Ponsel Anda akan segera berhenti menjadi milik Anda sepenuhnya.
Mulai September 2026, sebuah pembaruan senyap yang diterapkan oleh Google tanpa persetujuan pengguna akan memblokir setiap aplikasi Android yang pengembangnya belum terdaftar di Google, menandatangani kontrak, melakukan pembayaran, serta menyerahkan identitas resmi pemerintah.
Berlaku bagi setiap aplikasi dan setiap perangkat di seluruh dunia, tanpa opsi untuk menolak.
↓Apa yang dilakukan Google
Pada Agustus 2025, Google mengumumkan persyaratan baru: mulai September 2026, setiap pengembang aplikasi Android harus mendaftar secara terpusat ke Google sebelum perangkat lunak mereka dapat diinstal di perangkat apa pun. Bukan hanya aplikasi Play Store: semua aplikasi. Ini termasuk aplikasi yang dibagikan antar teman, didistribusikan melalui F-Droid, yang dibuat oleh para penggemar untuk penggunaan pribadi. Pengembang independen, kelompok keagamaan dan komunitas, serta para pehobi, semuanya akan terhalang untuk dapat mengembangkan dan mendistribusikan perangkat lunak mereka.
Pendaftaran memerlukan:
- Membayar biaya ke Google
- Menyetujui Syarat dan Ketentuan Google
- Menyerahkan identitas resmi Anda yang dikeluarkan pemerintah
- Memberikan bukti kunci penandatanganan (signing key) pribadi Anda
- Mencantumkan semua identitas aplikasi saat ini dan masa depan
Jika pengembang tidak patuh, aplikasi mereka akan diblokir secara diam-diam di setiap perangkat Android di seluruh dunia.
Siapa yang dirugikan
Anda
Anda membeli ponsel Android karena Google memberi tahu Anda bahwa platform ini terbuka. Anda bisa memasang apa pun yang Anda inginkan, dan itulah kesepakatannya.
Google kini mengubah ketentuan tersebut secara retroaktif, berlaku untuk perangkat keras yang sudah Anda miliki. Setelah pembaruan diterapkan, Anda hanya dapat menjalankan perangkat lunak yang telah disetujui sebelumnya oleh Google. Di ponsel Anda: milik Anda, yang Anda bayar.
Pengembang independen
Aplikasi pertama seorang remaja, alat privasi seorang relawan, atau beta internal rahasia sebuah perusahaan. Tidak masalah. Setelah September 2026, tidak satu pun dari ini dapat dipasang tanpa restu Google.
F-Droid, rumah bagi ribuan aplikasi Android gratis dan bersumber terbuka, menyebut hal ini sebagai ancaman "eksistensial". Cory Doctorow menyebutnya “Darth Android”.
Pemerintah & masyarakat sipil
Google memiliki rekam jejak yang tercatat dalam menuruti permintaan rezim otoriter untuk menghapus aplikasi. Dengan program ini, perangkat lunak yang menggerakkan lembaga-lembaga di negara Anda akan bergantung sepenuhnya pada kehendak sebuah perusahaan asing yang tidak bertanggung jawab.
EFF melabeli praktik pembatasan aplikasi sebagai 'jalur sensor internet yang terus berkembang'."
"Pintu keluar" Google adalah sebuah jebakan.
Google mengatakan "pengguna tingkat lanjut" masih bisa "memasang" aplikasi yang tidak terverifikasi. Inilah sebenarnya seperti apa prosesnya:"
- Masuk ke Setelan Sistem, cari Pilihan Pengembang
- Ketuk nomor build tujuh kali untuk mengaktifkan Mode Pengembang
- Abaikan layar peringatan tentang paksaan
- Masukkan PIN Anda
- Mulai ulang perangkat
- Tunggu 24 jam
- Kembali lagi, abaikan lebih banyak layar peringatan
- Pilih "izinkan sementara" (7 hari) atau "izinkan selamanya"
- Konfirmasikan, sekali lagi, bahwa Anda memahami "risikonya"
Sembilan langkah. Masa tunggu wajib 24 jam. Untuk memasang perangkat lunak pada perangkat yang Anda miliki sendiri.
Lebih buruk lagi: alur ini berjalan sepenuhnya melalui Layanan Google Play, bukan OS Android. Google dapat mengubah, memperketat, atau mematikannya kapan saja, tanpa perlu pembaruan OS dan tanpa persetujuan. Dan hingga saat ini, fitur tersebut belum dirilis dalam versi beta, preview, atau canary build mana pun. Fitur tersebut hanya ada dalam bentuk postingan blog dan beberapa mockup.
Persoalan ini lebih besar daripada sekadar Android
Apabila Google dapat secara retroaktif membatasi akses pada miliaran perangkat yang dipasarkan sebagai platform terbuka, maka setiap produsen perangkat keras di seluruh dunia kini tengah mengamati langkah tersebut.
Prinsip yang sedang ditegakkan adalah: perusahaan manufaktur perangkat Anda berhak menentukan perangkat lunak apa yang diizinkan untuk dijalankan, bahkan setelah transaksi pembelian selesai dilakukan. Dalam industri perangkat lunak, praktik ini dikenal sebagai "rug pull" (pencabutan dukungan secara mendadak); namun, dalam situasi tersebut setidaknya Anda masih memiliki kemungkinan untuk memasang perangkat lunak kompetitor. Dalam konteks perangkat keras, hal ini merupakan sebuah fait accompli yang merampas kedaulatan pengguna dan menjadikan Anda tidak berdaya di hadapan kehendak sepihak dari penjaga gerbang (gatekeeper) tunggal yang tidak akuntabel serta pelaku monopoli yang telah terbukti.
Keterbukaan Android tidak pernah sekadar berfungsi sebagai sebuah fitur semata. Hal tersebut merupakan sebuah janji yang membedakannya dari iPhone. Jutaan orang memilih Android tepat karena alasan tersebut. Kini, Google membatalkan janji itu secara sepihak pada perangkat yang sudah berada dalam genggaman masyarakat, karena mereka merasa telah memiliki dominasi pasar dan pengaruh terhadap regulasi (regulatory capture) yang cukup kuat untuk melakukannya tanpa konsekuensi berarti.
Ars Technica: "Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy."
Namun, bukankah ini...
"...hanya demi keamanan?"
Dalih keamanan hanyalah sebuah tabir asap. Google Play Protect sudah melakukan pemindaian malware secara mandiri tanpa bergantung pada identitas pengembang. Mewajibkan identitas resmi pemerintah (ID) tidak membuat kode program menjadi lebih aman; hal tersebut hanya membuat pengembang dapat diidentifikasi dan dikendalikan. Pembuat malware tetap dapat mendaftarkan diri, sementara pengembang independen dan aktivis sering kali tidak mampu melakukannya. EFF menegaskan dengan lugas: kontrol akses (gatekeeping) berbasis identitas adalah alat sensor, bukan instrumen keamanan.
"...tetap dikategorikan sebagai sideloading jika menggunakan prosedur lanjutan?"
Sembilan tahapan prosedur, waktu tunggu 24 jam, opsi yang tersembunyi di dalam menu Opsi Pengembang, dan dijalankan melalui layanan berpemilik (proprietary) yang aksesnya dapat dicabut Google kapan saja. Itu bukanlah sideloading. Itu adalah sebuah mekanisme penghambat yang dirancang sedemikian rupa agar hampir tidak ada pengguna yang mampu menyelesaikannya. Dan karena prosedur ini berjalan melalui Layanan Google Play (Play Services) dan bukan melalui sistem operasi (OS), Google dapat memperketat atau menghentikan fungsi tersebut secara diam-diam.
"...hanya menjadi masalah bagi mereka yang menyembunyikan sesuatu?"
Pelapor tindak pidana (whistleblowers), jurnalis, dan aktivis di bawah rezim otoriter akan menjadi korban pertama. Kelompok masyarakat dalam situasi kekerasan domestik adalah berikutnya. Semua kelompok ini memiliki alasan yang sah untuk mendistribusikan atau menggunakan perangkat lunak tanpa harus menyerahkan identitas legal mereka ke dalam basis data Google. Kontribusi sumber terbuka (open-source) secara anonim adalah tradisi yang lebih tua dari Google itu sendiri. Kebijakan ini mengakhiri tradisi tersebut di platform Android.
"...praktik yang sama dengan yang dilakukan Apple?"
Apple telah menjadi ekosistem tertutup sejak hari pertama. Masyarakat memilih Android karena ia berbeda. Argumen bahwa "Apple juga melakukannya" adalah sebuah perlombaan menuju standar terendah dan merupakan argumen tu quoque yang lemah. Bahkan di bawah tekanan regulasi (seperti Undang-Undang Pasar Digital/DMA di Uni Eropa), Apple kini mulai dipaksa untuk membuka diri. Sebaliknya, Google justru bergerak ke arah yang berlawanan: berupaya untuk semakin memperkuat statusnya sebagai penjaga gerbang (gatekeeper).
"...hanya persoalan biaya 25 dolar dan beberapa berkas administrasi?"
Mungkin demikian jika Anda adalah seorang pengembang di Amerika Serikat yang memiliki kartu kredit dan surat izin mengemudi. Namun, bayangkan jika Anda adalah seorang mahasiswa di Afrika bagian selatan, seorang aktivis di Myanmar, atau seorang sukarelawan yang mengelola aplikasi kesehatan masyarakat. Biaya yang harus dibayar bukan sekadar finansial: Anda menyerahkan identitas resmi pemerintah dan bukti kunci penandatanganan aplikasi (signing keys) kepada perusahaan yang secara rutin mematuhi tuntutan pemerintah untuk menghapus aplikasi dan mengungkap identitas pengembang.
Langkah Perlawanan
Semua Orang
- Pasang F-Droid pada setiap perangkat Android milik Anda. Toko aplikasi alternatif hanya dapat bertahan jika masyarakat benar-benar menggunakannya.
- Hubungi otoritas regulasi Anda. Regulator di seluruh dunia tengah menaruh perhatian serius terhadap isu monopoli dan sentralisasi kekuasaan di sektor teknologi. Mereka perlu mendengar langsung dari individu yang terdampak dan merasa prihatin.
- Sebarluaskan laman ini. Bagikan tautan keepandroidopen.org kemana saja
- Lawan narasi semu (astroturfing). Kelompok "tapi, sebenarnya..." sedang gencar beraksi. Jangan biarkan mereka menentukan narasi.
- Tanda tangani petisi change.org dan bergabunglah dengan lebih dari 100.000 penandatangan yang telah menyuarakan aspirasi mereka.
- Baca dan sebarluaskan surat terbuka kami
- Sampaikan pendapat Anda kepada Google melalui survei verifikasi pengembang milik mereka sendiri (terlepas dari seberapa besar dampaknya nanti).
Pengembang
Jangan mendaftarkan diri. Jangan bergabung dalam program ini melalui Konsol Pengembang Android dan menyetujui Syarat dan Ketentuan mereka yang bersifat mengikat secara hukum. Jangan melakukan verifikasi identitas. Jangan berkompromi.
Rencana Google hanya akan berhasil jika pengembang patuh. Jangan.
- Ajak pengembang dan organisasi lain untuk tidak mendaftar.
- Tambahkan pustaka FreeDroidWarn ke aplikasi Anda untuk memperingatkan pengguna.
- Mengelola situs web? Tambahkan spanduk hitung mundur.
Karyawan Google
Apabila Anda memiliki informasi terkait implementasi teknis program ini atau latar belakang internalnya, silakan hubungi tips@keepandroidopen.org menggunakan perangkat bukan milik kantor dan akun non-Gmail. Kami menjamin kerahasiaan identitas Anda sepenuhnya.
Semua yang menentang…
71 organisasi dari 23 negara telah menandatangani surat terbuka
FULU Foundation fulu.org
OpenMedia openmedia.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Brave brave.com
Cryptee crypt.ee
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
April april.org
iodé iode.tech
FUTO futo.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
Techlore techlore.tech
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
Unified Push unifiedpush.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Italian Linux Society ils.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Data Rights datarights.ngo
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
FACiL facil.qc.ca
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
Proton AG proton.me
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no Baca surat terbuka selengkapnya dan berikan apresiasi kepada para penandatangan →
Apa yang mereka katakan
Pers teknologi
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"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
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"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
"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
"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
Editorial & analisis
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"Google has announced that they are altering the deal. And telling us that we should pray that they don't alter it further. Block this policy change now before they wrap their cold metal hands around our necks."
Jesse Wilson, PublicObject.com
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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
"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
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"Google 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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Developers from sanctioned countries or those without Google Play access cannot verify themselves. This creates systemic discrimination against developers based on birthplace rather than conduct."
agnostic-apollo (Termux developer), GitHub
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud 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
"Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts."
Maya Posch, Hackaday
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"Once there is no such thing as 'sideloading', there's virtually no difference between iOS and Android. I see no reason to buy Android over iOS at this point."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"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
"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
"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
"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
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"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
"Google's attempts to make Android 'more secure' are, in fact, increasing the risk for Android users. The more friction you introduce in the name of security, the more likely users will attempt to bypass security completely."
Ken Buckler, Enterprise Management Associates
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
Organisasi & surat terbuka
"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
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"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
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"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
"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
"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
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"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
"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
"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
"When you set up a gate, you invite authorities to use it to block things they don't like. And when you build a database, you invite governments to try to get access."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"Google'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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
YouTuber & kreator
"Google is setting a requirement that only they can fulfill, forcing developers to go through Google and killing off thousands of apps. Countless users stranded."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google 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
"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
"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
"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
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"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
"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
"F-Droid is basically saying that the new Google developer registration process will likely kill the open-source app store entirely."
The Linux Experiment – YouTube
"Google is doing to Android what Microsoft once tried to do to the web. Embrace, extend, extinguish. Just wrapped in a shinier open-source package."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"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
"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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Imagine Dell told you that you could no longer install any operating system other than Windows on your laptop. That's what Google is doing to your phone."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"The 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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"The widely-circulated narrative that Google already backed down from this is false. They didn't, and that misunderstanding may be the most dangerous part of the story right now."
Techlore – YouTube
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"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
Pengembang & komunitas
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"The fundamental problem is that we are relying on the good graces of Google to keep Android open, despite the fact that it often runs contrary to their goals as a $4T for-profit behemoth. The 'don't be evil' days are very far behind us."
paxys, Hacker News
"I buy a device with my own money, which I supposedly then own, but then I need to ask some corporation permission to use it."
askonomm, Hacker News
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), 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
"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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"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
"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
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"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
"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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"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
"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
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"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
"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
"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
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"My Pixel 6 just broke, and after 15 years of using Android, I've finally been convinced to move to iOS. If I must live in a walled garden, I suppose I'll choose the one with nicer flowers."
yonato, Hacker News
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, 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
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"Antitrust action is badly needed. It is ridiculous that I need permission from my device manufacturer to install software on hardware I own."
jim201, Hacker News
"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
Suara dari petisi
"Unacceptable. This goes completely against the Spirit of the Android OS. Sideloading is a big reason Android is what is it today. Apps that were sideloaded became essential and were later integrated into the Android OS. Anyone smart enough to sideload is smart enough to educate themselves and be aware of any risks involved. I help people who's phones were hijacked by almost malware-like Launchers. Google still hasn't banned those Launchers from Google Play but somehow sideloaded apps are bad? Spare me the big brother crap. This is crackdown on Revanced and similar apps. This is also in coordination with government to crackdown on "undesirable" apps such as those that bypass censorship. "
Pavel, change.org
"This issue would directly negatively effect my day to day usage of my android phone, concerns of this issue have resulted in me installing GrapheneOS on my phone to avoid this potentially becoming a reality. "
Kyler, change.org
"Monopolies are bad for freedom, business, and innovation. Keep Android the phone os where you have the choice to protect your data. "
Thomas, change.org
"Being an open platform has been one of the key defining features of Android. The ability to install and use any apps regardless of their origin is not a privilege, it is a right. By allowing one entity to say what we as users can or can not use our devices for is another link in the chain that binds and restricts all our freedoms. "
Andrew, change.org
"what does google think'll happen when they remove this aspect of android. this is the only distinguishable feature between ios and android "
Mail-main, change.org
"This is censorship at its core. Stop trying to destroy the open internet under the guise of safety. "
Dominic, change.org
"I only somewhat recently found open source apps and some of my favorite apps to use for certain services have easily become my favorite ones to use above googles or the play stores apps, and I trust apps from F-droid and other sources more than I would trust apps from the play store or even baked in apps with some that would actually make doing things less easy and enjoyable if suddenly I was unable to use them "
Robert, change.org
"I use android because its easy to mod and customize. If I own the device, I want complete control of it. That comes with the understanding that my modifications could break it . If we lose sideloading and indie and open source development, we'll just have to stray further from the platform to find it again. In a world where the easy to access services and products are becoming increasingly controlled and locked down to the detriment of the consumer, there's real benefit to be had in being one of the few exceptions. "
Cole, change.org
"The advantage of Android is precisely its freedom to choose what to do with your system and applications, just as developers have the freedom to choose where to distribute. Please do not limit the installation of APKs. There is already a warning and optional block for “unknown” apps where we currently have choices. Do not trade freedom for a false sense of security! "
Matheus, change.org
"This is an insane power play that is attempting to force more money into Google's pockets for developer licenses. There are a lot of legitimate uses for sideloading apps that are legal. Certain emulators cannot be on the Play Store, which are 100% legal. Some apps don't release on the Play Store because of region requirements that don't allow it, so APK's are the only option. Plus, there are a lot of firms that likely develop in-house security apps, that don't and CAN'T be published to the Play Store for security reasons, so this will also lock out those companies from their own security systems and applications. Also, sometimes installing a previous version of an app is needed when the latest version is broken. Also, if I want to develop my own app, now I have to have a developer license to even test it? This is absolutely anti-consumer at its finest, and Google will lose a lot of business from this power play. The sad part is that they will be likely facing a lawsuit from many companies that will be affected by this, because this is a huge change that will affect a huge majority of Android users. "
Nathan, 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
"This is absurd. To remove one of the main things that drew people to android over iPhone is laughably moronic. Especially when some of the best apps recommend by people come from outside the play store. Pull it together! "
Logan, change.org
"That's bad google policity "
José, change.org
"I only use android because of the freedom. This change would make android as restrictive as iPhones. "
Skyler, change.org
"Android is the operating system for those who want freedom, and to take away our ability to install what we wish, is the start of Google trying to take further control over us. The internet is already falling apart with attempts to "protect" people, but in reality, the internet isn't a place for big companies to try and protect people against their will. "
Dino, change.org
"One of the biggest things, if not the biggest thing, Android has had over Apple for the longest time is the freedom of the user to make the phone theirs through downloading third party apps, through developers making their own applications without being required to release it through an app store that requires a fee to put it on. My own personal experience has been that I could play one of my favorite games that's no longer on the app store. With these new restrictions and requirements Google is proposing in September, we would lose that freedom, and would become no better than Apple "
Morgan, 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 one positive thing differentiating Android from iOS has been the ability for Android users to make their own choices about what's installed on their devices. Killing that differentiator is the exact opposite of forward progress. "
Ryan, change.org
"Every year my tech gets less and less useful, it seems like every time I look away Alphabet adds more hurdles to jump over simply to have basic access to MY device. Google is a glorified intelligence agency conjured from the depths of DARPA and the CIA. They're allowed to retain their monopoly, not only because of the capitalist dystopia we live in, but because they're a thinly veiled arm of our criminal government, being welded like a cudgel against not only China's much superior tech industry, but the entire world in the form of the tailor made, digital echo chambers they lock us in. "
Steven, 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
"if there is no evolution there must be revolution "
Joshua, change.org
"The whole reason I keep going with Android phones is the ability to side load whatever apps I want to make the experience exactly what I want it it be. I have been using pixel phones for years because of the clean boat free experience out of the box but without the ability to download third party apk's the core thing that keeps me coming back to Android instead of iOS with be gone "
Boris, change.org
"We want Android as it was intended and created to be, free and for everyone, not a cheap reskin of iOS. "
TARS-, change.org
"Why did I even buy an android phone?? They think I went iOS to android for no reason? WE WANT IT OPEN! "
David, change.org
"I bought my phone to do what I wanted with what I paid for. Let me do what I want on something i own. Let me suffer the consequences of my actions. Your not my parent and let me be an adult. "
kea, change.org
"This new policy is absurd and should never go into effect. Android's "openness" has always been a big selling point, and now they are trying to take that from everyone. "
Leonardo, change.org
"SKYNET HAS INITIATED WWIII :( "
Daniel Alberto, change.org
"I only bought an Android just for the custom APKs part. If I have to buy an entirely new phone for the slightest bit of sideloading, I will. "
Robert, change.org
"Android is supposed to be open, as a dirrect counter to Apples closed system. If you continue down this road, we will just make something else. Open source is a powerful community "
Serissa, change.org
"Android has always been a symbol of freedom, a system that allowed us to use our devices our own way, without chains or limitations imposed by corporations. Now Google wants to take that away from Android users, to control every detail as if we weren’t capable of deciding what’s best for ourselves. I don’t agree, and I will never agree, with this absurd, authoritarian, and completely insane decision. They are killing the very essence of Android, the open spirit that made millions of people choose this platform. We, users and developers, have always stood for the power of choice. If Google thinks it can simply impose restrictions and hide behind a false narrative of security, it’s deeply mistaken. Android wasn’t born to be a digital prison. It was born to be free. And if Google keeps going down this path, make no mistake: the community will not stay silent. Freedom will always find a way to fight back. "
Ronaldo, change.org
"I am not a developer, just a regular apk user, and the fact that google is trying to remove a vital part of android is crazy "
Gilberto David, change.org
"Just recently i started learning about how to install f droid to protect myself from g00gle and this is what happens?! death to big tech! "
Noor, change.org
"This will effectively remove the android edge over apple. Modifying my phone is the main reason I choose not just android but GOOGLE PIXEL phone and accessories. Literally a huge market mistake. Signed by android consumer and advocate... "
Michael, change.org
"Android has always been shown as an open platform, made for the users to freely develop and share software for it. This change however, goes completely against this picture shown to us and also goes against the freedom and privacy of any developer that still wishes to continue having their work running on the platform; This change isn't safe for anyone but for those that want control of what we do and what we think. "
Jazmin, change.org
"FOSS IS WHAT BUILT ANDROID. THIS WILL HURT FOSS. "
Noah, 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
"#DOWNWITHGOOGLE "
Monty, change.org
"I bought the whole phone, i'll use the whole phone, whatever way I want. Openness of Android is the only reason I choose android, if I wanted a "Locked Down" phone, i'll just go with Apple at that point. Make these censorship at least optional to block, LET ME DECIDE, but dont force it onto blocking of APK installs all together FOR EVERYONE, let the user decide for themselves. I don't want Google to decide what I can or cannot do with the phone I BOUGHT. If I bought a phone, with the expectation and the capacity of doing X,Y,Z with it, don't take away the Z AFTER I BOUGHT IT. I'll just refuse to update my phone if it get's pushed that way. There's more malware on the ADS you promote, rather than anywhere else, im sure. "
Bryan, change.org
"After dithering for ages, I finally did what I've always wanted to do, I installed a de-googled android it's, E/Os. Its great! If google persist in this, I'm sure more non technical users will too! I also wrote to my mp & to the UK monopoly commission. Search E/Os murena see if you can too! "
ed, change.org
"I regularly use FOSS apps and apps I've been bringing with me in APK form from phone to phone, and the promise of being able to develop and run my own code has been part of what's kept me using Android all these years. For Google to then yank the rug out from under us is a betrayal of the highest order, and for what? Shareholders? To feed the addiction held by seemingly every person in a seat of power to know exactly what a given Android owner ate for breakfast on any given date? What a fall from grace from a company that once touted the mottos "Don't be evil" and "Do the right thing." "
Catherine, change.org
"APKs are literally the backbone of everything android. Schools who develop android apps as a class will be out of luck. Please keep android open. "
Zachary, change.org
"Please reconsider "
Calvin, change.org
"Android is and has been the operating system that gives everyone the freedom to install any apps they want. The action of adding in a developer verification is simply redundant, anyone who goes out of the Google Play store to sideload knows its risks and why they are doing it. It is the only mobile operating system that allows us to do so, we won't let Google stop us. "
Yuquan, change.org
"I've always been an avid android user because of its open nature, but since the pandemic google has been clamping down on the freedom provided by the platform. First they added extra steps to install appstores other than the play store. Then they took away the ability to install older applications. Then they blocked you from being able to access the filesystem of your own device. Now they want to close the ecosystem, and make it easy for them to oppress the people who made this OS worthwhile in the first place. Google is heartless, and it's only a matter of time until they closed-source the android project. I will not stand for a corporation that willingly hands over the innocent to this authoritarian regime. Leave android alone! "
Issac, change.org
"I don't think that we should be filtered into buying something we do not want. Something as simply as a weather app should be free, news should be free, but the services that's being offered in app stores as free is usually filled with ads that leak personal information. "
Andre, change.org
"If Scroogle were ever to block sideloading on Android, it would fundamentally change what makes Android…Android. Sideloading isn’t a loophole. It’s a feature. It’s part of the open philosophy that originally set Android apart from more locked-down ecosystems like Apple’s iOS. If sideloading disappears, users no longer truly “own” their devices, they’re renting permission to use them. No more installing open-source, privacy-friendly, and competitive apps, everything is now strictly controlled and monitored by the data-hungry scroogle monopoly. Here's hoping the EU steps in and fines them trillions this time, 'cause the data-hungry devils running scroogle (and microsoft too) just keeps showing that they can't be trusted with ANYTHING. "
Raashid, change.org
"This would create a closed system like the Apple iPhone. I have an Android phone specifically because it is an open system. As well described on: https://keepandroidopen.org/ "
Joseph, change.org
"I signed this petition because Google is slowly turning Android into a locked down version of iOS and it's really frustrating. I bought my phone, it's my property, yet every few months they add more restrictions on APKs, more warnings, more blocks that make it annoying or impossible to install apps from outside the Play Store. Sideloading is something separate that I also want to keep fully open and easy. This isn't about security anymore it's about control and forcing everyone into their ecosystem so they can monitor and profit from everything we do. I want the freedom to install what I want on my own device without Google acting like a parent who doesn't trust me. Developers and power users especially need this ability, and regular users deserve the choice too. If we don't push back now, soon we'll have no real alternatives left and Android will lose what made it special in the first place. Please sign and share if you value your device freedom. "
Christopher, change.org
"It's like Google looked at the Microsoft debacle (hello! Linux!) that's currently going on and said wait..hold my beer... Not as easy to change from Google Android like Windows to Linux but it can be done! Already have proton emails so the ball is rolling! If this goes thru I will definitely find alternatives. And instead of using a mix of Google Play store apps and gmail and FOSS as of now, I'll just stick to FOSS and stick with proton email as the primary and go the way of degoogled or possibly apple. Or even go with a cheap flip phone and just forget about using any apps at all! see your already helping me curb the addiction you created by these smart phones and with the physical media resurgence this could kind of go with the whole theme so to speak. Thanks for the ideas Google! I've gotten into the habit of changing and finding alternatives in the last ten plus years to everything. This would not be any different. Know your place and keep your promises Google. Or to quote a couple of your slogans. "Don't be evil" and "Do the right thing" "
Marvin, change.org
"If I wanted to have my apps controlled by a mega corporation, I would have gotten an iPhone "
Eric, change.org
"My phone, my apps Let me do what I want or else an iPhone will be my phone "
Aaron, change.org
"Being able to get softwares and actually having device freedom is why I have always chosen android over apple. No freedom means that I can't do things I want to on my phone or any android device, which is the point of me buying android "
Zaiden, change.org
"Don't become Apple!!! "
Yahya, change.org
"Like many others I use Android because it is more open than iOS. This change strips away one of the few real advantages it has over iPhone, sideloading apps. This change is not going to make iPhone users switch to Android but will make Android users look for alternatives. "
Omar, change.org
"This angers me a lot. The things that I would say would only be suppressed, and I do not mean profanity. "
John, change.org
"Your ruining the freedom who ever to download what we wanted to do and stop limiting what we like to download from other websites or anything that is legally. "
Gabriel, change.org
"Stop destroying our freedom! "
Alberto, change.org
"keeping android open enables far more indie studios to continue to operate on android, and thats what i love, i love finding the most random game, and not having to worry about if its on one store or the other, i can just download it keep it open, please "
Evan, change.org
"Restricting the usage of Android honestly completely removes any point in even getting an Android. Google is doing something very stupid right now. "
Emery, change.org
"make android good again "
Samuel, change.org
"I bought my Android device because it was an open computer platform. Changing the rules now to force verification is a betrayal of users and a move toward a monopoly. Stop this restriction! "
Emirhan, change.org
"Google has shown a lack of respect for user privacy their entire existence. You own your device, you spent hundreds of dollars/Euros for it. It was not a loan by Google, it is yours, and you should control what you use it for. People who want to use only Google verified apps are free to do so without having to infringe on the rights of the people knowledgeable enough to make the decision to use apps from outside Google's Play store. Google and others have long criticized Apple for this exact thing, to the point that they're in a lawsuit for it. For Google to try this shows a complete lack of respect for the customer, a lack of integrity, and complete and utter hypocrisy. If I want to make a personal app to control a toy I made and programmed, why should I have to give Google my personal information, jump through extra hoops, give them my code, and PAY them for the privilege of doing my own work? It's ridiculous. It's pure corporate greed. More than that, it's an attempt from Google to control your device. Yet another avenue for censorship, surveillance, and the road towards a world without any freedom, all under the guise of "safety." This is not just an attack on you and your device. This is an attack on your freedom as an individual and your right to your privacy and choice. This shouldn't just be a petition, this needs to be nonnegotiable. "
Paul, change.org
"This may look like a security improvement, safety measure or other goods ideas, but the truth is far from them! This is against our digital rights! It disrespects privacy of developers! It may cause good developers to cease existence in Android! Look for alternative Android OSes, or root your device!! "
Avique, change.org
"I have a bunch of applications that are not on the Google Play Store that I would lose access to if this feature were to be removed. Security Concerns are not a reason to screw over your customers, and just like you and me, we're all people too. People have the right for freedom, and you're revoking that freedom from the devices that we bought and paid for with our own money. This is extremely monopolistic and anti-competitive. There is now essentially no competition between iOS and Android Devices if this feature gets removed. You are doing a disservice to the entire existence of Android by removing this feature. This hurts more than it helps. "
C., change.org
"Keep the Android ecosystem free. "
Gabriel, change.org
"This is just another tiny step in the journey to control your device. The more they control the more they extract. "
Michael, change.org
"I've always loved android because of the freedom to download apps. Now that Google has decided to lock the bootloader, we need to do something so it stays customizable or else. I will switch to a Linux phone if this happens. "
Andrew, change.org
"This COULD end piracy of some games, paid apps, viruses/spyware and modded apps/cheats. But as a Brazilian, I'm against this, because there is a lot of Open source apps on github and F-droid with really useful functionalities. "
Gianluigi, change.org
"Ok,So as anAndroid User,It is known that Android has a very large freedom on apps,and that's also why many users prefer the system.And In This Way ,Google's banning on apps is a killing action that ruins its powerful use.So if Google don't want to see it,PLEASE STOP THIS STUPID DECISION! "
Huang, change.org
"Android has always been the more free-range mobile OS. Had this not been the case, I would have switched to Apple long ago. Open-source, third-party software has driven the Android ecosystem and app development. It's no coincidence this is coming at a time when surveillance and squashing opposition is rising parallel with fascism. "
Kahina, change.org
"it's crazy that they're doing this . It was the only reason i chose "google" android in the 1st place, because of it's semi open nature "
jamie, change.org
"Android was always desired by those who want an open platform. It should remain that way... for a laundry list of reasons. "
Byran, change.org
"Don't do this, I will never spend more than 100$ on an android or any phone ever again. Google, get smart. "
Jamell, change.org
"Vamos parar essa empresa mercenárias "
Euler, change.org
"Esse monopólio é injusto! "
Gabriel, change.org
"My main reason for not using Apple devices is the 'mommy' factor. Now Google is going to be my mommy too. It's my device. If I accept the risks involved in how I use it, that's my choice - NOT GOOGLE'S! "
Ed, change.org
"If Google "Walled gardens" Android, I will never buy a phone with their OS ever again. That's literally the only reason people buy Android, is because it is open not locked down like Apple. F.A.F.O. how much money you'll really lose Google. "
Brandon, change.org
"Google, let us keep being able to install whatever we want on our own devices. Otherwise there isn't really a reason to NOT get an iPhone because your platform isn't really open anymore. Don't alienate a large portion of your tech savvy customers and developers. Eliminating the possibility for people to write and distribute their own apps would harm the Android ecosystem. You would kill the pipeline for new developers to work their way up to creating the next big thing and your marketshare would suffer as a result. "
Sam, change.org
"As someone who has recenlty been looking into privacy. I hope we can limit big corporations hold on our personal lives. "
Ronald, change.org
"i have been a user of fdroid for a few years and really like the apps that aren't on the play store or aren't google approved. please stop google doing this!! "
Justin, change.org
"We as a free people in the USA should never let anybody dictate what we can put into our phones or lives. If we let that happen then when is the next person going to come to take more of our rights, it's a dangerous path to take and it shouldn't happen. If you want that to happen, go to China and live there. "
Loren, change.org
"Android users have had the ability to use APKs for so long. It is a major thing that differentiates them from Apple, and something that has prevented me from switching over. Without the freedom of apks, there is nothing keeping me with Android or Google. "
Kayla, change.org
"There's a reason we chose Android over iOS. If this change happens there is zero reason for me to ever purchase another android device ever again. Might as well have better device hardware at that point. "
Daniel, change.org
"Screw Google... That's all. "
Michael, change.org
"The whole reason I have used Android over iOS is because of the increased freedom to control the device I OWN. My phone is mine and I should be able to use it as I see fit. Companies like Google need to be forced to stop this anti comsumer behavior. "
Mark, change.org
"If this doesn't get changed then I'm switching to Apple. "
Julia, 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
"The entire reason I used to use Android was because of how open it was. I used to be a staunch supporter of Android and even encouraged others to give it a shot. By restricting third-party app installations, it will be similar to iOS, but without any of it's closed environment benefits. Furthermore, this may further encourage users to explore other OS's such as LineageOS or GrapheneOS, rendering any supposed benefits moot. I am personally looking to switch my Android OS to GrapheneOS once this update becomes live. Android was always the best choice in freedom and ownership. This will be a serious mistake on Google's part, similar to Microsoft forcing Copilot on users. "
Areeb, change.org
"Side loading is the way I have made my phone run better, my privacy has been better maintained and it gives me freedom that Google and Apple don't. By blocking side loading apps Google is essentially turning into another Apple. It is no wonder why Motorola is looking at returning GraphineOS as well as other manufacturers are using Linux based phone OS's. People need that freedom that android has given us. "
Daniel, change.org
"android open source project (AOSP) open source! the google its destroying "open source spirit" "
enzo, change.org
"I am sad to see this is the way the world is going. We are slowly giving away our rights and freedom and nearly no one is noticing. Liberty dies when no one is looking "
Jacob, change.org
"Restrictions like these are a form of control lets not take away anyone's freedom of choice "
Daniel, change.org
"it's always for "safety" but in reality it's to control the user base. you're forcing all these developers to submit legal ID to "prove" themselves but then data breaches happen risking so many people's identity. what do you do then? hide the fact that data breach happens or at most say sorry? android being open has benefited you as a company for decades and is what's keeping you different from iOS. lock down your platform and what's to keep anyone from switching over? what reason do you have to keep your userbase when you eventually make them choose between two locked down platforms when one is at default better than the other? and the better one is definitely not android if this happens. "
Adrian, change.org
"Google is nothing short of an evil pig! We want free android! "
James, change.org
"I like Android because of the customization and the control you have over YOUR phone. Restricting the openness and freedom you have on Android is an invasion of our rights. https://keepandroidopen.org/ "
Blake, change.org
"Way to get people Ungoogling "
Martin Moe, change.org
"Without sideloading in Android, it will be impossible for us to install any app outside the Google Play Store, making traditional unverified sideloading much more difficult on certified devices, and therefore blocking it in 2027. This isn’t about protection here. It was more like the beginning of censorship, and monopolization of android OS. Let make our voices heard "
Jacob, change.org
"The world can live without android if it's just an apple clone, and the Chinese will copy/clone better if you give them such a easy opportunity sense your taking away freedom, all they have to do is give some freedom and everyone won't be buying apple or android anymore. "
Hilario, change.org
"Please no. This is what makes Android special. But if you do, then fine - it will finally open an opportunity for a 2nd player to enter the market. "
Sam, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom. I've always loved side loading an app made by a line developer to complete a niche task/feature. My music player and compass app were side loaded from F Droid and I think it's super cool to be able to install custom versions of stock phone apps. I've side loaded a modded version of my camera app that brought Google Pixel's photosphere to my phone. How else would I have been able to do this without side loading?? There's no reason Android has to go this direction, it may just as well be called mock iOS if all the reasons I chose Android are taken away. May customization, freedom of how I use my phone, and innovation reign once again in the heart of Google's Android! PLEASE 🙏 "
YAIR RAFAEL, change.org