کنترل شما بر تلفن همراهتان در حال از دست رفتن است.
از سال ۲۰۲۷*، یک بهروزرسانی بیصدا که بدون رضایت شما توسط گوگل اعمال میشود، تمام برنامههای اندرویدی که توسعهدهنده آنها در گوگل نامنویسی نکرده باشه، قرارداد را امضا نکرده باشد، هزینه اشتراک را پرداخت نکرده باشد و هویت واقعی خود را ارائه نداده باشد، مسدود خواهد شد.
تمام برنامهها، تمام دستگاهها، در سراسر جهان - بدون هیچ راهی برای غیرفعال کردن این سیاست.
↓گوگل چه کاری انجام میدهد
در ۳ شهریور ۱۴۰۴، گوگل اعلام کرد که از سال ۲۰۲۷، تمام توسعهدهندگان برنامههای اندروید باید بهصورت متمرکز در گوگل نامنویسی کنند تا برنامههایشان روی هر دستگاهی قابل نصب باشد. نه فقط برنامههای پلیاستور—بلکه همه برنامهها. این شامل برنامههایی میشود که بین دوستان همرسانی قرار است بشود، از طریق افدروید منتشر میشوند یا توسط افراد علاقهمند برای استفاده شخصی ساخته شدهاند. در نتیجه، توسعهدهندگان مستقل، گروههای مذهبی و اجتماعها و حتی توسعهدهندگان آماتور، عملا از امکان توسعه و انتشار برنامههای خود محروم خواهند شد.
برای نامنویسی باید:
- پرداخت هزینه به گوگل
- پذیرش شرایط و قوانین گوگل
- ارائه مدرک هویتی برای شناسایی که برای ایرانیان غیرممکن است
- ارائه اطلاعاتی برای اثبات مالکیت کلید امضای برنامه که برای امضای برنامهها استفاده میشود
- ثبت تمام شناسههای برنامههای (فعلی و آینده)
اگر توسعهدهندهای همکاری نکند، برنامههای او بهصورت بیصدا روی تمام دستگاههای اندرویدی در جهان مسدود خواهند شد.
این موضوع به چه کسانی آسیب میزند
شما
شما یک تلفن همراه اندرویدی خریدید چون گوگل گفته بود این یک پلتفرم باز است. میتوانستید هر چیزی که میخواهید نصب کنید — این توافق بود.
حالا گوگل در حال تغییر این توافق است، آن هم بهصورت یکطرفه، روی دستگاهی که شما قبلاً خریدهاید. بعد از این بهروزرسانی، فقط برنامههایی اجرا میشوند که گوگل تأیید کرده باشد. روی گوشی شما که مالک آن هستید، چیزی که برایش پول دادهاید.
توسعهدهندگان مستقل
اولین برنامه یک نوجوان، ابزار حریم خصوصی یک داوطلب، یا نگارش آزمایشی داخلی یک شرکت — فرقی نمیکند. در سال ۲۰۲۷، هیچکدام بدون تأیید گوگل قابل نصب نیستند.
افدروید، این را یک «تهدید وجودی» نامیده است. Cory Doctorow از آن بهعنوان «دارث اندروید» یاد میکند.
دولتها و جامعه مدنی
گوگل سابقه مستندی در همکاری با حکومتهای اقتدارگرا برای حذف برنامهها دارد. در این مدل، برنامههایی که زیرساخت کشورها را اجرا میکنند، عملاً وابسته به یک شرکت خارجی بدون پاسخگویی خواهند شد.
EFF این مدل را «مسیر در حال گسترش سانسور اینترنت» میداند.
«راه فرار» گوگل در واقع یک تله است
گوگل میگوید «کاربران حرفهای» هنوز میتوانند برنامههای تأییدنشده را "نصب کنند". اما واقعیت این است:
- به تنظیمات سیستم وارد شوید و گزینه «تنظیمات توسعهدهنده» را پیدا کنید.
- روی شماره ساخت هفت بار ضربه بزنید تا حالت توسعهدهنده فعال شود
- پیامهای هشدار دهنده درباره اجبار را رد کنید
- وارد کردن PIN
- راهاندازی مجدد تلفن همراه
- ۲۴ ساعت منتظر بمانید
- برگردید به قسمت قبل و پیامهای هشداردهنده بیشتری را رد کنید
- انتخاب «اجازه موقت» (۷ روز) یا «اجازه دائمی»
- تأیید دوباره اینکه «ریسکها» را درک میکنید
۹ مرحله. یک دوره انتظار اجباری ۲۴ ساعته. برای نصب برنامهای روی دستگاهی که متعلق به خودتان است.
بدتر از آن: این فرآیند کاملاً از طریق Google Play Services اجرا میشود، نه خود سیستمعامل اندروید؛ گوگل میتواند هر زمان آن را تغییر دهد، سختتر کند یا حذف کند — بدون نیاز به بهروزرسانی سیستمعامل و بدون رضایت شما.
این موضوع فراتر از اندروید است
اگر گوگل بتواند میلیاردها دستگاهی را که بهعنوان سکوی باز فروخته شدهاند قفل کند، تمام تولیدکنندگان سختافزار در حال تماشا هستند.
اصل ماجرا این است: شرکت سازنده دستگاه شما تصمیم میگیرد، حتی بعد از خرید، چه نرمافزاری اجازه اجرا دارد. در دنیای نرمافزار به این «rug pull» میگویند؛ اما در سختافزار یعنی سلب کامل اختیار از شما.
باز بودن اندروید فقط یک ویژگی نبود، بلکه یک وعده بود که آن را از آیفون متمایز میکرد. میلیونها نفر دقیقاً به همین دلیل اندروید را انتخاب کردند. حالا گوگل این وعده را بهصورت یکطرفه لغو میکند
Ars Technica: «حسادت گوگل به اپل، میراث باز اندروید را تهدید به نابودی میکند.»
اما صبر کنید، آیا این...
«...فقط برای امنیت نیست؟»
این یک بهانه است. Google Play Protect همین حالا هم بدافزار را فارغ از هویت توسعهدهنده بررسی میکند. الزام به ارائه هویت واقعی، کد را امنتر نمیکند — بلکه توسعهدهندگان را قابل شناسایی و کنترل میکند.
«...هنوز میشود sideload کرد؟»
۹ مرحله، ۲۴ ساعت انتظار، و قابل حذف توسط گوگل — این دیگر نصب دستی نیست، بلکه یک مکانیزم بازدارنده است.
«...فقط برای کسانی است که چیزی برای پنهان کردن دارند؟»
افشاگران، خبرنگاران و فعالان — اولین قربانیان خواهند بود. مشارکت ناشناس متنباز، سنتی قدیمی است که قدمت آن از خود گوگل بیشتر است. این سیاست آن را در اندروید از بین میبرد.
«...اپل هم همین کار را میکند؟»
اپل از ابتدا یک اکوسیستم بسته بوده است. بسیاری از کاربران دقیقاً به همین دلیل اندروید را به آیفون ترجیح دادند.
«...فقط ۲۵ دلار و کمی کاغذبازی است؟»
شاید, اگر شما یک توسعهدهنده با یک کارت اعتباری و گواهینامه رانندگی باشید که در آمریکا زندگی میکند. فکر کنید که یک دانش آموز در sun-Saharan آفریقا هستید. هزینه فقط مالی نیست؛ شما در حال واگذاری هویت و اطلاعات حساس خود به یک شرکت هستید که مدام به درخواست حکومت برای حذف کردن برنامه ها یا فاش کردن هویت توسعهدهنده ها پاسخ میدهد. .
اقدام کنید
همگی
- نصب افدروید روی تمام دستگاههای اندرویدی. فروشگاه های جایگزین فقط در صورتی به بقا ادامه میدهند که مردم واقعا از آنها استفاده کنند.
- تماس با نهادهای نظارتی
- این صفحه را با دوستانتان به اشتراک بزارید
- در برابر روایتهای ساختگی مقاومت کنید
- امضای دادخواست اینترنتی
- خواندن و همرسانی نامه درخواست مخالفت
- دیدگاه خود را به گوگل اعلام کنید
توسعهدهندگان
نامنویسی نکنید. با نامنویسی در Android Developer Console و پذیرش شرایط و قوانین غیرقابل بازگشت آنها، به این برنامه نپیوندید. هویت خود را تأیید نکنید. همکاری نکنید.
این طرح فقط در صورتی کار میکند که توسعهدهندگان همکاری کنند. همکاری نکنید.
- سایر توسعهدهندگان و شرکتها را از نامنویسی منصرف کنید.
- کتابخانه FreeDroidWarn را به برنامههای خود اضافه کنید تا به کاربران هشدار دهید.
- وبسایت دارید؟ بنر شمارش معکوس را اضافه کنید.
کارمندان گوگل
اگر درباره نحوه پیادهسازی فنی این برنامه یا دلایل داخلی آن اطلاعاتی دارید، از طریق یک دستگاه غیرکاری و یک حسابکاربری غیر Gmail با tips@keepandroidopen.org تماس بگیرید. محرمانگی کامل تضمین میشود.
همه مخالفان…
71 شرکت از 23 کشور امضا کردن این نامه سرگشاده
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
Proton AG proton.me
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Brave brave.com
iodé iode.tech
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
FULU Foundation fulu.org
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
April april.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
FUTO futo.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
OpenMedia openmedia.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
GitHub Store github-store.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Techlore techlore.tech
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
CryptPad cryptpad.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
Italian Linux Society ils.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no متن کامل نامه سرگشاده را بخوانید و از امضاکنندگان تشکر کنید →
دیگران چه میگویند
رسانههای فناوری
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"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 make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"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
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"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)
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
سرتیترها و تحلیلها
"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
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"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
"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
"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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"This policy represents a dramatic departure from Android's decades-old tradition of openness, in which developers could build and share apps freely without first submitting to a centralized authority."
Biometric Update
"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
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"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
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"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
"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
"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
"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 has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
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
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"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
"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'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
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud 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
"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
شرکتها و نامههای سرگشاده
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
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
"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
"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
"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."
AdGuard
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"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
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
F-Droid
"Developers who choose not to use Google's services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google."
Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"Google's abusive approach to the Android operating system has only gotten worse in recent years. Software freedom is sorely lacking in the 'computers in our pockets' we call cell phones."
Free Software Foundation
"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
"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 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
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."
European Pirate Party
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
Tuta
"Developers who build privacy-first browsers, encrypted messaging apps, VPNs, Tor-based software or tools for journalists and activists would be required to upload government ID to Google. These developers are unlikely to trust Google and might stop developing for Android."
Brave
"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
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"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
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
یوتیوبرها و تولیدکنندگان محتوا
"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
"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 has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"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
"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
"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 already can disable malware that they find on your device. It's already a built-in feature. So what is developer registration actually adding here? Is it security or control? You decide."
Techlore – YouTube
"This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
"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
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"Google isn't testing this in the US or Europe first. They're starting in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. Why? Because these are massive growth markets where regulation is weaker. By the time regulators catch up, the damage will already be done."
ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
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
"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
توسعهدهندگان و اجتماع
"Making it harder makes it harder to treat ourselves. Software like AndroidAPS is unique. It's hard to find or very expensive and inferior in the proprietary market."
pimeys (diabetic user on life-critical medical software), Lobsters
"Software gatekeeping is a threat to human rights. Just recently an app to track ICE was banned from the iOS app store even though this should clearly be protected first amendment speech."
gthing, Reddit
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"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
"We need to start treating phones differently. We're entering a world where we can't choose what we run on them. Their primary purpose is to gather data on us and serve us advertising, they're engineered for addiction, yet engaging in the world is immensely difficult without one."
specproc, Hacker News
"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."
gspr, Lobsters
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, 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
"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
"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
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, Hacker News
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, 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 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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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 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
"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 seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"'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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, 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
"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
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"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
"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
"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
"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
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, Hacker News
صداهایی از دادخواست اینترنتی
"Open source projects are important for not just developers, but users too. Any attempt to close android would be bad for people who want to switch to secure alternatives like graphene or lineage, but also bad for android too, as it strips community development and comments which helps improve the OS. "
Nathan, change.org
"Dear Google, As a life-long Android user, the perspective of this program ever coming into place is simply devastating. The Android Project was built with the promise of open-source software, community-driven development and digital freedom at its core. This promise has been a vital part of its success, from its humble beginnings to the widely popular and prolific ecosystem we have today. Any measure that does not fully respect these core values is a direct threat to the Android Project as a whole and a betrayal of its community. I believe the "Android developer verification requirements" program as it stands is such a measure. Therefore, I urge everybody involved at Google to seriously reconsider this program to the benefit of the Android Project and its community. Sincerely- "
Yoann, 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
"This is an authoritarian play by Google to regulate their customers (aka a huge percentage of the public) not by national law but by their own personal whims on what's "best" for their corporation and shareholders. It undermines a customer's right to modify their products how they want, and instills power to themselves to govern essentially all software that gets developed for non-iOS phones, which is highly unethical and anti-consumer. If this gets implemented I will be selling my phone and switching to a non-android product. "
Nick, change.org
"What is an android without weird apps installed from a weird website... I'm just kidding but that is what make better android you can make anything that you want. but if you can't install apps from outside of the play store you are going to lose so much content and I don't talk English so well but for this cause I'm did learn... An android without free apps not is an real android. And I'm not talking about like all apps need to don't cost I'm talking of being free of install any thing that you need. That's all thanks for read and remember being free is better than being dreaming. "
Elias, change.org
"As a regular user and a small developer, I find this measure deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an Android phone, it is with the expectation of having control over how I use it, not to face restrictions or censorship. Tools like Knox and Play Integrity are already frustrating enough, and now it seems that even downloading applications from F-Droid or other nice Stores should be checked ?! This undermines both user freedom and the open spirit that originally defined Android. We have ( well we have to take it back) the right to create, modify, and use apps—and to communicate online—without being forced to give up anonymity. It is up to users to educate themselves about potential risks, not for GAFAM to decide on our behalf. "
naknak, change.org
"Android is one of two operating systems used by almost every smartphone and tablet in the US. While the iphone operating system has been a locked down platform for many years, if it indeed was ever open, android has been marketed as the consumer friendly alternative. However, with android moving to lock unregistered users out of it's ecosystem, that promise may soon disappear. When a consumer purchases an electronic device, it ought to be his or hers to do with as the owner pleases. This includes installing apps from places other than google's native play store. A lockdown like this is a blatant violation of consumer rights. In the absence of widely available third party operating systems for mobile devices, this move by google bottlenecks the availability of applications and locks out independent developers, and those who will not play google's games. I should not have to elaborate on the potential for monopolization, nor the myriad ways this arrangement could be leveraged for censorship. I call on google to reverse this decision immediately, and end this threat to consumer rights and digital liberty. "
Auston, change.org
"Goolag, you are destroying Android and becoming the new Apple. Soon, there will be no escape from your lifeless, locked-down, prison-sentence operating system. Anyone who wants to use real Android, with APKs, custom ROMs, actual Material design, will be locked out. Rooting will be impossible, and Android will be gone. No more cuddly bugdroids to open the lock. No more Graphene OS. No more Lineage OS. No more TWRP. Terabytes upon terabytes of open-source projects, all rendered obsolete. Keep Android open. Because nobody will buy your half-baked, Gemini-centered trash, and live in your dystopian agentic world. Your aiPhones will sit on shelves, never purchased. Sideloading bans will not protect anyone. They will only make the Android community collapse. If you are not from Goolag, listen carefully. Get a custom ROM now, and remove everything with the word “Google” from your devices. Use Startpage instead. Install NewPipe and bypass Goolag’s ad revenue. Sabotage Goolag in every way possible. But do it legally, friends! You don’t want to be caught by the FBI for criminally pirating paid software off of sites like Aptoide! "
squooshy, change.org
"Android has always been known as the more freedom option on the market. With this move by Google will shatter that belief and create distrust completely. Keep Android free and always will! "
Phuong, change.org
"Another broken Google promise. Keep Android open "
Pero, change.org
"The entire reason I have stuck with Android phones until now was my ability to INSTALL apps outside of the play store—key word install, not sideload. Even using that term is brainwashed lingo. A phone is just as much of a computer as a PC is, and I should be allowed to download whatever I want on a device a pay for. Especially when, in some cases, a laptop can be cheaper than a phone these days. This has always been a meaningful feature to me. Then there is the fact of censorship & creating a hostile environment for smaller dev teams. Having to pay a fee to Google, having to disclose IDs (this is also counterproductive to privacy focused apps). Any application that Google deems unfit, they can rip from the store. The 3rd party stores that Google will "let us" download from are no different from the Play Store. All those developers will still be subject to what Google is doing. If Android is going to become reskinned IOS, I would rather move to Apple. It's better optimized with many apps that absolutely DO NOT function near as well on Android or get updates way later than Apple. It's a smoother, cleaner product. Though, truly, I want to go to Motorola as they are planning to work with GrapheneOS which is privacy & security focused (which Google isn't! And this move is not making Android more secure!) These practices are anti-consumer AND anti-competition. Monopolistic, dirty practices. It's shameful that Google is still trying to act like they are an "open" system in the slightest while they actively shut out our ability to—again, INSTALL applications on our phone, which is essentially just a computer in our hands. Imagine if Windows did this, or even a Macbook. The free world is about having free choice, and this isn't that. I will absolutely be moving away from Android if this changes take effect. In the meantime, I'll take my in-app purchases to the actual websites behind them, use F-Droid & various places to download APKs to update in place of the Play Store. This is abhorent. TL;DR: Google is awful, hates consumer and developer freedoms, & yearns for censorship and growing it's monopolistic empire. I will be moving to any other phone if this happens. "
Jaden, 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
"Literally one of the only things Android has going for it compared to iOS. You want this gone, fine -- then what advantage do you possibly imagine Android would have over iPhones? Do you really think people are going to continue to buy crap Pixels with Tensor chips at the same price as an iPhone? Android has ALWAYS been about uplifting device ownership. You get rid of APK side loading, you kill the damn OS once and for all. "
Jeremy, change.org
"One of the main reasons I use Android is the ability to sideload applications—downloading APKs from trusted third-party developers. Now Google wants to limit that? Please don’t leave Android alone and don't take away the freedom it was built on. "
Suyaib, change.org
"Hands off the APK! I left Russia for Freedom in 2022 and now you trying to restrict our Freedom like a criminal Putin. "
Alex, change.org
"One of the main reasons for using android is the freedom, this gets rid of that. So I may as well use ubuntu touch at this point. "
Yurii, change.org
"This change would effectively prevent any normal user from escaping the constant for profit schemes you'll find on the play store. Kids deserve games that don't try to coerce money out of them "
Jody, change.org
"Let's be real, this isn't about security, it's about forcing people to use Google playstore, and trying to get peoples info just like what Youtube is doing right now. "
Draven, change.org
"The whole point of going for an Android over an iPhone is the freedom to customize and install what I want. It's bad enough that there are fewer and fewer makers that allow things that used to be expected (headphone jack, replaceable battery, SD storage) but at least we had the apps we wanted, how we wanted them. If this changes, there will be no point to the entire Android platform. This cannot be allowed to happen. We know this isn't about security, either, it's about surveillance and being able to sell more of our data "
Lewis, change.org
"One of the reasons that people want to use Android is because of its freedom in installing apps. Locking it is like shooting your feet. "
John, change.org
"Please, google, no change you words, no comeback with them, we of android ecosystem need a system open. "
Matheus, change.org
"I and many others rely on and enjoy using apps outside of Google's controlled storefront. Attempting to restrict the freedom and choice of users is anti-consumer and an insult to the autonomy of everyone who chooses to use their own devices as they see fit. The market for mobile device hardware and operating systems is already a duopoly; limiting choice even further is anti-competitive. People can and should be able to decide what code is allowed to run on their general computing devices that they own. "
Ryan, change.org
"This errodes competition by giving Google more control over what content is easily allowed. Fundamentally, this is anti-competition and a way for Google to cement their ability as the "taste maker" for Android devices. "
David, change.org
"I refuse to be locked into only the play store. I need to be able to use f-droid and or install my own apk files as I will. It's my comptuer! "
Tom, change.org
"We need Android still an open platform that we could run our own applications on that!We never allow Google change Android into an locked-down platform, it is murdering the Android Development! "
Zhou, change.org
"This decision is about maximizing revenue. And it is Google's near monopoly they are leveraging to do it, despite the negatives for every other person and organisation. Forcing users out of Android with this decision only increases pressure for real alternatives to Android on the smartphone OS, and in the end is Google shooting themselves in the foot. Bit it hurts us too. It's cheaper and easier for everyone to maintain the status quo. Please don't do this, as it erases now decades of work by thousands (millions?) of developers around the world. "
Oliver, change.org
"Save Android !! Without it being open-source and freely usable, there *is* no good alternative to iOS, simply a mere copy of Apple's notoriously awful anti-consumer model. Personally, I won't stand for this blatantly money-focused and privacy-inhibiting change, and you shouldn't either! "
Brandon, change.org
"I don't know what words will reach the ones that need to hear them. I'll just say I'm willing to switch, drop, or do what I think works for me. "
Daniel, change.org
"Android has long been the operating system that has allowed customization and freedom. It's the bedrock on why I use the platform. Taking away the ability to use FOSS and alternative sources just kills what makes Android Android for me. At that stage I might as well give in and get a blue bubble and better base privacy. Super disappointed in this direction. "
Jacob, change.org
"Android has always been about freedom, let's not change that "
Gabriel, change.org
"Limiting developer and user freedom in the name of "safety" or whatever will only bring Android down to iOS's level. Don't make this mistake, Google! We must keep the right to make and use APKs freely! "
Julian, change.org
"Android earned its place in the market because it was open. The ability to sideload applications isn't a loophole — it's a feature, and a promise. It's what set Android apart, attracted developers, and gave users real ownership over their devices. That openness, rooted in the same Linux principles Android was built on, is the reason Google is where it is today. Restricting sideloading would be a profound betrayal of that foundation. It trades user freedom for platform control, and developer trust for gatekeeper revenue. It is, in short, pulling up the ladder after climbing it. I believe many in this community — developers, enthusiasts, and everyday users alike — feel the same way. We chose Android because it respected our autonomy. If that changes, so will our choices. I urge Google to listen to this community and protect what made Android worth building for in the first place. "
Felix, change.org
"I like to have a choice to choose and I understand the risks, that is why I check, Google should not have monopoly over it. "
Rosalie, change.org
"IT'S ABSURD WHAT GOOGLE IS TRYING TO DO ON ANDROID, ANDROID USERS AND ANDROID DEVICES ABOUT LOCKING THE SYSTEM SO WE CAN'T INSTALL APPS DOWNLOADED FROM WEBSITES AND DOWNLOADED FROM ANY OTHER SOURCE. GOOGLE DOES NOT OWN OUR DEVICES AND WE HAVE THE FULL RIGHT TO DO WHAT WE WANT WITH OUR DEVICES BECAUSE WE PAY FOR THEM. "
Wagner, change.org
"I've been an Android user for ever since i was 12, im about to be 30 now and i have never looked back, this is do to one main reason, freedom of choice. I always liked that i can install games and apps directly from developers most of the times. Is one of those things that set Android apart from iOS. Im not as tech savvy as some of my peers, but i do often show off the things i can do on my Android device that family and friends cant do on their iOS, so far i have been able to convince people to switch to Android and they have been enjoying the switch. I feel like iOS is finally catching up to Android in terms of customization features that Android has had for years now, but this decision to limit where i can get apps from would make the system just like iOS. I already quit from newer Samsung Galaxy devices since they got rid of features i still utilize to this day like the Headphone jack and Expandable storage. Today i use a Sony Xperia 1 V, which features both. I even did this personal experiment last year where i got an iPhone for 3 months to truly experience "the other side" and apart from getting use to the new User Interface (UI) the thought i kept having for those 3 months was "i cant get that one app im used to" or "i wish i could get this specific app, but is not on the App Store". When i finally got back to an Android phone the difference felt big, not only was i back to an UI i was so used to, i also didn't feel restricted from my choices in what apps i wanted to install. All and all, this decision to restrict Android users from where we can get our apps, is just another thing that i think will not longer set them apart from an iOS device, and there will be less reasons to choose an phone over the other, making them unexciting and eventually just all blend together. "
Anthony, change.org
"Android you are not our parents, stop acting like sanctioned company guardians. Nobody asked for this. It must be your goal to make yourself another worse option for operating devices. "
Eva, change.org
"I have an iPhone currently but hate it because I don’t have the ability to load any application I want. So when this goes into effect I will have zero reason to get another phone with android as it will just be a iPhone knockoff. "
Bill, change.org
"Free will is pretty cool. Kinda the whole reason Android is superior to Apple. Maybe don't become Apple. That'd be pretty cool. If I didn't want free will anymore I would have purchased an Apple device. Google. Don't be like Apple. Thank you. "
Tyler, change.org
"Freedom to think and develop without cynicism. "
David, change.org
"Let's fight for our freedom. "
Juan, change.org
"There is absolutely no reason for this. Google is once again using its money and influence to bully and suppress independent developers and choke out options for user, all while further its goal to insert itself in every aspect of the digital life. I enjoy having choice. I do not require every aspect of my life to be "verified". And the endless fees heaped on every small independent, be they developer or user, need to stop. "
Cat, change.org
"Freedom and anonymity in app development are extremely important. This petition and comment is a declaration that we will not bow to great power and will continue to protect our rights. I hope Google doesn't end up like Apple. "
伊藤, change.org
"I've been using APKs ever since I got my first phone, and now, it's an indispensable part of my life. Things I downloaded, games that I played that would be lost to time because the very people who made them forgot about them, things I watched, all those experiences... How can one take it away from us? We want our freedom. So what if we may be downloading viruses and having our data stolen? It's our choice, and it's nothing to be worried about by other people. And in my experience, there aren't as many viruses in the internet as people think. I know that I never got one. If APKs are gone, my main sources of entertainment — the things that kept me alive all this time by brightening up my days — they will be gone too. So, this cannot happen. This can't go on. I need my APKs. And I will not stop fighting for their existence, because they are a valuable part of my existence. - The Meteor "
João Pedro, change.org
"If I can't install FOSS apps then I will switch to Apple and delete my google account. "
Eli, change.org
"Goggle shouldn't limit our freedoms on our own devices for any reason "
Tristin, 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
"I cannot count the amount of times a sideloaded application has provided me with a much needed service or feature! Removing the ability to install such applications would be a massive blow not only to the users of android, but the operating system as a whole, and what it has and should still stand for. Which is the "your device your choice" mentality. The choice by Google to implement this change is nothing more than corporate greed. This decision should be reversed and an apology issued as soon as possible. "
Josh, change.org
"I am from Brazil, and having an android closed here makes it impossible for Brazilians, who in our situation, most people cannot have an economic situation that can have video games, PCs to enjoy the culture, with emulators, we can have access to this, even with simpler cell phones, because here even the simplest cell phone, it costs almost 1 minimum wage, I wanted to leave my support so that we can change this bad future "
Icaro, change.org
"After this decision I will just go with iPhone, this was the only reason I was using Android, just making it worse for the consumer, this is not about security but locking down people's choice of store, which in my opinion should be illegal give that we bought our phones and we should be able to do with them as we please "
Colin, change.org
"This is absurd and down right offensive that Google ever thought the thought that contradicts the core ideals for the Android OS! An android device that's no longer open might as well be Apple 2.0. In saying that, it will turn away not only the tech savy users in completion by 100% of them looking for another OS but in turn having the user who wants to express themselves in their Android device... If we wanted a closed source environment we'd conform with the rest of the world who knows nothing else but how to have the "hive mind" think for them and buy an apple. They do it, have done it and will continue to do it the best. Which, tbh, is ok!! Let them have their space in that of the most boring OS, app store, etc... If Google follows suit and actually closes up Android, clearly it will not kill the giant that Google purchased but it will turn away hundreds of millions of users to that "boring side" as in comparison, it makes NO SENSE for one to keep an Android over an iPhone when iPhone already has side loading and other exploitations to help us at the very least feel like we have some sort of control while going with the leading IP of closed OSs.... Android and closed should never be in the same sentence and I can guarantee when it happens Google will see lows they've never experienced in recent years nor could have predicted. However if the corporate overlords didn't think a backlash would occur when Google, likely the most predatory tech company in terms of their business practices who already enables the largest black market empire in that of call centers and scammers across the world to operate by selling our data to them and pushing their ads to the top of its results for the right amount of money. Who tf you think is gonna want to use a phone backed by said company when it's closing it's OS and changing it's TOS to basically "we can see and use everything on your screen for whatever purposes we please?? Literally the largest data broker in THE UNIVERSE???? YEA RIGHT, WE'RE NOT FOOL GOOGLE, WE'RE THE PHONE USERS WHO ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO THINK FOR OURSELVES, Y'ALL FORGET THIS POINT?? "
Steven, change.org
"I truly care about the direction Android might take. The freedom to install apps outside the official store has always been part of its essence — enabling innovation, access, and choice for millions of people. Limiting this is not just a technical change, it is a change in philosophy. Technology should empower the user, not restrict them. I hope the future of Android remains open, free, and in the hands of those who matter most: us. "
Marcelo, change.org
"I have been avoiding iPhone and using Android specifically for this reason. Why would Google change something that is working for them? Why ruin something good? Short sighted and stupid move. "
Will, change.org
"Android was promised and sold as an open platform. As many others, I decided to get Android devices considering that that promise was a serious lifetime commitment from Google. All Google has to do now is honor their own word and keep Android open. "
Leo, change.org
"Please stop monetizing making your software worse. I will quit using it. "
Bobby, change.org
"The sole reason one would choose Android over Apple was because Android uniquely treated their users as Users, not Customers, or Idiots. To take the very core ethos of what appealed to consumers and destroy it in some short-sighted power-grab is insane. "
Josh, change.org
"As I'm planning on purchasing a new device soon, this announcement is making me reconsider choosing android at all. If it is moving towards controlling user freedoms, Android becomes less compelling, as that has been the major draw for me. "
Taryn, change.org
"Android must remain a free platform. Google isn't doing this for security reasons. They want to control us, but we can't let that happen. "
Luciano, change.org
"Compared to iOS, Android always felt less restrictive and easier to work with, both as a user and developer. Now, Google would like to take that competitive niche and throw it in the dumpster. This benefits no users or developers. It is blatantly greedy, controlling, and nonsensical. It adds more red tape for developers, higher potential for censorship at the whim of Google, and it will turn Android into another iOS. Android users chose not to go with iOS when they bought their devices, for several reasons. For me personally, I liked that Android allowed certain kinds of apps that Apple did not allow on iOS. If Android didn't have that advantage, I would've picked iOS. It's a bad move for Google's business, it's a bad move for developers, and it's a bad move for consumers. Terrible idea all around. "
Bill, 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
"Keep Android an open platform, avoid a massive class action lawsuit. I along many others bought an android phone precisely because of the open ecosystem, you change that, you get sued and lose customers "
Joseph, change.org
"Companies have been continually chipping away at our rights as owners to use our property as we see fit. From TVs to cars our ability to freely maintain, use, and expand the features of devices we paid for have been pulled slowly out from under us. This is another slowly driven nail in the coffin of our digital freedom! We need to push back and make it known that we will not continue to tolerate this. "
Donovan, change.org
"If Android is closed off & no longer my phone as was the promise of Android, it will be the last Android anything I will purchase.. "
Michael, change.org
"Bribed their way outta the consequences for being an evil monopoly. Corporations behave kinda like sociopaths, but sociopaths atleast pretend not to be evil. When Google removed their motto "Don't be evil", they went from evil, to cartoonishly evil. When 300 million people realize 3 people have half of the money, half of the money in 'merica wont be eneough to save them. "
Jason, change.org
"Leave our phones alone. Dont turn Android into Apple "
leavemyphonealone, change.org
"You either die being choice free and open for the people, or live long enough to change your values and become like Apple. Don't be disgusting. "
Daniel, change.org
"Keep Andriod open! "
Andre, change.org
"Google and all of the human tech industry companies are trying to squeeze the freedom and very life from all of the people globally. Enough is enough. "
Justin, change.org
"I love the freedom to use whatever program APK I wish and Appl........Google wants to take that away from us? Expect lawsuits in your future. BTW I HATE the play store, F-Droid ALL THE WAY "
David, change.org
"Google, side loading is one of the few things that made android unique. Bring it back. "
Grayson, change.org
"Wow, I sure like it when the operating system touted to be for power-users to make unequivocally theirs gets shut up. If I wanted to play it "your way or the highway", I'd go to Apple. This is my device. And I don't need YOUR approval for that. "
Liam, change.org
"LEAVE ANDROID ONLY PLEASE "
Chapo, change.org
"I use sideloading on Android pretty much daily at this point, the idea of not being able to do anything I want with the phone that I'VE BOUGHT with MY OWN MONEY is just sick. I hope this petition has enough Signatures to make a change "
JOAO, change.org
"Monopole kosten,vdas tragen dann wir alle. "
Richard, change.org
"It starts with this. "
Jenna, change.org
"If this goes through I’m going to apple "
Matt, change.org
"As a hobbyist and tinkerer I rely on sideloaded apps to manage my smart devices, maintain privacy and access key items on other devices. Many of these services that I have set up would be unavailable if this goes forward. What's more there is no foreseeable reason why one shouldn't be able to modify, edit and change their own devices as they see fit. Every other computer works in this manner and Android has been no different. Maintaining this freedom is a must going forward and has one of the primary draws to the ecosystem. Google's choice to stop sideloading is not fooling anyone, it's a method of control and siloing. I left Apple because of this, don't think I won't leave Android too. "
Matthew, change.org
"We chose Android because it is OUR device that we have control of. Soon it will be fully controlled by Google. "
Montana, change.org
"I use sideloading everyday. A lot of the apps I use are open source and not on the play store, taking away sideloading would remove a lot of the freedom android has, and then I might as well use an iPhone "
Gabriel, change.org
"Literally the best part of android devices is sideloading APKs "
Michael, change.org
"APK or go away "
Joshua, 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
"This is a blatantly security washing a monopoly move to undermine the open internet and free access that grew Google to what it is today. If Google wants to be Apple it should produce Apple level products and services without being a leach. "
E, change.org
"I'm a developer considering deploying to Android as a platform. The option to not require Google's involvement is a highly enticing aspect, and I could see playtesting Android games by means of "hey, you're my friend, can you play this on your Android device and see if it works well?" with a signed APK becoming an absolute nightmare to deal with in the event of rapid updates caused by constant back-and-forth discussions if this goes through. Not only is this bad for the consumer on a nightmarish level, it could very well destroy the development environment of the platform, the main reason people develop for it so much more than iOS, as well. Google should be ashamed of even considering this for more than a few minutes and doing anything more than laughing the idea off the moment it was brought up, even less attempting to go through with it. I can't imagine your investors will be happy when everybody stops developing for your platform and you have far less people using it as well, either. Maybe think about the long term here. Y'know, instead of all the short term thinking kinds of mistakes that lead to things like Stadia going wrong. Don't let Android become your next Stadia, Google. Stadia failed not because of the concept, but because of tons of poorly thought out decisions that seemed good for the short-term that were horrible for any longevity, trying to focus too much on existing big heavy hitters being sold on the platform instead of trying to make a proper case for what it could uniquely bring to the table for example. It isn't out of the dang question this could make Android's upcoming versions into your next Stadia-tier failure. "
Adam, 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
"Android has been the place for people to create and discover... It's extremely secure already, and there's no need to submit us all to the recent authoritarian wishes of Google... They want to have the developer's full information, to ban you if you challenge them or make an app that they don't like, but people do. We need to stop this... We thank Google for all of what they've done so far... But if they are going down this path, it's time for a TRULY open alternative... "
javier, change.org
"I do not like doing this to Google but if I have to I will format my phone and I will switch it over to Kiley "
Jonathan, change.org
"I rely on open source software on all my devices, including my phone. F#ck google and their authoritarian-friendly, privacy destroying policies. I'm scared of the future of software. I don't wanna have to give my government ID just to use a f#cking "
Tyler, change.org
"Google’s move to restrict APK file usage is a direct attack on user freedom and device choice. Installing apps outside the Play Store has always been a vital part of Android’s openness, it empowers users, developers, and innovation itself. This change tightens Google’s grip on the Android ecosystem and undermines the freedom that has defined the platform from the start. We, strongly oppose this limitation. Android was built on openness and user control not corporate gatekeeping. We call on Google to preserve the right to install and manage APK files freely. "
Howard, 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
"This change would essentially make android comparable to iOS in the sense of the restricted amount of freedom we have over the operating system and how we want the operating system to function. This will also result in a constant battle between new "crackers" trying to find ways to spoof the signature system and Google patching the spoofs to keep the system restricted. This is not for security, this is corporate control over a dominating service they can milk for profit and add to their greed "
Simon, change.org
"This has always been absurd. Android was always sold and promoted as free software, a portable computer for free use, with users taking on their own risks most of the time (always, really). Then Google started restricting it, making it harder and harder to take responsibility for installing apps outside their store. How does a company that owns Android think it has the right to force users to only use its system, no questions asked? Beyond the issue for developers, this is straight-up authoritarianism. The software was always free even though it came from Google, but in recent years Google has started with this nonsense. For what reason? It’s annoying for everyone — from the average user who just wanted to make some basic system tweaks, to the developer who relies on this as a source of income. I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that something gets done and this gets resolved. I’ve always been an Android user. "
Adenildo, change.org
"Android was once the pinacle of freedom, not letting that stay in the past "
Juan, change.org
"I choose to use android for the freedom. If thry implement this in such a way that hinders that, I will no longer have a reason to pick android over iPhone. Guess I will see how this plays out. "
James, 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
"I do not want Google to limit my freedom of speech or right to privacy. Google is a monopoly and must be dismantled. This has to stop. "
Tristan, change.org
"Google loves trying to downfall their own creation by doing stupids things. Android is a best OS to side load apps, and also freedom to install apps outside of google play, but this goes so bad that i prefer apple over this. we can also side load without apple trying to remove side load. and no, i don't want to be "an approved developer" i don't want pay to a boring business who trys to downfall their own creation by doing shitty updates, because who wants to show their identify just for be "an approved 18+ old" user? well, NOBODYS. even adults. bye android, hello apple. "
Juh, change.org
"This is a clear grab at power over Android's massive userbase to manipulate the masses via censorship and mass surveillance. If this isn't stopped, they will only push the rules further and further until the slope is so slippery it becomes a cliff. "
Boris, change.org
"Keep android app development open! "
Samuel, change.org
"Android has been the bastion for users who did not want to accept companies deciding what we do with our devices, it is imperative that users are granted the freedom of choice to install any software they wish, and to develop software to innovate and solve issues that Google or its partners decide is not worth their time. "
Hassan, change.org
"I'm tired of the world becoming largely more authoritarian and censorial in general. Forcing developers to tie their personal identification, pay a fee to Google, and requiring one to be a part of a poorly curated program of developers makes absolutely no sense at all. It is clear this is an attempt to further monopolize the app market by Google in order to extract more profits, while also making it easier to surveil and censor owners of Android devices. As an open source developer, and privacy enthusiast, these points allow such communities to not even flourish, but to simply exist. This locking down of the operating system, while providing no meaningful alternatives WILL kill such communities. I make a point to use as many open source applications on my phone as possible, because so many applications on the Play Store are primarily data collection mechanisms with the app's advertised use being secondary. This sucks. "
Shaun, change.org