this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2025
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Android

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The future of this elegant and proven system was put in jeopardy last month, when Google unilaterally decreed that Android developers everywhere in the world are going to be required to register centrally with Google. In addition to demanding payment of a registration fee and agreement to their (non-negotiable and ever-changing) terms and conditions, Google will also require the uploading of personally identifying documents[^regid], including government ID, by the authors of the software, as well as enumerating all the unique “application identifiers” for every app that is to be distributed by the registered developer.

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, and the world will be deprived of the safety and security of the catalog of thousands of apps that can be trusted and verified by any and all. F-Droid’s myriad users5 will be left adrift, with no means to install — or even update their existing installed — applications.

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[–] Nighed@feddit.uk 80 points 6 days ago (9 children)

Oh, it's preventing sidloading?! I thought it was just for their app store!

That's shit.

[–] Eagle0110@lemmy.world 58 points 6 days ago (11 children)

Yes, some of the latest commits to AOSP repo added code to the Package Installer app for denying .apk package installation based on developer verification result, and even for denying installing .apk packages when internet isn't available so it can't contact Google's servers for developer verification results. Google is already making it clear this kind BS is how they intend to enforce this ridiculous decree.

[–] xep@discuss.online 28 points 6 days ago (26 children)

That's egregious and really will impede using open source software on Android. Guess my phone will turn into a device for tethering now, instead.

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[–] stray@pawb.social 6 points 5 days ago (1 children)

If I understood correctly it doesn't prevent sideloading, but even apps not from the app store will need to have their creator's legal identity verified by Google. Meaning not only do they have to dox themselves, but they have to pay Google for the privilege. And if it's an app developed to not comply with Goggle's terms then it just won't be usable at all.

[–] MasterBlaster@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

I see a mass migration to LineageOS, Graphene, Calyx in the very near future.

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[–] MITM0@lemmy.world 43 points 6 days ago (3 children)

As I said & many others before me. We need a massive unified push towards breaking the OEM locks on our phones & make it compatible with Linux.

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[–] Renohren@lemmy.today 23 points 6 days ago

It's up to us, users of those FOSS apps, to collectively pour more money into the pockets of FOSS devs to make f-droid more important to their bottom line (and for a lot of FOSS apps that are also distributed on the play store, it won't be hard to be a bigger financial input) so that when the requirement is pushed to their play store account, they feel free to decide to side with their hearts and say goodbye play store, knowing this community will keep them fed.

Time for many of us to get aquainted with the liberapay button on most app pages in f-droid.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

I was thinking about getting into mobile development. Guess I won't.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 11 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If Google was smart they would hammer out some sort of agreement with F-droid

I'm not sure they are that smart

[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 21 points 5 days ago (1 children)

They are rich, they don't need to be smart

[–] absentbird@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

Once you reach orbit you can fall forever and never crash.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What's China going to do? Fork Android more officially?

[–] olbaidiablo@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I could see China pouring a lot of resources into Linux phones.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

AFAIK Huawei already forks Android (and the Play Store) for their stuff, but I have zero knowledge beyond that.

[–] Ilandar@lemmy.today 6 points 6 days ago

Yes, but it is locked down since HarmonyOS NEXT and requires workarounds to install apps outside of their app store.

[–] pycorax@sh.itjust.works 6 points 6 days ago

Their so called written from scratch Harmony OS is just forked Android.

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