Last month, “Google unilaterally decreed that Android developers everywhere in the world are going to be required to register centrally with Google.”
F-Droid and Google’s Developer Registration Decree https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html @fdroid
PC Mag: F-Droid Warns Google’s New Rules Could Kill Third-Party Android App Stores https://www.pcmag.com/news/f-droid-warns-googles-new-rules-could-kill-third-party-android-app-stores @PCMag #Google #Android
Its the time for SailfishOS! (While we figure out something more long-term, sailfish is an interim solution)
Paradoxically, this move towards trying to make things more secure is actually gonna make things LESS secure.
Because it means that now the only way for people to continue using alternative apps is for them to be shipped with debug keys (the ones used during development) which are fundamentally insecure since they allow anyone to produce an apk and be accepted as a valid update of the app…
This also has the additional paradoxical result that in order to ensure that the apps installed are safe, you now need to be much more careful when choosing where it comes from, which means it’s MORE important now to have a store app alternative that you trust and that can implement alternative signing/verification methods external to the apk itself before choosing to install the app.
What making things more secure? Google was absolutely NEVER concerned about the security and privacy of their user, it goes directly against their core interest as an advertising company. This move is 100% about taking control over their user and developers on their platform and is exactly 0% about doing anything to improve the security of their user.
Google is not even trying to pretend otherwise, notice how Google is only requiring verification of the developer’s, and absolutely not doing anything about verifying the actual apps from those developers, just like they have not really done anything meaningful about security checking the apps submitted on their Play Store since ever.
That’s why it’s a paradox. They are claiming to do something for security, where in actuality their stricter policies are doing the opposite. This move essentially renders apk’s built-in signing mechanisms worthless. Android is going down the path now of being as insecure as MS Windows when it comes to app installation.
This is not gonna stop rogue apks from outside Google’s store, it’s just gonna make them less secure.
This is not gonna stop alternative stores, it’s actually gonna make them more important for further security checks.
This is not gonna give Google more control over Android, it’s gonna make it easier for abusers to gain control.
Is it a paradox, or is it just lying?
Humanity requires a safe mobile OS and Android was it for so very long. Hopefully, the Google accountants / shareholders work out the significant potential losses if they drive the evolution of an industry of new OS and new hardware options. Suspect that they will push their monopolist beast as far as they can get away with. They’ll have a dollar cost that they are willing to risk in the coming debates.
“Don’t, be evil”
Man, good thing they aren’t a monopoly or anything. Imagine the horror they could unleash
What could go wrong! It’s not like Google is known for arbitrarily deciding to prevent people from doing things with no clear explanation nor way to talk to a human. This will go great!
They also don’t just abandon hundreds of major projects, services, and apps when they seemingly get bored with them, or they don’t generate enough revenue…
@JackbyDev Not to mention repeated Chrome flaws, privacy violations, stupid AI, etc., etc.
If Google ends up winning, the only things I see possible are to fork AOSP completely and make lineage and graphene operating systems in their own right, instead of in name only, or go to Linux Mobile, and if none of that is possible, then go back to desktop and declare mobile to be dead.
I am not carrying around my desktop computer.
Oh boy, my friend, do I have the perfect product for you. They make this thing called a laptop that takes the usefulness of a desktop and makes it so that it fits in your lap. Can you believe it?
Well, you convinced me. I’m going to get rid of my lightweight handheld computer that can also make phone calls so I can carry around a laptop that by default will not make a phone call.
LMAO
I don’t know much about the Linux phone scene, but I’m taking a look at Ubuntu Touch again.
I think they offer a way of virtualizing it, so I might do that to try it out since I’ve never played with it before.
I just started developing my own app, so love this extra random burden. /s
