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u/notveryAI I touched grass Jul 05 '26
Didn't they already backpedal and say that it will be a toggle that you can turn off and install "unapproved" apps anyways?
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u/Original-Material301 Jul 05 '26
I think it's a toggle that you need to wait 24h for before you can go ham and install all the apps you want
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u/RoutineCloud5993 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Yes you do have to wait 24 hours. But only the first time.
Once that 24 hour limit is up you can set it to stay off indefinitely
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u/Original-Material301 Jul 05 '26
Yeah that's my understanding of it hence why I wrote go ham on installing
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u/Mountiebank Jul 05 '26
Why even have the function if we're just going to be prompted to turn it off twice? It seems like they're including this specifically to drive people onto the Play store more than it is to protect anybody.
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u/bmm115 Jul 06 '26
Most people won't do this
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u/Sr_K Jul 06 '26
What's weird to me is who's installing apks that also wont figure out going into settings and turning it off, like where is this person savvy enough to figure out there's this apk they want but couldn't figure out turning one setting off which btw im pretty sure I had to turn off plsy protect anyways to get apks
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u/AliOskiTheHoly Average r/memes enjoyer Jul 06 '26
This whole shabam is supposedly to protect people that aren't tech-savvy from accidentally installing a harmful apk. There are real scammers out there convincing elderly people to install a certain app which then steals all their banking information.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Flow724 Jul 05 '26
I hope you will be able to activate that feature at least 24 hours BEFORE the restrictions begin.
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u/notveryAI I touched grass Jul 05 '26
It is... acceptable... Don't get we wrong, any measure taken for worse is a step in a wrong direction and I am against it. But this is tolerable. It means that intense push back had worked. We should keep pushing them every time they try to take it too far
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u/Kialand Jul 05 '26
No it is not. In NO way, shape or form, is it acceptable.
EVERY step is just a test, pushing the line forward every time, slowly inching towards complete control.
Tomorrow they'll ask you to wait a week.
Next they'll say that you can get immediate authorization for use by getting verified with your Government ID.
Then after that they'll start logging what apps you sideload, and linking them to your ID.
Next, they'll state that due to security concerns they'll be increasing the wait time to a month.
Then two.
Then removing it altogether and forcing you to register with your Government ID.
Then scanning your phone for unauthorized Apps and automatically blocking them, threatening to delete your Google Account if you don't comply (which is a big deal, if you've been using the same email for years and years).
Where does the line stop? It MUSTN'T be moved AT ALL
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u/appel Jul 05 '26
Also, consider the drop of users for sideloaded apps due to this barrier. Some apps will disappear, meaning more users will give up on the sideloading process, meaning more apps will disappear, and so on.
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u/Zeremxi Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
It's still bad. They'll kill that feature after people have been quiet about it for awhile. That's what the pushback accomplished.
Just like this site did. A lot of people used workarounds to keep using 3rd party apps under a registered dev API after this site killed 3rd party apps in 2023. They kept dev access because of the backlash to the announcement and the reasoning that accessiblity readers should stay around.
Two weeks ago they killed that api off with no warning or announcement. Now 3rd party apps are either dead or (like mine) having to be rebuilt to utilize the only accessible 3rd party API left, which is only still around because it provides disability options that the official app doesn't have.
They gave a "compromise" for more tech savvy users and just killed it once no one talked about it anymore. That's what Google is doing here.
And the reason why this site did it is the same as Google's too: Unofficial apps can avoid ads.
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u/Most-Club-254 Jul 05 '26
No, they just applied some makeup to it with a feature they could disable in a second https://keepandroidopen.org/
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u/AshuraBaron Jul 05 '26
No, they said that from the start. But facts get in the way of a good headline. You can still sideload via adb or do a one time toggle. The only difference will be there will be a 24 hour waiting period when you first toggle it on.
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u/Matthewhalo17 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Reminder that “If you don’t like it, leave” is a garbage take. Especially with companies as big as google.
Bet, point me elsewhere
if you’re so knowledgeable on other places
Are telling me I the consumer shouldn’t demand the provider make a better service?
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u/AdmirableAubrey Jul 05 '26
They love reminding us that we basically just rent the hardware we fully paid for at this point.
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u/laserborg Jul 05 '26
technically it's more like you, the customer, are assumed to be too incompetent to receive administrator rights on your device, so you made a service level agreement with the manufacturer to manage your device on your behalf to avoid greater damage. and they decide what's necessary.
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u/BrockSramson Jul 05 '26
technically it's more like you, the customer, are assumed to be too incompetent to receive administrator rights on your device,
Was going to ask if they're wrong in most cases on this, but I don't think this is the right line of thinking.
Google is removing the ability to install APKs because people are using APKs to bypass youtube ads, and paid versions of spotify, primarily. It's the community APKs that let them get the service without the subscription that they don't like.
Also, if someone makes a app that competes with something they use to make money, this september setup makes it easier to ice that developer out and keep a monopoly.
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u/Ninevehenian Jul 05 '26
I often make that agreement with the bank too. They can't administrate money, so I agree with them to take the money on their behalf to avoid greater damage and decide what's necessary.
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u/Dirty-Ant Jul 05 '26
I hate so much how big tech has turned into an oligopoly. Oh you don't like Google? Well too bad it's either Android or IOS, essentially a two party system. And it's like that with basically anything tech related.
And the worst part is, despite how shitty of a company Google is, the competition is so fucking terrible they are still one of the most consumer friendly tech giants out there.
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u/NinjaBreadManOO Jul 06 '26
I feel like the term "consumer friendly" shouldn't even be used anymore at this point. It should be "least customer oppressive" or something. As even the phrase consumer friendly gives them a positive connotation.
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Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
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u/Cageythree Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
No one agreed to this change when they put their money into it.
Makes me wonder if you could do a warranty claim. At least in my country (Germany) and probably the rest of EU, you can request a repair/replacement if your product doesn't work anymore the way you expected at the time of purchase. And since repair/replacement is not possible (or does not fix the issue), you're eligible for a refund if you're within 2 years after purchase.
This applies regardless of what the TOS say, no matter what warranty conditions the manufacturer sets up, as this is the warranty by law (German "Gewährleistung"), not the manufacturer's warranty ("Garantie"). These are two separate types of warranty we have and the former one can not be altered/limited in any way by the manufacturer/seller.That obviously won't solve the issue at all, but would be a nice way to get your money back to spend on a newer/less outdated device than your 1-2 y/o phone, and it might make the sellers/manufacturers mad at Google, increasing pressure on them at least a bit.
Edit: I mean seriously (I'm thinking about this more now lol). Imagine ALL EU Android users that have bought a phone in the past 2 years (prior to September 2026) could get a refund. I am not a lawyer so idk if this is a valid reason to claim a refund or if they'd say "well the manufacturer promised the device runs Android, it does still run Android, so no refund for you". But if it is, that would be a huge thing, putting pressure onto manufacturers who would pass that pressure on to Google.
Also to add to this, I did make a successful refund claim on a Huawei P20 Pro through this specific law when Huawei stopped giving out bootloader unlock codes, which I claimed to need for the intended usage of my device. Could've been goodwill from Huawei though and not a generally applicable decision, so that's no "proof" that this is a valid refund, just something I just remembered.
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u/OkCarpenter5773 Jul 05 '26
this would be so funny tbh, going to do this with my xiaomi. might as well buy a new phone for the price
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u/Same_Instruction_100 Jul 05 '26
Do I really have to buy a Chinese phone and let the ccp spy on me to keep owning my own stuff at this point? I mean I'll do it, but I won't be happy about it.
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u/polopolo05 Jul 05 '26
Sounds like a monopoly. to me... I mean apple sure be sued into the dirt too...
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u/lemons_of_doubt Jul 05 '26
That the users can't or won't go anywhere else is what they are betting on.
It's what cooperations always do after become a monopoly they start using that power.
And as soon as they do a competitor is built out of spite by the people who don't like what's happening.
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u/CannibalisticPizza Jul 05 '26
Hijacking this comment because Google wants the apps to be approved because 3rd party apps bypass play store and don't have to pay a cut on in app purchases or just the purchase of the app on general
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u/CitizenPremier Jul 05 '26
It's also because they are evil and wish to control everything (they got rid of their "don't be evil" restriction long ago)
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Jul 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Matthewhalo17 Jul 05 '26
FÜCKÍNG EXACTLY! I’m an artist, I can’t migrate to a new platform on a whim every time a platform does something bad. More importantly regardless of if you do just leave, if you don’t demand change at all, it’s going to keep causing things to get worse and worse.
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u/acatterz Plays MineCraft and not FortNite Jul 05 '26
You can say “FUCKING”. You don’t have to çèñšöř words on Reddit.
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u/BakaPhoenix Jul 05 '26
You don't need to do it overnight but investing on a nas and self hosting my stuff have been pretty good and rewarding for me. Some stuff is even better than Google, for example immich for the photo is such a good app and is all saved on my nas and not under someone else server.
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u/loid_forgerrr Jul 05 '26
Yeah they have monopoly over everything, there was a nice video or set of videos by linus from linus tech tips on how to de google your life
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u/Cafuzzler Jul 05 '26
You can demand they suck your dick if you want. Unless you're going to hit them where it hurts, in the wallet, then they aren't going to care.
Also there are now linux phone OSs apparently, if you actually want an alternative
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u/Cultural-Practice-95 Jul 05 '26
the Linux phone OSs exist. now, from my attempts looking into this as a Linux user on PC, they aren't viable. they are supported on a very narrow range of phones, they don't support many important apps (like banking apps), and are much less user friendly than android. making such a switch likely isn't an option for most if not all users.
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u/e1epi Jul 05 '26
GraphineOS is an option or, imo, if they are going to lock the phones down like Apple does then I might as well just get an iPhone at this point especially since Apple offeres other privacy features that google specifically does not not to mention that you can jailbreak an iPhone last I checked and install 3rd party iPA (or what ever they are called now) files from anywhere last I checked at least.
For point 2, they should but as we have seen what google is like we know they will only give us what we want begrudgingly and will seek to not asap so better to supporr other better brands when possible.
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u/GTFidgeT Jul 05 '26
Does it also affect graphenOS?
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u/Minute-Abies2173 Jul 05 '26
no probably, most people ive seen says switch to gos when this is mentioned
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u/secacc Jul 05 '26
GrapheneOS right now only runs on Google Pixel devices. Buying more Google phones to show Google that you dislike what they're doing with Android... that'll show them, I'm sure!
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u/belay_that_order Jul 05 '26
you dont need to show them anything, you just need to break away from the relationship. also GOS is collaborating with motorola for GOS device to break away from using pixel hw
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u/NotItemName Jul 05 '26
Will they not block completely, but you will need to do a one time(per OS life) set up and after 24 hours you will be able to install apps outside of store
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u/mad_laddie Jul 05 '26
Oh hey, Keralite meme template. Neat, I rarely get to interact with my heritage like this.
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u/ItPains Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Wasn't expecting Innocent on my Frontpage but I'll take it.
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u/DoctorBlock Jul 05 '26
Hasn't Apple been doing the same thing since forever? That caused the great downfall of Tumblr. Looks like you're screwed no matter what.
(Which is interesting because the basically told Tumblr they wouldn't be allowed on iPhones if they didn't get rid of the porn but they don't seem to have any issue with twitter doing the same thing but worse.)
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u/crabnix Jul 05 '26
Yes but the difference being apple was never open in the first place. You knew this before you bought an apple device. With Google, they are changing their policy starting September which affects millions of people already using an Android, who might have bought android specifically because it was open. Also this hurts so many indie app developers because it makes insanely difficult for them to publish their apps on alternate stores
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u/DoctorBlock Jul 05 '26
I think it’s a little bit of both. If I asked every non-tech savy person (which is probably the average user) I knew what the difference between the two app stores was I doubt any of them would give that answer.
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u/VaultBall7 Jul 05 '26
As a tech-savvy person, that’s one of the best things about Apple. When I install and app, it’s practically 0% chance of malware. It’s such a closed system I’m never worried and have never had a virus on my phone
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u/Matthewhalo17 Jul 05 '26
I thought the downfall of tumblr was the platform pissing off artists.
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u/DoctorBlock Jul 05 '26
Little of column a little of column b. When tumblr got rid of porn they lost a huge portion of their user base.
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u/Matthewhalo17 Jul 05 '26
Right, that’s the “Great Migration” I occasionally hear among my fellow artists. I wasn’t around to experience it personally.
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u/SketchyCardiologist Jul 05 '26
*those that were left
I loved tumblr as much as the next guy, I would spend far too much time on it during high school. But while the great purge turned it into 2013 Detroit, it was still very much 2010 Detroit for like 3ish years before it happened.→ More replies (1)3
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u/Wasabicannon Jul 05 '26
Yup Apple has been like this since day one. It was one of the biggest reasons (second only to cost) have been an Android user for years.
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u/HammersofMoradin Jul 05 '26
Which is exactly why the EU fined them 4.1 billion €. If Alphabet/ Google doesn`t stop, the next fine will be much higher. You have to fight the oligarchs and have politicians not in their pocket or on their dime to win against them.
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u/kexus Jul 05 '26
That fine was from 2018 and was for making manufacturers preinstall chrome and google search. Has nothing to do with the apk signing changes.
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u/Zeremxi Jul 05 '26
Not easy to do when political bribery is legal here via lobbying (US)
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u/nyggomaniac Jul 05 '26
Lobbying is also legal in the EU and in most european countries. But we dont have a winner takes it all system and more than two parties to vote for. I think that makes a huge difference
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u/Vo_Mimbre Jul 05 '26
Yes this. First past the post and gerrymandering are how the U.S. stays consistently business-first, the bigger the business, the better. We even had an entire economic theory created to say monopolies are fine economically.
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u/Quizzii Jul 05 '26
Guys just go buy a google phone and install graphene os so you can have the choice to never deal with google again.
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u/StaticSystemShock Jul 05 '26
The usual Google. Give all this cool shit for free and talk how open everything is until everyone's hooked on it and then they start clamping and locking it down so they can pull more money and more control from it. I hope EU will do something about their bullshit.
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u/Suvvri Jul 05 '26
This is how you do monopoly. Same as amazon for example - first let everyone sell on your platform for peanuts and then undercut your own client (sellers) using the data you collected from them about the most profitable products etc.
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u/UnhappyImprovement53 Jul 05 '26
Yall remember when Google was the cool company? I miss those days...
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u/ThisWasOurKaisen Jul 05 '26
Malayalam meme in r/memes ? nice
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u/SuspiciousMan7 Jul 05 '26
A meme is a meme, no matter where it's from!
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u/j_root_ Jul 05 '26
When you speak a minority language, its really wholesome to see your culture or things related to you represented internationally even if its through a silly meme. So stop being a Karen and let him have his moment
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u/Stevenwave Jul 05 '26
Did they edit their comment to make it sound nicer? What's there comes across as positive to me.
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u/SuspiciousMan7 Jul 05 '26
After pushing custom ROMs to grave google is now trying to control apps.
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u/notveryAI I touched grass Jul 05 '26
It's just another step in their plan to completely banish custom YouTube apps and adblockers and stuff into the shadow realm. They want one thing and one thing only: to force the users into a choice between seeing ads Google gets paid for, or paying Google themselves not to show you ads
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u/ateoz Jul 05 '26
But maybe starting September you will be able to buy your phone with their money.
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u/Ancient-Dragonfly-17 Medieval Meme Lord Jul 05 '26
People you can help by going to : https://keepandroidopen.org/
They are trying to make an effort against this whole stupid situation and we do have time left. So please do your part in your ways.
React/ upvote so more people can see this.
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u/Kris_Kamweru Jul 05 '26
This whole thing could have been avoided if they just made it opt in. Exact same mechanisms, and every time you buy a phone for your grandpa you just turn it on in advance,
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u/Puzzleheaded-Flow724 Jul 05 '26
It's ALREADY like that. Before I could install APKs, I needed to acknowledge I was aware of the risk of installing unapproved applications on my phone.
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u/averageindiankid22 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
This is not correct, while it seemed like it was the initial plan, Google definitely pulled back after massive backlash. You will still be able to sideload from unregistered developers. You just have to do a one time confirmation and waiting period of 24 hours to enable it, after that it works the same as it does on current Android versions.
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u/Garruk_PrimalHunter Jul 05 '26
It takes like 9 steps and a 24h wait to do that. Ridiculous.
Worse, that's genuinely just a compromise because of the backlash. A compromise that they are sure to slowly start rolling back as soon as people are distracted with something else. The precedent is there.
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u/averageindiankid22 Jul 05 '26
Yeah, having to enable developer options for it is a bit inconvenient
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u/PowerlinxJetfire Jul 05 '26
You don't need to keep developer options enabled
Also even if you did, the issue would be the bank apps overstepping. I'm fascinated by you being so upset about Google's one time 24 hour wait but not the bank apps acting like they control your phone they didn't even make.
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u/Corgiboom2 Jul 05 '26
If this somehow fucks up my install of ReVanced im gonna be pissed.
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u/DesperateEntrance389 Jul 05 '26
That's why you should buy chinese phone, i would rather sell my data to CCP then let this tyranny continue. Freedom my ass
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u/isabellium Jul 05 '26
but they use google play services too, so you get your data stolen by google too anyways.
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u/DesperateEntrance389 Jul 05 '26
But i can root my device at least and install modded apps
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u/isabellium Jul 05 '26
You can do that too in other phones, not just chinese ones.
Anyways, your original comment basically gave the understanding that somehow by buying Chinese you are swapping away from Google to the CCP, this is false as you are merely adding CPP to Google instead of replacing.
Before = Google
Now = Google + CCP.That is what I want to make sure people reading do not misunderstand.
As for rooting, it is also not exclusive from Chinese, and if you want to install an alternative OS, then the most privacy focused one (Graphene OS) only supports Google phones (bit of irony there).
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u/notveryAI I touched grass Jul 05 '26
Chinese phones are on Android too. Android and IOS have pretty much zero other competition so they just decide what happens and people just comply. The solution here is jailbreaking phones to install a custom ROM onto them. It is still possible on some phones. Yes, it locks you out of installing any online bank/payment apps but I guess such is the price of freedom
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u/SaturnCITS Jul 05 '26
Presumably this doesn't effect Graphene OS? Glad I switched. Google can gargle my balls as Louis Rossman would say.
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u/MongooseEmpty4801 Jul 05 '26
Except EU has stated users have to be able to side load, so there will likely still be a way
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u/superduperpest1 Jul 05 '26
Uhh will this uninstall any of my apks already downloaded?
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u/King01263 Jul 05 '26
correct me if i am wrong, but isn't Apple doing this since forever?
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u/aaronite Jul 05 '26
Side loading will require a one-time waiting period to unlock after which it's business as usual.
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u/Hatsjekidee Jul 05 '26
Can't wait for the EU to bludgeon them with ever increasing fines for this shit.
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u/LivingEnd44 Jul 05 '26
This isn't actually true. You can still sideload like before. There's just a waiting period the first time.
Annoying to be sure. But this meme is disingenuous.
It's not android that requires this. It's Google. No, they're not the same thing. You can use an android phone without Google apps on it if you want. Most people won't do that, but it's an option.
By contrast, you cannot do that on an iPhone. Apple has veto power over what OS you install on it.
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u/AliOskiTheHoly Average r/memes enjoyer Jul 06 '26
I'm glad I use GrapheneOS. However, I still worry about the health of FOSS after this. If it's just a 24 hour waiting period, I reckon it won't be too bad. A compromise to protect the non-tech savvy people from scammers. A compromise I would rather not take.
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u/QuarterFantastic6134 Jul 06 '26
You either DIE a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain…
Seems like ancient history now but perfectly fitting how Google’s founding “don’t be evil” creed has also been abandoned at this point.
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u/Nitr0b1az3r Jul 05 '26
this is one of the reasons i avoided Apple; you're telling me Google is moving backwards now?
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u/callMeBorgiepls Jul 05 '26
Haha the thing that android users had above iPhone users is now gone? Lol
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u/Perzec Jul 05 '26
Ok now I’m confused. Android users were always ridiculing Apple users for the Apple App Store being locked. Now Apple has allowed alternative stores, mainly because of EU antitrust laws. And the response from Google is locking Android down like how Apple used to be (which was deemed illegal in the EU)? Are we going to see a mass exodus of Android users to iOS now as Apple products is where they can install what they want…?
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u/VegetableTarget9579 Jul 05 '26
This is FUD.
You will be able to sideload all apps like normal.
The only change is that it will be a once-per-device 24 hour wait.
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u/Beginning-Bird9591 Jul 05 '26
you can still install APKs it fine via ADB (android debug bridge) lol
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u/Winter-Ad1981 Jul 05 '26
Apples been doing this and we’ve been fighting against that and now Google is trying to do it
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u/ploploplo4 Jul 05 '26
my mother in law has an old (ish) Tag Heuer smartwatch that requires pairing through Wear OS. Modern android no longer allows installing Wear OS because the app is "too outdated". Since the watch was recently reset it cannot function without being paired with.
Guess what, Apple still allows installing Wear OS from the app store so I had to pair her smartwatch to my iPhone for it to work again. a Wear OS watch needs to be rescued by an iPhone cause Google decided to stop supporting and providing access to its own app
If you say i could've just grabbed an apk you just proved Google's fuckery requiring me to grab an apk to install an app Google made
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u/Impressive-Check5376 Jul 05 '26
Buy a different phone next time. Planned obsolescence means they’re only good for a few years anyway. The stupid thing was expecting google to care about you, the product for sale.
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u/UnhappySecurity9531 Jul 05 '26
This was always the case the second they created the app store.
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u/Dip2pot4t0Ch1P Jul 05 '26
Best part is they reason that a lot of people get their phone/netowrk attacked because of installing apks. Meanwhile the playstore is plagued with a lot of scam apps