Keep Android Open
Your phone is about to stop being yours.
126 days until lockdown
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will **block every Android app** whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
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What Google is doing
In August 2025, Google announced a new requirement: starting September 2026, **every Android app developer must register centrally with Google** before their software can be installed on any device. Not just Play Store apps: all apps. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software.
Registration requires:
- Paying a fee to Google
- Agreeing to Google's Terms and Conditions
- Surrendering your government-issued identification
- Providing evidence of your private signing key
- Listing all current and all future application identifiers
If a developer does not comply, their apps get silently blocked on every Android device worldwide.
Who this hurts
You
You bought an Android phone because Google told you it was open. You could install what you wanted, and that was the deal.
Google is now rewriting that deal, retroactively, on hardware you already own. After the update lands, you can only run software that Google has pre-approved. On your phone: _your_ property, that _you_ paid for.
Independent developers
A teenager's first app, a volunteer's privacy tool, or a company's confidential internal beta. It doesn't matter. After September 2026, none of these can be installed without Google's blessing.
F-Droid, home to thousands of free and open-source Android apps, has called this an "existential" threat. Cory Doctorow calls it "Darth Android".
Governments & civil society
Google has a documented track record of complying when authoritarian regimes demand app removals. With this program, the software that runs your country's institutions will exist at the pleasure of a single unaccountable foreign corporation.
The EFF calls app gatekeeping "an ever-expanding pathway to internet censorship."
Google's "escape hatch" is a trap door
Google says "power users" can "still install" unverified apps. Here's what that _actually_ looks like:
1. Delve into System Settings, find Developer Options 2. Tap the build number **seven times** to enable Developer Mode 3. Dismiss scare screens about coercion 4. Enter your PIN 5. Restart the device 6. **Wait 24 hours** 7. Come back, dismiss more scare screens 8. Pick "allow temporarily" (7 days) or "allow indefinitely" 9. Confirm, again, that you understand "the risks"
Nine steps. A mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period. _For installing software on a device you own._
Worse: this flow runs entirely through **Google Play Services**, not the Android OS. Google can change it, tighten it, or kill it at any time, with no OS update required and no consent needed. And as of today, it hasn't shipped in any beta, preview, or canary build. It exists only as a blog post and some mockups.
This is bigger than Android
If Google can retroactively lock down billions of devices that were sold as open platforms, every hardware manufacturer on the planet is watching.
The principle being established: **the company that made your device gets to decide, after you've bought it, what software you're allowed to run.** In software, this is called a "rug pull"; but at least you could always install competing software. In hardware, it is a _fait accompli_ that strips you of your agency and renders you powerless to the whims of a single unaccountable gatekeeper and convicted monopolist.
Android's openness was never just a feature. It was the _promise_ that distinguished it from iPhone. Millions chose Android for exactly that reason. Google is now revoking that promise unilaterally, on devices _already_ in people's pockets, because they've decided they have enough market dominance and regulatory capture to get away with it.
Ars Technica: _"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy."_
But wait, isn't this...
#### "...just about security?"
The security rationale is a smokescreen. Google Play Protect already scans for malware independent of developer identity. Requiring a government ID doesn't make code safer. It makes _developers_ identifiable and controllable. Malware authors can register. Indie developers and dissidents often can't. The EFF is blunt: identity-based gatekeeping is a censorship tool, not a security one.
#### "...still sideloading if you use the advanced flow?"
Nine steps, 24-hour wait, buried in Developer Options, delivered through a proprietary service that Google can revoke whenever they want. That's not sideloading. That's a **deterrence mechanism** built to ensure almost nobody completes it. And since it runs through Play Services rather than the OS, Google can tighten or kill it silently.
#### "...only a problem if you have something to hide?"
Whistleblowers, journalists, and activists under authoritarian governments will be the first victims. People in domestic abuse situations are next. All these groups have legitimate reasons to distribute or use software without putting their legal identity in a Google database. Anonymous open-source contribution is a tradition older than Google itself. This policy ends it on Android.
#### "...the same thing Apple does?"
Apple has been a walled garden from day one. People chose Android _because it was different_. "Apple does it too" is a race to the bottom and a weak _tu quoque_ argument. And under regulatory pressure (the EU's Digital Markets Act), even Apple is being forced to open up. Google is moving in the opposite direction: attempting to further entrench its gatekeeping status.
#### "...just $25 and some paperwork?"
Maybe, if you're a developer in the US with a credit card and a driver's license. Try being a student in sub-Saharan Africa, or a dissident in Myanmar, or a volunteer maintaining a community health app. The cost isn't only financial: you're surrendering government ID and evidence of your signing keys to a company that routinely complies with government demands to remove apps and expose developers.
Fight back
Everyone
- **Install F-Droid** on every Android device you own. Alternative stores only survive if people actually use them.
- **Contact your regulators.** Regulators worldwide are genuinely concerned about monopolies and the centralization of power in the tech sector, and want to hear directly from individuals who are affected and concerned.
- **Share this page.** Link to keepandroidopen.org everywhere.
- **Push back on astroturfers.** The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.
- **Sign the change.org petition** and join the over 100,000 signatories who have made their voices heard.
- **Read and share our open letter**
- **Tell Google what you think of this** through their own developer verification survey(for all the good that will do).
Developers
**Do not sign up.** Don't join the program by signing up for the Android Developer Console and agreeing to their irrevocable Terms and Conditions. Don't verify your identity. _Don't play ball._
Google's plan only works if developers comply. Don't.
- Talk other developers and organizations out of signing up.
- Add the FreeDroidWarn library to your apps to warn users.
- Run a website? Add the countdown banner.
Google employees
If you know something about the program's technical implementation or internal rationale, contact tips@keepandroidopen.org from a _non-work_ machine and a _non-Gmail_ account. Strict confidence guaranteed.
All those opposed…
69 organizations from 21 countries have signed the open letter
Read the full open letter and thank the signatories →
What they're saying
Tech press
> "Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback" > > InfoWorld
> "Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid" > > Reclaim The Net
> "Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps" > > How-To Geek
> "An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores" > > The New Stack
> "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 Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android" > > How-To Geek
> "Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy" > > It's FOSS News
> "Keep Android Open" > > Linux Magazine
> "F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project" > > Ars Technica
> "Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing." > > Android Police
> "F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules" > > Bleeping Computer
> "Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future" > > Gizmochina
> "Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'" > > Infosecurity Magazine
> "Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid" > > Techdirt
> "Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play" > > The Register
> "Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged" > > SlashGear
> "Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'" > > The Register
> "F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android" > > How-To Geek
> "Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy" > > Ars Technica
> "Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores" > > TechSpot
> "Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold" > > Benzinga
> "Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store" > > The Verge
> "Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google" > > heise online
> "Google Clamps down On Android's Openness" > > Internet Freedom Foundation (India)
> "Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid" > > Slashdot
> "Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks" > > XDA Developers
> "Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers" > > Techzine EU
> "Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree" > > TechRepublic
> "Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register" > > The Register
> "Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store" > > How-To Geek
> "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 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
> "Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features" > > How-To Geek
> "Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet" > > MakeUseOf
> "Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store" > > TechCrunch
> "Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom" > > Tuta Blog
> "Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps" > > Android Headlines
> "Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps" > > Android Headlines
> "F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification" > > Android Headlines
> "We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity." > > Thom Holwerda, OSnews
> "It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly." > > I-Programmer
> "Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy" > > Datamation
> "'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule" > > Open Source For U
> "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
Editorials & analysis
> "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
> "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
> "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 has not removed Android's openness, but it is turning openness from a default right into a conditional, attributable, and tiered capability." > > MerchMindAI
> "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
> "This is not about protecting users. This is about control. This is about Google cutting out the last remaining artery of independence in Android." > > fireborn, mataroa.blog
> "There is also the very real possibility that Google will leak your identity with the result that any apps with political implications could result in persecution and worse." > > I-Programmer
> "Although Google's claim is that this is for 'security', it does not prevent the regular practice of scammers buying up existing verified developer accounts." > > Maya Posch, Hackaday
> "The requirement extends Google's gatekeeping authority from its own Play Store to every alternative distribution channel on Android." > > LLM Advocates
> "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
> "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
> "This is not a developer account sign-up. This is comprehensive surveillance of the software development ecosystem." > > PixelUnion
> "Android is not open anymore. It's not an alternative. It's not even trying. It's iOS with ads and spyware bolted on." > > fireborn, mataroa.blog
> "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
> "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
> "Freedom of choice is being reframed as a 'security risk.'" > > Newsfangled
> "This is a form of malicious compliance with the court orders stemming from its losses to Epic Games." > > Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
> "This could turn Google into the effective gatekeeper for all apps on certified Android devices." > > It's FOSS News
> "Android is no longer the scrappy rebel. It's just another empire tightening the drawbridge." > > Newsfangled
> "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
> "Android does not just warn anymore. It enforces." > > Youssef Mabrouk, Ostorlab
> "Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in large established players." > > Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
> "Google isn't certifying apps, they're certifying developers. This implies that the company can somehow predict whether a developer will do something malicious in the future." > > Cory Doctorow, Pluralistic
> "Centralizing the registration of all applications worldwide gives Google newfound powers to completely disable any app it wants." > > Mikhail Korotaev, Nextcloud Blog
> "Android wasn't supposed to be 'safe.' It was supposed to be free." > > fireborn, mataroa.blog
> "The proposed Android Developer Verification program isn't a security update; it's a kill switch for the open ecosystem." > > Hillary Keverenge, Tech-ish Kenya
> "This policy represents a dramatic departure from Android's decades-old tradition of openness, in which developers could build and share apps freely without first submitting to a centralized authority." > > Biometric Update
> "Google's move is not credibly about 'security,' but actually about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem." > > Techdirt
> "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
> "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
> "One US corporation is placing itself between every Android developer and every Android user on earth." > > PixelUnion
Organizations & open letters
> "Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior." > > 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
> "Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away." > > Tuta
> "While Android used to be praised for its freedom and independence, it will become a closed shop just like Apple." > > Tuta
> "Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission." > > AdGuard
> "Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone." > > Tuta
> "We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices." > > F-Droid
> "Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it." > > Osservatorio Nessuno
> "Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place." > > AdGuard
> "Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere." > > 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
> "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
> "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
> "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
> "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
> "Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'" > > Tech-ish Kenya
> "A centralized global registration system for Android will inevitably chill this work. Those communities are likely to drop out of developing for Android altogether." > > Electronic Frontier Foundation
> "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 will cut off independent developers to Android if they do not register with Google first. This will kill independent platforms like F-Droid and severely impede FLOSS devs from creating apps for Android." > > KDE
> "Google's abusive approach to the Android operating system has only gotten worse in recent years. Software freedom is sorely lacking in the 'computers in our pockets' we call cell phones." > > Free Software Foundation
> "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
> "Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority." > > F-Droid
> "Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection." > > F-Droid
> "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
> "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
> "Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors." > > Nextcloud
> "There are governments who might very much like to know the names of the developers of those applications so that they can go after them." > > Electronic Frontier Foundation
> "We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever." > > F-Droid Open Letter
> "Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship." > > ACLU
> "Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android." > > Brave
> "This 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
YouTubers & creators
> "Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS." > > SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
> "Android has become what they set out to destroy." > > Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – 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
> "Every single time a company takes away your ability to do what you want with what you bought and paid for, every single time they twist a knife, we have to point it out." > > Louis Rossmann – YouTube
> "I'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
> "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
> "That's not openness. That is control." > > ChiefGyk3D – YouTube
> "Google decides what's safe for you, and you don't get a say." > > fireborn – Blog
> "Imagine Dell told you that you could no longer install any operating system other than Windows on your laptop. That's what Google is doing to your phone." > > SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
> "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
> "Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours." > > Tuta Blog – Blog
> "This has obvious problems for non-Google operating systems like iodeOS, LineageOS, or BraxOS. Google Android will 'check in' with Google to verify the identity of the app and to validate the operating system." > > Rob Braxman Tech – Locals
> "The widely-circulated narrative that Google already backed down from this is false. They didn't, and that misunderstanding may be the most dangerous part of the story right now." > > Techlore – YouTube
> "If I'm going to be trapped in a walled garden anyway, I'll take the one that's built properly." > > fireborn – Blog
> "This 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
> "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
> "Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action." > > SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
> "F-Droid is basically saying that the new Google developer registration process will likely kill the open-source app store entirely." > > The Linux Experiment – YouTube
> "Follow the money. Google makes money when apps are downloaded from its store. Google has completely forgotten about its earlier company motto: Don't be evil." > > Tuta Blog – Blog
> "Google keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'" > > Louis Rossmann – YouTube
> "Google 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
> "When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'" > > SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube
> "Google has been carefully watching from the sidelines to see what exactly it is that Apple can get away with." > > Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube
> "This is an iPhone now. I didn't want to buy an iPhone. I use Android because it gives me freedom. If you are not going to give me freedom with my computer, then why would I buy your stuff anymore?" > > Louis Rossmann – YouTube
> "This 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
> "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
> "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
Developers & community
Voices from the petition
> "The point of using Android over iOS is it's openness. Google is destroying one of the core tenets of the operating system under the guise of "protecting users." In reality, this is the same monopoly tactics they've already been legally convicted of. Remember: It's not "side-loading." It's "installing apps." Don't let Google trick you into thinking it's weird by foisting different language on you. " > > Wesley, change.org
> "Keep Andriod open! " > > Andre, change.org
> "I figured out how to play Minecraft Java Edition on my phone, and Google is trying to take that away from me? Besides that, there are probably dozens of unverified apps on my phone that I would REALLY like to keep, and Google requiring verification will basically turn my phone into a little YouTube machine. I hate that and you should too. " > > David, change.org
> "I honestly don't understand why this even has to be petitioned for in the first place. It should be self-evident that it should be entirely up to the user what software should be installed on their own device. " > > Patrick, change.org
> "I buy android to be able to customize my phone as I please. If you do this you lose a loyal customer of over 20 years. " > > Jamell, change.org
> "not cool google " > > Colin, change.org
> "Please dont let die the FOSS community and github hobby projects. " > > Nondibianno Ambar, change.org
> "if this goes ahead I will simply refuse to use Android and move to a linux 'phone. " > > Graham, change.org
> "I chose Android for the very reason of it being open and letting me run whatever software I want. Don’t take that away after I’ve already bought my device. Millions of us chose Android for the exact reason of what you're trying to censor. Don’t lock it down because you think you know better. If I wanted a company deciding what I can or can’t do on my own device, I’d buy an iPhone instead. " > > Paulo, change.org
> "Our phones, our choice!!! " > > Robert, 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
> "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
> "A company like Google should not be allowed should not be allowed to do something like this. As a regular user I find what they are trying to do deeply concerning. When I choose to buy an Android phone, it's with the expectation of having control over how I use it, not to face restrictions or censorship, this is not even going over the massive privacy risks and data theft, this is an open source operating system and freedom should be key, I do not like how all of these companies and governments are trying to push age verification for everything, and I would hope for the decency of being given privacy " > > Ronnie, change.org
> "Boa noticia " > > Kleberson, change.org
> "This is a blatantly security washing a monopoly move to undermine the open internet and free access that grew Google to what it is today. If Google wants to be Apple it should produce Apple level products and services without being a leach. " > > E, change.org
> "This ridiculous, anti consumer move from google is going to make me completely stop using their products. it will essentially make android the same as ios, and i specifically bought android phones to have more freedom. i might as well get an iphone now. " > > Lewis, change.org
> "Protect Android FREEDOM... I’ve used Android for years because it stood for freedom and choice. But lately Google has been making it harder to install APK files apps that come from outside the Play Store. That freedom to choose what I put on my own phone is what made Android different, and it’s slowly disappearing. I’m not a developer or hacker just someone who believes that the device I bought should truly belong to me. I should be able to install safe apps from any source without being blocked or discouraged. This isn’t about breaking rules it’s about keeping control over our own technology. If Google keeps tightening these restrictions Android will lose the openness that made it great. I care because user freedom matters and I don’t want to see it taken away bit by bit. " > > Boris, change.org
> "Literary the biggest reason why I choose android over apple. If android wants to copy apple this way then there's no reason to stay with android anymore. " > > Kytt, change.org
> "Android became popular because it offered freedom and customization. Reducing APK access risks moving away from those values and limiting innovation within the ecosystem. We are asking Google to protect user choice, maintain transparency, and preserve the openness that defines Android. " > > Assif, change.org
> "As a young developer, you need to stop! What you re doing will prevent anyone below the age of 18 from developing apps for their own purpose and installing on their device, which they payed for, imagine giving a toy to a kid, then putting it into a box that they can't open, that is what you are doing right now. " > > Alex, change.org
> "Goolag, you are destroying Android and becoming the new Apple. Soon, there will be no escape from your lifeless, locked-down, prison-sentence operating system. Anyone who wants to use real Android, with APKs, custom ROMs, actual Material design, will be locked out. Rooting will be impossible, and Android will be gone. No more cuddly bugdroids to open the lock. No more Graphene OS. No more Lineage OS. No more TWRP. Terabytes upon terabytes of open-source projects, all rendered obsolete. Keep Android open. Because nobody will buy your half-baked, Gemini-centered trash, and live in your dystopian agentic world. Your aiPhones will sit on shelves, never purchased. Sideloading bans will not protect anyone. They will only make the Android community collapse. If you are not from Goolag, listen carefully. Get a custom ROM now, and remove everything with the word “Google” from your devices. Use Startpage instead. Install NewPipe and bypass Goolag’s ad revenue. Sabotage Goolag in every way possible. But do it legally, friends! You don’t want to be caught by the FBI for criminally pirating paid software off of sites like Aptoide! " > > squooshy, change.org
> "Android's freedom of choice is what made me switch from apple. I find that limiting that those freedoms such as sideloading an obnoxious spit in the face of all who use and enjoy this operating system. If I wanted an anti consumer product id buy from apple. " > > Link, change.org
> "Android has always been known for side loading. Android has always been better than IOS because it has side loading. Now, if Google keeps with this plan, our side loading rights will be gone. We can NOT let this happen. I have side loaded apps for years now, getting indie games and apps, getting modded apps, and so much more. I love to emulate, and there are many emulation apps that are approved on the play store. However, apps like Winlator and GameNative are not, and I would be revoked of using these apps. These apps have provided so many hours of fun to me, and without them, I wouldn't even be able to play PC games. Sign this petition to keep the freedom of Android that we should always have. " > > Blake, change.org
> "The ability of sideloading software is the biggest advantage android has over orther systems. I sideload a lot of apps and losing that ability means i have no reason to stay with android. Yes, apps from outside the play store do have more malware, but i can just not download them if i am afraid of getting hacked, this is not protecting anyone and is just removing freedom for users. Also, the ID verification google wants from the developers is a massive privacy and safety risk. " > > miglin, change.org
> "가장 큰 강점을 내다버리는 행위이다. 인증을 핑계로 얼마나 많은 컨텐츠들이 접근 불가능해질지 생각하면 크게 걱정이다. " > > CH, change.org
> "I am in a restricted area (which happens to be the area cited in the petition). Presumably I don't need to explain what this means to me anymore. " > > Wings, change.org
> "No reason to own a google device if I am limited in what I can do with it. " > > Salvatore, change.org
> "I sideload and digitally mod a lot of my devices, and while I was just about to consider switching to Android because of this (and Apple's limit in storage), this sort of removal of freedom, even small and masked as 'the right thing' for security, just isn't right