Keep Android Open!

Google is locking down Android. By September 2026, sideloading apps will require developer registration, payment, and government ID handed to Google.

DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 2026

What’s happening

1. Google announced a “Developer Verification” program (Aug 2025) requiring all app developers to register, pay, submit government ID, and hand over signing keys.

2. Sideloading will be gated. Apps from developers who don’t register won’t install. You paid for a device you no longer fully control.

3. Android becomes iOS. The core promise of Android — an open platform where you choose what runs on your hardware — dies.

4. Governments lose sovereignty. Critical infrastructure software becomes dependent on one US corporation’s approval process.

Common questions

Isn’t this just about security?

Google frames it as protecting users from malicious apps. But Android already has Google Play Protect scanning, runtime permissions, sandboxing, and user warnings for sideloaded apps. This isn’t security — it’s control. Real security doesn’t require developers to hand over government IDs and signing keys to a corporation.

Will this actually affect me?

If you’ve ever installed an app from outside the Play Store — an ad blocker, a custom launcher, an app from F-Droid, a beta version, an enterprise tool — yes. After September 2026, those apps won’t install unless the developer has registered with Google.

What about the “advanced user flow” Google mentioned?

In November 2025, Google vaguely mentioned a possible “advanced flow” for experienced users. No details, no commitments, no timeline. Even if implemented, requiring users to jump through extra hoops to exercise basic device ownership rights is a restriction, not a solution.

Does the EU actually read complaint emails?

Yes. The DMA team is actively enforcing against Big Tech — they’ve already opened proceedings against Apple, Google, and Meta. Volume of complaints directly influences enforcement priority. Your email gets logged and counted. The DMA has real teeth: fines up to 10% of global turnover.

I’m not in the EU. Can I still help?

Absolutely. Share on social media. If you’re a developer, refuse the early access program and distribute via F-Droid or direct APK. If you’re in a country with competition authorities, file a complaint there too. EU enforcement sets global precedent.

What are the alternatives?

For users: Support custom ROMs (LineageOS, GrapheneOS, CalyxOS), use F-Droid for open-source apps, and make your voice heard before September 2026.

For developers: Distribute via F-Droid, offer direct APK downloads, refuse the early access program, and publicly oppose the policy.

For everyone: Email regulators, contact MEPs, share information, and support organizations fighting for digital rights.

Letter to google below;

Date: February 24, 2026

To: Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer, Google

To: Sergey Brin, Founder and Board Member, Google

To: Larry Page, Founder and Board Member, Google

To: Vijaya Kaza, General Manager for App & Ecosystem Trust, Google

CC: Regulatory authorities, policymakers, and the Android developer community

Re: Mandatory Developer Registration for Android App Distribution

We, the undersigned organizations representing civil society, nonprofit institutions, and technology companies, write to express our strong opposition to Google’s announced policy requiring al[…]

While we do recognize the importance of platform security and user safety, the Android platform already includes multiple security mechanisms that do not require central registration. Forcibly i[…]

Our Concerns

Gatekeeping Beyond Google’s Own Store

Android has historically been characterized as an open platform where users and developers can operate independently of Google’s services. The proposed developer registration policy fundamenta[…]

This extends Google’s gatekeeping authority beyond its own marketplace into distribution channels where it has no legitimate operational role. Developers who choose not to use Google’s servi[…]

Barriers to Entry and Innovation

Mandatory registration creates friction and barriers to entry, particularly for:

Individual developers and small teams with limited resources

Open-source projects that rely on volunteer contributors

Developers in regions with limited access to Google’s registration infrastructure

Privacy-focused developers who avoid surveillance ecosystems

Emergency response and humanitarian organizations requiring rapid deployment

Activists working on internet freedom in countries that unjustly criminalize that work

Developers in countries or regions where Google cannot allow them to sign up due to sanctions

Researchers and academics developing experimental applications

Internal enterprise and government applications never intended for broad public distribution Every additional bureaucratic hurdle reduces diversity in the software ecosystem and concentrates power in the hands of large established players who can more easily absorb such compliance costs[…]

Privacy and Surveillance Concerns

Requiring registration with Google creates a comprehensive database of all Android developers, regardless of whether or not they use Google’s services. This raises serious questions about:

What personal information developers must provide

How this information will be stored, secured, and used

Whether this data could be subject to government requests or legal processes

To what extent developer activity is tracked across the ecosystem

What this means for developers working on privacy-preserving or politically sensitive applications Developers should have the right to create and distribute software without submitting to unnecessary surveillance or scrutiny.

Arbitrary Enforcement and Account Termination Risks

Google’s existing app review processes have been criticized for opaque decision-making, inconsistent enforcement, and limited appeal mechanisms. Extending this system to all Android certified […]

Arbitrary rejection or suspension without clear justification

Automated systems making consequential decisions with insufficient human oversight

Developers losing their ability to distribute apps across all channels due to a single un-reviewable corporate decision

Political or competitive considerations influencing registration approvals

Disproportionate impact on marginalized communities and controversial but legal applications A single point of failure controlled by one corporation is antithetical to a healthy, competitive software ecosystem.

Anticompetitive Implications

This requirement allows Google to collect intelligence on all Android development activity, including:

Which apps are being developed and by whom

Alternative distribution strategies and business models

Competitive threats to Google’s own services

Market trends and user preferences outside of Google’s ecosystem This information asymmetry provides Google with significant competitive advantages, allows it to preempt, copy, and undermine competing products and services, and may open many questions about a[…]

Regulatory concerns

Regulatory authorities worldwide, including the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and competition authorities in multiple jurisdictions, have increasingly scrutinized dominan[…]

We urge Google to find alternative ways to comply with regulatory obligations by promoting models that respect Android’s open nature without increasing gatekeeper control over the platform.

Existing Measures Are Sufficient

The Android platform already includes multiple security mechanisms that do not require central registration:

Operating system-level security features, application sandboxing, and permission systems

User warnings for applications that are directly installed (or “sideloaded”)

Google Play Protect (which users can choose to enable or disable)

Developer signing certificates that establish software provenance

No evidence has been presented that these safeguards are insufficient to continue to protect Android users as they have for the entire seventeen years of Android’s existence. If Google’s co[…]

Our Petition

We call upon Google to:

Immediately rescind the mandatory developer registration requirement for third-party distribution.

Engage in transparent dialogue with civil society, developers, and regulators about Android security improvements that respect openness and competition.

Commit to platform neutrality by ensuring that Android remains a genuinely open platform where Google’s role as platform provider does not conflict with its commercial interests.

Over the years, Android has evolved into a critical piece of technological infrastructure that serves hundreds of governments, millions of businesses, and billions of citizens around the world.[…]

We implore Google to reverse course, end the developer verification program, and to begin working collaboratively with the broader community to advance security objectives without sacrificing t[…]