Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year

Not an Apple user, so I didn't know about this. Extremely disappointing.

It really does seem avoiding any and all American services/products (to the extent possible, with exceptions where reasonable) is the only way forward.

I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that the US is a ethical, cultural and even economic dead end. Yes even economic, only a fool would believe intense corruption and broad support of criminality and corruption among the population will not have any negative effects in the future.

google likely has that data already, use any of thier apps, they got it, searching on google, taking pictures, emails.

The few options that exist (along with their negatives) can't be installed on my phone. N20U is still pretty much locked down.

Open source Android is a thing??? TIL that might be my solution to this long term since I sideload apps regularly.

No custom ROM on a recent smartphone technically gives you a fully open source Android system when they rely on vendor-provided proprietary blobs in order for basic hardware functionality to work at all. Unless you want to go without a modem, GPS, and likely more depending on your model, at which point it's functionally no longer a smartphone.

Open-source custom ROMs are at least far more open-source than the alternative in most of the ways that matter most, including the ability to change the code in order to remove app installation restrictions, to avoid Google's telemetry, etc.

Better. We bought the airport. Google was paid to pave the runway and maintain it for a couple years after. And now they try to dictate that only planes they approve may start and land.

It's just unnecessary red tape.

Which will reduce the number of people using foss apks, which will in turn, reduce the motivation, and then the number, of foss apk developers.

How will fdroid work

The ultra wealthy are building bunkers. Preserving any form of society no longer interests them.

From my understanding, it will only allow apps that were registered, so since ReVanced uses identical package names to the patched apps, it probably won't work unless they start using ReVanced-specific package names that are tied to their identity. But that would allow Google to block these package names (or ban ReVanced completely) if say, Spotify or YouTube complain about them.

What if I come up with a random package name, like "online.discuss.jim3692", register that name and a keypair, and then build ReVanced using that name and keys?

I mean, there’s fdroid…. For now

Lol

We really need some global competition in tech. It's the main reason why I'm rooting for China when I read that they're developing new consumer tech. Bring some damn competition and hopefully these American tech companies will learn to stop enshitifying their products.

not talking to the cops, and lots of drugs.

TIL I'm 2/5ths Amish

Yeah I carry that DNS server around with me in the other pocket /s

I have a Xiaomi 14 pro, I just have to tap the correct button to install an outside app. (It's in Chinese, even though the phone is set to English, so i have no idea what it says but it gets me there).

So many people don't understand this at all. China is still the same as when the tanks were rolling over college students.

Way easier to install a custom rom

As someone who uses a Xiaomi phone, that's not true.

It was a faff getting it to install any random apk I found of off the Internet, but it was possible. Did involve holding down a graphic for 10 seconds as part of the unlock procedure.

But for now at least, you can still install any unsigned apk without going through a store.

If you dont want to put a custom rom on it (which is becoming increasingly difficult), you're can buy a HK version off taobao.

GrapheneOS is currently actively talking to a major Android OEM in order to help them reach the security requirements for a subset of their future devices. If that succeeds GrapheneOS will be able to run on non-Pixel devices.

Samsung used to be good. I used to always buy samsung but since I can't affort a "high end" device, I go with the medium end ones, and samsung medium end ones are terrible for the price. So instead of getting a medium end samsung, you can get something better and cheaper on another brand

Bonus problems, AT&T in the US kicked off the international phone versions a while back. They worked fine. I have a bunch of leftover G4 international versions that they up and banned one day around 2020. The terrible US version remained allowed.

I guess the next question is, which of those is actually better? If those collect data too, then how do we get out of this damned mess.

I’m not a fan of Apple either (I have mostly Apple stuff except for a Linux gaming machine). But they are the lesser of the two evils. At least in my opinion. Google is openly selling your data and making them richer in the process. At least Apple says they don’t sell your data. I don’t know if they do. But I’d doubt it tbh

If they lock bootloaders, whats the best way to force it work even the vendors don't want it to?

i have the OP just incase, but im hearing they want to soft-lockdown it too. is fairphone even available outside the EU? in the us.

feels funny that you have to buy a phone from google to get around google's actions...

There's more and more people who feel just like you do. I'm so exhausted of all these companies being predatory and anti consumer. I'm the type to stand my ground and abstain or find alternatives, but it feels like there's 5 people who don't care and 4 people who will just let it go for every person willing to boycott bullshit.

Funny enough, Nokia started making cheap flip phones and some others in that form factor again. My daughter asked to replace her smartphone with one of the flip phones. It was only $70, so I got her one. It's build quality is what you would expect, but it works and has GPS at least.

To be fair, they never cared about making a decent phone. They have always just wanted your data. They are a marketing company and you are the product up for sale.

...What about after September 2026?

Well, there's one teensy tiny caveat.

Google says that only apps with verified identities will be installable on certified Android devices, which is virtually every Android-based device—if it has Google services on it, it's a certified device.

So, in theory... no gapps, no approval necessary?

Open devs just have to have two versions, as many already do, one signed with Google's spyware and one on github/fdroid with nothing.

From what I can tell most of the roadblock is drivers for hardware support. Basically every price of hardware has to have a reverse engineered driver to work. We need hardware mfrs on board to really gain traction in this arena.

Still, I'm pretty sure my next phone is going to be a Linux phone. I know I'll lose functionality but if I can make calls, send texts, and browse the web I'll get by. Hopefully that space keeps gaining traction and it won't be long until it is a truly viable option to replace google/apple products.

At this point I'm thinking of just carrying around a small touchscreen laptop

and most phones are newer, which are harder to crack.

If you can't have Graphene or Calyx (once they're back up) there's still /e/OS, they also got a 1-Click Installer for a few devices. As well as a how-to for several hundred. And iodeOS I guess.

A pixel phone is something like 9 months of minimum wage in my country.

Pixels are good, what are you talking about?

I have no issue with my older Pixel devices. You're use-case isn't everyone's use-case.

Leaving in the bootloader unlock gives people who want to retain sideloading a place to retreat to that google still ultimately controls. Which is more appealing to a sociopathic corporation than cutting people off entirely

I see it this way.

Google wants everyone using gapps to be identified but isn't outright saying you can't use Android without certification.

"Google says that only apps with verified identities will be installable on certified Android devices, which is virtually every Android-based device—if it has Google services on it, it's a certified device"

So LOS and Graphene may get off the hook on this and be able to install whatever non-google apps they need. By default, neither have google services.

Sucks for the gapps people, but, I mean. They knew it was coming, right?

At least on Samsung phones, they used to have you open the Settings (this is enough to deter 50% of non technical users) and look for an allow button which is protected by two fullscreen danger warnings (there goes the other 50%)

You're over estimating common users

Doesn't fdroid build everything from source (in the main repo)? There's no way Google would allow them to do that with their own developer keys.

google can unilaterally decide if they dont like it, they cant have it in the store.

Thanks!

They won't get GrapheneOS support becuase they don't meet the hardware requirements: https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-support They are actually very far removed from meeting them, compared to OEMs like Samsung.

GrapheneOS has largely worked around this by automating creating device support themselves using "adevtool". The current Pixels' hardware supports installing third-party OSes and will continue to do so, they will support those Pixels until EOL. For future Pixels (Pixel 10 series has not yet launched, only available for pre-order), it remains to be seen whether they still fully support installing third-party OSes. If they do, GrapheneOS will also support them, but it might take much longer to implement device support because they need to make this by themselves and this is more difficult doing it from scratch than being able to use the old Android device support for it as a base, like they could do for the existing devices when Google did their rugpull.

They have not really vendor locked themselves for the future. They have hardware requirements listed in their FAQ: https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-support Google just happened to be the only company meeting those requirements, which weren't even that strict, becuase other OEMs just didn't prioritize security.

But, there is good news. GrapheneOS is currently in active talks with a major Android OEM right now in order to help them meet the security requirements for a subset of their future devices. They are very optimistic about that.

That’s true. Fair point.

Only because Graphene is about using a security chip.

Lineage isn't, so runs on more devices. I'd argue most people don't have risks that require the security of Graphene.

But the moment another phone manufacturer decides to use a similar security chip, Graphene will be on it.

I understand what you mean, as in GrapheneOS is a bit dependent on Google right now allowing third-party OS support. But, you have used words which actually mean something different in the software world. Keys often refers to signing keys for software and it's important to note that Google doesn't control those keys for GrapheneOS at all. GrapheneOS owns the keys, and signs all of their builds locally.