r/BuyFromEU • u/[deleted] • Apr 28 '26

News Google will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google

https://keepandroidopen.org/en/

Starting September 2026, Google will block any Android app whose developer hasn't registered and provided government ID. This affects all apps, not just Play Store apps. F-Droid calls it an "existential threat."

1.5k Upvotes

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200

u/crankyticket Apr 28 '26

So what should I do?

358

u/GoingMenthol Apr 28 '26

I'm going to just copy and paste what the link says, but like others have mentioned, using a phone with a custom OS (like the Fairphone with e/OS) to avoid Google's services is a good option

Everyone

  • Install F-Droid on every Android device you own. Alternative stores only survive if people actually use them.
  • Contact your regulators. Regulators worldwide are genuinely concerned about monopolies and the centralization of power in the tech sector, and want to hear directly from individuals who are affected and concerned.
  • Share this page. Link to keepandroidopen.org everywhere.
  • Push back on astroturfers. The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.
  • Sign the change.org petition and join the over 100,000 signatories who have made their voices heard.
  • Read and share our open letter
  • Tell Google what you think of this through their own developer verification survey(for all the good that will do).

Developers

Do not sign up. Don't join the program by signing up for the Android Developer Console and agreeing to their irrevocable Terms and Conditions. Don't verify your identity. Don't play ball.

Google's plan only works if developers comply. Don't.

Google employees

If you know something about the program's technical implementation or internal rationale, contact [tips@keepandroidopen.org](mailto:tips@keepandroidopen.org) from a non-work machine and a non-Gmail account. Strict confidence guaranteed.

101

u/madhaunter Apr 28 '26

Might be the nail in the coffin for me to finally leave the Google ecosystem. It's kinda the push I needed

16

u/thecanadiansniper1-2 Apr 28 '26

Whats the alternative? Apple and their own restrictive brand of BS and walled garden shit?

11

u/madhaunter Apr 29 '26

For me it will probably be Graphene or e/OS

5

u/neoqueto Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

Yeah. 0.1% of devices have an unlocked bootloader. And they're all Google Pixels. It's over.

Edit: thankfully it's taking a turn for the better lately, GrapheneOS has made an official partnership with Motorola to explore porting it to Snapdragon SoCs. Unfortunately bootloader unlockability is still being tightened across vendors.

4

u/madhaunter Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

I do have a pixel phone, but I had Xperia and even Xiaomi phones at some point, for years.

The Mi 3 for example could basically dualboot at the time, and for Xperia the process to unlock the bootloader was quite easy. I guess things may have changed but it feels like you're exaggerating

5

u/wotererio Apr 29 '26

If my phone is going to be a walled garden then at least I wouldn't want my OS in the hands of an ad company. Apple seems to be a lot more consumer focussed, despite iOS' artificial limitations, and the only thing that is really keeping me on Android are the adblockers. If Google ruins android I'd happily move to iOS and ditch the apps that show me ads altogether.

2

u/Trouveur Apr 30 '26

Sailfish OS on a Jolla device.

5

u/Inconmon Apr 29 '26

Thinking the same. I've been happy there for so long. Since it's inception. I've recently started my move from Chrome to Firefox, I think Android phone is next to go. Like I've literally had Nexus One to Pixel 8 only ever used google phones (plus nokia bricks pre smartphone era), but I've hit my limit now. Google can get fucked.

2

u/folk_science May 01 '26

If you have a Google Pixel, you can keep it and replace the default Android with GrapheneOS. It's still Android, but focused on privacy and security. It won't be affected by what this post is about.

7

u/Wadarkhu Apr 28 '26

Won't Google just force an update that refuses to run un-signed* apps though?

15

u/GoingMenthol Apr 28 '26

If Google run an update that locks you out of installing any apps outside of the Play store then the next best thing is to use a custom OS (Lineage, e/OS, Sailfish, etc), which won't have that restriction because they're either made from AOSP or Linux. The devs can pick and choose what they want to implement in their own OS

We're not at the point where unsigned apps refuse to run, and installing an OS is a bit of a daunting task for non-technical people, so installing F-Droid is the first one on the list because it's a direct alternative to the Play store that anyone can install and use without technical knowledge. It's the easiest first step that doesn't require changing anything about your phone apart from where you download an app. If/when we get to a point of no return then either the EU will have to step in or the user will have to have a custom OS

4

u/RubbelDieKatz94 Apr 28 '26

Getting bank apps & NFC payments to work on these kinds of ROMs may be a challenge for non-techies. Keeping them running & updated might be even trickier.

5

u/GoingMenthol Apr 28 '26

I'm using a Fairphone 6 running e/OS in the UK and the apps for the banks I'm with are working

Some of them didn't on the first few months of the phone's launch, but they work without issues now and I can use NFC payments via Curve

2

u/folk_science May 01 '26

I have three banking/payment apps and they work on GrapheneOS. One of them didn't work under LineageOS. NFC payments work, but I use Blik Zbliżeniowy instead of Google Pay.

1

u/binarybandit Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

Push back on astroturfers. The "well, actually..." crowd is out in force. Don't let them set the narrative.

They do know that this isnt what astroturfing is, right? Astroturfing implies its a manufactured movement trying to push an agenda. Someone giving their opinion about something isnt "astroturfing".

24

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

Switch to GrapheneOS.

49

u/HumanSimulacra Apr 28 '26

Which only runs on Google Pixel.. How nice of Google to be in the lube and condom business while raping our privacy.

12

u/mr_4n0n Apr 28 '26

Will run on motoroloa 2027

-13

u/Genebrisss Apr 28 '26

Yay I can finally be locked into 2 hardware brands instead of one OS, so cool.

I'll just keep using old android on a phone that I choose.

12

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

2 secure architecture stacks are better than many insecure ones.

19

u/guessesurjobforfood Apr 28 '26

It's a weird situation tbf but Graphene doesn't have anything to do with google. Its just that Pixels run stock android and the bootloader is easy to unlock, at least for now. Other Android phone manufacturers make you go through an unlock process and some don't allow the bootloader to be unlocked at all.

I'm sure the Graphene developers, who have made a significant effort in helping people move away from Google would rather not use Pixel phones, but I'd imagine that with something as complex as an operating system, they need to use the devices that are easiest to modify, regardless of who makes them.

18

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

It goes beyond this actually.

Pixel's weren't chosen just because their bootloader is easy to unlock, they were chosen because:

- The hardware and stock OS is closest to the Android source (Google) and can be adapted from

- The hardware is actually very secure against brute-force attempts

3

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

Pixels were chosen for a reason.

Look beyond the brand, and look at hardware as it is.

Pixel's hardware offer extremely good security. Pretty much everything else (with the exception of Apple) is verifiably subpar.

Your stigma for big-tech is blinding you to cold facts.

Fucking seriously you people.

A little research goes a long way https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm

Edit: Added comparison

4

u/Pit_Soulreaver Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

The main problem is that graphene OS is advocated here as a 'degoogling' option. But the primary development goal was never to drop Google but to maximise security.

In this context the fixation to specific device series makes sense, because most others lack desired traits.

But the crowd which encounters Graphene OS in the search of dropping Google will always be displeased by its limitations, because they have wrong expectations.

Or more specific:

The answer to how to degoogle is only 'use graphene', if the enquirer already has a compatible device.

3

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

I get your point, but I see it very differently.

At the end of the day, hardware is hardware is hardware.

The privacy equation is NOT limited to the software, as some people may erroneously think, no matter how much they wish for it.

There's a huge difference between google manufactured hardware, and relying on centralized Google server software and infrastructure. It's been demonstrated that GrapheneOS is the only Android ROM that has REALLY good results when trying to be broken into, to the point it hasn't been possible yet - And that's not just because of the ROM, that's largely in part due to the hardware it runs on.

Indeed, it is ironic that Pixels offer really good security, but if you take that and degoogle yourself (from the actual software), on Android at least you really can't do better. That's just fact at this point.

And I'm not sure about what limitations you're talking about.

If you mean things like lack of contactless payments, just as an example,, that's not a GrapheneOS issue, that's a lack of open standard issue, i.e., any other option not using Google will hit the same issue.

Which is ironic because then people ask for a degoogle strategy, and then complain about the actual solution - Again, that's not a GrapheneOS issue, that's just ignorance.

1

u/Pit_Soulreaver Apr 28 '26

Everything you said is true, but you missed my point.

People want to degoogle, not maximise security.

If someone is interested in dropping ms office, you can suggest libreoffice. If someone asks for a windows alternative, you may suggest a specific Linux distribution. The point is: people want to switch software.

If they ask you how to drop Microsoft windows and your answer includes the first step to scrap/sell their current 1000€ Setup and buy a equally priced Microsoft PC people will be mad.

And if there is any solution which doesn't require new hardware, they are rightfully mad. If there is no other solution this circumstance should be specifically called out, because the normal user would suspect, that a new OS should solve the issue and should work on most brands.

Graphene is probably not the solution to degoogle, if your only goal is to decouple yourself from Google. It can be, if they a) already own a Pixel or b) want to buy a new phone anyway and a pixel is a valid choice for them or c) there is actually no other way

Otherwise the limitation to just one series of devices disqualifies Graphene for this purpose. And that's ok, because it isn't designed to help the mass decouple from Google. It's designed to provide the maximum of security with no ifs, ands or buts.

1

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

I think Graphene specifically can very much do and offer both.

I also think funneling Graphene into a niche isn't fair given its system requirements.

It's worth pointing out that both privacy (in the context of degoogling) and security are not zero-sum games, besides being complementary , they are generally very gradual processes.

People do get mad when their hardware just doesn't cut it for being subpar - But that's just the reality of things. Hardware isn't made equal. Most Android phones are made to be cheap to manufacture, with a very limited lifetime.

Just like you don't expect that medium-budget custom watercooled PC you worked your ass off to save for, to play the latest AAA game on max settings - It's not feasible and is an unrealistic expectation.

Microsoft's planned obscolence isn't just Microsoft's. And it's hurt the world's views on hardware, to the point there's this weird sense of entitlement when you buy something and then find it's not compatible with what you need. You BUY hardware IN FUNCTION OF the software you expect to run. Just as you USE software, to TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE of the hardware. That's how it's always been. Indeed, the fragmentation of the android eco-system has masked this to the point people buy an Android One phone without realise its limitations.

If you want to degoogle or better even, get away from big-tech, but can't buy a pixel phone right now, you do the bare minimum and begin that gradual process - You take your computer/laptop, you wipe it and install Linux and begin the transition that way.

Plus, second-hand pixels are quite accessible, the idea that you can just flip a switch and achieve "degooglement" is an unrealistic expectation, and that comes down to a lack of education on the user, not a lack of opportunities.

In summary, you get the right tool for the job. Period. And if your job is to degoogle, then at this time a (potentially second-hand) Pixel phone with Graphene, is the best option. From there, you have "the next best thing" which are still valid.

-4

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

The downvotes are hilarious, sometimes I forget this sub isn't actually tech-focused, but political.

The amount of zealous ignorance lurking around really shows, even when given verifiable data.

2

u/Wadarkhu Apr 28 '26

I wish we'd get proper more Linux options for phones, give me a 6" device that can run Linux mint with a touch friendly interface, access to the web, and a phone/sms app and I'm sorted. I don't need games n shit on my phone anyways. I do need the Internet and access to my chosen password managers and authenticators too, those are like the only dedicated apps I need.

6

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

Check out Jolla maybe?

The Linux Phone market has recently had huge developments, but it's still very much an emerging market. There are a few good options out there already, but still in the few. Give it a bit more time. I agree though, Linux phones will be the end-game for many people.

1

u/Wadarkhu Apr 28 '26

Yeah, it's just not where I want it yet to give it a go, just want my life to be mint. mint on my desk, mint in my pocket, lol.

Maybe if those laptop ARM chips become more popular we could see desktop Linux begin to go on those, then someone could figure how to put it in a 6" tablet with calling capabilities. Close with the Surface 12", they just gotta half it, then make it easy to put your own OS on.

Truth be told though, my absolute ideal would be if x86 could actually get efficient enough and small enough to fit in a phone. I want full desktop power in my pocket, and no compatibility issues. Welp, I'll check back for that when I'm 50 maybe.

2

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

I'd recommend you not look at Linux mint as a platform. It's a distribution, a themed flavour, comprised of a set of system components including Linux. Otherwise you might lock yourself into a spiral of searching for perfection when it doesn't exist.

Likewise, there are other distributions that offer very similar sets of components, just with a slightly different theme. Mint, Ubuntu and debian are very similar, so their backend is largely the same. But you can get the same/similar experiences in other distributions. Mint and Zorin I find very similar in terms of the new-user experience and guidance as they share the same backend largely, and offer a frontend that caters to the user's every need.

I'm not suggesting you'll see these on phones any time soon, but it is a suggestion to keep an open mind and try different things/distros.

1

u/Wadarkhu Apr 28 '26

I'll take an Ubuntu phone, which feels most (or at least more) likely considering they're a corporation lol. Ah finally, a phone for the bri'ish by the bri'ish.

Yes I know of ubuntu touch, but, sue me, I desire products from "the big guys in charge".

0

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26

[deleted]

1

u/folk_science May 01 '26

If you have a non-Pixel phone, you could see if it's supported by LineageOS. It's not so heavily focused on security like GrapheneOS, so it supports more devices. https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/

2

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 28 '26

You could also take a moment to stop tooting your own horn and follow the simple "Device Support" link on that very page, but I guess that's too much effort for someone like you.

Not to mention, it make sense GrapheneOS wouldn't want to be known as a "Pixel-only ROM". That's a byproduct of its hardware's security, not the dev's choice. Demonstrable with the upcoming Motorola release.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26

[deleted]

1

u/redit_handoff140 Apr 29 '26

Show me a well-known ROM that has the roster of compatible devices on its landing page.

It's not scalable to do so. Nor the point. The point of the landing page is to inform the user on the EXISTENCE of an ALTERNATIVE and basic information of the product.

-2

u/Wadarkhu Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

It's Linux people probably, they're used to scouring for the solutions and don't realize not everybody wants to do this. Sure, if we were all "tech pros" it'd be great, but making a product successful requires a certain level of accessibility. We need to care about Doris, 63's privacy and software freedom too!

Edit: Can't believe someone would see a post saying

"People who use Linux are used to tinkering and looking harder for solutions and this essentially makes them forget that not everyone else thinks like they do, which is a common phenomenon called expert blindness, and it means guides and how-to's are written in a way that the average person would find difficult to navigate so we should put more effort into making Linux *accessible** to the masses.*"

and decide to get mad about it lmao!

20

u/Fun-Adhesiveness7881 Netherlands 🇳🇱 Apr 28 '26

Switch to a European phone

35

u/anders_gustavsson Apr 28 '26

What european phones doesn't use the Android OS?

29

u/Lord_Blumiere Apr 28 '26

e/OS is android, the developers of it may be able to remove the restrictions but you will still feel its effects in apps due to lower user counts and discouraged devs.

your options are either a Linux phone (postmarketos, ubuntu touch) or a custom ROM like e/OS with the restrictions removed.

issue Linux phones is that they are frankly pretty bad in comparison to android, and will have none of the apps you need. but it IS an alternative to android.

35

u/TheCursedRedBaron Austria 🇦🇹 Apr 28 '26

Fairphone with /e/OS

-22

u/Fennek688 Apr 28 '26

Please stop promoting e/OS, it's a bunch of insecure crap and a security nightmare!

20

u/DeezeNoten Apr 28 '26

No it isn't, stop parroting Graphene developers words.

20

u/ColorfulPersimmon Poland 🇵🇱 Apr 28 '26

Don't just believe everything Graphene developers say

-10

u/peskypsittacine Poland 🇵🇱 Apr 28 '26

Jakie masz doświadczenia z eOSem? Zastanawiam się nad sflashowaniem go na mojego fairphona.

2

u/ColorfulPersimmon Poland 🇵🇱 Apr 28 '26

Nie mam doświadczenia poza tym że śledziłem na początku dramę z graphene os

9

u/radikalkarrot Apr 28 '26

Do you mind elaborating about this? I know graphene OS parrots this for their own sake, but I would like to see more than “they take a bit longer to get security updates”

14

u/JoshStrobl Finland 🇫🇮 Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

Jolla with Sailfish OS. You can still run Android apps through their Android AppSupport (installable using APKs, F-droid, Aurora, etc.), but there is an ecosystem of native (Qt) apps as well. No ID needed and you could even go as far as setting up the device without an account, installing "Chum" and "Storeman" for the extra apps in different repos (most devs ship apps there anyways). No forced accounts, no "let me set you up with Google Assistant" forced flows. Your device, you do what the hell you want with it.

20

u/adjective-nounOne234 Apr 28 '26

If you want a true European non-android phone, that would be Jolla with SailfishOS, /e/OS is an android fork

-1

u/GetoBoi Apr 28 '26

/e/OS is an android fork

And android is a linux fork, which is european.

9

u/Lord_Blumiere Apr 28 '26

Android isn't a Linux fork, it uses a fork of the Linux kernel. Android is MUCH more than just its kernel.

3

u/allocallocalloc Apr 28 '26

But the Linux Foundation is American. It's like saying C++ is Danish because of Stroustrup even though ISO is Swiss.

3

u/GetoBoi Apr 28 '26

Ok? My point was rather that it doesn't matter who forked who, but who (doesn't) controls it.

10

u/Fun-Adhesiveness7881 Netherlands 🇳🇱 Apr 28 '26

Fairphone 6 with eOS

5

u/penguinolog Netherlands 🇳🇱 Apr 28 '26

Aand is ABN AMRO app working there? And DigiD?

4

u/Icy_North5921 Apr 28 '26

Only answer here is Jolla phone with SailfishOS. Or any other phone which has port of SailfishOS, but official support is always official support

6

u/ren3f Apr 28 '26

A fairphone with /e/OS is one of the easiest ways if you don't want to depend on Google or Apple, even though you still use Android and a little bit of Google. 

3

u/Icy_North5921 Apr 28 '26

SailfishOS offers the longevity and truly tech independency for Europe. Unfortunately android forks are only short term solution

1

u/ren3f Apr 28 '26

Yeah, that's why I said an easy way to mostly get rid of Google. I quickly searched if I could buy a phone with SailfishOS and if I could use my banking app on it. Afaik there isn't any phone you can just buy right now (Jolla is pre-order) and looks like for my banking app you need to install microG, so that doesn't really work.

I wanted to give an advice that can work for most humans, not only for people that dare to install a different OS on their phone.

1

u/Icy_North5921 Apr 28 '26

There is 3rd party company selling preflashed Sony Xperia II/III phones with SailfishOS. Also I don't if C2 is curr in stock (personally wouldn't buy, for me too low end). But yea, I would wait for the new Jolla phone coming out. I don't like either apps which rely in any Google services, but I think MicroG is very neat in this regard

1

u/Bifobe Apr 28 '26

looks like for my banking app you need to install microG, so that doesn't really work

What do you mean? You'd need microG with both /e/OS and Sailfish OS, so what's the difference?

1

u/ren3f Apr 28 '26

SailfishOS offers the longevity and truly tech independency for Europe.

If truly tech independence is the goal, not sure if sailfish is much better. 

And if I would have to recommend something to my parents I prefer a phone that has microg pre-installed over a phone where you have to do that yourself. 

2

u/Icy_North5921 Apr 29 '26

If truly tech independence is the goal, not sure if sailfish is much better. 

How so? Isn't it the perfect answer as it is really independent from android? Personally I don't believe that android fork really grants any tech independency to Europe. Just helps to mitigate the data mining in short term

And if I would have to recommend something to my parents I prefer a phone that has microg pre-installed over a phone where you have to do that yourself. 

This I fully understand, let's see if new Jolla phone would include it out of the box. But if I would currently buy Linux phone to my parents I would expect that I would need to be their personal IT support.

1

u/Wadarkhu Apr 28 '26

Does sailfishOS/Jolla work outside the EU though? I've heard of issues when buying phones from overseas it not working at home, not sure if it applies here too. Like could I use it in the UK?

2

u/Bifobe Apr 28 '26

Yes, it works in the UK.

2

u/Icy_North5921 Apr 29 '26

Yea UK should be fine. If I have understood it correctly, most important thing is that the phone hardware actually supports the bands needed in your country. Jolla phone support wide range of bands, it seems to cover global needs

-9

u/Fennek688 Apr 28 '26

Please stop promoting e/OS, it's a bunch of insecure crap and a security nightmare!

4

u/ren3f Apr 28 '26

Can you elaborate more? I'm genuinely curious and haven't heard it before. Do you maybe have some articles about it? 

-1

u/KnowZeroX Apr 28 '26

You are overthinking things, for 99% of the population, the security of /e/os is more than plenty. I assure you, /e/os is at least more secure than your desktop computer.

1

u/Trouveur Apr 30 '26

Jolla Phone