আপনার ফোন আর আপনার থাকছে না।

123 দিন বাকি লকডাউন হতে

২০২৭* সাল থেকে গুগল আপনার অনুমতি ছাড়াই একটি সাইলেন্ট আপডেট পুশ করবে, যা সেই সব অ্যান্ড্রয়েড অ্যাপকে ব্লক করে দেবে যাদের ডেভেলপার গুগলের কাছে রেজিস্টার করেনি, তাদের কন্ট্রাক্টে সাইন করেনি, টাকা দেয়নি এবং নিজের সরকারি আইডি জমা দেয়নি।

বিশ্বের প্রতিটি অ্যাপ এবং ডিভাইসে এটি কার্যকর হবে, আর এর থেকে বের হওয়ার কোনো উপায় রাখা হয়নি।

গুগল কী করছে?

২০২৫ সালের আগস্টে গুগল একটি নতুন নিয়ম ঘোষণা করেছে ↗: ২০২৭ সাল থেকে, যেকোনো ডিভাইসে সফটওয়্যার ইন্সটল করার আগে প্রতিটি অ্যান্ড্রয়েড অ্যাপ ডেভেলপারকে গুগলের কাছে কেন্দ্রীয়ভাবে রেজিস্টার করতে হবে। শুধু প্লে-স্টোরের অ্যাপ নয়, সব অ্যাপের জন্য এটি প্রযোজ্য। এমনকি বন্ধুদের মধ্যে শেয়ার করা অ্যাপ, F-Droid ↗ এর মাধ্যমে ডিস্ট্রিবিউট করা অ্যাপ, বা শখের বসে নিজের ব্যবহারের জন্য বানানো অ্যাপও এর আওতাভুক্ত। ফলে শৌখিন ডেভেলপার, চার্চ বা কমিউনিটি গ্রুপ—সবাই তাদের সফটওয়্যার তৈরি ও ডিস্ট্রিবিউশন করার ক্ষমতা হারিয়ে ফেলবে।

রেজিস্ট্রেশনের জন্য যা যা লাগবে:

যদি কোনো ডেভেলপার এই নিয়ম না মানে, তবে তাদের অ্যাপগুলো সারা বিশ্বের প্রতিটি অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ডিভাইসে সাইলেন্টলি ব্লক করে দেওয়া হবে।

ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হবে কারা?

আপনি নিজে

আপনি অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ফোন কিনেছিলেন কারণ গুগল বলেছিল এটি একটি 'ওপেন' প্ল্যাটফর্ম। আপনি যা খুশি ইন্সটল করতে পারতেন, এটাই ছিল শর্ত।

গুগল এখন সেই শর্ত পাল্টে দিচ্ছে আপনার কেনা হার্ডওয়্যারের ওপর। আপডেটটি আসার পর, আপনি কেবল গুগলের অনুমোদিত সফটওয়্যারই চালাতে পারবেন। আপনার ফোন: যেটা আপনার সম্পত্তি, যার জন্য টাকা আপনি দিয়েছেন।

স্বতন্ত্র ডেভেলপাররা

একজন কিশোরের বানানো প্রথম অ্যাপ হোক, কোনো ভলান্টিয়ারের বানানো প্রাইভেসী টুল হোক, কিংবা কোনো কোম্পানির গোপন ইন্টারনাল বেটা অ্যাপ—গুগলের অনুমতি ছাড়া ২০২৭ সালে এর কোনোটিই ইন্সটল করা যাবে না।

হাজার হাজার ফ্রি এবং ওপেন-সোর্স অ্যাপের ভাণ্ডার F-Droid ↗ একে একটি "অস্তিত্বের হুমকি" ↗ হিসেবে বর্ণনা করেছে। কোরি ডক্টরো একে বলছেন "ডার্থ অ্যান্ড্রয়েড" ↗

সরকার এবং সুশীল সমাজ

স্বৈরাচারী শাসকরা অ্যাপ সরিয়ে ফেলার দাবি জানালে গুগলের তা মেনে নেওয়ার প্রমাণিত রেকর্ড ↗ আছে। এই প্রোগ্রামের ফলে একটি দেশের গুরুত্বপূর্ণ প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলোর সফটওয়্যার চলবে কি না, তা নির্ভর করবে একটি জবাবদিহিহীন বিদেশি কর্পোরেশনের মর্জির ওপর।

EFF-এর মতে ↗ অ্যাপ গেটকিপিং হলো "ইন্টারনেট সেন্সরশিপের একটি ক্রমবর্ধমান পথ।"

গুগলের তথাকথিত 'এস্কেপ হ্যাচ' আসলে একটি ফাঁদ

গুগল বলছে যে "পাওয়ার ইউজাররা" চাইলে এখনো আনভেরিফাইড অ্যাপ "ইন্সটল করতে পারবে"। কিন্তু কাজটা আসলে কতটা কঠিন, দেখুন:

  1. সিস্টেম সেটিংসের গভীরে গিয়ে ডেভেলপার অপশন খুঁজুন
  2. ডেভেলপার মোড চালু করতে বিল্ড নাম্বারে সাতবার ট্যাপ করুন
  3. ভয় দেখানো সব ওয়ার্নিং স্ক্রিন এড়িয়ে যান
  4. আপনার পিন (PIN) দিন
  5. ডিভাইস রিস্টার্ট দিন
  6. ২৪ ঘণ্টা অপেক্ষা করুন
  7. আবার ফিরে এসে আরও ভয়ংকর সব স্ক্রিন বাতিল করুন
  8. অস্থায়ীভাবে অনুমতি দিন" (৭ দিন) অথবা "স্থায়ীভাবে অনুমতি দিন" অপশনটি বেছে নিন
  9. আপনি যে "ঝুঁকি" বুঝতে পারছেন তা আবারও নিশ্চিত করুন

নয়টি ধাপ। বাধ্যতামূলক ২৪ ঘণ্টার ওয়েটিং পিরিয়ড। শুধুমাত্র আপনার নিজের ডিভাইসে সফটওয়্যার ইন্সটল করার জন্য।

আরও খারাপ বিষয় হলো: এই পুরো প্রক্রিয়াটি চলে গুগল প্লে সার্ভিস (Google Play Services)-এর মাধ্যমে, অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ওএস (Android OS)-এর মাধ্যমে নয়। গুগল যেকোনো সময় ওএস (OS) আপডেট ছাড়াই আপনার অনুমতি ছাড়াই এটি পরিবর্তন করতে বা বন্ধ করে দিতে পারে। আজ পর্যন্ত এটি কোনো বেটা বা প্রিভিউ ভার্সনেও আসেনি; এটি কেবল একটি ব্লগ পোস্ট এবং কিছু নকশা হিসেবে টিকে আছে।

এটি কেবল অ্যান্ড্রয়েডের বিষয় নয়

গুগল যদি বিলিয়ন বিলিয়ন ডিভাইসকে এভাবে লকডাউন করে দিতে পারে যা আগে ওপেন হিসেবে বিক্রি হয়েছিল, তবে বিশ্বের প্রতিটি হার্ডওয়্যার নির্মাতা কোম্পানি সেদিকেই নজর দেবে।

এখানে যে মূলনীতিটি তৈরি হচ্ছে তা হলো: ডিভাইস নির্মাতা কোম্পানি আপনার কেনা জিনিসের ওপর সিদ্ধান্ত নেবে যে আপনি কোন সফটওয়্যার চালাতে পারবেন। সফটওয়্যারের ভাষায় একে বলা হয় "রাগ পুল" (Rug pull); কিন্তু আগে অন্তত আপনি বিকল্প সফটওয়্যার ইন্সটল করতে পারতেন। হার্ডওয়্যারের ক্ষেত্রে এটি আপনাকে ক্ষমতাহীন করে তুলবে এবং আপনাকে একজন জবাবদিহিহীন গেটকিপার ও দণ্ডিত একচেটিয়া ব্যবসায়ীর মর্জির ওপর ছেড়ে দেবে।

অ্যান্ড্রয়েডের উন্মুক্ততা কেবল একটি ফিচার ছিল না; এটি ছিল সেই প্রতিশ্রুতি যা একে আইফোন থেকে আলাদা করেছিল। লাখ লাখ মানুষ ঠিক এই কারণেই অ্যান্ড্রয়েড বেছে নিয়েছিলেন। গুগল এখন একতরফাভাবে সেই প্রতিশ্রুতি কেড়ে নিচ্ছে, কারণ তারা মনে করছে বাজারে তাদের একচেটিয়া আধিপত্য আছে এবং কেউ তাদের আটকাতে পারবে না।

Ars Technica-এর মতে ↗: "গুগলের অ্যাপল হওয়ার আকাঙ্ক্ষা অ্যান্ড্রয়েডের উন্মুক্ত ঐতিহ্যকে ধ্বংস করার হুমকি দিচ্ছে।"

কিন্তু দাঁড়ান, এটি কি...

"...নিরাপত্তার জন্য নয়?"

নিরাপত্তার দোহাই আসলে একটি ধোঁকাবাজি। গুগল প্লে প্রোটেক্ট (Google Play Protect) অলরেডি ম্যালওয়্যার স্ক্যান করতে পারে, তার জন্য ডেভেলপার রেজিস্ট্রেশনের প্রয়োজন নেই। সরকারি আইডি নিলেই কোড নিরাপদ হয় না; বরং এতে ডেভেলপারদের নিয়ন্ত্রণ করা সহজ হয়। ম্যালওয়্যার নির্মাতারাও রেজিস্টার করতে পারে, কিন্তু ছোট ডেভেলপার বা ভিন্নমতাবলম্বীরা প্রায়ই তা পারে না। EFF ↗ পরিষ্কারভাবে বলেছে: আইডেন্টিটি-ভিত্তিক গেটকিপিং হলো সেন্সরশিপের হাতিয়ার, নিরাপত্তার নয়।

"...অ্যাডভান্সড ফ্লো ব্যবহার করলে কি সাইডলোডিং করা যাবে না?"

নয়টি ধাপ, ২৪ ঘণ্টার অপেক্ষা, ডেভেলপার অপশনে লুকিয়ে রাখা এবং গুগলের ইচ্ছামতো বাতিলযোগ্য একটি সার্ভিস—একে সাইডলোডিং বলা যায় না। এটি একটি প্রতিরোধমূলক ব্যবস্থা যা তৈরি করা হয়েছে যাতে কেউ এই প্রক্রিয়া শেষ করতে না পারে। আর যেহেতু এটি প্লে সার্ভিসের মাধ্যমে চলে, গুগল যেকোনো সময় এটি আরও কঠিন বা বন্ধ করে দিতে পারে।

"...লুকানোর কিছু না থাকলে কি সমস্যা আছে?"

স্বৈরাচারী সরকারের অধীনে থাকা হুইসেলব্লোয়ার, সাংবাদিক এবং অ্যাক্টিভিস্টরাই হবেন এর প্রথম শিকার। এরপর ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হবেন পারিবারিক সহিংসতার শিকার মানুষগুলো। এই সব গ্রুপের মানুষের গুগলের ডেটাবেজে নিজেদের আইনি পরিচয় না দিয়ে সফটওয়্যার ব্যবহার করার বৈধ কারণ আছে। বেনামে ওপেন-সোর্স অবদান রাখা গুগলের চেয়েও পুরনো একটি ঐতিহ্য। গুগলের এই নীতি অ্যান্ড্রয়েডে সেই ঐতিহ্যের ইতি টানবে।

"...অ্যাপল যা করে গুগলও কি তাই করছে না?"

অ্যাপল শুরু থেকেই একটি ক্লোজড সিস্টেম বা 'ওয়াল্ড গার্ডেন' ছিল। মানুষ অ্যান্ড্রয়েড বেছে নিয়েছিল কারণ এটি আলাদা ছিল। "অ্যাপলও এটা করে"—এই যুক্তি দিয়ে নিজেদের ভুল ঢাকতে চাওয়াটা একটা রেস টু দ্য বটম। তাছাড়া রেগুলেটরি চাপের কারণে (ইইউ-এর ডিজিটাল মার্কেটস অ্যাক্ট) এখন অ্যাপলও সিস্টেম ওপেন করতে বাধ্য হচ্ছে। অথচ গুগল ঠিক উল্টো পথে হাঁটছে।

"...মাত্র ২৫ ডলার আর কিছু কাগজপত্রই তো?"

হয়তো আপনার জন্য সহজ, যদি আপনি আমেরিকার ডেভেলপার হন যার ক্রেডিট কার্ড আর ড্রাইভিং লাইসেন্স আছে। কিন্তু সাব-সাহারান আফ্রিকার একজন ছাত্র, বা মিয়ানমারের একজন ভিন্নমতাবলম্বী, অথবা কমিউনিটি হেলথ অ্যাপ চালানো কোনো ভলান্টিয়ারের কথা ভাবুন। এর খরচ শুধু আর্থিক নয়: আপনি আপনার সরকারি আইডি এবং সাইনিং কী এমন একটি কোম্পানির হাতে তুলে দিচ্ছেন যারা অহরহ ↗ সরকারের কথা শুনে অ্যাপ সরিয়ে ফেলে এবং ডেভেলপারদের তথ্য ফাঁস করে দেয়।

প্রতিরোধ গড়ে তুলুন

সবার জন্য

ডেভেলপারদের জন্য

রেজিস্ট্রেশন করবেন না। অ্যান্ড্রয়েড ডেভেলপার কনসোলে সাইন-আপ করে গুগলের এই অন্যায় শর্তাবলীতে রাজি হবেন না। আপনার পরিচয় ভেরিফাই করবেন না। তাদের এই খেলায় পা দেবেন না।

গুগলের পরিকল্পনা কেবল তখনই সফল হবে যদি ডেভেলপাররা তা মেনে নেয়। তাই মানবেন না।

গুগল কর্মীদের জন্য

আপনি যদি এই প্রোগ্রামের কারিগরি বাস্তবায়ন বা অভ্যন্তরীণ উদ্দেশ্য সম্পর্কে কিছু জানেন, তবে একটি অফিসিয়াল নয় এমন কম্পিউটার এবং নন-জিমেইল অ্যাকাউন্ট থেকে tips@keepandroidopen.org-এ যোগাযোগ করুন। আপনার গোপনীয়তা রক্ষা করা হবে।

যারা বিপক্ষে দাঁড়িয়েছেন…

23টি দেশের 71টি সংস্থা সই করেছে এই খোলা চিঠিতে

Digitale Gesellschaft digitale-gesellschaft.ch La Quadrature du Net laquadrature.net FULU Foundation fulu.org Cryptee crypt.ee GNOME Foundation gnome.org Italian Linux Society ils.org Codeberg e.V. codeberg.org OpenMedia openmedia.org Fastmail fastmail.com Ghostery ghostery.com Molly molly.im Vivaldi Technologies AS vivaldi.com JMP.chat jmp.chat Osservatorio Nessuno OdV osservatorionessuno.org The Guardian Project guardianproject.info FACiL facil.qc.ca The Digital Rights Foundation digitalrightsfoundation.pk epicenter.works – for digital rights epicenter.works Rossmann Group rossmanngroup.com iodé iode.tech Techlore techlore.tech The Free Software Foundation (FSF) fsf.org The Center for Digital Progress (D64) d-64.org microG microg.org The App Fair Project appfair.org Proton AG proton.me FOSDEM fosdem.org GitHub Store github-store.org GrapheneOS Foundation grapheneos.org Digital Rights Watch digitalrightswatch.org.au European Digital Rights (EDRi) edri.org OW2 ow2.org Tuta Mail tuta.com Aurora Store auroraoss.com Obtainium obtainium.imranr.dev The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) eff.org MetaBrainz Foundation metabrainz.org Open Rights Group (ORG) openrightsgroup.org Nextcloud nextcloud.com AdGuard adguard.com Privacy Guides privacyguides.org Brave brave.com /e/ Foundation e.foundation GNU/Linux València gnulinuxvalencia.org XMPP Standards Foundation xmpp.org The Tor Project torproject.org VideoLAN videolan.org UnifiedPush unifiedpush.org Rocky Linux rockylinux.org Data Rights datarights.ngo KDE e.V. kde.org The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) osmfoundation.org LineageOS lineageos.org April april.org Associação Nacional para o Software Livre (ANSOL) ansol.org Fedimedia fedimedia.it Open Web Advocacy open-web-advocacy.org CryptPad cryptpad.org FUTO futo.org Forbrukerrådet forbrukerradet.no IzzyOnDroid izzyondroid.org Software Freedom Conservancy sfconservancy.org Software Liberty Association of Taiwan slat.org.tw The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) fsfe.org F-Droid f-droid.org The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) beuc.eu Technopolice Bruxelles technopolice.be The Chaos Computer Club (CCC) ccc.de The Calyx Institute calyx.org ARTICLE 19 article19.org Fundación Karisma karisma.org.co

পুরো চিঠিটি পড়ুন এবং সইকারীদের ধন্যবাদ জানান →

অন্যরা কী বলছেন

টেক মিডিয়া

"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"

How-To Geek

"Google plans to block side-loading like Apple, declaring war on Android freedom"

Tuta Blog

"Google's Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid"

Techdirt

"An 'existential' threat to alternative app stores"

The New Stack

"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"

How-To Geek

"Google's new developer rules could threaten sideloading and F-Droid's future"

Gizmochina

"Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move yet"

MakeUseOf

"Google's Apple envy threatens to dismantle Android's open legacy"

Ars Technica

"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"

Android Headlines

"Open letter warns mandatory registration 'threatens innovation, competition, privacy and user freedom'"

Infosecurity Magazine

"Open-Source Android Apps Threatened by Google's New Policy"

Datamation

"Keep Android Open"

Linux Magazine

"Over 67 groups urge the company to drop ID checks for apps distributed outside Play"

The Register

"It effectively makes the Play Store a monopoly without actually mandating that it is a monopoly."

I-Programmer

"This will wipe out Android as an actual alternative to Apple's mobile OS offerings."

Hackaday

"Google's New Developer Rules Threaten to End the F-Droid Open-Source App Store"

How-To Geek

"F-Droid Slams Google for Misleading Users About Android's App Verification"

Android Headlines

"Google is restricting one of Android's most important features, and users are outraged"

SlashGear

"Google will require developer verification for Android apps outside the Play Store"

TechCrunch

"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"

Tom's Guide

"Android Security or Vendor Lock-In? Google's New Sideloading Rules Smell Fishy"

It's FOSS News

"Google will make you wait 24 hours to sideload Android apps"

How-To Geek

"Google's Attack on Sideloading Will Rob Android of One of Its Best Features"

How-To Geek

"Google's Android developer verification program draws pushback"

InfoWorld

"Google's dev registration plan 'will end the F-Droid project'"

The Register

"'Keep Android Open' Movement Challenges Google's Developer Verification Rule"

Open Source For U

"Resistance to Google's Android verification grows among developers"

Techzine EU

"F-Droid says Google's new sideloading restrictions will kill the project"

Ars Technica

"Google's New Developer ID Rule Could Harm F-Droid"

Reclaim The Net

"Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store"

The Verge

"Keep Android Open – Abwehr gegen Verbot anonymer Apps von Google"

heise online

"Google Clamps down On Android's Openness"

Internet Freedom Foundation (India)

"We all know that's a load of bullshit. Adding a goddamn 24-hour waiting period is batshit insanity."

Thom Holwerda, OSnews

"Sideloading is dead for all intents and purposes. The Android you know and love is slowly disappearing."

Android Police

"Google kneecaps indie Android devs, forces them to register"

The Register

"Google's new ID requirements could destroy independent app stores"

TechSpot

"F-Droid project threatened by Google's new dev registration rules"

Bleeping Computer

"Open-Source Android Apps at Risk Under Google's New Decree"

TechRepublic

"F-Droid Says Google Is Lying About the Future of Sideloading on Android"

How-To Geek

"Google says it's making Android sideloading 'high-friction' to better warn users about potential risks"

XDA Developers

"Google's developer registration 'decree' means the end for alternative app stores"

Cybernews

"Sideloading on Android? Soon It'll Be Like a TSA Check for Apps"

Android Headlines

"Google will require developer verification to install Android apps, including sideloading"

9to5Google

"Android, Epic, and What's Really Behind Google's 'Existential' Threat to F-Droid"

Slashdot

"Android app store provider Aptoide hits Google with fresh lawsuit alleging monopoly and anticompetitive chokehold"

Benzinga

"I've been an Android user for almost 15 years -- and Google's sideloading changes are pushing me back to iPhone"

Tom's Guide

সম্পাদকীয় ও বিশ্লেষণ

সংস্থা ও খোলা চিঠি

"Google Play itself has repeatedly hosted malware, proving that corporate gatekeeping doesn't guarantee user protection."

F-Droid

"Centralised, intransparent security architectures certainly help secure monetization and the market by locking out competitors."

Nextcloud

"Verification just confirms who's behind the app, it doesn't guarantee clean code or rule out malicious behavior."

AdGuard

"Unilaterally consolidating power to approve software into the hands of a single unaccountable corporation is a threat to digital sovereignty everywhere."

Nextcloud

"Developers who choose not to use Google's services should not be forced to register with, and submit to the judgement of, Google."

Open letter, over 67 signatory organizations

"Developers who build privacy-first browsers, encrypted messaging apps, VPNs, Tor-based software or tools for journalists and activists would be required to upload government ID to Google. These developers are unlikely to trust Google and might stop developing for Android."

Brave

"Google 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

"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

"This is a profound change, one that shatters the entire premise of the Android ecosystem, long regarded as the antithesis of the closed Apple ecosystem."

AdGuard

"Forcing software creators into a centralized registration scheme is as egregious as forcing writers and artists to register with a central authority."

F-Droid

"Remember: It's your phone, your data, your freedom. Don't let Google take it away."

Tuta

"Ultimately, Google's plan will stop you from owning your Android phone."

Tuta

"Independent software distribution on Android will now require Google's explicit permission."

AdGuard

"Google's developer verification policy creates a centralized database, controlled by a single corporation, containing the real-world identity of every person who writes software for Android."

Brave

"For developers building tools specifically designed to protect user privacy, being forced to surrender their own personal data as a precondition for distribution is deeply contradictory."

AdGuard

"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

"Your Smartphone, Their Rules: How App Stores Enable Corporate-Government Censorship."

ACLU

"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

"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

"Google is turning Android into a walled garden monopoly. We must prevent it."

Osservatorio Nessuno

"The European Pirate Party called for proportionate and transparent measures that ensure security without restricting innovation, limiting anonymity, or distorting competition."

European Pirate Party

"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

"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

"We are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices."

F-Droid

"MEP Christel Schaldemose formally questioned whether Google's mandatory central registration is compatible with the Digital Markets Act."

European Parliament

"Android's biggest strength has always been its openness. That's what attracted developers and users in the first place."

AdGuard

"Nearly 50 organizations published an open letter opposing what they characterize as a 'kill switch for the open ecosystem.'"

Tech-ish Kenya

"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

"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

ইউটিউবার ও কনটেন্ট ক্রিয়েটর

"Android has become what they set out to destroy."

Linus Sebastian, LMG Clips – YouTube

"Google is removing the one key advantage Android has over iOS."

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – YouTube

"The fact of the matter is, this is my device. I paid a lot of money for it. I should be able to do with it what I want."

Switched to Linux – YouTube

"Developers of privacy-focused tools and emulators will have to dox themselves, making them vulnerable to government agencies or legal action."

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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

"When you download applications, you've simply installed an application. I don't want to use words like 'sideload.'"

SomeOrdinaryGamers (Mutahar) – 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

"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

"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

"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

"This represents the last real safe place for free and open-source software in the entire mobile ecosystem. Once it's gone, it's gone. And we're going to spend the next decade trying to claw it back."

Techlore – YouTube

"This means you can't sideload an app from an unofficial source. But it could also be used to lock the ecosystem so we're forced to install only Google apps on approved Google OS versions."

Rob Braxman Tech – Locals

"Google 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

"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 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

"Your device, their rules. The phone you bought and paid for is no longer really yours."

Tuta Blog – 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

"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

"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 keeps getting in as much trouble as Apple when Google is half evil and Apple is full evil. So there are probably people inside Google saying, 'Why not just go full evil?'"

Louis Rossmann – YouTube

"Google is 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

"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

"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

ডেভেলপার ও কমিউনিটি

"This isn't just a competition between app stores; it's a struggle for choice and dignity. Your phone shouldn't be a cage carefully constructed by others, but an extension of your own will."

renshijian, Hacker News

"Signal, VPNs -- they'll have a list of everyone opting out of government-mandated backdoors."

Max-P, Lemmy

"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

"The open Android I knew and loved is long gone."

girvo, Hacker News

"We are talking about something categorically worse than vendor lock-in: Collective vendor lock-in."

anordal, Lobsters

"You have no right telling me what I can and cannot run on my own devices."

MrZander, Hacker News

"I hate this so much. More and more I get the feeling I have no control over the devices I own. My fear is that Windows will eventually follow. For security reasons of course. It's the path we're on now."

cheesyvoetjes, Reddit

"Android was never actually open and now they are abandoning even the thin pretense."

Tiraon, Tildes

"I teach digital literacy and 99% of unsavory software I encounter on people's phones come from the Play Store or App Store. I will believe they're serious about protecting users when I see them do something about the crap ton of borderline scam apps infesting their stores."

1995ToyotaCorolla, Lemmy

"Google seems to actively hate people who develop for their platforms."

hbn, Hacker News

"They're boiling the frog -- slowly removing features until all choice is gone."

hn92726819, Hacker News

"If I go down this path, I will stop all development on Android. I implore all other developers to resist this. This will completely lock down the platform forever, there will be no going back."

BatteryMountain, Hacker News

"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

"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

"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

"Once deployed, there's a near 100% chance of such a mechanism being used for evil."

Zak, Lemmy

"Can't come at a worse time. People are just learning to make things through vibe coding, and they're gonna want to put their own apps on their phones. And now Google says no."

Serinus, Lemmy

"Google's own Play Store had over 600 million malware downloads. They keep talking about 'security' but their own store is crawling with fake apps and straight up malware while actual useful stuff gets buried or rejected."

Historical-Employ129 (324 upvotes), Reddit

"The phrase 'sideload' is psychological propaganda we are all best off rejecting."

WaffleMonster, Slashdot

"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

"They have stolen a free product and are now actively locking out the people who built it."

TheTearMiser, Lemmy

"If Android's sandbox and permission systems actually worked, then the mere act of installing an app from an arbitrary source would be as harmless as visiting an arbitrary website."

mwcampbell, Lobsters

"Some time in the future, we will look back to this era and ask ourselves what went wrong."

BenjaminRi, Lobsters

"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

"Android is for everyone, provided they submit to Google exclusively."

gumby271, 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

"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

"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

"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

"Brazil government app refuses to operate with developer mode on."

flykespice (developer in Brazil), Hacker News

"The war on General Purpose Computing is the death of innovation and a direct attack on digital freedom."

layfellow, 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

"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

"Play store is full of scam apps, F-Droid isn't, but Play Store is considered secure. It's all theatre."

gcupc, Lobsters

"Google now has a flag on my phone they can control remotely to keep me from accessing the apps I want."

vala, Lemmy

"'Sideload' is like 'jaywalking'; seeks to stigmatize humans being human."

tejtm, Hacker News

"Any time someone puts a lock on something that belongs to you, and won't give you a key, they're not doing it for your benefit."

vord (quoting Cory Doctorow), Tildes

"It took them 17 years to finally pull the cage all the way shut."

Apocryphon, Hacker News

"Give me liberty or give me Symbian."

masterofn001, Lemmy

"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

"Social engineering is destroyed with education, not with restriction and control. Trading freedom for safety eliminates both."

survirtual, Hacker News

"Anyone else thinking this looks like a precursor to banning Signal and similar? 1) Put Google in control of what you can install. 2) Get Google to block it."

harry8, Hacker News

"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

"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

"It's not cyclic. It's a ratchet and it gets tighter and tighter."

BenjaminRi, Lobsters

"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

"Computing is infrastructure. Personal computers are a means of expressing agency. This is like banning people from moving furniture around their house without approval from mortgage lenders."

wervenyt, Tildes

"Google wants the authority of a gatekeeper without the overhead of human accountability."

afferi300rina, 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

"For 'security' -- always security with these assholes. They're just building the walls of the walled garden higher."

lynxy, Tildes

"Google's plan to require developer verification would give Google and governments the ability to ban any app."

Zak, Hacker News

"Google has no right to be my parent. As long as I can't reject paternalism, I don't believe for a second this is done with the well-being of scam victims as the main priority."

gspr, Lobsters

"We need to start treating phones differently. We're entering a world where we can't choose what we run on them. Their primary purpose is to gather data on us and serve us advertising, they're engineered for addiction, yet engaging in the world is immensely difficult without one."

specproc, Hacker News

"Google 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

"Modern life practically forces you to put all your eggs into a phone controlled by one of two profit-seeking companies."

koala, Lobsters

"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

"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

"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

পিটিশন থেকে আসা মতামত

"Free open Android is the reason we use it. Spread the word people. "

Gregory, change.org

"Ceasing to monopolize everything under the guise of "user security" only harms millions of independent developers and the users who consume their apps "

Angeles, change.org

"Google, you are tearing down the very empire you built through the Android system. I hope that before 2026 you Google team resolve this, otherwise I will opt for an iPhone. "

Alan, change.org

"Rules requiring app developers to pay Google and submit identification documents undermines Android as free and open source software and further exposes Google for the greedy, controlling corporate entity it is, now so far away from it's original "don't be evil" ethos. Privacy concerns about what happens when identification information is exposed have no value to them, and the chilling effect this will have on everyone from minor students learning to develop apps to developers surveilled by their governments will ruin the internet even more than it already has. "

Mary, change.org

"The biggest reason I love Android is because it's open. I have had ENOUGH of companies trying to decide what I can and can't do with the devices I purchased. If I spent money on it, it is MINE and I should be allowed to do whatever I want with it. Enough is enough. "

Callum, change.org

"Someone alert the attorney's on the ongoing case with Epic Games that Google found a way to try and skirt court orders. I'm sure the judge will be extremely pleased to have been ignored, as they make this change and claim it's somehow not the opposite of what they were told to do. "

Nicholas, change.org

"I willingly bought an Android phone over an iPhone for its openness. I want to be able to install what I want, whenever I want. Without Android serving as the free and open competitor to Apple, then the OS no longer has a purpose. Apple has better optimization and ecosystem features, so you might as well just buy an iPhone at that point. "

Max, change.org

"This is a de facto monopolization strategy and must not be allowed. Censorship and data harvesting are already proliferating, this will make those issues worse. "

Michel, change.org

"Keep android free. "

Jansen, change.org

"Don't tread on us Google! "

Trevor, change.org

"I care about digital freedom because the digital world should have the same freedoms as the real world. "

Anabel, change.org

"Android’s intended purpose has always been to be an open, permissionless operating system. By requiring developer "verification" to install apps, Google is turning a personal device into a corporate-controlled appliance. I oppose this policy because: Ownership: I bought the hardware; I should decide what software runs on it without a "gatekeeper." Privacy: Forcing independent developers to "dox" themselves to Google kills anonymous, pro-privacy innovation. Freedom: Sideloading must remain a right, not a privilege granted by a Google-controlled ID system. Keep Android open. Don't build a walled garden. "

Jordan, change.org

"Google is a giant monopoly that never should have grown to the size it has in the first place. We wouldn’t be here if they were stopped a long time ago when they should have been. "

Tom, change.org

"Invasion of privacy in the name of security "

Sadegh, change.org

"I have found great use of android APKs. Because of them I can run comunity devoulped apps like Winalator, a Wine wraper for android, allows me to play windows games on my phone. Theres also PhoneVR, a free and open source app allowing me and many others to rededicate old phones into capable VR headsets, for free! I also get to play old games like Asphalt 8 retry, a mod that fixes alot of the pay-to-win gripes of Asphalt 8's current form. Same goes for Bad Piggies reborn, a free comunity mod adding loads of content and improvments to the origonal game! Not to mention open source app stores like FDroid. By locking down android, your losing support from people like me. Do you really want to kill the reason android is great? Just for a few dollars more? Are you going to just dismiss the people that made you great? We're not just numbers on a spread sheet you know, we're people too. We don't need protected by governments and companys. All that does is remove freedom, dehummanize people, and make people who cant think for themselfs. Whats next? Burning books? In the direction we're heading, we're not far from becoming the socity in Ferenheight 451. "

George, change.org

"Either way this is going to lead to a massive lawsuit My phone is my device Google doesn't own it nor does it have the power to tell me what I can and can't install on the device that I own Google believes that it rules the world it's censorship completely destroyed YouTube now they plan to destroy Android in the same way but $1,000 says by this time next year Google will cave to the demands of the people "

Isaiah, change.org

"Android promised us a choice. We shouldn't let them take it away from users and developers alike just to have more control. "

Cross, change.org

"The end for digital freedom is already nearing, with all the new social media and age verification laws. The whole point of a computer is to store and process data, allowing you to do various tasks. You should be able to use a device without having to verify 50 million things and give up your identity, it's all just an excuse for the government to track you, create more censorship, and for the companies to sell more of your data. Android is an open mobile operating system, and it should stay that way. One of the main reasons I strongly prefer Android over iOS is how open Android is. This action Google is doing will not protect anything or anyone, it will just cause more drama. "

Angus, change.org

"Yeah i like the big man having control over the phone i bought. Thats the only reason i went to Android. Never again. Hope Android is dying for it "

Tobias, change.org

"Android you are not our parents, stop acting like sanctioned company guardians. Nobody asked for this. It must be your goal to make yourself another worse option for operating devices. "

Eva, change.org

"There is always the "security" claim, they got so many security tools already, built in the official app distribution, if the user want to experiment on the device they own they must have the freedom to do so, this is how tech should work, freedom is how tech progress "

Roberto, 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

"APPLE wAS GONE LONG AGO NOW WHERE WILL WE GO? "

henry, change.org

"If a company wants to be THE company in everyone's life, they better offer something that everyone wants. ...otherwise, give use the freedom to choose something that is. "

Achi, change.org

"We should not be forced into using Google products. Our society doesn't function without choice and competition "

erik, change.org

"Google has their own line of phones already. If people wanted Google to have this level of power over them, they would buy the devices the company is selling. This is simply trying to create a monopoly, if not a universe in which a company holds more power than any government, and I think we all know that that is no good outcome. This is a direct attempt to hinder people's creative freedom and ability to share their own projects with the world, whether it's a fun game, or a useful tool, anything. A policy like this has to go. "

Lucy, change.org

"Google is literally taking away our right. Yes we CAN bypass this with there feature allowing us to install unverified apps but making us wait 24 hours BUT they are going to give our devices a "unsafe" mark stopping banking and many other apps from working the same way they did to ROOTED phones. "

yousef, change.org

"This undermines user choice, Again. This will hurt countless small businesses and massively increase the barrier to entry for new bootstrapped developer startups. We don't need more gatekeeping. "

Thomas, change.org

"Dear Google. You have paid games. Players are trying to get the modded apk. You slap them with an "unsafe" warning. Not all modded apks can be unsafe, some are. If you want free robux, steal some. Sincerely, Yaoi Ulshade "

Yaoi, change.org

"We shouldn't have the decision to sideload apps stripped from us so more of our data can be stolen from under our noses. The majority of the apps I use are from small devs. Devs who likely wouldn't have the time to jump through Google's arbitrary hoops, or wouldn't want to the security risks that comes with that compliance. "

Rebecca, change.org

"Google, this accomplish two things: 1/ This will limit privacy respecting apps to those of us who run degoogled OSs. 2/ More people will flash degoogled OSs onto their phones. Do you really want less data coming in to monetize? Your call. "

Scott, change.org

"My Grandfather never used a phone. After I lost my grandmother we bought him a smartphone. He couldn't use it so I wrote an app for him which made it simpler for him. With these changes, my grandfather won't be able to use my app unless I give Google my data and Google approves me. Who is Google that it should have the right to position itself between me and my grandfather? And no using adb isn't even an option my computer which I use to code and the phone of my grandfather are separate as they don't belong into the same place. As an user I'm also using open source apps on my device which I paid for. Google has no right to decide what I install on my device which I paid for and what I don't install on my device which I paid for. My device does not belong Google. I don't belong Google. I am not the slave of Google. I bought an Android device because it doesn't treat me like a slave. The developers of these apps don't want to give Google their data and I approve that. I don't need approval from Google. I can decide on my own what I install on my pocket computer. Google can make suggestions, but Google doesn't have the right to decide for me. I'm a free person. "

Yunus, change.org

"One of the main reasons for using android is the freedom, this gets rid of that. So I may as well use ubuntu touch at this point. "

Yurii, change.org

"No one is happy about this change. F-droid is infinitely more trustworthy than the play store, and does not need google prying into developers personal info to keep people safe. Being an open platform is the fundamental basis of android user's usage "

Cris, change.org

"Dystopian, unaccountable corporate control and rug pulling. "

Ethan, change.org

"Android was promised and sold as an open platform. As many others, I decided to get Android devices considering that that promise was a serious lifetime commitment from Google. All Google has to do now is honor their own word and keep Android open. "

Leo, change.org

"If I wanted a phone that decided what I can and can't do I would have bought an iPhone. "

Tom, change.org

"Despicable corporate over reach on full display here. Stop the change, let users choose and decided how they wish to use their devices! "

Markus, change.org

"Android was always meant to be versatile and open for users and developers alike. It was always about freedom of choice when it came to creating and usage of applications and Android was a big part of that vision... Otherwise, everyone would've just purchased and use Apple iPhones instead---there wouldn't BE an incentive to be on Android. Google... get your act together! "

Ray, change.org

"This decision breaks the promise of Android. By forcing verification, Google puts barriers to entry, and more importantly, introduces conflicts of interests in the app installation process. There must be an option to opt out of this. Every open source app would need to establish a legal entity to be installed on Android. Developers would be blocked for circumventing limitations that eat into Google's revenue but which aren't inherently illegal or against the ToS (i.e. personal archiving of YouTube videos). This could spell not only the end of Android but also personal computing under our own control. "

Kevin, change.org

"We all need security and FOSS apps! "

Chris, change.org

"If I wanted to have my apps controlled by a mega corporation, I would have gotten an iPhone "

Eric, 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

"Android is the operating system for those who want freedom, and to take away our ability to install what we wish, is the start of Google trying to take further control over us. The internet is already falling apart with attempts to "protect" people, but in reality, the internet isn't a place for big companies to try and protect people against their will. "

Dino, change.org

"I have been avoiding iPhone and using Android specifically for this reason. Why would Google change something that is working for them? Why ruin something good? Short sighted and stupid move. "

Will, change.org

"We own the devices that we buy with our money. We should have the freedom to do with them as we like. This includes the installation of apps from any developer without some rediculous google verification. "

Edwin, change.org

"As someone who has started making my own apps for fun, the prospect of not being able to test them on my device or share them with friends is ridiculous. If this goes through my next phone upgrade will not have anything to do with google. "

Al, change.org

"Assuming Google is acting in good faith, they should respect users' intelligence and not lock down APK usage into a heavily regulated part of the internet. "

Noah, change.org

"I see why this could be a potential issue if this does happen. Hopefully it doesn't go through and it stays the same. "

Gavin, change.org

"Keep android open. We want to be able to install the software we want on the device we paid for. "

Knoel, change.org

"I believe increasingly closed ecosystems lend not only to the monopolization of tech but are a threat to the digital sovereignty of individuals worldwide making them susceptible to government and corporate surveillance. "

Adrian, change.org

"The main reason I bought a Pixel was for the freedom of installing whatever I want, but If this is taken away, they would be taking the only reason many people buy their devices. "

Jjr, change.org

"Freedom requires the ability for us to harm ourselves if we so choose. We own the devices we buy and should not be required to only go through people Google allows. This is an unacceptable policy when it's my device. "

Matthew, change.org

"I am very conceded that our government and big technology is building a electronic prison to enslave humanity. Google is working to this end by implementing tactics like requiring their permission to create and use apps that big government and big technology approve. This is evil and must be stopped if we are to have any freedom and privacy. "

Pamela, change.org

"Please STOP being evil Google-u promised it once but obviously those words were hollow & meaningless so just stop it. "

Steven, change.org

"The reason why i use android is because of the freedom but if Google lockdown android then there no point on staying and not switching to other ecosystem "

Joel, change.org

"One of the reasons I use android is so I can do what I want unlike an iPhone. Locking it down will make it no different from the competition "

Jonathan, change.org

"Imagine not being able to install programs on your computer that don't go though Microsoft or Apple first. That is where this will go next if this type of practice is made normal/succeeded. "

Kyle, change.org

"Google should be ashamed of itself and give users the freedom to install any app they want. Why don't they remove those apps from their store where thousands of people suffer from viruses? Bunch of scoundrels! "

Jorge, change.org

"I started using an Android device because of the freedom to use the software I wanted to use. If Google goes forward with these restrictions, I wont have any reason to use Android devices anymore. "

Luis, change.org

"I'm not even a dev and I don't agree with this "

John, change.org

"I bought the whole phone, i'll use the whole phone, whatever way I want. Openness of Android is the only reason I choose android, if I wanted a "Locked Down" phone, i'll just go with Apple at that point. Make these censorship at least optional to block, LET ME DECIDE, but dont force it onto blocking of APK installs all together FOR EVERYONE, let the user decide for themselves. I don't want Google to decide what I can or cannot do with the phone I BOUGHT. If I bought a phone, with the expectation and the capacity of doing X,Y,Z with it, don't take away the Z AFTER I BOUGHT IT. I'll just refuse to update my phone if it get's pushed that way. There's more malware on the ADS you promote, rather than anywhere else, im sure. "

Bryan, change.org

"If google does go through with this I will do everything in my power to convince anyone with an android or google service to stop using it. "

James, change.org

"What software I choose to create or install on my computing devices, no matter whether they fit in a pocket, is my choice alone. Google, Microsoft, Apple, et al. have zero business trying to arbitrate how I use the hardware that I own. Android is quickly becoming the very thing it swore to destroy--an opaque, locked-down, walled garden where the very concept of ownership is drawn into question--and I am already taking steps to distance myself from it should the worst come to pass. "

James, change.org

"If this is implemented I will be abandoning the Google sphere and moving my data over to Apple. I have already signed up for an Apple ID and I am good to go if/when this happens. I will drop android and all associated subscriptions and spend my money at Apple. Goodbye Google. It was a good run 2009 to 2026. "

Scott, change.org

"Android users should be able develop and install whatever software they want on their devices without approval from Google. The promise of Android — and a marketing advantage it has used to distinguish itself against the iPhone — has always been that it is “open”. But Google clearly feels that they have enough of a lock on the Android ecosystem, along with sufficient regulatory capture, that they can now jettison this principle with prejudice and impunity. "

Ray, change.org

"Drastically changing what I can do with MY devices years after the original purchase is peak anti-consumer behavior. This action should be illegal. Can you imagine if your car manufacturer said you can only use Shell gas to fill up years after you purchased it. Same energy here. Let's STOP THE GOOGLEOPOLY. "

Ayiana, change.org

"I use software that is not in the google play store. I want the freedom to use my phones. tablets, and other devices how I want them. "

Doug, change.org

"KEEP ANDROID OPEN SOURCE "

Tomica, change.org

"Android phones letting me control my apps in my way is why I love and stick with Android. I can't support upstart developers without our current APK framework. A future without one of the lead reasons I own an Android phone, is a future where I just stop owning a phone. "

Kyle, 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

"Android has always been the superior product because it has allowed it's users the ability to customize their phones and download what they want. To take that away would make you no better than Apple "

Mike, change.org

"We as a free people in the USA should never let anybody dictate what we can put into our phones or lives. If we let that happen then when is the next person going to come to take more of our rights, it's a dangerous path to take and it shouldn't happen. If you want that to happen, go to China and live there. "

Loren, change.org

"The new requirements have really killed my motivation to develop apps. I do not want to provide any personal information to big tech companies. The reason I want to work on FOSS is that I don’t want to give up my privacy, and this new policy is undermining that. These requirements will never create a truly safe and secure OS. Criminals can obtain government-issued IDs through the dark web or by scamming others. The only people being blocked are those who intend no harm at all. Please don’t lock down the ecosystem. "

kam kee, change.org

"There are but few remaining bastions of independance left these days. Google, You have taken the cake, the pies, the rest of the desert tray and the full feast before it and left only crumbs in your wake. Are you really about to double back to hoover those up too? Competition is a net gain in any space and promotes growth and vitality! We need places for independents to opperate and users to choose freely what resonates with them and thier own values! Kindly, leave some space! "

m, change.org

"that's the only reason i actually use Android, this should not be an actual project of Google "

Theodore Thomas, change.org

"Giving consumers a choice in their software increases competition and ultimately benefits the consumer in the products they use. Giving choice to developers on how to reach the consumer is beneficial from single developers to large companies as it gives them options to be shown in the spotlight or reach a niche group that would appreciate their product. By giving power to a single organization to determine who the winners and losers are you set that company up to always choose their products over a competitor even if their products are inferior to the competitors. "

John, change.org

"I grew up without cameras and sensors constantly supplying tech firms and governments my movements, habits, and so on. While I can't force the world to roll back the loss of privacy in public spaces, I'm sure as hell not ceding in the fight to maintain a bit of privacy in my own home. Since the only reason I can stand using an Android phone is being able to install and use non-invasive apps, I will absolutely switch OS if this BS goes through. "

Alex, change.org

"We need to continue to have options on the android platform. Once censorship begins where does it end. Developers need to have freedom and not be oppressed by greed. Side-loading is what makes ANDROID if that is taken, what makes Android unique it’s just like IOS a walled garden. "

Edgar, change.org

"Thie is absolutely ridiculous. Nothing but censorship and control everywhere these past several months. They'll all burn for it. "

Jeffrey, change.org

"It isn't safe to bottleneck every human user to obey a s>ngle companies whims. This will be fought in court, I'm sure. But in the meantime I will fight this disagreeable motion. This is a freedom of privacy and speech, in the enar future if you have an unsavory opinion, towards Google or other, you will be targeted. "

Kosta, change.org

"I got an Android tablet for the freedom it offered over an ios device such as ipads and iphones. If Google's going to lock the system down anyway, I might as well buy a touchscreen for a Raspberry Pi and repurpose it instead of using Android in the future. "

Timothy, change.org

"Sounds good on paper but will only make things way, way worse. They say the main reason they're doing this is for security since you're reportedly more likely to get a virus outside of Google Play than inside, but honestly, that'll only happen if you're irresponsible enough (you're even warned that it's at your own risk and responsibility if you decide to download something outside of GP). Again, sounds good on paper, problem is, by doing this, you'll be unable to download lots of other, virus-free software that are good or can be useful (e.g. gaming emulators or delisted apps), all because it doesn't come from an "approved developer", which would be a huge pain in the ass for millions of people, including me. In my opinion, L update. "

Mario, 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

"Google has been sued up the butt for monopolizing before, and now they're trying again? And on top of these ridiculous surveillance laws all because a few parents can't watch their children, this is just a stupid decision to make. "

Kamareon, change.org

"Creators of all kinds of developers, whether good or bad put so much of their free time into making something that users on an "Open" device that you decide enough is enough just cause of a few bad eggs. By doing this, you are not only combating them but all the developers who are of innocence and crush their dreams just so you can lose to Apple. "

david, change.org

"It is very important that Android remain an open platform. I bought into Android for customization, freedom to mess with things about the operating system, and generally to not have an iPhone. Instead, this lock-down is threatening all of that. Do not proceed with the lock-down, Google. "

Ezra, change.org

"GOOGLE PLEASE DO NOT ENFORCE DEVELOPER VERIFICATION. THIS WILL STOP PROGRESS. "

Luka, change.org

"I use a de-googled phone and F-Droid is my store. This will destroy F-Droid. If I pay for a device I should be able to load what every I like on that device. Google is using it's monopoly powers to force us into a box. I'm a great believer in privacy and freedom and I see it day by day gradually eroded. "

Peter, change.org

"The only reason that I chose to switch to android and off of apple was due to the abillity to sideload apps. Without this feature, I will probably be switching back to apple because of its ecosystem. "

David, 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

"This it’s important to all and Google shouldn’t be doing this our company overlords can’t take more from us we need to stand up "

James, 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

"i have been a user of fdroid for a few years and really like the apps that aren't on the play store or aren't google approved. please stop google doing this!! "

Justin, change.org

"Isn't the point of Android to be open and allow choice to install what the user wants? Why should I pay for a phone that won't allow me to actually have control over what I own? May as well buy an iPhone. "

Kolya, change.org

"The only reason I've stuck with Android all these years has been its open ecosystem. If that's removed, I'd switch to Apple in a heartbeat. "

Anjali, change.org

"How can this be about security when the vast majority of people installing 3rd party apps are accepting that risk. Your anti virus services should be more than enough to prevent malicious applications but babying a population won't go well for you. I for one will get a huawei phone immediately after the change is officialized, privacy be damned, it's less authoritarian than what you're planning on doing. "

D, change.org

"Every time you centralise something, you are adding a point of failure that used to not exist. And you can not trust those who care only for money to care for anything else. "

Andrew, change.org

"the whole point of android is that it is open. i want to OWN and have actual control over my device. google's decision takes that out. It's cruel and straightup dystopian how it is forcing users to just comply; thus having you not actually "own" the device. we want to freely choose what we have on our own devices, and it's quite blatant the "protection from risks" is only a smokescreen to censor and ... ruin android's biggest redeeming quality. this is a horrible choice "

r​.​w., change.org

"I do not support Google moving android in a totalitarian direction where freedom is removed and central authority is enforced. Keep Android Free! "

Phillip, change.org

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এতে কী চলবে সেই সিদ্ধান্ত আপনার হওয়া উচিত।

তার জন্য নয়টি ধাপ, ২৪ ঘণ্টার অপেক্ষা এবং গুগলের দয়ার দরকার নেই।

এই পেজটি শেয়ার করুন। রেজিস্ট্রেশন করবেন না। অ্যান্ড্রয়েডকে বন্ধ হতে দেবেন না।