, in which developers could build and share apps freely without first submitting to a centralized authority."
Biometric Update
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
Organisationen und offene Briefe
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"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
"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
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"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
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
"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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"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
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open source app distribution sources as we know them today."
F-Droid
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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 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
"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
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
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
"Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
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 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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google is doing to Android what Microsoft once tried to do to the web. Embrace, extend, extinguish. Just wrapped in a shinier open-source package."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"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
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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 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
"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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"This has obvious problems for non-Google operating systems like iodeOS, LineageOS, or BraxOS. Google Android will 'check in' with Google to verify the identity of the app and to validate the operating system."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"F-Droid is basically saying that the new Google developer registration process will likely kill the open-source app store entirely."
The Linux Experiment – YouTube
"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 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
"I have really no more strong reason to not recommend you all get iPhones, because this just is pretty much an iPhone with a Google logo on it at this point."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
Entwickler & Gemeinschaft
"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
"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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), 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
"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
"If Android's sandbox and permission systems actually worked, then the mere act of installing an app from an arbitrary source would be as harmless as visiting an arbitrary website."
mwcampbell, Lobsters
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"There's an entire genre of scamming where the scammers spend months building rapport with their victims before cashing out. One day is nothing."
free_bip (on the 24-hour wait defeating scammers), Hacker News
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, 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
"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
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"Can't come at a worse time. People are just learning to make things through vibe coding, and they're gonna want to put their own apps on their phones. And now Google says no."
Serinus, Lemmy
"This is a war on users that want to keep control of their phones and when it's done, you will not be able to escape the enshittification."
ikidd, Lemmy
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"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
"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
"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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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 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
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, 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
"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
"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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"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
Stimmen aus der Petition
"Wenn Google entscheiden will, welche Apps auf meinem Android laufen darf, sage ich NEIN! Nicht mit mir. Freies Android, freie App-Auswahl. "
Herbert, change.org
"Der Konzernimperialismus ist keine gute Herrschaftsform. Wo bleibt eine klare Stellungnahme? "
Markus, change.org
"Apple, Google, Meta, MicoSoft, Samsung, usw. machen die analoge ZwischenMenschlichkeit kaputt. Diese schleichende #DigitalDiktatur führt zu mehr Unzufriedenheit und deutliche Verärgerungen gegenüber den (A-)Sozialen Netzwerken und BetriebSystemHerstellenden. Es gibt durch die MarkM8Missbrauchende-Stellung keine echte Konkurrenz, weil in diesem SchneeBall-Imperialistischen-Konzernen alles darauf ausgelegt ist, dafür zu sorgen, dass sich auch Staaten dem #DigitalZwang erlegen sind und alles raffgierig ansich reißen, ausplündern und auch Menschen die ein SM-Art-Phone kauften, ebenfalls zu dessen Marionetten. Wer den Google-Bestimmungen und/oder Samsung-Bestimmungen nicht zustimmt - Hat schon heute keine Möglichkeit das bereits gekaufte Gerät zu nutzen. Das verärgert mich unter Anderem so sehr, dass ich Google und Co. regelrecht hasse! - - Ich kaufe ein Gerät und soll erst mal PlayStore, SamsungStore und Co. installieren - HandyNummer & E-Mail-Pflicht . . Ich habe keine legale Mögluchkeit ein anderes Betriebsystem zu benutzen - ohne Apps . . . Auch kann ich nicht ans sog. WurzelVerzeichnis, um endluch bestimmte Apps wirklich vom Gerät zu entfernen. Auch kann ich Einstellungen nicht mehr vornehmen, die ich im uralten Android noch machen konnte. Mich stören diese #Fremdbestimmungen und #Fremdsteuerung seitens Google & Co. imens. Wenn ich von anderen Plattformen Apps herunter lade und installieren will, blockiert Google dies schon jetzt, - Teilweise abstrus, denn ich muss die eine oder andere App nochmal von GooglePlayStore installieren, um Diese nutzen zukönnen. Oder, Google hat Zugriffe von installierte Apps verweigert, angeblich zu meinem Schutz, dabei will ich ja genau auf das Verzeichnis zugreifen. . . was blockiert wird. Wenn ich das SM-Art-Phone ausschalte, dann hat es ausgeschaltet zusein und nich wieder angehen, nur um mittzuteilen, dass der Akku geladen werden muss. Ich will meine Display-Anzeige etc. selbst so einatellen, wie ich es will. Auch Ordner anlegen wie ich es will und auch die AnzeigenArt ändern, bsp. als Ordnerliste . . . Es ist mein Gerät! Ich will auch echte HandBücher in meiner Sprache DEU_Deutschland haben - mit A L L E N Funktionen und EinstellungsMöglichkeiten, die es tatsächlich gibt. Google-Play funktioniert auch bicht, obwohl diese GuthabenKarte bereits bezahlt wurde. Auch stört es mich, dass Giigle, plötzlich Apps nicht mehr zulässt, obwohl ich eine LifeTime-Lizenz habe. Vorher entgeltfreie Appa sind mittlerweile nur noch gegen Enrgelt beim Google-Play-Store kaufbar. Ich hasse diese App-Store-Pflicht. Seriöse Unternehmen bieten Downloads von dessen Homepage und IN-App-Updates an. Was nützt es mir in der EU ein Recht auf Reparatur zuhaben, wenn das Gerät keine BetriebsystemUpdates mehr bekommt? Ansich braucht es wieder eine Trennu g von Betriebsystem und GeräteTreiber. Es braucht dringend eine Multiple-Software, die dazu fähig ist, bestehende Datei-Endungen von Installations-Dateien quasi rippen, wievom WMA zu MP3 nur eben für BetriebsystemeGeräteTreiber. . . . Deutschland, 2026-03-24 "
Marius-Felix-Aladini, change.org
"Es sollte weiterhin alternative Entwicklungen geben ob anerkannt oder nicht. Ich probiere gerne aus und bisher, ist nichts außergewöhnlich negatives in meinen Systemen geschehen. "
Marcel, change.org
"Ich möchte weiterhin Apps installieren können, die mir in meinem Leben weiterhelfen. Das waren viele aus dem Play Store, aber auch einige freie Software - Projekte. Diese Möglichkeit sollte es weiterhin geben. Android sollte eine offene Plattform bleiben. "
Daniel, change.org
"Android hat einen wertvollen Unterschied gemacht. Wir waren sehr froh darüber. Es ist nicht mehr das, was es einmal war, wenn Google nicht seine Pläne ändern wird. "
ActualVision, change.org
"als Entwickler schreibe ich kleine Apps fpr Android und empfehle allen Android als freies System im Gegensatz zu Apple. Diese Argumentation wird zunehmend schwerer, je mehr Google versucht, die Nutzer zu gängeln (vendor lockin). "
Harald, change.org
"Googles Entscheidungen sind schlecht, deshalb helfe ich ja. "
Ggy, change.org
"Es hat schon etwas von Betrug an Verbrauchern und Erpressung von Ebtwicklern, die Offenheit von Android derart zu beschneiden. "
Thomas, change.org
"Schlimm. Es wird Zeit für DIY Smartphones mit ebenso selbstgemachten Betriebssystemen. Es gibt sie, aber für viele schwer alltagstauglich. Sucht mal nach postmarketOS ob es eine Wahl ist, um sich ganz von google zu trennen. "
Jochen, change.org
"Ich installiere gerne eigene Apps oder Paystore fremde Apps um Dinge zu testen oder ältere Apps die es nicht mehr im Playstore gibt nutzen zu können. Ein Wegfallen dieser Möglichkeiten wäre fatal. "
Jonatan, change.org
"Der einzige Grund vom ersten I Phone auf Android zu wechseln war die "Freiheit" auf meinem Handy mehr tun zu können. Mittlerweile wird sie dermaßen beschnitten, sperrung des Bootlocks, die Zwangregistrierung von Entwicklern. Google das ist traurig... Habt ihr eure Ideale vergessen? Verkauft? Kapitalisiert? "
Stefan, change.org