this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2026
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Android

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If you haven't seen this yet, Google is planning to require mandatory developer identity verification for all Android apps, including apps distributed outside the Play Store, taking effect September 2026. This affects every independent and open source Android developer directly.

This is not just about the Play Store. After September 2026, on any certified Android device, applications from unverified developers will be blocked by default. The only proposed bypass, the "advanced flow", exists only as a blog post and has not appeared in any beta, dev preview, or canary release. No one outside Google has seen it.

The community has been fighting back at keepandroidopen.org:

  • Read the full breakdown of what this means
  • Sign the open letter (organisations only)
  • Contact your national regulators — contacts listed by country on the site
  • Add the countdown banner to your project

September 2026 is closer than it looks. The time to push back is now.

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[–] Nikls94@lemmy.world 36 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I don’t get it… Google‘s main appeal over Apple is that you can install anything on Android. It runs worse, is less stable and sometimes just does dumb stuff. That’s like if Nintendo would get rid of Mario/Pokémon

[–] Flatfire@lemmy.ca 4 points 14 hours ago (3 children)

I don't think that's really the main appeal, honestly. The main appeal is just that it isn't Apple. And were I someone who didn't care about the installation of third-party applications, I wouldn't be running to buy an iPhone. Android is just plain more customizable and if you need a quality of life feature, you're probably going to find some way to have it.

[–] pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 5 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

Android is just plain more customizable and if you need a quality of life feature, you're probably going to find some way to have it.

Yes.

I used to feel that way about stock Android, but the really useful apps dried up on Google Play a few years back.

Discovering F-Droid brought back the joy of customizing Android, for me.

My conclusions:

  • Much of the charm of Android is already gone for the average user, but many haven't noticed.
  • Making F-Droid harder to install isn't going to help.

I'm not sure what Google has done to alienate the folks writing quality free apps, but whatever it is, most of them are only on F-Droid, already.

This feels like Google is just shutting the door on the walled garden they've been building for awhile.

[–] Squizzy@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

Except now that feature is locked

[–] Nikls94@lemmy.world -2 points 12 hours ago

You can get an iPhone at around 500$. Below that price, sure, Android is good. But once you reach the price at which you could get an iPhone, why not get one in the first place? Android isn’t more customizable in this day and age than iPhone.

Besides custom launchers and icons, the only thing that comes to my mind is custom WhatsApp messaging sound.

[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 10 points 19 hours ago

Android's own appeal probably died somewhere in 2013 or 2014, but it has always kept strong for a very simple reason: phone prices. You could either pay 700 dollars for an iphone, or 200 for an android

[–] Ashiette@lemmy.world 10 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

That was it before they got a solid fanbase. Now the main appeal is that they are mostly cheaper phones.

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 3 points 19 hours ago (2 children)

Cheaper, but not by far:

iPhone 17 Pixel 10 iPhone 17 Pro Pixel 10 Pro iPhone 17 Pro Max Pixel 10 Pro XL
979 899 1339 1099 1489 1299
[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 5 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Why make this a table instead of a list?

[–] smeenz@lemmy.nz 2 points 9 hours ago

I just love having to scroll horizontally to read a comment.

[–] Ashiette@lemmy.world 9 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

You are taking the flagship phones. If you want a simple, functional phone, you can find some decent ones for a price as low as 200€

[–] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 2 points 17 hours ago

Indeed, since the company behind Android+PlayServices also sells phones running Android+PlayServices. But aside from this it's on me for reading something that was not written.