आपका फ़ोन अब आपका नहीं रहेगा।
सितम्बर 2026 के शुरू होते ही, गूगल बड़े ही शान्ति से आपकी सहमति के बिना, वे सारे एंड्राइड ऐप्प्स पर प्रतिबन्ध लगा देगा जिनके डेवेलपर्स ने गूगल के साथ अपना पंजीकरण नहीं किया है, उनके अनुबंधों पर हस्ताक्षर नहीं किया, उन्हें पैसे नहीं दिए, या फिर अपनी सरकारी पहचान पत्र (आधार कार्ड, पैन कार्ड आदि) न सौंपी हो।
हर ऐप और हर डिवाइस, दुनियाभर में, बिना किसी विकल्प के।
↓गूगल क्या कर रहा है?
अगस्त 2025 में, गूगल ने एंड्राइड पर डेवेलप करने के लिए नई आवश्यकताओं की घोषणा की जिसके अनुसार: सितम्बर 2026 के शुरू होते ही, हर एंड्राइड ऐप्प डेवलपर को केंद्रीय रूप से गूगल के साथ पंजीकृत होना होगा इससे पहले कि उनके द्वारा बनाये गए सॉफ्टवेयर किसी भी डिवाइस पर इनस्टॉल हो सकें। सिर्फ प्लेस्टोर वाले ही ऐप्प्स नहीं, सभी ऐप्प्स। इसमें साथी-सहपाठियों के बीच शेयर किये गए ऐप्प्स भी आते हैं, और F-Droid जैसे प्लेटफार्म भी, जो शौक़ीन तथा तकनीक प्रेमियों द्वारा निजी उपयोग के लिए बनाया गया है। गूगल के इस कदम से स्वतंत्र डेवेलपर्स, मंदिर-मस्जिद-गुरुद्वारे जैसी धार्मिक संस्थाएं और सामुदायिक समूह, और तकनीक-प्रेमी, ये सभी अपना सॉफ्टवेयर बनाने और वितरित करने के अधिकार से वंचित हो जाएंगे।
पंजीकरण करने के लिए आपको नीचे दिए गए कदम अपनाने होंगे:-
- गूगल को एक तय शुल्क भुगतान करना
- गूगल की नियम और शर्तों से सहमत होना
- सरकारी पहचान पत्र सौंपना (सर्वाधिक महत्त्वपूर्ण एवं चिंताजनक)
- सबूत के तौर पर अपनी private signing key दिखाना
- सभी वर्तमान तथा भविष्य के application identifiers को सूचीबद्ध करना
यदि कोई डेवलपर इन शर्तों का पालन नहीं करता है, तो उनके ऐप्प्स पूरी दुनिया में शांतिपूर्ण ढंग से हर एंड्राइड डिवाइस पर ब्लॉक कर दिए जाएंगे।
यह किसे नुक्सान पहुंचा रहा है
आपको
आपने एक एंड्राइड डिवाइस खरीदा क्यूंकि गूगल कहता है उनका डिवाइस एक खुला प्लेटफार्म है। आप उस डिवाइस पर वो इनस्टॉल कर सकते थे जो आपको पसंद है, यही शर्त थी।
गूगल अब उस शर्त को नए सिरे से लिख रहा है, उस हार्डवेयर पर भी जो आप पहले से खरीद चुके हैं। इस अपडेट के बाद, आप सिर्फ वही ऐप्प्स चला सकेंगे जो गूगल द्वारा प्रमाणित हैं। आपके फ़ोन पर: आपकी संपत्ति, जिसके लिए आपने पैसे दिए हैं।
स्वतंत्र डेवेलपर्स को
एक किशोर लड़के का पहला ऐप्प, एक वॉलंटियर का प्राइवेसी टूल, या एक कंपनी का गोपनीय बीटा। गूगल के आशीर्वाद के बिना सितम्बर 2026 के बाद आप उनमें से किसी भी प्रकार के ऐप्प इनस्टॉल नहीं कर पाएंगे।
F-Droid, जो कि हज़ारों free और open-source ऐप्प्स का घर है, उन्होंने इसे एंड्राइड के "अस्तित्व पर खतरा" बताया है। Cory Doctorow ने इसे "Darth Android" कहा है।
सरकारें एवं सामाजिक संगठन
गूगल का एक साबित इतिहास है, जब तानाशाही सरकारें ऐप हटाने की मांग करती हैं तो गूगल मान लेता है। इस प्रोग्राम के साथ, आपके देश की संस्थाओं को चलाने वाला सॉफ्टवेयर एक ऐसी विदेशी कंपनी की मर्ज़ी पर निर्भर होगा जिसे कोई जवाबदेह नहीं ठहरा सकता।
EFF ने app gatekeeping को "इंटरनेट सेंसरशिप की तरफ एक अग्रसर होता हुआ रास्ता" बताया है।
गूगल का "escape hatch" एक जाल है।
गूगल कहता है कि "power users" अभी भी "unverified apps इनस्टॉल कर सकते हैं।" पर असल में यह कुछ ऐसा दिखता है:
- System Settings में जाओ, फिर Developer Options ढूंढो।
- build number को सात बार टैप करें ताकि Developer Mode चालू हो सके।
- आपके साथ जबरदस्ती नहीं की जा रही है, इसकी पुष्टि करें।
- PIN या कोई भी पासवर्ड मांगने पर डालें।
- अपने डिवाइस को Restart करें।
- 24 घंटे का इंतज़ार करें
- वापस आएं, फिर और डरावनी screens पर पुष्टि करें कि आप अपने होश में हैं।
- "allow temporarily" (7 दिन) या "allow indefinitely" दोनों में से किसी एक विकल्प का चयन करें।
- फिर से कन्फर्म करें कि आप "जोखिमों" को समझते हैं।
नौ चरण। 24-घंटे का अनिवार्य cooling-off समय। एक ऐप्प को अपने डिवाइस पर इनस्टॉल करने के लिए।
इससे भी बुरी बात: यह flow पूरी तरह से Google Play Services के द्वारा कार्यरत रहेगा, न कि Android OS द्वारा। गूगल इसे बदल सकता है, इसे कठिन बना सकता है, या फिर किसी भी समय इस flow को खत्म कर सकता है, इसके लिए न OS Updates की जरुरत है और न ही आपकी अनुमति की। और अब तक उन्होंने न beta, न preview, और न ही कोई canary build शिप किया है। यह flow सिर्फ एक blog post और कुछ mockups के रूप में है, इसे एक कागज़ी कार्यवाही भी बोल सकते हैं।
यह सिर्फ Android तक ही सीमित नहीं है
अगर गूगल उन अरबों डिवाइसों को लॉक कर सकता है जो खुले प्लेटफार्म के रूप में बेचे गए थे, तो दुनिया का हर हार्डवेयर निर्माता यह देख रहा है।
सन्देश यह जा रहा है कि: वो कंपनी जिसने आपके डिवाइस को बनाया है, आपके खरीदने के बाद तय करेगी कि आप उस पर क्या चला सकते हैं। सॉफ्टवेयर की भाषा में इसे "rug pull" या फिर हिंदी में "पैरों तले जमीन खिसकना" बोलते हैं; फिर भी सॉफ्टवेयर में आप कोई विकल्प इनस्टॉल कर सकते हो। पर हार्डवेयर के नज़रिये से देखें तो, यह एक fait accompli है या "अब पछताए होत क्या, जब चिड़िया चुग गई खेत", एक ऐसी स्थिति जो आपकी स्वतंत्रता छीन लेती है और आपको एक जवाबदेही से बचने वाले gatekeeper और दोषी एकाधिकारी (monopolist) की मनमर्ज़ी के आगे बेबस कर देती है।
Android का खुलापन सिर्फ एक फीचर नहीं था। यह एक वादा भी था जिसके चलते यह iPhone से अलग था। करोड़ों ने Android सिर्फ इसी वजह से चुना। गूगल अब उस वादे को एकतरफा रूप से तोड़ रहा है, उन डिवाइसों पर भी जो पहले से लोगों की जेब में हैं, क्योंकि उन्होंने तय कर लिया है कि उनके पास इतना बाज़ार वर्चस्व और सरकारी पकड़ है कि वे इससे बच निकलेंगे।
Ars Technica: "गूगल का एप्पल के प्रति द्वेष, एंड्राइड की खुली विरासत को तबाह करने पर उतारू है।"
परन्तु, यह...
"...सुरक्षा वाली बात है न?"
सुरक्षा वाली वजह बस "आँखों में धूल झोंकने" वाली बात है। वैसे भी Google Play Protect डेवलपर की पहचान से अलग malware को स्कैन करता है। Govt. ID की आवश्यकता से कोड सुरक्षित नहीं हो जाता, इससे डेवेलपर्स को पहचानने और नियंत्रित करने में आसानी होती है। Malware वाले डेवेलपर्स पंजीकरण कर सकते हैं। स्वतंत्र डेवेलपर्स और आलोचक अक्सर नहीं कर सकते। EFF साफ़-साफ़ कहता है: पहचान-आधारित gatekeeping एक सेंसरशिप का हथियार है, इसका सुरक्षा से कोई नाता नहीं है।
"...advanced flow के उपयोग से तो sideloading फिर भी मुमकिन है न?"
नौ चरण, 24-hour का इंतज़ार, Developer Options में दफनाया गया, एक proprietary service के द्वारा चलाया गया जिसे Google जब चाहे हटा दे। इसे sideloading नहीं कहते। यह "नाक में दम" करने वाली प्रक्रिया है जिसे यह सुनिश्चित करने के लिए बनाया गया है कि लगभग कोई भी इसे पूरा न कर सके। और चूँकि यह Play Services द्वारा चलाया जा रहा है न कि OS द्वारा, गूगल इस प्रक्रिया को और सख्त या फिर चुपचाप हटा भी सकता है।
"...उन्हें दिक्कत देगा न जो कुछ छुपाना चाहते हैं?"
Whistleblowers, पत्रकार, और activists जो तानाशाही सरकार के अंतर्गत काम कर रहे हैं, वे इसके पहले शिकार बनेंगे। घरेलू उत्पीड़न से पीड़ित तबका इस कतार में अगले नंबर पर है। इन सभी समूहों के पास अपना सॉफ्टवेयर बनाने और इस्तेमाल करने के वैध कारण हैं, बिना अपनी कानूनी पहचान गूगल के डेटाबेस में डाले। गुमनाम open-source योगदान की परंपरा Google से भी पुरानी है। यह नीति उसे Android पर समाप्त करती है।
"...एप्पल भी तो करता है न?"
Apple पहले ही दिन से एक किले के समान है। लोगों ने Android इसीलिए चुना क्यूंकि यह अलग था। "एप्पल भी करता है", यह तो बस "एक अंधा, दूसरे की लाठी" वाली बात है और एक कमज़ोर तू भी तो तर्क है। और नियामक दबाव (EU के Digital Markets Act) के चलते, एप्पल को भी खुलने पर मजबूर किया जा रहा है। गूगल इसके उलट दिशा में जा रहा है: अपनी gatekeeper वाली पहचान को और मज़बूत करने की कोशिश में।
"...बस $25 और कुछ कागज़ात की ही तो बात है?"
शायद, अगर आप भारत में एक डेवेलपर हैं जिसके पास क्रेडिट कार्ड और ड्राइविंग लाइसेंस है। मान लीजिये आप sub-Saharan Africa में एक छात्र हैं, या Myanmar में एक विद्रोही हैं, या फिर एक volunteer जो community health app चला रहा है। बात सिर्फ पैसों तक सीमित नहीं है: आप अपने सरकारी पहचान पत्र और signing keys एक ऐसी कंपनी को सौंप रहे हैं जो ऐप्स हटाने और डेवलपर्स को बेनकाब करने की सरकारी मांगों का नियमित रूप से पालन करती है।
इसका विरोध करें
आप सभी
- F-Droid इनस्टॉल करें उन सभी Android डिवाइस पर जो आपके पास हैं। वैकल्पिक स्टोर्स सिर्फ तभी बचेंगे जब लोग उन्हें उपयोग करेंगे।
- अपने regulators को इसके बारे में सूचित करें। दुनियाभर के Regulators टेक सेक्टर में हो रहे monopolies तथा ताकत के केन्द्रीयकरण को लेकर गंभीर रूप से चिंतित हैं, और सीधे उन व्यक्तियों से सुनना चाहते हैं जो इससे प्रभावित और चिंतित हैं।
- इस पेज को शेयर करें। keepandroidopen.org को हर जगह लिंक करें।
- भाड़े के टट्टुओं का डट कर मुक़ाबला करें। ये "किन्तु-परन्तु" वाली फ़ौज भी जोर लगा रही है। उन्हें अपनी मनमर्ज़ी का नैरेटिव बनाने न दें।
- इस change.org petition पर हस्ताक्षर करें और उन 100,000 से अधिक हस्ताक्षरकर्ताओं का साथ दें जिन्होंने अपनी आवाज़ उठाई है।
- हमारे खुले पत्र को पढ़ें तथा शेयर करें
- गूगल को बताएं कि आप क्या सोचते हैं, उनके ही developer verification survey के द्वारा (क्या पता अँधेरे में तीर सही निशाने पर लग जाए)।
डेवेलपर्स
sign up न करें। Android Developer Console के लिए उनके प्रोग्राम को join करने के लिए sign up न करें और ऐसी नियमों एवं शर्तों को न मानें जिन्हें वापस नहीं लिया जा सकता। अपनी पहचान का सत्यापन न करें। उनकी दाल मत गलने दो।
गूगल का प्लान सिर्फ डेवेलपर्स की सहमति से ही काम कर सकता है। सहमति देने की भूल न करें।
- वे डेवेलपर्स और संस्थान जो sign up कर रहे हैं या करना चाहते हैं उन्हें रोकें।
- इस FreeDroidWarn library को अपने users को सावधान करने के लिए अपने ऐप्प में जोड़ें।
- अगर आप एक वेबसाइट चलाते हैं तो इस countdown banner को अवश्य जोड़ें।
Google employees
अगर आप इस प्रोग्राम के तकनीकी कार्यान्वयन (technical implementation) या इसके आंतरिक तर्क (internal rationale) के बारे में कुछ जानते हैं, तो कृपया कार्यस्थल के कंप्यूटर और Gmail अकाउंट के बजाय किसी अन्य निजी साधन से हमें tips@keepandroidopen.org पर संपर्क करें। आपकी गोपनीयता की पूर्ण गारंटी है।
All those opposed…
71 organizations from 23 countries have signed the open letter
Data Rights datarights.ngo 
Italian Linux Society ils.org 
AdGuard adguard.com 
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org 
Cryptee crypt.ee 
GNOME Foundation gnome.org 
Osservatorio Nessuno OdV osservatorionessuno.org 
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org 
Nextcloud nextcloud.com 
GitHub Store github-store.org 
LineageOS lineageos.org 
Unified Push unifiedpush.org 
The App Fair Project appfair.org 
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org 
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org 
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu 
The Guardian Project guardianproject.info 
Molly molly.im 
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no 
Fastmail fastmail.com 
Codeberg e.V. codeberg.org 
The Calyx Institute calyx.org 
IzzyOnDroid izzyondroid.org 
Aurora Store auroraoss.com 
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be 
Privacy Guides privacyguides.org 
iodé iode.tech 
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk 
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au 
FACiL facil.qc.ca 
April april.org 
ARTICLE 19 article19.org 
VideoLAN videolan.org 
Techlore techlore.tech 
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de 
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org 
GrapheneOS Foundation grapheneos.org 
microG microg.org 
FOSDEM fosdem.org 
FUTO futo.org 
Proton AG proton.me 
JMP.chat jmp.chat 
Brave brave.com 
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net 
Obtainium obtainium.imranr.dev 
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com 
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com 
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw 
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co 
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org 
CryptPad cryptpad.org 
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org 
The Tor Project torproject.org 
/e/ Foundation e.foundation 
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org 
Fedimedia fedimedia.it 
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org 
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org 
Ghostery ghostery.com 
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org 
OpenMedia openmedia.org 
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch 
Tuta Mail tuta.com 
Open Web Advocacy open-web-advocacy.org 
FULU Foundation fulu.org 
The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) osmfoundation.org 
OW2 ow2.org 
XMPP Standards Foundation xmpp.org 
F-Droid f-droid.org 
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works 
KDE e.V. kde.org इनका क्या कहना है
Tech press
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"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
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"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 is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
Editorials & analysis
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"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 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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This 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
"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
"There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse."
I-Programmer
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"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
"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
"Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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
Organizations & open letters
"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
"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
"Changes would impose barriers to entry for individual developers, small teams and volunteer projects by imposing fees, identity checks and terms that may not align with the principles of an open ecosystem."
Infosecurity Magazine
"This 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
"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
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"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
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"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
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"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 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 Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"Developers who build privacy-first browsers, encrypted messaging apps, VPNs, Tor-based software or tools for journalists and activists would be required to upload government ID to Google. These developers are unlikely to trust Google and might stop developing for Android."
Brave
"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
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."
AdGuard
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
YouTubers & creators
"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
"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
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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 has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google 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
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – 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 keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Google 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
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."
Switched to Linux – YouTube
"Google already can disable malware that they find on your device. It's already a built-in feature. So what is developer registration actually adding here? Is it security or control? You decide."
Techlore – YouTube
"This 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
"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"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
"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
Developers & community
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"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
"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
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"Twice I have had to deal with Google silently disabling my drone app to the point I had to buy an older phone to perform work. When I purchase a device that works with another device, under no circumstances should I be at the mercy of any updates they make."
cbrophoto (drone professional), Reddit
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, 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
"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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"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
"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
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"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
"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
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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 seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"If Android's sandbox and permission systems actually worked, then the mere act of installing an app from an arbitrary source would be as harmless as visiting an arbitrary website."
mwcampbell, Lobsters
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"The fundamental problem is that we are relying on the good graces of Google to keep Android open, despite the fact that it often runs contrary to their goals as a $4T for-profit behemoth. The 'don't be evil' days are very far behind us."
paxys, Hacker News
"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."
harry8, Hacker News
"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
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"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
"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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"If the likes of Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and others have their way, you will not own your computer; those companies will effectively own your computers."
RUs1729, Slashdot
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, Hacker News
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, 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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, 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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
Voices from the petition
"Stop Google "
Sa, change.org
"keeping it brief. There are MANY apps that people depend on for day to day life and this is going to impact that on a drastic scale. "
Bryan, change.org
"I made the choice to use top tier devices that run Android OS because it gives me the freedom to customize my device to my wants, likes, and needs. This is a HUGE deciding factor for any items I, and many others, choose to purchase. "Can I make it mine?" As the de facto IT team-of-one where I work (A small all natural deodorant manufacturer that is currently the quickest growing and is becoming one of top rated brands in the US), people ask me about everything tech. I unequivocally recommended Android devices to the everyday "not-hacking-my-devices" person, and even to those that are techno-wizards. The ability to embrace the freedoms of style, function, usability, and privacy are indispensable in tech. The reasons being: You are not locked into an ecosystem that extorts money from its users and developers, while limiting the functions available to you. You can customize the system to your needs or wants. Less so now that before, but it's still doable and reasonably fun for most. Yet, MOST IMPORTANTLY, it gives you the freedom of creativity and discovery! These devices have the potential to do so much; and as users we have the potential to create so many amazing things! Maybe just for ones own amusement, just to see what they can make, or to discover new skills and challenges. Within that though, there is the potential to create something that changes people's lives, be it just entertainment or something far more significant. By limiting the ability to develop and customize the services you limit the concept of the device. By locking down the system you are locking down growth and the potential of many curious minds. "
Elizabeth, change.org
"The Android system should be kept open and free for end users and developers to use as they see fit. Google's decision to close the system is just one more step, of many already taken, toward the evil that they once promised not to be. Hopefully, enough people will realize that Google is not a trustworthy partner in software and OS ecosystems and a new, truly open system will be developed. "
E J, change.org
"Open source is not a trivial matter for the regular user of technology nowadays. However, its importance should be taken seriously if we want a future where we will (still?) have access and some level of control over the technology we are too deeply dependent on for our daily activities. It is not necessary that everybody learn how to program smartphone or computer applications! But it is necessary that everybody know that it is important that big tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and (in this specific case) Google don't close these doors. Be it for their customers or others trying to figure out what they're doing with our personal information. "
Ricardo, change.org
"Big tech companies are more and more trying to restrict users and make them use their services. Anti-competitive practices are bad for the market and for the end user, so i definitely DO NOT support what google is doing. "
QByte, change.org
"As an open-source developer and enthusiast, Google requiring ID Verification is not only unethical, but unsafe, anti-competitor, monopolistic, and is one of the major reasons why people like me switched to using MicroG instead of GApps. "
Garry, change.org
"User: I do! Developer: I do! Google: I don't! They have no real business doing this - maybe if there was an alternative, but there isn't! This is the continuation of the meltdown they've been having about adblockers. "
Nona, change.org
"this discourage even people that want to start at programming "
Elton, change.org
"Android is open source, period. On top of that, I'm buying the device. I own my phone, and that means I should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want with it! If I want to click on links from sketchy sites and download things that are not directly from the Google Play Store, I should be able to. Google claims this is to protect their users, but it's nothing more than censorship and crushing competition from a private, anonymous, and often better competitors making free and open source apps on platforms like F-Droid or Obtanium. It's like saying that you aren't allowed to hang a picture you bought from your friend in your own house that your bought, unless your friend pays Google $25 and gives them their ID, but you can hang as many pictures in your house as you like if you buy them directly from Google. Doesn't that sound absurd? "
Thomas, change.org
"The thing that separates an android from an iPhone is the ability to do whatever if they pass this this would kill what it's like to have an android "
Devawn, change.org
"Side loading IS the ONLY reason i use Android. If its taken away, what is the POINT of android? I will move to ios. "
mehedi, change.org
"One of the reasons that I had chosen android over IOS is its open ecosystem, and the ability to side-load my own apps outside of traditional sources to meet my needs, but by locking this down, not only does this destroy the open-source movement, but it also stalls and even halts development all-together, which means that you will no longer be able to gain the advantage of "community" improving upon the various aspects of the android operating system. "
gabi, change.org
"As an open source developer, keeping Android open is what Android was all about! Let's keep it open so we can differentiate from other platforms, and keep Android what we all got to love! "
Benjamin, change.org
"Apple's censorship of the App Store is why I have an Android phone. This is not the way to freedom. "
Cameron, change.org
"More sensorship, more control, just another step into taking away the little bits of freedom we have left in this country in the things we love doing the most. I say no thank you, go away. "
Brandon, change.org
"I remember when Android was a truly open platform, where the user could do anything they wanted to their phone. Now, it seems that this is at risk. I remember getting an Android phone because, as a developer, I thought I could openly install my own apps. But now that's also at risk. Please, remove this horrible change and implement actual security features. "
Jay, change.org
"The level of control Google is attempting to exert over developers and users is unreal. If I download an app from a source that isn't the play store, I shouldn't need Google's approval. I will seek alternate operating systems from the Android and iOS duopoly if this goes through. "
Alice, change.org
"These proposed restrictions by Google are a threat to personal digital autonomy and to app development. "
Daniel, change.org
"A company like Google should not be allowed should not be allowed to do something like this. As a regular user I find what they are trying to do deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an Android phone, it's with the expectation of having control over how I use it, not to face restrictions or censorship, this is not even going over the massive privacy risks and data theft, this is an open source operating system and freedom should be key, I do not like how all of these companies and governments are trying to push age verification for everything, and I would hope for the decency of being given privacy "
Ronnie, change.org
"As a kid, I used to think iPhone, and iOS as a whole, was great. As I thought "people don't need alot of things, they have everything they want." Until I had a Google Pixel 6 Pro for Christmas. It became my tinkering device, and allowed me to access things, I never knew I wanted. And it allowed me to have access things that usually would've costed my family a pretty penny. By forcing verification "
Josue, change.org
"This policy shift is concerning for developers. Android has always stood out because of its openness — the freedom to build and distribute apps without excessive barriers. Requiring mandatory verification and charging fees adds friction that especially impacts independent and small developers. I understand the intention may be to reduce piracy, malware, or improve security. However, raising entry barriers risks weakening the very ecosystem that made Android strong in the first place. Innovation depends on accessibility and low compliance costs. Also, Google Play Store has been historically ineffective regarding security issues on their own marketplace. Restrictive distribution policies can also create unintended consequences. When official channels become too restrictive or expensive, users may turn to unofficial modifications like rooting or other system-level workarounds. That does not improve security — it may actually increase fragmentation and vulnerability. Even Microsoft never needed to impose this level of control on Windows to remain competitive. Decisions like this could accelerate the growth of alternative Linux-based operating systems and, over time, undermine Android’s dominance in the global market. "
João, change.org
"Google is trying to remove any ownership of a device that I bought and paid for. If they wanted to make it some what more difficult to side load in order to prevent people accidentally installing non-reputable apps, that would be understandable, however there complete blocking of installing apps on my own device shows an irreverence for my personal property. "
Ryan, change.org
"The differentiating factor with Android was always freedom. Apple had a locked down market and their own thing over there, meanwhile Android was open. I don't want to give up my tech sovereignty so a corrupt multinational conglomerate can harvest my data and shove more useless bloatware onto hardware I own, all while forcing mass surveillance. "
Michael, change.org
"Keep Android Open. We are not letting you form a monopoly, Google. It's OUR devices. If you continue with this, you'll remove one of the only reasons most people are not with Apple: freedom. So think about it. "
Bruno Leonel, change.org
"They never let us have nice things, i hope we win. "
Victor, change.org
"As a consumer, I bought and use Android platform devices because I care about my privacy and I care about accessing third-party applications that are not strictly on Google's Play Store. I utilize F-Droid and various other third-party app stores, and this would be a major impediment to me. I did not agree to Google pulling the rug from beneath me well after I bought several thousand dollar Android phones and devices. "
Stephen, change.org
"As an evil, evil man, I despise google because they are worse. Thus, I of then times look at this website and sign all the petitions against google. Amen brother man "
David, change.org
"I chose to use Android devices specifically due to the control that I, as an end user, have over my files and the programs I chose to install on them. Even if a program comes from an independent programmer, even from other countries stores (like RuStore), even if it an open source app (like the ones from F-Droid), or just choosing to use Telegram from the first and most reliable source ever- the developer's website itself. I once had an iOS device and I totally detested how locked up it was, it was almost as if I were digitally "high jacked", depending on authorisation to do anything! Please don't remove us our freedom of doing to our devices our own experiments, finding and developing emulators for our old games and apps that suit our needs even if they're not economically viable. Plus: Don't take away the one tool many persecuted Christians around the world have to download Bibles to their phones. That's cruel and inhumane. "
Barbara, change.org
"I've been an user of Android based phones for a very long time. I am fully against the idea of this move Google is trying, as it is just another notch in the attempted censorship and surveillance of the internet as a whole. If this move is allowed to go through, I will find workarounds or work towards getting a third party phone deal where I don't have to deal with this. These big tech companies should not have the authority to force us to bend to them. We have the power to make them back down. Let our voice be heard. Boycott these companies and make them lose money. The moment their financial gains are threatened, they will surrender. "
Brandon, change.org
"Don't become Apple!!! "
Yahya, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom and an open option for not only everyday users but developers and artists as well. If Google gets their way this will be a devastating blow to privacy, freedom, independence and how people live their lives. Do not let them get away with this! "
Jonathan, change.org
"We all have the right to contract unlimited. As free people. If Google controllers Android then that's peonage making Android users slaves, in a life that is so dependent around our phones!!!! "
Larry, 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
"I've been an Android user since 2.1 on my LG Ally in 2010. In all that time I've used a single iOS device and ran straight back to Android for one major reason: Control. Android offered a level of control over my own device that Apple simply did not. Unfortunately, over the last several years Google has decided it prudent to strip away the "privelage" of using my device how I see fit. With each new update, Android becomes more similar to the locked-down iOS platform that I shied away from. With this detestable update, why would I stick with Android? If Android becomes a less privacy-focused iOS, why would I not simply migrate back to Apple's platform? "
Nathaniel, change.org
"Removing side-loading is anti-user. I'm all for increasing security, and having various strange steps helps with that. You could even have a 1 minute subtitled video that has to play before you can confirm for the first time on a device that you want to side-load apps. But this change shows a lack of interest in users that inspires developers to not care about the Android ecosystem. If Google intends to significantly decrease the scope of Android, that signals that the maintenance costs are too high for Google, and thus, the company intends to let it rot and eventually die, much like many other Google things "
James, change.org
"Bro, Google is screwing up with this. Developers and emulators are going to be screwed. They're going to end up ruining the freedom we had and turning it into iOS 2. They're doing everything wrong. "
Facundo, change.org
"Google’s recent changes that block or restrict APK distribution risk cutting off access for millions of users and harming independent developers who rely on alternative distribution channels. For many communities, sideloading and APK backups are essential for app availability, testing, and preserving older versions that still work for people and devices. We ask Google to reconsider any policy or technical change that would outright prevent APK sharing, and to work with developers and users to find safer, less disruptive solutions that protect security and choice!!!!!! "
Kabyt, 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 am very conceded that our government and big technology is building a electronic prison to enslave humanity. Google is working to this end by implementing tactics like requiring their permission to create and use apps that big government and big technology approve. This is evil and must be stopped if we are to have any freedom and privacy. "
Pamela, change.org
"Are you not greedy enough? "
wesley, change.org
"We will not let Google apply the closed ecosystem to apks. I just want an open system and freedom of apks on Android. An open ecosystem for us to download apks whenever we want. I want Google to get screwed and there will be a rain of lawsuits against this greedy monopoly company called "Google"😠🤬🗡🛡 "
rhyansamuel, change.org
"The core idea of Android and OSS is threatened. Android will no longer hold the offer of a unique opportunity of freedom for those feeling locked out of their own lives. It will join the likes of other mediocre technologies being force-fed to an unwilling population. This is not the way. "
Joy, change.org
"I've received pornographic viruses from puzzle games from the Google Play store. Google should remember why people go Android; Apple has locked down their systems to make them unbearable. Android gave freedom. If they lock it down, we'll use something else. I'm looking forward to a dumb phone and a physical camera...no annoying social media there. Or Google holding your money for you. Google offers nothing I need to use except an email, and last I checked, anyone offers those. The programs I love can be accessed on both Android AND PC...guess which I'll be shifting to! "
Kay, change.org
"Android since it start has its premisse of being a free place that you can do what you want, but with this change it is not possible anymore. This is restricting user freedom and censoring what can and cannot be displayed at android. "
Kaio, change.org
"The reason I use Andoid is because of its openess, I would not be using a Samsung or Google device if it didn't mean I could download and boot my own OS or developp my own apps for fun without having to jump through hoops. I also use APKs on the regular because they allow better backwards compatibility with older versions of Android and ease of installation. FOSS for the win. "
Nico, change.org
"If the current plan moves forward, the few advantages of freedom on Android will be lost, because inhibiting the use of APKs reduces the user's freedom more than its risks, especially because the lack of security on Android is not limited to using APKs from external sources, but using websites or any file from malicious sources, which are not necessarily an APK. If you really want security, should you also disable Android's access to the internet to avoid downloading malicious files, or are you only interested in APKs? Finally, Google Play is not necessarily better than an external store, because it does not expose the source code of Apps to be investigated and verified, unlike F-Droid, for example, which has numerous criteria for uploading apps and prioritizes verifiable FOSS apps. In my opinion, this change is not aimed at the user... "
Gabriel, change.org
"This is a violation of free speech and freedom of choice. We are not apple! "
Gearrard, change.org
"Don't take away my ability to do what I want with my stuff. I payed for my device and it's mine to do what I want with. It's my responsibility to not damage my property. "
Peter, change.org
"I do not trust the judgment of one company to decide what every person on Android is allowed to use on their phones. This is a censorship tactic, and will silence and punish small-time app developers who do not have the time or money to plead their case for the right to host their apps. "
Anna, change.org
"I dislike all the changes that have undergone Android, but this one takes the cake for the worst one i could have ever imagined. "
Pye, change.org
"Oh great and wise corporate overlords, I come to you a mere peon, a cog in your profit machine, to implore you to keep Android open to small or niche developers. If you implement the proposed changes you will have turned a thriving app ecosphere into nothing more than a reskinned iOS. Your commitment to Open Source and the availability of Android-.apk-but-not-via-Google are on the line here. Many of the most compelling use cases for my Android device would cease to exist under the proposed regime. If that happens I might as well switch to iOS devices, at least they are pretty. "
Michael, change.org
"Google’s decision to end sideloading isn’t about user safety, it’s about control. By banning the ability to install apps outside the Play Store, Google isn’t protecting us it’s protecting its profits. Sideloading is what keeps Android open. It’s what allows small, independent developers to create and share apps without paying Google’s gatekeeping fees or begging for corporate approval. It’s what lets users, creators, and innovators build their own digital spaces, free from monopolized ecosystems. Ending sideloading means the end of true user choice. It hands Google even more power over what software we can access, what tools we can use, and ultimately what voices can reach us. This move strengthens surveillance capitalism, deepens corporate monopolies, and pushes us closer to a future where our devices — and our data — belong to corporations, not people. This is about more than Android. It’s about who controls our technology, our privacy, and our freedom online. We cannot allow one of the wealthiest corporations in history to dictate how billions interact with their own devices under the guise of “security.” Sign this petition to demand that Google stop its plan to remove sideloading in 2026. Defend open-source values, user rights, and digital democracy. The internet should serve people, not profit. Together, we can stand up for an open Android and a free digital future for everyone. "
Cole, change.org
"As an android guru who runs a blog on getting the best out of android who often recommends and personally use many side loaded apps since a lot of the best apps are on places like f droid and sinilar places but not on google. Ultimately its sad to see android and apple be these walled gardens "
L, change.org
"I paid for the computer, its mine, I should be able to put whatever I want on it. I hate google, I will be removing every google associated anything from my life because of their continued abuse. "
Brenden, change.org
"Google should be ashamed of itself and give users the freedom to install any app they want. Why don't they remove those apps from their store where thousands of people suffer from viruses? Bunch of scoundrels! "
Jorge, change.org
"I've always like Google for supporting open source. If Google doesn't not support open source who will? Come Google please keep being advocate of open source. I don't mind all the tracking Google does as long as they support open source "
allan, change.org
"F droid is my primary way of installing apps. Blocking sideloading will fundamentally change how I use my phone, and make it impossible for me to use my phone in the way that I have for years. "
T, change.org
"Take away the freedom of Android, and you'll lose the majority of your userbase. Seems like a smart move! "
Evan, change.org
"This will affect corporate privacy for those that rely on FOSS. Personal and Business privacy will be even more at risk if these changes are applied. From the Conglomerate owner to the DIY hobbyist, we will all be affected only negatively by this. So much of the world relies and depends of FOSS, and with the already dying privacy, many people are going to be literally put at risk of injury or cessation of life because of these changes. No this isn't an overstatement, I'm serious. The amount of NDIS and NDIA workers that use FOSS to protect their clients and their information is staggering. And this will effectively cause them to provide a lower quality service. "
Tobias, change.org
"I chose Android for the very reason of it being open and letting me run whatever software I want. Don’t take that away after I’ve already bought my device. Millions of us chose Android for the exact reason of what you're trying to censor. Don’t lock it down because you think you know better. If I wanted a company deciding what I can or can’t do on my own device, I’d buy an iPhone instead. "
Paulo, change.org
"The thing about Android has always been that it is open, people should have the right to install whatever software they want on their phones. KEEP ANDROID OPEN!!! "
Sofia, change.org
"Google doing this would not only reduce consumer rights but also create a monopoly. I do not approve of this. "
Alexis, change.org
"I've spent my entire youth and adult life trying my very best to curate tech that puts me in charge rather than some unaccountable corporation. Unfortunately not everyone has the luxury I do, and even my position is somewhat precarious. As a user of GrapheneOS, theoretically this change will not affect me directly, but that doesn't mean the ripples will not reach me. App developers are being hamstrung in such a way that I have no confidence whatsoever that these proposed changes to the Android ecosystem won't wind up killing useful and important apps that I use. Just using an unverified device is not enough, these changes must not go through. "
Ben, change.org
"The freedom on Android is the best and that is exactly why we choose android. Please do not close off our experience on this platform. "
yer, change.org
"who's afraid of free open source software? "
F., change.org
"Take that away and you've destroyed Android. Google's trustworthiness is depths of hell low, and now you want even more control. Disgusting. The last bastion for Android was it's open freedoms compared to Apple, explicitly the ability to install apps without the store without verification. Allowing me to build and install my own creations. You must envision everyone in the entire world as some consumer archetype that just has feeding tubes of corporate sludge go into the consumers digestive tract. You can't imagine anyone innovating for fun not profit, making art and exploring science without corporate approvals. Your world is disgusting and I hate it. "
Aiden, change.org
"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
"Pαrα sαlvαr Αndroid "
Jhon Harrison, change.org
"With Google aiming to lockdown Android, what makes it any different than Apple? The only reason I and many others opt for Android is because it's openness! "
Christian, change.org
"I use android since I was aware of what is tech, nearly since android started as an OS, customizing every aspect of my phone I was capable to, breaking things, some of the things that make android being the sweet spot between being in complete freedom (what can be dangerous) and a kindergarten for cellphone users. In later years still using some good indie apps that the developers can't afford to put on google play, going back in app versions through public apk repos like apkmirror when something went wrong with the current version of an app, and more recently being a software developer. Today this is nothing but one more barrier to do native mobile apps (adding to resource intensive development tools, excessive boilerplate, steep learning curve, hardware and OS fragmentation, play store current policies, and many more) turning testing and feedback into a headache. I as a developer see a potential loss of talent that could enrich the ecosystem, a place where only startups and companies will survive (driven by capitalism) except for a minority of truly dedicated developers. I'm not a native English speaker however today I wanted my voice to be heard, doing it so in their language despite the misspelling I could make. I have hope for open source (especially indie); we mustn't forget that many of today's software foundations, including Android, originate from it. I hope they allow, and above all, facilitate the preservation of open source through the small innovations of more casual developers who improve the ecosystem day by day. "
Alexis, change.org
"Google is nothing short of an evil pig! We want free android! "
James, change.org
"It's not sideloading. It's installing an application on a personal computing device I own and payed for... This move is unacceptable. "
Benjamin, change.org
"This is another blasphemous attempt from Google to assert itself as a complete monopoly and their reasoning to protect users is just a mask for generating massive revenue. Being "open" coupled with the "freedom of choice" are the underlying factors for why Android dominates the market share. Crushing both these fundamental reasons to be a dictator is pure insanity. Developers shouldn't comply and users should stop buying Google infected Android devices. Thankfully, there's other options so no need to convert to iPhone. "
James, change.org
"Android, since it's existence, has always been about the user. Removing access to apps that millions of people use every day will shatter that foundation and make android indifferent to its competitors. "
Jack, change.org
"To put it simply, the Android user experience has always been about the ability to express yourself, experimentation and creative freedom. Why squash that? What are you actually gaining? You'll lose a massive user base for the sake of what, "control"? "
Phil, change.org
"Be better than IOS, this is not the way "
Kai, change.org
"Android is not iOS, is monopoly becoming Android to iOS "
RallenPR, change.org
"The promise was an open and free OS "
Daniel, change.org
"If I want to be restricted in where I get my apps from, which ones to install and my phone to look each year the same, I buy a device with an apple on it (never did). It should be your choice which apps you want to install and where to obtain them from - not the device vendors or OS manufacturers. Keep android open! "
Andreas, change.org
"I have been an android user for as long as I can remember, do not change that now Google. I have just started to develop android apps, because I find the alternatives not so friendly and bothersome. Android has been my driving flag and I would not want that to change for any reason. "
Nijel, change.org
"Google is essentially throwing away the mantle with this "anti consumer" strategy. Their just giving the masses a big--no, HUGE reason to largely rebel and replace their software with something less restrictive. You don't think it will happen, but it will... "
Xavier, change.org
"In this day and age, most of the rich and powerful are attempting to restrict the choices normal people have, and Google attempting to limit the open-source nature of Android is just one more example of this. What Google is doing is not protecting anyone and only serves to limit what we are allowed to do, and I don't want to idly stand by as the rich become richer. "
Joseph, change.org
"The end for digital freedom is already nearing, with all the new social media and age verification laws. The whole point of a computer is to store and process data, allowing you to do various tasks. You should be able to use a device without having to verify 50 million things and give up your identity, it's all just an excuse for the government to track you, create more censorship, and for the companies to sell more of your data. Android is an open mobile operating system, and it should stay that way. One of the main reasons I strongly prefer Android over iOS is how open Android is. This action Google is doing will not protect anything or anyone, it will just cause more drama. "
Angus, change.org
"Someone alert the attorney's on the ongoing case with Epic Games that Google found a way to try and skirt court orders. I'm sure the judge will be extremely pleased to have been ignored, as they make this change and claim it's somehow not the opposite of what they were told to do. "
Nicholas, change.org
"You will not remove the free choice we have enjoyed for decades, with open source android phones or we shall remove Google Android from our use altogether, and simply get different phones to use. "
C, change.org
"For the freedom of an open and universal system for all! "
Zaphyru's, change.org
"Phone operating systems already have a precident of being locked down, and locking down android tightens the restrictions and paves the way for less freedom. We need to take a stand and refuse to let Google take control away from us. "
Joey, change.org
"Android, please do not become like Apple os, doing that, you are changing the best thing you have, thats the user having Freedom to do whatever they want "
Pedro, change.org
"I switched to Android OS because apple's OS is closed. There will be no upsides to Android once it is closed. I will switch back to iPhones in a heartbeat so I can be on the same system as the rest of my family. "
devin, 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
"APKs are extremely useful for downloading as a learning app developer in highschool. If you ban this, I will not have phone to use as a sandbox and resort to virtual systems to do my development on as a unverified user You are SIGNIFICANTLY reducing the amount of people who will buy your products, and I guarantee, I, as well as many other android users will be switching to Apple as a result. This is on of the ONLY reasons for us to purchase your devices and use your OS. Do not kill your golden goose "
Logan, change.org
"The tight to sideload software is a central feature that sets Android apart from iphone. Without it you can expect Android marketers to drop as users like me shift to Linux phones and Android alternatives. "
Richard, change.org
"One of the few remaining features that Android provides over it's completion is a relatively open ecosystem for app development. Having to sign all apps through Google kills any motivation to have fun and develop apps for yourself and friends. Let's be honest, Android is not the best mobile operations stream. Openness was it's advantage. With that soon to be gone, there will be very little holding people back from switching over to Apple. "
Terence, change.org
"We need android to stay open "
Mark, change.org
"I will switch to iOS and get rid of my android devices and Google home setup if this policy is implemented. I use android because it is open. If Google makes it an inferior version of the iPhone then I will switch over to iPhone. "
Scott, change.org
"I was really shocked when I heard that such thing is happening. I mean, isn't the point of Android itself to be fully open, especially compared to competitors as iOS? What's so wrong with a person developing apps as their passion/hobby? I don't think it is necessary to have to upload a government ID to a corporation just to make your app be able to be usable. It also impacts me, because I use very many open source apps as alternatives, which fit my usage a lot better, and I like to support those projects, and one more point, many people switching from iOS to Android are looking for the freedom that is sideloading apps without any hurdles. This has to change, or chaos would ensue around the Android world, and especially FOSS communities. "
Arsen, change.org
"the declaration of independance prolly said something about this... "
john, change.org
"android open source project (AOSP) open source! the google its destroying "open source spirit" "
enzo, change.org
"Hopefully this movement is successful for the custom developmental purposes and devotion from the developers themselves. "
Jerrod, change.org