Telefonun senin olmaktan çıkmak üzere.
2027'den itibaren* Google, kullanıcıya sormadan göndereceği sessiz bir güncellemeyle, kendisine kayıt olmayan, sözleşmesini imzalamayan, ücretini ödemeyen ve resmî kimliğini teslim etmeyen geliştiricilerin tüm Android uygulamalarını engelleyecek.
İstisnasız: dünyadaki tüm cihazlar ve tüm uygulamalar.
↓Google ne yapıyor?
Google, Ağustos 2025'te yeni planını duyurdu: 2027'den itibaren her Android uygulama geliştiricisi, yaptığı uygulama herhangi bir cihaza kurulmadan önce Google'a kayıt olmak zorunda. Yalnızca Play Store uygulamaları değil, tüm uygulamalar. Buna arkadaşlar arasında paylaşılan uygulamalar, F-Droid üzerinden dağıtılanlar ve hobi amaçlı kişisel projeler de dahil. Bağımsız geliştiriciler, kilise ve topluluk grupları, hobiciler... hepsi uygulama geliştirme ve dağıtım sürecinin dışına itilecek.
Kayıt için gerekenler:
- Google'a ücret ödemek
- Google'ın Şartlarını ve Koşullarını kabul etmek
- Resmî kimlik belgeni teslim etmek
- Özel imzalama anahtarına sahip olduğunu kanıtlamak
- Mevcut ve gelecekteki tüm uygulama kimliklerini listelemek
Bir geliştirici bu şartlara uymazsa, uygulamaları dünya genelindeki tüm Android cihazlarda sessiz sedasız engellenecek.
Kimleri vuruyor
Seni
Android telefonunu, Google sana bunun açık bir platform olduğunu söylediği için aldın. İstediğin uygulamayı kurabiliyordun ve anlaşma da buydu.
Google şimdi bu anlaşmayı değiştiriyor. Hem de bunu geriye dönük bir şekilde ve zaten sana ait olan donanımda yapıyor. Güncelleme geldikten sonra yalnızca Google'ın önceden onayladığı uygulamaları çalıştırabileceksin. Kendi telefonunda, kendi paranla satın aldığın cihazda.
Bağımsız geliştiricileri
Bir gencin ilk uygulaması, bir gönüllünün gizlilik aracı veya bir şirketin gizli dahili beta sürümü... Fark etmez. 2027'de bunların hiçbiri Google onayı olmadan yüklenemeyecek.
Binlerce özgür ve açık kaynak Android uygulamasına ev sahipliği yapan F-Droid, bunu "varoluşsal" bir tehdit olarak tanımlıyor. Cory Doctorow ise buna "Darth Android" diyor.
Devletleri ve sivil toplumu
Otoriter rejimler uygulama kaldırılmasını istediğinde Google'ın bu taleplere uyduğuna dair belgelenmiş bir geçmişi var. Bu programla birlikte ülkendeki kurumları ayakta tutan yazılımlar, hesap vermeyen tek bir yabancı şirketin insafına kalacak.
EFF, uygulama kapıcılığını "internet sansürüne açılan giderek büyüyen bir yol" olarak tanımlıyor.
Google'ın "kaçış yolu" aslında bir tuzak kapısı
Google, "ileri düzey kullanıcıların" doğrulanmamış uygulamaları hâlâ "yükleyebileceğini" söylüyor. İşte bunun gerçekte nasıl göründüğü:
- Ayarlar'a girip Telefon hakkında bölümünü bul
- Geliştirici Modunu açmak için derleme numarasına yedi kez dokun
- Baskı altında olup olmadığını soran korkutucu uyarı ekranlarını geç
- PIN kodunu gir
- Cihazı yeniden başlat
- 24 saat bekle
- Geri dön ve yeni korkutucu uyarı ekranlarını da geç
- "Geçici olarak izin ver" (7 gün) ya da "süresiz izin ver" seçeneklerinden birini seç
- "Riskleri" anladığını bir kez daha onayla
Dokuz adım. Zorunlu 24 saat bekleme. Hem de sahibi olduğun bir cihaza yazılım kurmak için.
Daha da kötüsü: bu akış Android işletim sisteminin içinde olan bir şey değil, tamamen Google Play Hizmetlerinin içinden çalışan bir şey. Yani Google bunu istediği an değiştirebilir, zorlaştırabilir ya da tamamen kaldırabilir; üstelik işletim sistemi güncellemesi ve kullanıcı onayı da gerekmez.
Bu, Android'den daha büyük bir mevzu
Google açık platform diye satılmış milyarlarca cihazı sonradan kilitleyebiliyorsa, dünyadaki tüm donanım üreticileri bunu izliyor demektir.
Yerleştirilmek istenen ilke şu: Cihazını üreten şirket, sen onu satın aldıktan sonra bile hangi yazılımı çalıştırabileceğine karar verecek. Yazılım dünyasında buna "rug pull" (ayağının altından halıyı çekmek) deniyor, ama orada en azından rakip bir yazılım kurma şansın hep vardı. Donanımda ise bu, seni iradenden eden ve hesap vermeyen, tekelcilikten hüküm giymiş tek bir kapı bekçisinin keyfine bırakan bir oldubitti.
Android'in açık oluşu hiçbir zaman sadece bir özellik değildi. Onu iPhone'dan ayıran asıl söz buydu. Milyonlarca insan Android'i tam da bu yüzden seçti. Google şimdi bu sözü tek taraflı olarak geri çekiyor. Hem de insanların cebinde zaten duran cihazlarda. Çünkü bunu yanına kâr bırakacak kadar pazar hâkimiyetine sahip olduğunu ve düzenleyicileri yeterince etkisi altına aldığını düşünüyor.
Ars Technica: "Google'ın Apple'a özenmesi, Android'in açık mirasını dağıtma tehdidi yaratıyor."
Bekle biraz...
"...bu sadece güvenlik için değil mi?"
Güvenlik gerekçesi bir sis perdesi. Google Play Protect, geliştirici kimliğinden bağımsız olarak kötü amaçlı yazılımları zaten tarıyor. Devlet kimliği istemek kodu daha güvenli yapmaz. Sadece geliştiricileri tespit edilebilir ve kontrol edilebilir hale getirir. Zararlı yazılım geliştirenler de kayıt olabilir. Bağımsız geliştiriciler ve muhalifler ise çoğu zaman kayıt olamaz. EFF bunu açıkça söylüyor: kimlik temelli kapıcılık güvenlik aracı değil, sansür aracıdır.
"...gelişmiş akışı kullanınca yine de dışarıdan yükleme sayılmaz mı?"
Dokuz adım, 24 saat bekleme süresi, Geliştirici Seçeneklerinin içine gömülü bir yol ve Google'ın istediği an iptal edebileceği kapalı bir servis... Bu, dışarıdan yükleme (sideloading) değil. Bu, neredeyse kimsenin tamamlayamaması için tasarlanmış bir caydırma mekanizması. Üstelik işletim sistemi yerine Play Hizmetleri üzerinden çalıştığı için Google bunu sessizce daha da zorlaştırabilir ya da tamamen kapatabilir.
"...bu sadece saklayacak bir şeyin varsa sorun olur, değil mi?"
Otoriter yönetimler altındaki bilgi uçuranlar, gazeteciler ve aktivistler ilk kurbanlar olacak. Aile içi şiddet mağdurları da hemen ardından gelecek. Bu grupların hepsinin, yasal kimliklerini bir Google veritabanına koymadan yazılım dağıtmak veya kullanmak için meşru nedenleri var. Anonim açık kaynak katkısı, Google'dan bile eski bir gelenek. Bu politika Android'de bu geleneği bitiriyor.
"...bu Apple'ın yaptığıyla aynı şey değil mi?"
Apple en başından beri duvarlarla çevrili bir bahçeydi. İnsanlar Android'i farklı olduğu için seçti. "Apple da yapıyor" demek dibe doğru bir yarış ve zayıf bir tu quoque argümanı. Üstelik düzenleyici baskı altında (AB'nin Dijital Piyasalar Yasası) Apple bile açılmaya zorlanıyor. Google ise ters yöne gidiyor: kapı bekçiliği konumunu daha da pekiştirmeye çalışıyor.
"...bu, altı üstü 25 dolar ve biraz evrak, değil mi?"
Belki, eğer ABD'de kredi kartı ve ehliyeti olan bir geliştiriciysen öyledir. Ama Sahraaltı Afrika'da bir öğrenci olmayı, Myanmar'da bir muhalif olmayı ya da topluluk sağlığı uygulaması sürdüren bir gönüllü olmayı düşün. Maliyet sadece para değil: devlet kimliğini ve imzalama anahtarlarına dair kanıtları, hükümetlerin uygulama kaldırma ve geliştirici ifşa taleplerine uymayı âdet edinmiş bir şirkete teslim ediyorsun.
Harekete geç
Herkes
- F-Droid'i kur, sahip olduğun her Android cihaza. Alternatif mağazalar ancak insanlar onları gerçekten kullanırsa ayakta kalır.
- Düzenleyici kurumlarla iletişime geç. Dünyanın dört bir yanındaki düzenleyiciler, tekelleşme ve teknoloji sektöründe gücün merkezileşmesi konusunda gerçekten endişeli. Bundan etkilenen ve kaygı duyan insanların sesini doğrudan duymak istiyorlar.
- Bu sayfayı paylaş. Her fırsatta keepandroidopen.org bağlantısını yay.
- Sahte gündem oluşturanlara karşı çık. "Ama aslında..." tayfası ortalıkta cirit atıyor. Gündemi onların belirlemesine izin verme.
- change.org kampanyasını imzala ve sesini duyuran 100.000'den fazla kişiye katıl.
- Açık mektubumuzu oku ve paylaş
- Google'a bu konuda ne düşündüğünü söyle. Bunu Google'ın kendi geliştirici doğrulama anketi üzerinden yapabilirsin (ne kadar işe yararsa artık).
Geliştiriciler
Kayıt olma. Android Developer Console'a kaydolup geri alınamaz Şartlar ve Koşulları kabul ederek bu programa katılma. Kimliğini doğrulatma. Bu oyuna ortak olma.
Google'ın planı ancak geliştiriciler buna uyarsa işe yarar. Uyma.
- Diğer geliştiricileri ve kuruluşları da kayıt olmamaya ikna et.
- Kullanıcılarını uyarmak için uygulamalarına FreeDroidWarn kütüphanesini ekle.
- Bir web siten mi var? Geri sayım banner'ını ekle.
Google çalışanları
Programın teknik uygulaması veya şirket içi gerekçeleri hakkında bildiğin bir şey varsa, iş için kullanmadığın bir cihazdan ve Gmail olmayan bir hesaptan tips@keepandroidopen.org adresine yaz. Gizliliğin kesinlikle korunur.
Karşı çıkanların tamamı...
23 ülkeden 71 kuruluşun imzaladığı açık mektup
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu
Techlore techlore.tech
Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co
UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org
The Calyx Institute calyx.org
Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org
Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch
April april.org
GitHub Store github-store.org
CryptPad cryptpad.org
Data Rights datarights.ngo
Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be
F-Droid f-droid.org
Cryptee crypt.ee
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org
FULU Foundation fulu.org
Rocky Linux rockylinux.org
GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org
Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org
La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net
Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org
FUTO futo.org
GNOME Foundation gnome.org
Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw
Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org
Fedimedia fedimedia.it
Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au
/e/ Foundation e.foundation
The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org
Nextcloud nextcloud.com
The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de
The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Italian Linux Society ils.org
Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com
Proton AG proton.me
iodé iode.tech
epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works
Brave brave.com
Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no
European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org
FACiL facil.qc.ca
OpenMedia openmedia.org
MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org
FOSDEM fosdem.org
ARTICLE 19 article19.org Kim ne diyor
Teknoloji basını
"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"
Techzine EU
"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."
Android Police
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"
TechCrunch
"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"
The Register
"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"
How-To Geek
"Android 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
"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"
heise online
"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"
Bleeping Computer
"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"
SlashGear
"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"
Ars Technica
"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"
Gizmochina
"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"
Open Source For U
"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"
MakeUseOf
"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 Clamps down On Android's Openness"
Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"
How-To Geek
"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"
Datamation
"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"
TechSpot
"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 New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"
How-To Geek
"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"
Tuta Blog
"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"
The Register
"Keep Android Open"
Linux Magazine
"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"
TechRepublic
"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 letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"
Infosecurity Magazine
"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"
The Verge
"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"
Android Headlines
"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."
Hackaday
"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"
The New Stack
"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"
Techdirt
"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"
The Register
"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"
9to5Google
"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"
Cybernews
"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"
How-To Geek
"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"
InfoWorld
"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"
XDA Developers
"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."
Thom Holwerda, OSnews
"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"
Reclaim The Net
"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"
Android Headlines
"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"
It's FOSS News
Köşe yazıları ve analizler
"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
"One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth."
PixelUnion
"This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices."
It's FOSS News
"Innovation may be the biggest casualty in all of this. This new rule erodes your right to make informed decisions about your own devices."
MakeUseOf
"Destroying F-Droid isn't some 'oops.' It's the mission. It's Google finally cutting the last remaining escape route and locking every single user inside their store."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem."
Techdirt
"Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge."
Newsfangled
"This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem."
PixelUnion
"Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces."
Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
"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
"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
"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 wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free."
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants."
Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
"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
"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 $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 not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability."
MerchMindAI
"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
"The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android."
LLM Advocates
"The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem."
Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
"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
"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
"This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games."
Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
"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
"What student is going to upload their passport to a trillion-dollar surveillance corporation just to share their weekend project?"
fireborn, mataroa.blog
"Sideloading, a longstanding pillar of Android's openness, is now being marginalized, placing the Android platform closer to the walled-garden approach of Apple's iOS."
Purism
"Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'"
Newsfangled
"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
"Google is turning sideloading from a right into a permission slip, and the open-source community has until September to convince it otherwise."
Reclaim The Net
"Android 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
Kuruluşlar ve açık mektuplar
"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."
Nextcloud
"Changes would impose barriers to entry for individual developers, small teams and volunteer projects by imposing fees, identity checks and terms that may not align with the principles of an open ecosystem."
Infosecurity Magazine
"This is a profound change, one that shatters the entire premise of the Android ecosystem, long regarded as the antithesis of the closed Apple ecosystem."
AdGuard
"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
"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."
Nextcloud
"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
"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
"While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple."
Tuta
"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"
Tech-ish Kenya
"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."
Osservatorio Nessuno
"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
"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."
AdGuard
"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."
ACLU
"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."
AdGuard
"This invasion of privacy of developers is not just an overreach of Google's authority over Android, but also jeopardizes developer safety."
Software Freedom Conservancy
"Developers who 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
"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
"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."
Tuta
"We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever."
F-Droid Open Letter
"A centralized global registration system for Android will inevitably chill this work. Those communities are likely to drop out of developing for Android altogether."
Electronic Frontier Foundation
"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."
AdGuard
"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
"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."
European Parliament
"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."
AdGuard
"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."
F-Droid
"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 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
"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."
F-Droid
"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
YouTuber'lar ve içerik üreticileri
"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."
Techlore – YouTube
"Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
"I'm not using the word 'phone.' I'm using the word 'computer.' This has over 8 GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage. It's a computer. And I'm also not going to be using words like 'sideload.' When you download an exe file onto your Windows computer, you've installed an application. You haven't 'sideloaded' something."
Louis Rossmann – YouTube
"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 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
"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
"Android has become what they set out to destroy."
Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
"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
"If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly."
fireborn – 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
"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"
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
"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 removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."
Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
"Google 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
"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
"That's not openness. That is control."
ChiefGyk3D – 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
"Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say."
fireborn – Blog
"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
"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."
SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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
"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."
Tuta Blog – Blog
Geliştiriciler ve topluluk
"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
"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."
Apocryphon, 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
"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
"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."
gumby271, 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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"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
"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."
Max-P, Lemmy
"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."
lynxy, Tildes
"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 have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."
TheTearMiser, Lemmy
"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
"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."
anordal, Lobsters
"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
"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
"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."
Tiraon, Tildes
"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."
layfellow, 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
"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
"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."
gcupc, Lobsters
"Requiring a government ID to distribute software. Holy shit. If you are a kid and want to create a game for your friends, you better get that birth certificate ready!"
llitz, Reddit
"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."
masterofn001, 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
"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
"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
"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."
MrZander, 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
"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
"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
"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."
Zak, Lemmy
"The fundamental problem is that we are relying on the good graces of Google to keep Android open, despite the fact that it often runs contrary to their goals as a $4T for-profit behemoth. The 'don't be evil' days are very far behind us."
paxys, Hacker News
"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."
Zak, Hacker News
"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."
tejtm, Hacker News
"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"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
"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."
BenjaminRi, Lobsters
"Years ago, I wondered how Google would try to get away with locking down Android and shutting the cage door after capturing such a large dependent user base. Now I see how they are trying to get away with it."
chaznabin, Reddit
"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
"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
"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."
survirtual, Hacker News
"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."
flykespice (developer in Brazil), 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 open Android I knew and loved is long gone."
girvo, 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
"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
"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
"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."
vala, Lemmy
"I hate this so much. More and more I get the feeling I have no control over the devices I own. My fear is that Windows will eventually follow. For security reasons of course. It's the path we're on now."
cheesyvoetjes, Reddit
"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."
afferi300rina, 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
"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
"I still remember how in the early days of Android vs iOS discussions, the main point was 'but it's OPEN!' The word 'open' was used as a comma by Google people. It was The Thing. The Difference. Good vs Evil and all that."
jwr, Hacker News
"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."
hbn, Hacker News
İmza kampanyasından sesler
"This is the entire point of many people using Android in the first place, you take this away and something new will come along and replace you. "
Jacob, change.org
"Google's attempt to prevent outside app installation on Android is very concerning. Only allowing approved developers will make it so developers will feel less inclined to make new apps. Additionally, this should raise antitrust laws into full affect as there ownership over android and attempted control over the whole market of phones that use the android ecosystem is very wrong. "
Joey, change.org
"People use Android to have more freedom, if you restrict it as much as possible, what is the point in using it? If it gets too bad, I'll look into alternatives and will swich if there is anything else good enough. "
Ross, change.org
"People who choose Android over Apple do so because Android offers the freedom to install apps freely and develop apps as a hobby. I think that if they remove access to APKs, I'll switch to Apple, and I think most people will do the same. "
Alexis, change.org
"Android needs to remain about choice not a locked down OS like Apple, that's the reason I and so many others choose android "
Sean, change.org
"google take the L "
Miguel, change.org
"It's simple. No one else should have the right or the power to control any aspect of your life, not even when it comes to software and information sharing. Of course, security is important, but so are privacy and freedom. What they're trying to do is nothing more than a political ploy, a quest for surveillance and control. "
Gonzalo, change.org
"They just need to be killed. "
Erich, change.org
"this change would remove the main reason i even purchase these phones, stop it google "
andrew, change.org
"I've been the victim of identify theft and attempted payment fraud through the old Google Wallet platform. Thankfully my bank caught it, but when I disputed the charges Google insisted they were authorized, messing up my finances by having nearly $1500 drop out of my account for a week while I insisted I didnt transfer large amounts to random addresses. Ultimately, my bank sided with me, and despite being provided with police reports and dispute reports Google still wanted the transactions to go through. The consequence I received for not wanting to have money stolen from me is that Google has suspended payments for my account across all their services. I cannot buy apps from the Play Store or anything else requiring a payment even a decade later. Luckily some developers will take payment directly for the few apps that I have ended up needing to buy, and FDroid or other alternatives have given me a lot more choices to Google's ecosystem. You have to get creative when the corporation won't let you participate. Despite these hardships I still prefer Android's openness to iOS. Google should not fundamentally lock out alternatives. "
Dominic, change.org
"Boydan girmek lazım "
Said, change.org
"We want our freedom of speech "
Mohammed, 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
"Continue to keep our rights to open-source applications a reality for all Android users on every device and keep the option for everyone to create & install the apps they choose. Allow us to make the choice for ourselves and respect the integrity and freedom of the developers & users that love the Android. "
Mitch, change.org
"Big tech companies are more and more trying to restrict users and make them use their services. Anti-competitive practices are bad for the market and for the end user, so i definitely DO NOT support what google is doing. "
QByte, change.org
"As an 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
"Please call your Reps and Sens to vote NO on legislation that would mandate online age-verification systems, digital ID requirements, or repeal or weaken Section 230. Including proposals like the KIDS Act package and KOSA, the SCREEN Act, Section 230 sunset bills, and COPPA 2.0 if it is used to expand surveillance-style age checks "
Evan, change.org
"Why would anyone use an Android period outside of being able to install applications not “approved” by some walled-garden. Side loading is a dumb term "
Stephen, change.org
"I have always stayed with Android knowing I was free to create and develop and install and control my own device without the need to root the device. This decision will make this device just as worthless to me as an apple ios device and then looking again for other alternatives. Android was not always as polished and of thr same quality and IOS but having the ability to control my own device and software meant more to me then a fully polished and responsive mobile device. "
Brad, change.org
"Dude just stop stealing our personal information already please. -_- "
Evan, change.org
"I am the founder of Yale Privacy Lab, where we have investigated privacy and security issues in Android apps since 2017. I can say without hesitation that this change makes Android users less safe. Android is based upon free and open source software (FOSS) and that has always been defined by user choice. Blocking the capability to install apps directly from trusted sources outside Google Play is not a small tweak. It removes a core freedom. We should not need permission to run software on devices we own. Framing this change as protection does not reflect the reality of the Android ecosystem. Google Play has long allowed unsafe apps, invasive tracker SDKs, and supply chain threats that slip through automated review. Independent audits have consistently revealed these issues inside of Google Play, even *after* Google claims to have scrubbed. For example, the X-mode SDK persisted long after it was banned in the USA by the FTC enforcement action, and was still present in many Google Play apps until Google was called out by my own investigation. Initially, Google responded by saying I was wrong but then acknowledged their error in press. Long after that, other tracker SDKs associated with X-mode and the wider ad-tech surveillance economy have persisted. In many cases, the safer and more privacy-conscious option is to use F-Droid to install apps. F-Droid is just one organization that is much more serious than Google about checking the safety of their catalog of apps. Sometimes, the safest option is installing APKs directly from trusted developers. These methods can avoid ad trackers, surveillance code, and unwanted data sharing. To cut off these options is to put many activists, journalists, whistleblowers, and ordinary users at risk. "
Sean, change.org
"By what standard? "
Alex, change.org
"I choose to use Android as it gives me the ability to freely use my mobile phone the way I intend to. I would like to continue developing apps as a hobby without needing to be an "approved developer" and sharing my government issued identity with Google. "
Christian, 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
"This will effectively remove the android edge over apple. Modifying my phone is the main reason I choose not just android but GOOGLE PIXEL phone and accessories. Literally a huge market mistake. Signed by android consumer and advocate... "
Michael, change.org
"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
"Android's biggest advantage over iOS is its open nature! "
Michael, change.org
"As a life long android user who is also part of open source communities, I have to speak my voice on how this goes against everything about why the people love Android. I've always shared how amazing Android is specifically being able to sideload apps outside of Google Play unlike Apple. I love being able to use my device the way I please in comparison of it being "locked down." The whole sole purpose of Android is for it to have an it open source approach for developers and consumers. I am not a developer, but as a open/close source consumer I cannot express enough how much I truly appreciate have open source applications as an option besides Google Play store. I really hope Google can find a way that we can all be one big happy family and continue what is already great. LET US KEEP OUR ANDROID FREEDOM! "
Justin, change.org
"I've always loved android because of the freedom to download apps. Now that Google has decided to lock the bootloader, we need to do something so it stays customizable or else. I will switch to a Linux phone if this happens. "
Andrew, change.org
"Third party apps make my phone so much more functional and versatile for my own personal needs. It's why I choose Android over Apple. Giving less options to all of us will only make the user experience worse for everyone. "
Jorri, change.org
"I should be able to use any app I want on my phone "
Alejandro, change.org
"the only reason Android shines is it's customizabe especially app installation. please don't ruin yourself "
John, 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
"At the very least let there be one platform that can stay open, don't close it down like everything else. Let us have this. "
Juno, 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
"Google locking downAPKs severely limits the Android operating system. At that point, it would be the exact same as Apple products. One of the primary draws for Android is its user experience, so keeping Android free and open is the best way to ensure user freedom. https://keepandroidopen.org "
Jordan, change.org
"I use Android because it's free than OS so what will be the difference between iOS and Android if it's not for "site loading".i am simply user not a developer I like to be able to take a software and install it with my device.Don't be evil but that's not true anymore but remember for where you coming from if you forget this your roots you have no future. "
Krasimir, change.org
"What happened to not being evil? "
Scott, change.org
"I bought this device. Keep your ransomware/malware away from MY device, Google. "
Zach, change.org
"Dawg how am i supposed to live without sideloaded apks "
Sean, change.org
"As others have definitely stated along with me, the Android platform was always chosen over Apple because of the freedom it allowed. Creating another oppressive "nanny" based prison environment for customers is not the answer. No "features" or promises of "safety" are worth giving up freedom of a once open OS. "
Jason, change.org
"It's crucial for Google to recognize that the strength of the Android ecosystem lies in its openness and diversity. Many users are increasingly concerned about privacy and surveillance, which is driving a preference for simpler, "dumb" phones. By maintaining an open ecosystem, Google can cater to this demographic that values freedom and autonomy over constant connectivity and data collection. An open Android ecosystem not only fosters innovation and creativity but also empowers users to choose devices that align with their values. It allows manufacturers to build secure, privacy-centric alternatives without being bogged down by restrictive policies. This encourages a healthier competition, where privacy-focused options can thrive alongside mainstream offerings. Additionally, embracing a more privacy-oriented approach can enhance Google's reputation. Users are now more mindful of where their data goes and how it’s used. By championing user choice and privacy, Google can position itself as a leader in ethical tech, attracting users who wish to escape the surveillance machine. Maintaining an open system isn't just about freedom for developers; it's about respecting the desires and needs of a significant portion of the population that prioritizes privacy. By supporting this diverse landscape, Google can build trust, loyalty, and ultimately, a better future for all users. "
Taylor, 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
"Sideloading is a huge part of what makes android awesome. im not updating my phone anymore if this happens "
Cassius, change.org
"Hey Google, remember what you said? "Be together, not the same." "
Christopher, change.org
"Everyone is sharing how much they side with Android for the ability to have fuller control over what they can do with their devices .. and I'm so on board with that... I can't stand to have limitations which is why I've always used Android devices.. There's a lot of freedom to allow ourselves to develope what we'd like and share them with others .. that is something I myself enjoy be able to take advantage of as I am in no way knowledgeable in programming and most pf the time, everything I want is done by volunteers or people who just do these things as a hobby... what a community 👏 so annoyed Google is trying to enforce this stupidity "
Santiana, change.org
"We need android to stay open "
Mark, change.org
"I've relied on a third-party adblocker to disable adverts throughout my entire phone, and pulling this stunt would jeopardise such wishes not to have adverts in literally every single application I use. I do not want the Android OS to become iOS in being unnecessarily strict on sideloading and people's rights to download any apps they want that might not be on the Play Store. Google, you NEED a reality check if you really think being anti-consumer is going to "help" anybody in their lives. "
Finn, change.org
"Removing the freedom that Android provides is not the right way at all. If this is enacted, developers will lose their privacy because they have to give their government ID to a tech giant that also has an ad firm and the OS will not be different than its competition. I got an Android device because of the freedom it gave me, and it's sad to have thoughts about switching to iOS. "
Zach, change.org
"Unacceptable. This goes completely against the Spirit of the Android OS. Sideloading is a big reason Android is what is it today. Apps that were sideloaded became essential and were later integrated into the Android OS. Anyone smart enough to sideload is smart enough to educate themselves and be aware of any risks involved. I help people who's phones were hijacked by almost malware-like Launchers. Google still hasn't banned those Launchers from Google Play but somehow sideloaded apps are bad? Spare me the big brother crap. This is crackdown on Revanced and similar apps. This is also in coordination with government to crackdown on "undesirable" apps such as those that bypass censorship. "
Pavel, change.org
"I have advocated for android over apple for years in large part due to freedom of software and hardware choices. Ive gotten many to convert over. If google implements this change it will be a huge problem and make me and many others start considering alternative options. Google, be a pioneer and supporter of developers worldwide, not a stifler of technology and innovation. "
Emmanuel, change.org
"Google, side loading is one of the few things that made android unique. Bring it back. "
Grayson, change.org
"Freedom is the reason we all choose android. Android was my gateway into learning how to interact with software, running custom firmware. I now have a great job as a technician and plan to continue growing my career in the technical field. Android played a huge role in my development and it would be such a massive loss to future generations with people like me trying to learn. There is no reason to support android anymore if we are restricted. The only one that stands to gain is Google (and they won't win if they do this, we WILL cut support). We the people, the users, the creators, the developers, only stand to lose if this change goes into effect. "
Mason, change.org
"If this happens, Android will ko longer be an open platform with options. Google and other OEMS that they work with will be the only ones who can dictate what your own personal device can run. This also completely halts hobbyist and low income development by cutting off an extremely accessible platform and imposing a fee (Which could very easily turn into an Apple style subscription later.). So, people will not be able to easily to learn, experiment, and practice with mobile app development. Only the very few with sufficient disposable money will be able to do it. "
Jeffrey, change.org
"I do not condone google to control everything "
Leticia, change.org
"Literally the only reason I swapped to android years ago was because it had freedoms that iPhones didn't. I may as well swap back if this is how things are going. "
Robert, change.org
"One of the reasons why we chose Android was its freedom of doing what you want on your device. Now we have to stop this limitation of a recognized right. "
Francesco, change.org
"The level of control Google is attempting to exert over developers and users is unreal. If I download an app from a source that isn't the play store, I shouldn't need Google's approval. I will seek alternate operating systems from the Android and iOS duopoly if this goes through. "
Alice, change.org
"Being open sourced and allowing users to have control over their own devices is what makes android beautiful. If you continue with this then you'll be no better than Apple. Allow devs, techies, power users and curious kids and adults to write their own programs and use them. Our phones! Our choice! You're going to damage yourself because it'll just let operating systems like Graphene explode and become more than what they are now "
Sean, change.org
"I've received pornographic viruses from puzzle games from the Google Play store. Google should remember why people go Android; Apple has locked down their systems to make them unbearable. Android gave freedom. If they lock it down, we'll use something else. I'm looking forward to a dumb phone and a physical camera...no annoying social media there. Or Google holding your money for you. Google offers nothing I need to use except an email, and last I checked, anyone offers those. The programs I love can be accessed on both Android AND PC...guess which I'll be shifting to! "
Kay, change.org
"That cannot be allowed, it even attacks the freedom of all users who use Android, for years that has always been the case, therefore, making that change, It would result in a catastrophic situation for many users, including Google itself, with many losses in every sense. "
Javier, change.org
"Hopefully this movement is successful for the custom developmental purposes and devotion from the developers themselves. "
Jerrod, change.org
"I switched to Android OS because apple's OS is closed. There will be no upsides to Android once it is closed. I will switch back to iPhones in a heartbeat so I can be on the same system as the rest of my family. "
devin, change.org
"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
"whatever happened to actually owning something you bought? like seriously stop with this nonsense. I should be able to install things onto my phone as I see fit. "
Eric, change.org
"Funny how a principle as straightforward as “don’t be evil” can still turn out to be surprisingly difficult to live up to. "
JV, change.org
"This change would defeat the core purpose at the heart of what the Android platform is. Remember when Google used to use the slogan "Don't be Evil"? Well this is about as evil as it gets. "
Justin, change.org
"I have Android phones for just one reason: The freedom they provided so far. Some of my main apps are side-loaded. This move of Google is a huge disappointment. It’s a terrible abuse of monopoly power. "
Andreas, change.org
"This will affect corporate privacy for those that rely on FOSS. Personal and Business privacy will be even more at risk if these changes are applied. From the Conglomerate owner to the DIY hobbyist, we will all be affected only negatively by this. So much of the world relies and depends of FOSS, and with the already dying privacy, many people are going to be literally put at risk of injury or cessation of life because of these changes. No this isn't an overstatement, I'm serious. The amount of NDIS and NDIA workers that use FOSS to protect their clients and their information is staggering. And this will effectively cause them to provide a lower quality service. "
Tobias, change.org
"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
"The world needs more freedom, not less. Nobody said you *have* to use a free APK, but we need to keep the option open for anybody who does. "
Evan, change.org
"The whole reason Android is popular is because it's open source. This undermines both user freedom and the open spirit that originally defined Android. Making this change under the guise of security amounts to manipulation, lying, deceiving your customers, and taking away their rights to use their device in their way. By doing this you are killing what make android great, the fact that everyone can make an app and load it on his phone. Google should not be able to say what apps we can and can’t download on a device we purchased. This change would remove the main reason I even purchase these phones, stop it google. As a developer I want to be able to use and test my own apps. Having a monopoly over the eccosystem is going to hurt developers and create move forced overreaching and breaching of constitutional rights. You are not protecting anyone from forcing them to use the googleplaystore, in fact all the spyware and malware I ever came in contact with was from Google Play itself. Calling it "sideloading" is just villianizing what a normal download is, removing basic freedoms to use my device as I so choose is a far overreaching tactic that shouldn't be even an option let alone seriously implimented. If this does happen, I won't be using andriod, And will also stop using any other google services. I can't support a company that is anti-consumer. Dealing with the amount of bloat and spyware that comes preinstalled on these phones is bad enough, pushing user to have to deal with these orwellian nightmares is completely unethical. Where did your company statement of" don't be evil" go? "
Kaleb, change.org
"Ive always been an android user and refused apple products. Ive loved being able to root and openly develop and play with my device. Its shown my how to write software and understand how a computer works. I understand the push for security but this takes away the very nature of Android. There are other ways to verify security if it becomes that necessary. "
Nicholas, change.org
"The entire selling point of Android was the open ecosystem. Locking down on APKs will alienate millions of users. "
G, change.org
"Openness was supposedly Android's mission to difference itself from iOS and now they're gonna take it away? I don't want a closed system, you're just making a worse version of iOS and throwing away one of the biggest selling points of your OS, keep Android open. "
Ernesto, change.org
"If I recall IOS got sued and lost for trying to lock down options, And imagine if you had to pay a fee and show your ID just to make a windows or Linux application? No because that is stupid. and It is utterly foolish. And this isn't about security as android already has ways of locking down insecure apps already. Also this act harms open source projects and also puts developers at risk as sharing government ID's has already proven to be very insecure and would give bad actors ways of hurting people because they don't like what the person makes. "
Bradley, change.org
"hell yea stop google "
Lewis, change.org
"I will switch to iOS and get rid of my android devices and Google home setup if this policy is implemented. I use android because it is open. If Google makes it an inferior version of the iPhone then I will switch over to iPhone. "
Scott, change.org
"Eliminating side loading will remove the main competitive edge that Android has over iOS, remove the open nature that users enjoy and prevent certain use cases. "
Chris, change.org
"I use a lot of free and open source software on my android phone, especially from F-Droid, often because it uses more limited permissions than the Play Store equivalent and because I prefer to customise my phone. Now this freedom is going to be rendered unuseable?! Imposing fees on developers and requiring them to become authorised developers feels authoritarian and restrictive. Leave us the ability to side load apps please! "
Tom, change.org
"Censorship and authoritarian regime in the guise of security is asinine and should be illegal. Monopoly is illegal. Google is digging its own grave. "
Billy, change.org
"I use apk's for work don't ban apk "
Binyomin, change.org
"Android has always been a platform for freedom of choice and exploration. This restrictions from Google go against the core element that made users stick with Android for all these years. If I bought something with my own money I should be free to use it as I please. "
Eric, 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
"I've always been an avid android user because of its open nature, but since the pandemic google has been clamping down on the freedom provided by the platform. First they added extra steps to install appstores other than the play store. Then they took away the ability to install older applications. Then they blocked you from being able to access the filesystem of your own device. Now they want to close the ecosystem, and make it easy for them to oppress the people who made this OS worthwhile in the first place. Google is heartless, and it's only a matter of time until they closed-source the android project. I will not stand for a corporation that willingly hands over the innocent to this authoritarian regime. Leave android alone! "
Issac, change.org
"Android needs to stop developer verification! We cannot have a single entity like Google control what we can or cannot have! "
Cheny, change.org
"That's bad google policity "
José, change.org
"Let me preface this. Sideloading is *installing a program on a personal computer,* for all that it's phone shaped. You might be used to this behavior from iOS, but even Mac PCs will let you install applications that are unsigned and made by other people, and on the closed-source Windows environment it's still *the main way to get applications,* despite there now being two different official app stores on that platform. Nothing needs to be said about the various Linux/Unix environments. The centralized registration of both apps and developers is not the right approach. It creates a monopoly over who can be an Android developer and will greatly limit the desire to develop apps if it is no longer something that can be done as a hobby but a slow, complicated expense with the requirement to identify oneself. I've done some hobbyist development, but I would not have learned coding if these were the standards I had to meet, and I'd only be losing money. It encourages turning a problem-solving hobby project others might benefit from into a cash grab, or just discourages it entirely. It will in one blow destroy all apps which are no longer maintained, or those who are developed by people who can't or won't escrow their identities with Google, including myself. It also integrates Google's control over the phone even more deeply into how even the phone's software runs, locking these allegedly open devices even more under Google's remote control, and which is already a challenge for makers of de-Googled devices. I strongly suspect it will also become used to apply arbitrary limitations to developers (read the XScreenSaver privacy policy if you'd like to know more) and block many of the tools we currently take for granted, such as those used to root phones. After all, rooting a phone would likely permit installing arbitrary apps, and Google's security model already "distrusts" those devices to the point that they break e.g. banking apps or DRM, so why would they allow something if it conflicts with their security model and they can now control any code that runs on your device? In the end, this WILL be used by Google to permanently remove many people's ability to develop apps on Android at all, likely because those people made tools that provided capabilities Google is not willing to offer or let exist on the free market anymore. The ID requirement will prevent them from creating new accounts and the devices will retroactively block even their installed apps from working while preventing those developers, those _people,_ from making more even on other stores (if other stores even continue existing, given that they would effectively become arms of Google just to have the apps work). "
Russell, change.org
""DEATH TO GOOGLE!" "
Ryan, change.org
"Thair trying to take everything that gives free people power and control. We need to stop them, stop the billionaires, stop the corrupt officials, stop Israel, stop the child abusers. The more you undermine there control the better for it is for everyone. "
Octavio, change.org
"The entire reason I chose an android over an apple phone was the control over my device I got. Taking that away is a mistake! "
Gin, 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
"hopefully this does not become one more avenue for freedom and expression that gets restricted by corprate over greed and government overreach. "
manz, change.org
"Removing Android's freedom of sideloading is bad. People use Android because they have freedom, no matter the brand—Samsung, Google, etc. But now they want to get rid of our freedom; that is horrible. People who are developers who don't want to pay to publish their app on the store could, but with this going through, changes EVERYTHING. Sign this petition, Android can't go down like this. "
Elias, change.org
"The whole reason I choose Android over iOS is because of the choices I have when I purchase the device. Android make me feel that I own the device. However, if Android takes iOS's walled garden approach there's little reason to select Android over iOS. "
Tyler, change.org
"Fight for internet freedom/anonymity! "
m, change.org
"I'm old enough to remember when Google's company montto was "Don't be evil". "
Ryan, change.org
"If google makes this change i will find any alternative OS and switch to that. "
Ron, change.org
"if this goes ahead I will simply refuse to use Android and move to a linux 'phone. "
Graham, change.org
"If you, as an Android user are happy using Android but dont understand what this is about, go out and buy an iPhone. Then you'll understand. "
ROBERT, change.org