Điện thoại của bạn sắp không còn là của bạn.
Từ năm 2027*, một bản cập nhật âm thầm do Google triển khai, không cần sự đồng ý của người dùng, sẽ chặn các ứng dụng Android nếu nhà phát triển chưa đăng ký với Google, chưa ký điều khoản, chưa trả phí và chưa nộp giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp.
Mọi ứng dụng. Mọi thiết bị. Trên toàn thế giới. Không có lựa chọn từ chối.
↓Google đang làm gì?
Tháng 8 năm 2025, Google công bố một yêu cầu mới: từ năm 2027, mọi nhà phát triển ứng dụng Android đều phải đăng ký với Google trước khi phần mềm của họ có thể được cài trên bất kỳ thiết bị nào. Không chỉ ứng dụng trên Play Store, mà tất cả ứng dụng đều bị áp dụng. Điều này bao gồm cả ứng dụng chia sẻ giữa bạn bè, phân phối qua F-Droid, hoặc do người dùng tự viết cho nhu cầu cá nhân. Nhà phát triển độc lập, nhóm nhà thờ, tổ chức cộng đồng và người làm ứng dụng vì sở thích đều sẽ bị chặn khỏi việc phát triển và phân phối phần mềm của chính họ.
Trong quá trình đăng ký, nhà phát triển sẽ phải:
- Trả phí cho Google
- Chấp nhận điều khoản và điều kiện của Google
- Cung cấp giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp
- Cung cấp bằng chứng bạn sở hữu khóa ký riêng
- Liệt kê toàn bộ mã định danh ứng dụng hiện có và sẽ có trong tương lai
Nếu nhà phát triển không tuân thủ, mọi ứng dụng của họ sẽ bị âm thầm chặn trên mọi thiết bị Android trên thế giới.
Ai bị ảnh hưởng?
Người dùng
Bạn mua điện thoại Android vì Google hứa rằng Android là một nền tảng mở. Bạn có thể cài thứ mình muốn — đó vốn là thỏa thuận.
Giờ, Google đang viết lại thỏa thuận đó, áp ngược lên cả phần cứng mà bạn đã mua. Sau khi cập nhật được triển khai, bạn chỉ có thể chạy phần mềm đã được Google phê duyệt trên chính chiếc điện thoại của bạn, là tài sản của bạn, thứ mà bạn đã bỏ tiền ra mua.
Nhà phát triển độc lập
Ứng dụng đầu tiên của một học sinh, công cụ bảo vệ quyền riêng tư do tình nguyện viên làm, hay bản beta nội bộ của một công ty — tất cả đều không khác gì nhau. Từ năm 2027, những ứng dụng đó sẽ không thể được cài nếu chưa được Google cho phép.
F-Droid, nơi lưu trữ hàng nghìn ứng dụng Android tự do và mã nguồn mở, gọi đây là một mối đe dọa “mang tính sống còn”. Cory Doctorow gọi nó là “Darth Android”.
Chính quyền và xã hội dân sự
Google đã nhiều lần tuân thủ khi các chính quyền độc tài yêu cầu gỡ ứng dụng. Với chương trình này, phần mềm vận hành các thiết chế của một quốc gia sẽ phải phụ thuộc vào thiện chí của một tập đoàn nước ngoài duy nhất, không chịu trách nhiệm trước công chúng.
EFF gọi việc kiểm soát cổng ứng dụng là “một con đường ngày càng mở rộng dẫn tới kiểm duyệt Internet.”
“Lối thoát” của Google thực ra là cửa sập
Google nói rằng “người dùng nâng cao” “vẫn có thể cài” ứng dụng chưa xác minh. Nhưng thực tế sẽ như sau:
- Mò vào Cài đặt hệ thống, tìm 'Tùy chọn nhà phát triển'
- Nhấn vào số bản dựng bảy lần để bật Chế độ nhà phát triển
- Bỏ qua các màn hình cảnh báo gây sợ hãi về ép buộc
- Nhập mã PIN
- Khởi động lại thiết bị
- Chờ 24 tiếng (một ngày!)
- Quay lại và bỏ qua thêm các màn hình cảnh báo khác
- Chọn “cho phép tạm thời” (7 ngày) hoặc “cho phép vô thời hạn”
- Xác nhận thêm một lần nữa rằng bạn hiểu “rủi ro”
Chín bước. Bắt buộc chờ 24 tiếng. Chỉ để cài phần mềm trên thiết bị bạn sở hữu.
Tệ hơn nữa: toàn bộ luồng này chạy qua Google Play Services, không phải hệ điều hành Android. Google có thể thay đổi, siết chặt hoặc xóa nó bất cứ lúc nào, không cần cập nhật hệ điều hành và không cần sự đồng ý của người dùng. Và tính đến hiện tại, tính năng này chưa xuất hiện trong bất kỳ bản beta, preview hay canary nào. Nó mới chỉ tồn tại dưới dạng một bài blog và vài ảnh minh họa.
Chuyện này lớn hơn Android
Nếu Google có thể khóa ngược hàng tỷ thiết bị từng được bán ra như những nền tảng mở, mọi hãng phần cứng trên hành tinh này đều đang quan sát.
Nguyên tắc đang được thiết lập là: công ty sản xuất thiết bị của bạn có quyền quyết định, sau khi bạn đã mua thiết bị, phần mềm nào bạn được phép chạy. Trong phần mềm, chuyện này gọi là “rug pull”; nhưng ít nhất bạn vẫn có thể cài phần mềm cạnh tranh. Với phần cứng, đây là một fait accompli: một việc đã rồi, tước đi quyền tự quyết của bạn và đặt bạn dưới ý muốn của một kẻ gác cổng duy nhất, không chịu trách nhiệm trước ai, lại còn là một bên đã bị kết luận độc quyền.
Sự mở của Android chưa bao giờ chỉ là một tính năng. Đó là lời hứa khiến Android khác với iPhone. Hàng triệu người chọn Android chính vì lý do đó. Giờ Google đang đơn phương rút lại lời hứa ấy trên những thiết bị đã nằm trong túi người dùng, vì họ cho rằng mình đã có đủ sức mạnh thị trường và đủ lợi thế pháp lý để làm vậy mà không phải trả giá.
Ars Technica: “Cơn ghen tị Apple của Google đe dọa phá vỡ di sản mở của Android.”
Nhưng khoan, chẳng phải đây là...
"...chỉ để bảo mật thôi sao?"
Lý do bảo mật chỉ là màn khói. Google Play Protect vốn đã quét phần mềm độc hại độc lập với danh tính của nhà phát triển. Yêu cầu giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp không làm mã nguồn an toàn hơn. Nó chỉ khiến nhà phát triển dễ bị nhận diện và kiểm soát hơn. Người viết mã độc vẫn có thể đăng ký. Nhà phát triển độc lập và người bất đồng chính kiến thì nhiều khi không thể. EFF nói thẳng: kiểm soát dựa trên danh tính là công cụ kiểm duyệt, không phải công cụ bảo mật.
"...vẫn sideload được nếu dùng luồng nâng cao mà?"
Chín bước, chờ 24 tiếng, bị giấu trong Tùy chọn nhà phát triển, lại chạy qua một dịch vụ độc quyền mà Google có thể thu hồi bất cứ lúc nào. Đó không phải sideloading. Đó là một cơ chế gây nản được thiết kế để gần như không ai đi hết quy trình. Và vì nó chạy qua Play Services thay vì hệ điều hành, Google có thể âm thầm siết chặt hoặc xóa hẳn nó.
"...chỉ là vấn đề nếu bạn có cần giấu giếm thôi mà?"
Người tố giác, nhà báo và nhà hoạt động dưới các chính quyền độc tài sẽ là những nạn nhân đầu tiên. Tiếp theo là những người đang ở trong tình huống bị bạo hành gia đình. Tất cả những nhóm này đều có lý do chính đáng để phân phối hoặc sử dụng phần mềm mà không phải đưa danh tính pháp lý của mình vào cơ sở dữ liệu của Google. Đóng góp mã nguồn mở ẩn danh là một truyền thống còn lâu đời hơn cả Google. Chính sách này sẽ chấm dứt điều đó trên Android.
"...cũng giống Apple thôi mà?"
Apple là một khu vườn có tường bao ngay từ ngày đầu. Người ta chọn Android vì nó khác. “Apple cũng làm vậy” là một cuộc đua xuống đáy và là một lập luận tu quoque yếu. Hơn nữa, dưới áp lực quản lý như Đạo luật Thị trường Kỹ thuật số của EU, ngay cả Apple cũng đang bị buộc phải mở ra. Google thì đi theo hướng ngược lại: cố củng cố thêm vị thế gác cổng của mình.
"...chỉ 25 đô và làm giấy tờ thôi mà?"
Có thể là vậy, nếu bạn là một nhà phát triển ở Mỹ, có thẻ tín dụng và bằng lái xe. Nhưng hãy thử là một học sinh ở châu Phi hạ Sahara, một người bất đồng chính kiến ở Myanmar, hoặc một tình nguyện viên đang duy trì ứng dụng y tế cộng đồng. Cái giá không chỉ là tiền: bạn đang giao giấy tờ tùy thân do nhà nước cấp và bằng chứng về khóa ký của mình cho một công ty thường xuyên tuân thủ yêu cầu của chính phủ về việc gỡ ứng dụng và lộ danh tính nhà phát triển.
Phản ứng lại
Mọi người
- Cài F-Droid trên mọi thiết bị Android bạn có. Các kho ứng dụng thay thế chỉ sống được nếu có người thật sự dùng chúng.
- Liên hệ cơ quan quản lý. Cơ quan quản lý trên khắp thế giới đang thực sự lo ngại về độc quyền và việc tập trung quyền lực trong lĩnh vực công nghệ. Họ cần nghe trực tiếp từ những người bị ảnh hưởng và quan tâm.
- Chia sẻ trang này. Đưa link keepandroidopen.org lên mọi nơi.
- Phản bác các nhóm dựng dư luận giả. Đám “thật ra thì...” đang xuất hiện rất nhiều. Đừng để họ dẫn dắt câu chuyện.
- Ký kiến nghị trên change.org và tham gia cùng hơn 100.000 người đã lên tiếng.
- Đọc và chia sẻ thư ngỏ của chúng tôi
- Nói cho Google biết bạn nghĩ gì thông qua khảo sát xác minh nhà phát triển của chính họ — dù hiệu quả đến đâu thì còn phải xem.
Nhà phát triển
ĐỪNG ĐĂNG KÝ. Đừng tham gia chương trình bằng cách đăng ký Android Developer Console và chấp nhận Điều khoản & Điều kiện không thể rút lại của họ. Đừng xác minh danh tính. Đừng chơi theo luật của họ.
Kế hoạch của Google chỉ thành công nếu nhà phát triển chịu tuân theo. Đừng làm vậy.
- Thuyết phục các nhà phát triển và tổ chức khác đừng đăng ký.
- Thêm thư viện FreeDroidWarn vào ứng dụng của bạn để cảnh báo người dùng.
- Có website? Thêm banner đếm ngược.
Nhân viên Google
Nếu bạn biết thông tin về cách chương trình này được triển khai về mặt kỹ thuật hoặc lý do nội bộ đứng sau nó, hãy liên hệ tips@keepandroidopen.org từ một máy không dùng cho công việc và một tài khoản không phải Gmail. Chúng tôi cam kết bảo mật tuyệt đối.
Tất cả những bên phản đối...
71 tổ chức từ 23 quốc gia đã ký thư ngỏ
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
FUTO futo.org
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Cryptee crypt.ee
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
FOSDEM fosdem.org
Brave brave.com
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
OpenMedia openmedia.org
April april.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
FULU Foundation fulu.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Techlore techlore.tech
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Proton AG proton.me
Data Rights datarights.ngo
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
F-Droid f-droid.org
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
ARTICLE 19 article19.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
iodé iode.tech
FACiL facil.qc.ca Các bên đang nói gì
Báo công nghệ
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"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
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"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
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"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
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"
Benzinga
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"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
"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."
I-Programmer
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"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
"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"
Ars Technica
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"
Tom's Guide
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"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
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"
Slashdot
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
Bình luận & phân tích
"Google has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours. Google decides which apps are allowed to be loaded on Android and which are not."
Tuta Blog
"Google's story that this move is motivated by security is obviously bullshit. The idea that Google can improve Android's safety by certifying developers, rather than code, is obvious bullshit."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"This is 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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"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
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
"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
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"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
"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 does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
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
"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
"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
"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
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
"Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"This policy represents a dramatic departure from Android's decades-old tradition of openness, in which developers could build and share apps freely without first submitting to a centralized authority."
Biometric Update
"This is not about protecting users. This is about control. This is about Google cutting out the last remaining artery of independence in Android."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"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
Tổ chức & thư ngỏ
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
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
"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."
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
"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."
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
"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 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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"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
"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."
AdGuard
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"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
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Google will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android."
KDE
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"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
"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
"Developers who build privacy-first browsers, encrypted messaging apps, VPNs, Tor-based software or tools for journalists and activists would be required to upload government ID to Google. These developers are unlikely to trust Google and might stop developing for Android."
Brave
"Google's 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
"This invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"A 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
YouTuber & nhà sáng tạo nội dung
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"F-Droid is basically saying that the new Google developer registration process will likely kill the open-source app store entirely."
The Linux Experiment – YouTube
"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
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
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
"Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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
"Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"Google 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 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
Nhà phát triển & cộng đồng
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, 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
"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
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, Hacker News
"If I go down this path, I will stop all development on Android. I implore all other developers to resist this. This will completely lock down the platform forever, there will be no going back."
BatteryMountain, Hacker News
"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
"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
"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
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, 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
"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
"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
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"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
"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
"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."
hn92726819, 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
"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
"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
"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'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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, 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
"All the banking and payment apps in India refuse to open if you have developer mode on."
nibbleyou (developer in India), Hacker News
"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."
WaffleMonster, Slashdot
"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
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, Hacker News
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, Hacker News
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"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
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, Lemmy
"Can't come at a worse time. People are just learning to make things through vibe coding, and they're gonna want to put their own apps on their phones. And now Google says no."
Serinus, Lemmy
"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."
koala, Lobsters
"I still remember how in the early days of Android vs iOS discussions, the main point was 'but it's OPEN!' The word 'open' was used as a comma by Google people. It was The Thing. The Difference. Good vs Evil and all that."
jwr, Hacker News
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, Hacker News
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, 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
"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
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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
"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
"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"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
Ý kiến từ kiến nghị
"From a U.S. point of view it leaves us with only 2 wall gardens (Apple iOS and Google Android) as choices for smartphone operating systems with no other serious competition. I do not think this is a good thing for consumers. "
Mark, change.org
"Android has always been my preferred due to the freedom and flexibility it allows developers and consumers like me. To take that away, you're becoming more like apple and deciding what I, the consumer of your devices and software do with my device. If this goes forward, I will utilize an alternative to apple or android. "
Genesis, change.org
"Many of the apps I use for managing Type 1 diabetes require sideloading. If the hobbyist plan has any restrictions (which it most likely will), it could impact my personal health. We need full transparency about how this will work, or for this to be cancelled. "
1712, change.org
"If wee do not stop this then our computers are next. We will end up the same as other countries who put out the same message to their people to condition them. Our freedom of speech and the right to privacy under the privacy act will be taken away. You do not want this!!! "
Keith, change.org
"I started using an Android device because of the freedom to use the software I wanted to use. If Google goes forward with these restrictions, I wont have any reason to use Android devices anymore. "
Luis, change.org
""do no evil," my eye! this maga-adjacent, corpo-fascist overreach must be opposed, halted buried under copious amounts of binding democratic rules of fundanental software development freedoms & rights. no to paying tolls to genocide enabling skuoogle. no to overt subjugation of independent sw developers. if skruoogle had a consciencec... oh, but skruoogle has no conscience - it's not human. "
whiskey, change.org
"APK ARE IMPORTANT,IT'S SOME GAMES THAT ARE NOT ON PLAYSTORE "
Paulo, change.org
"Keep the Android Open Source Project... Open Source "
Raymond, change.org
"Because Android will become IOS but worse if this goes into effect. "
Dominick, change.org
"this is so dumb, and it makes the whole reason i got an android pointless. i might as well go back to ios but ill probably give pinephone a shot "
Spencer, change.org
"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
"Google motto used to be "Don't be evil". Today, it doesn't mean anything because they do everything to be evil and greedy. Not many people will follow your restrictions that you like it or not, there is always a way. The Internet is ours, not yours. :) "
Jacob, change.org
"For Freedom! "
Ömer Can Devrim, change.org
"let's go, ! Keep Android alive! "
jorge, change.org
"Android is betraying it's one purpose, the "don't be evil" "
M, change.org
"Implanting a feature like this would just kill the whole point of why i brought an android device. Might as well switch to apple, cause at least I would have a more cohesive experience. "
Edgar, change.org
"Android's freedom was one of the reasons it attracted so many users, and now they want to take that freedom away? That's like shitting on your customer's plate, the one who helped you get there where is it. "
Kelwiny, change.org
"Do not allow this tyranny! Refuse this overeach and help promote free software and your right to be able use your device the way YOU see fit. "
Nichita, change.org
"This level of control over a phone i own is unacceptable if i own it i should be allowed to put what ever i want on it whenever i want without googles permission "
Frank, change.org
"Stop trying to lock down Android, you bozos! "
Rares, change.org
"First they monopolize the internet, then they banned adblocks, and now they are coming after one of the last truly open platforms people still have. This is not just about Android, it is about the direction the entire digital world is heading. If we do not push back now, there may soon be no open platforms left. "
Maxim, change.org
"It is a based no to monopolization of Android from Google. Stop giving them all the power. Together we can ask for change. "
Claudia, change.org
"The market benefits when there are choices. The choice to lock down Android is the wrong one. When I buy an android phone I buy the right to have control over the system and what happens in that system. Locking down Android phones is anti consumer. "
Jimben, change.org
"As an android guru who runs a blog on getting the best out of android who often recommends and personally use many side loaded apps since a lot of the best apps are on places like f droid and sinilar places but not on google. Ultimately its sad to see android and apple be these walled gardens "
L, change.org
"if this goes ahead I will simply refuse to use Android and move to a linux 'phone. "
Graham, change.org
"The last thing differentiating Android from iOS was the freedom to be different, to be a power user, to truly own the very device you hold in your hand. Taking that away not only strips Android of its identity, it makes it just like iOS: locked down, useless, and incapable of serving the user. If you want to protect people, teach them how to protect themselves, don't be a helicopter parent to someone else's child. "
Evan, change.org
"This is a huge advantage over ios, you can't take this away 😢 "
Abhinav, change.org
"Our phones, our choice!!! "
Robert, change.org
"Because if Google prevents unverified apk installation it will interfere with downloading open source apps and self-signed apps "
error, change.org
"free is the most important part of Android,no freedom no Android. "
jason, change.org
"This is a clear overreach of authority on a platform which has hitherto been a champion of freedom in the segment. This sort of restriction on the Android OS will force those of us with the desire for privacy and freedom of choice to alternative providers, or to create our own. Please re-think this decision and understand that by going this route you are furthering the creation of a world of censorship, restriction, and strife. "
D, change.org
"Don't take away my ability to do what I want with my stuff. I payed for my device and it's mine to do what I want with. It's my responsibility to not damage my property. "
Peter, change.org
"As a consumer, I bought and use Android platform devices because I care about my privacy and I care about accessing third-party applications that are not strictly on Google's Play Store. I utilize F-Droid and various other third-party app stores, and this would be a major impediment to me. I did not agree to Google pulling the rug from beneath me well after I bought several thousand dollar Android phones and devices. "
Stephen, change.org
"I'm not even a dev and I don't agree with this "
John, change.org
"Android without open means NOTHING "
Lang, change.org
"Keep android open "
Charlotte, change.org
"Android is built on the Linux kernel and draws much of its foundation from the GNU/Linux ecosystem. The spirit of that ecosystem is openness, transparency, and user freedom. Limiting APK installation beyond reasonable security safeguards risks shifting Android toward a controlled ecosystem rather than keeping it an open platform. Security improvements are important, but they should not come at the expense of developer independence, open-source distribution, and users’ freedom to install software responsibly. Instead of restricting APK usage, a better approach would be to improve user education, provide clearer warnings, and offer optional security layers that protect users without limiting their freedom. "
Alireza, 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
"Android meant freedom; it meant the opportunity to make the device your own even when everyone was using the same model. Android allowed the freedom of APKs, the freedom to port video games to the phone without differentiating or hiding anything from users; it allowed them to be free from blame or credits. "
José Roberto, change.org
"Google does not deserve more money than they have right now, this is greedy. "
Parker, change.org
"As an Android developer myself, putting restrictions on an OS that people use to escape the restrictions of — let's say — iOS is a really bold and unconditional move. "
EXPOSED, change.org
"Thie is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but censorship and control everywhere these past several months. They'll all burn for it. "
Jeffrey, change.org
"I know this sounds crazy, but I just want to be able to use the device I paid for the way that I want to. "
Thomas, change.org
"Let's go! Google can be based if we all pray together. "
james, change.org
"The main reason I've used Android over the years was the freedom to use it how I want including installing apps that are not on the app store. If this change goes through, I will start exploring options to move away from Android. "
Daniel, change.org
"I dislike all the changes that have undergone Android, but this one takes the cake for the worst one i could have ever imagined. "
Pye, change.org
"I've been using Android for 10+ years instead of iOS sorely because of how open it is. I can customize a lot of my phone for convenience, looks, accessibility; I can download programs from F-Droid or games from Itch.io. Removing that or making it significantly harder is a deal breaker for me. "
Lucas A, change.org
"Monopole kosten,vdas tragen dann wir alle. "
Richard, change.org
"Don't let Google shut down Android, let your voice be heard! "
Gustavo, change.org
"I've been on android for as long as I can remember. The freedom to develop and most importantly do what I want with my own device is wonderful. To have that taken away from us all would be terrible, especially since the whole reason I love Android is how it is now. "
Angelo, 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
"As a long time user of Android who has refused to move on to other mobile devices, and as a developer who builds personal apps for testing, I find the idea of removing sideloading to be more harmful for the android community than it is helpful. I do not want to be "an approved developer" by giving up my personal information and being forced to pay a fee. Android literally started as an open-source operating system, and now it's literally just Apple OS but Google edition. Plus the worry of malware being spread elsewhere is contradictory. Apps on the Google Play Store are NOTORIOUS for containing spyware, malware, and even pornographic ads. I once installed a Genesis emulator on the Google Play Store and the first thing I saw was an ad of a bunch of nude girls, and the ad literally had the Google Ads logo button on it, so I know that wasn't from them but y'all. When I installed a Genesis emulator outside of Google Play, there was not a single ad, and for the other apps I got that did have ads, thet didn't have freaking PORN ads. Going anti-consumer isn't protecting anyone Google, it's just making things worse but in your favor. Please Google, make the choice that would keep your userbase and community instead of one that would destroy it. If you are going to continue with this anti-consumer decision, I might as well switch to Apple because at least they take the time to double-check if their apps have malware and spyware. Don't make me switch. "
Elijah, change.org
"As a regular user of APKs, I think this system is so much important for us, bc we need this. GOOGLE DON'T BAN APK "
Alison, change.org
"Big G is destroying Android and controlling the narrative. They want to determine everything you see, think, and can communicate. This is completely against the core freedoms that are constantly under attack. Keeping them from this destructive activity is the only thing that can keep millions of people - at least - alive around the world. Being able to load apps from where ever I want allows myself to even function and communicate. "
Jeremie, change.org
"It's serious that Android is doing this to those who make independent games, or stealing our data under the guise of security. I want to speak out because this is unfair. "
Cesar, change.org
"Changes like this severely limit fledgeling development. While you promise easy ways to register for free, any barrier can be enough to stop someone from making their first app. Additionally, anonymous publishing should be available for applications that may go against the will of those in power. This change limits freedom as well as killing the developer community. "
Jack, change.org
"First step to digital Gulag "
Sergio, change.org
"I have advocated for Android since I first got one, as well as developed for them for the past few years. This is regressive, and in the event that it passes I will immediately drop any projects involving android and attempt to find a new open OS for my phone as soon as humanly possible. "
June, 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
"When I purchase a device I have the right to own it. Otherwise why pay for it. We already disclose ID and pay Google for apks. We chose android over apple only due to the freedom that used to be. If you do not back off all of us will ditch our androids and apple as we do not need more stalking in our lives. People have been creative you know. 🫥 "
S, change.org
"Google needs to stop this. Collecting data in general is terrible "
Wojciech, change.org
"You okay Google? Isolation is never the answer. Hope you feel better soon! "
Robert, change.org
"You are BETRAYING the loyal users who went against the social hype crowd and went with Android over Apple because of your damn promises of keeping Android as an open platform!! I never purchased an iPhone because of the locked OS and refused to purchase the first iPhone when it was released and instead went for the G Droid!! DO YOU A**HOLES REALIZE HOW MUCH WE WERE LAUGHED AT, LOOKED DOWN ON, CUT OUT OF GROUP CHATS WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY, BEING THE BUTT OF THE GREEN BUBBLE JOKES, BEING TOLD "EWWW GREEN BUBBLES!!" "ARE YOU POOR? NO WHY? YOU HAVE THE GREEN BUBBLES AND THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T AFFORD AN IPHONE" AND WE THOUGHT IT WOULD END AS WE BECAME ADULTS BUT NO IT STILL HAPPENED TO US!!! AFTER ALL OUR LOYAL SUPPORT OVER DECADES THE THANKS WE GET IS YOU UNGRATEFUL A**HOLES TURNING ON US WITH THIS GARBAGE? AS IF WE'RE TOO STUPID TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO KEEP SAFE WHILE USING OUR ANDROID DEVICES? I PRAY THOSE ANTITRUST LAWSUITS SPLIT YOUR COMPANY INTO PIECES!! IF IT HAPPENS TO GO THROUGH THERE IS LITERALLY NO MORE REASON TO STAY ON ANDROID AND I WILL HAPPILY GO TO APPLE AT LEAST THEY DON'T LIE AND YOU KNOW THEY'RE OS IS LOCKED!! "
Armen, change.org
"Please, google, no change you words, no comeback with them, we of android ecosystem need a system open. "
Matheus, change.org
"Keep Android like it started, open and free for anyone! "
Edgar, change.org
"It's a no to big brother and feeling myself fold up when I look at my phone "
William, change.org
"Keep the Android system free, that's what made me buy an Android phone in the first place, if Google goes through with this it means we're not going to be allowed to install whatever app we as consumers have the right to install. "
Lautaro, change.org
"Locking Android down is an evil decision and completely goes against the original design intention. If this happens, I will no longer use ANY google products and services and publicly boycott. "
Chris, change.org
"Ts need to be stopped "
danilao, change.org
"I just spent $2000 on Samsung devices to break out of the Apple ecosystem because I'm tired of being locked down, and then I hear about this. Incredibly disappointing, I guess if they go through with this then I'll head back to iPhone after this, since nothing will set Android apart anymore. "
Kat, change.org
"Being able to install "unverified" apps from third party app repositories has allowed me to discover ad-free software that fits my needs perfectly that aren't available on the Google Play store. Removing support for "unverified" apps would destroy all ability for me to use the phone I purchased how I see fit. "
Nella, change.org
"If this update is released, I will switch to iPhone. "
Miguel, change.org
"This is going to change android into a half functional game console locked down to anyone who won't kiss the G, a sure sign of drm, not consumer protection. If only google approved apps are allowed, will we only be able to call google approved phone numbers, visit google approved websites, see google approved images, listen to google approved music? We are not google. "
Willem, change.org
"I am not a dev, I am a Linux user who loves the openness of android. If Android becomes locked down, and the play store is the only option, my sovereignty and freedom is gone. GOOGLE, PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE YOUR CURRENT COURSE. "
Gabriel, change.org
"google take the L "
Miguel, change.org
"Our phone, our rights. Open source is freedom. We will not comply, we will turn to alternatives. "
Foghorne, change.org
"APKs are extremely useful for downloading as a learning app developer in highschool. If you ban this, I will not have phone to use as a sandbox and resort to virtual systems to do my development on as a unverified user You are SIGNIFICANTLY reducing the amount of people who will buy your products, and I guarantee, I, as well as many other android users will be switching to Apple as a result. This is on of the ONLY reasons for us to purchase your devices and use your OS. Do not kill your golden goose "
Logan, change.org
"Some people live hard lifes, APKs gave us freedom and versatility with our smartphones, that one of the greatest things that made me buy and use android "
João Gabriel, change.org
"We have the right to choose what apps we want to use or not to use leave it alone "
DENNIS, change.org
"Google can not be allowed its voracious devouring of apps and data. Every move builds on its frightening monopoly, quashing any freedom and privacy. "
Kristi, change.org
"It's my phone that I bought with my money. Why is Google allowed to determine what apps I install on it? "
Eugene, change.org
"It's just because I like piracy and I was born into piracy. "
Simp, change.org
"I have been an Android user since smartphones became mainstream, and the primary reason I chose Android was the freedom it offers. Unlike other platforms, Android allows users to install applications from outside official stores, enabling innovation, experimentation, and personal control over our own devices. Over the years, I have used open-source applications from platforms like GitHub and F-Droid, many created by independent developers who may not have the resources—or the desire—to publish through centralized stores. In some cases, I have even modified open-source code to suit my personal needs and compiled my own versions of apps. This is not just a niche use case—it represents the very spirit of open computing. Requiring developers to submit personal identification and restricting distribution channels will disproportionately impact: Independent and open-source developers Users in region-restricted environments Applications that are no longer available on official stores This change does not just improve security—it introduces control over who is allowed to distribute software, fundamentally shifting Android away from being an open platform. If users are no longer free to install applications of their choice, Android devices risk becoming restricted ecosystems similar to closed platforms—where functionality is determined not by the user, but by a central authority. The ability to sideload apps is not a loophole—it is a defining feature of Android. Removing or weakening it undermines user autonomy, developer freedom, and the very reason many of us chose this platform in the first place. "
Eranga, change.org
"The Google need to stop "
ghost, change.org
"We should not be forced into using Google products. Our society doesn't function without choice and competition "
erik, change.org
"Yeah, when you buy a product it belongs to you. You can do whatever you want with your product. I like it open source since it gives full control on the potential you can do with your cellphone. I don't need a nanny telling any consumer what to do or monitor constantly on where I go. I don't like having to give out my personal information to a corporation that has had history of abusing personal information of users. And I don't like the direction it's going by making everything closed source. Android would be no different than Apple. I'm considering purchasing a linux phone so that I can fully have privacy and some form of freedom. Hope this will be a start of a change. Have an odd feeling Android will be going in the direction of what Discord is trying to implement with biometrics and building a profile off of the user of the things the user searches, the contacts the user has, and even the calls. Enough said. "
Cely, change.org
"Hello, I have been using Android my whole life and I had always disliked IOS due to its highly locked down operating system and hearing that android (Google) wants to lock down android from 3rd party creators really hurts because not everyone can afford to publish an app onto the Google play store. also due to the fact android is the biggest OS worldwide many devices such as "Meta Quest" use android and they're store for applications would get shut down and cause many problems if they (Google) goes through with this plan. Especially as somebody who is soon to make and upload applications for Android this can be very limiting. Keep Android Open. Don't turn it into IOS. "
sqidwerd, change.org
"Android promised us a choice. We shouldn't let them take it away from users and developers alike just to have more control. "
Cross, change.org
"The freedom Android offers for young inquisitive minds is the entery way to Dev-Land. Certainly they are aware of how many of their employees started from this basic idea and how many they may loose by taking it away. Not only that do they really believe we won't migrate to something better? But as a consumer we need to try and understand what the future will look like, why this is the decision not just for Android but for Windows and more. "
Joseph, 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
"As an open-source developer and enthusiast, Google requiring ID Verification is not only unethical, but unsafe, anti-competitor, monopolistic, and is one of the major reasons why people like me switched to using MicroG instead of GApps. "
Garry, change.org
"Government ID verification inches us even closer to a dystopian survallience future without open rights, without freedom of choice, and with orwellian control over our lives. Fight back against this and talk to your family and friends. "
dev, change.org
"Apoio à liberdade "
Kayo Junior, change.org
"If Google goes through with this, there will be no more Free and Open Source Software on Android. This move by Google has nothing to do with malware, and everything to do with oversight and control. I bought this Android device specifically because it was sold to me as an open platform. If Google goes through with this, I will be throwing this device in the garbage and sending them an invoice for $600 "
Llywel, change.org
"It starts with this. "
Jenna, change.org
"The idea that any owner of an android device would need permission from Google, or really any other third party, to install an application on his own device is ridiculous. This trend of companies reaching into people's lives, locking up their personal property and appointing themselves as a the nanny with the key that gets to dictate how that property is to be used is a violation of the most basic right to own property. It will not be tolerated and any company embracing this paradigm will find itself increasingly blacklisted. "
Andrey, 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
"Google is making this change for control not for security. these changes will give Google sole control over who can create apps for their platform and by extension it means they have complete control over what apps are allowed. In short this is censorship. "
Drake, change.org
"The whole point of Android is that we had a choice and a powerful environment to create and use apps. This was the one feature that allowed Android to grow in the beginning and has sustained that growth since to become the most dominate phone OS in the world. People left Apple for Android. This is nothing but a cash grab and to lock people in their walled garden. Very anti-consumer. "
Joe, change.org
"Your treason against humanity's freedom is going to be your downfall we will rise up against you sick sob's !!! "
Fu google, change.org
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