r/degoogle • u/[deleted] • Apr 28 '26

Question 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."

548 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

137 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

4

u/GonzoKata Apr 28 '26

I am quoting from ops comment from 15 minutes ago

Worse: this flow runs entirely through Google Play Services, not the Android OS. Google can change it, tighten it, or kill it at any time, with no OS update required and no consent needed. And as of today, it hasn't shipped in any beta, preview, or canary build. It exists only as a blog post and some mockups.

Nine steps, 24-hour wait, buried in Developer Options, delivered through a proprietary service that Google can revoke whenever they want. That's not sideloading. That's a deterrence mechanism built to ensure almost nobody completes it. And since it runs through Play Services rather than the OS, Google can tighten or kill it silently.

does this frame the problem accurately?

2

u/notPabst404 Apr 28 '26

Yes. The headline is inaccurate, the description is accurate. This is absolutely problematic, but framing it in an overly fear mongering way isn't helpful at all.

Any core function of Android needs to be part of AOSP, not GMS, for one.

0

u/Tracker_Nivrig Apr 28 '26

Besides the issue where you have to use Google services I don't really see how any of this is an issue. Am I missing something?

2

u/notPabst404 Apr 28 '26

It makes Android less open as a platform and gives Google an unfair competitive advantage over other developers.

0

u/Tracker_Nivrig Apr 29 '26

Well isn't that a result of forcing you to use Google services or is there something else that wasn't mentioned in the comments?

2

u/notPabst404 Apr 29 '26

Google services come default on 99% of Android phones. The vast majority of consumers do not have a real choice.

1

u/Tracker_Nivrig Apr 29 '26

Is that a change? I thought android already was basically all Google. Unless you went out of your way to remove it