The #FDroid website has a new banner on top to remind visitors that #Google did not change course and #Android will be locked-down in under 200 days.
If you care about the freedom to control your devices and care about the privacy of you data, please contact your representative and make your voice heard.
keepandroidopen.org/ (thanks @marcprux) has the resources to guide you.
We know users will rarely visit the site so the Client(s) will get a banner soon too.
Thank you for your support!
Keep Android Open
Advocating for Android as a free, open platform for everyone to build apps on.keepandroidopen.org
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nomadmisha
in reply to F-Droid • • •hal
in reply to nomadmisha • • •@nomadmisha @ubports ahahahhahaha
FCK *buntu.
Hans
in reply to F-Droid • • •Die Website "FDroid" hat ein neues Banner, um die Besucher daran zu erinnern, dass "Google den Kurs nicht geändert hat" und "Android" in weniger als 200 Tagen gesperrt wird.
Datenschutz- und Regulierungsbehörden sind ernsthaft besorgt über Monopole und die zunehmende Machtkonzentration im Technologiesektor – und sie möchten die Stimmen der Betroffenen hören.
Für weitere Infos: keepandroidopen.org/de/
f-droid.org/de/
F-Droid – Freies und quelloffenes Android-App-Repository
f-droid.orgRosehecken reshared this.
zetabeta
in reply to F-Droid • • •i don't like to downplay f-droid efforts, or spread pessimism.
still, my unfortunate opinion. android starts to be lost cause, too much gooish google in it, like there is apple control in apple devices.
it is not just closed google components, it is android ecosystem and api's in general. alphabet inc controls android too much.
of course, delaying destruction of open android is still beneficial for short term.
Kilgore Trout
in reply to zetabeta • • •Google is going to prevent us from installing what we want on devices where we had been able to until now.
Devices that we bought and that will still be perfectly functioning 5 years from now.
Hence why this is a fight worth fighting.
@fdroidorg @marcprux
Hans-Christoph Steiner
in reply to zetabeta • • •Izzy
in reply to F-Droid • • •And while the banner correctly states F-Droid being under threat: it's not just F-Droid, it's the free Android world being under threat. In its entirety. So the same applies to IzzyOnDroid – but also to Obtainium & Co. And if you think you could still use Aurora to access the PlayStore, think again: how would you install Aurora in the first place?
This is the empire striking. The alleged "security" is just a way to circumvent the requirement to open for alternative stores.
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Chuckles
in reply to Izzy • • •reshared this
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uuʎℲ
in reply to F-Droid • • •Therefore I preordered the new #jollaphone with Sailfish OS and AndroidAppSupport.
Maybe it is time for Linux to shine on mobile as well. May it be #sailfishos, #postmarketos, #ubuntutouch or another Linux mobile OS. And Android emulators like #WayDroid .
Keep Android Open
keepandroidopen.orgCainmark Does Not Comply 🚲 reshared this.
Marc
in reply to uuʎℲ • • •Antti
in reply to Marc • • •Banking apps on Sailfish OS
Sailfish OS ForumUr Ya'ar
in reply to Antti • • •@Antti98
Oh thanks for that link! That was my main concern as well. Glad to see my bank works. Though on the practical side I don't really want a new phone just yet 😞
@m2c_n3e @Fynn @fdroidorg @marcprux
aRubes the Serious likes this.
Antti
in reply to Ur Ya'ar • • •Epic Null
in reply to F-Droid • • •200 days till lock down. That means about half a year to finish my divorce from Google and find a replacement phone.
Ironically this is the first news lately that has not made me feel horribly behind schedule.
Internet Rando reshared this.
ElGrossKotzo
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
Unknown parent • • •Kalle Kniivilä
in reply to F-Droid • • •Internet Rando reshared this.
F-Droid
in reply to Kalle Kniivilä • • •Cainmark Does Not Comply 🚲 reshared this.
Gaël Duval - /e/OS & Murena
in reply to Kalle Kniivilä • • •Gonçalo Valério
in reply to F-Droid • • •As a big fan and user of F-Droid, I'm afraid the writing is on the wall.
As others have said, we can no longer rely on Android being what it needs to be.
A true alternative is required.
Cainmark Does Not Comply 🚲 reshared this.
0x0
in reply to F-Droid • • •reshared this
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Punnamaraju Vinayaka Tejas
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
in reply to Punnamaraju Vinayaka Tejas • • •Elosha
in reply to F-Droid • • •No one *wanted* to see what Google was up to. I.e. autoredirects in G Maps, Youtube playback failures were ramped up to unusability. This is no surprise.
Who actually didn‘t see that was already living inside G-defined boundaries, i.E. having a G account, using Youtube via G-controlled browser, using Maps via G app, …
Remains a mystery to me why people use a OS/browser made by the major advertising predator, known mainly for working against humans.
Scale Theory
in reply to F-Droid • • •Who let this monopoly game go so long?
Tell me your corrupt without telling us all just how effing corrupt you are!
derptron
in reply to F-Droid • • •What am I supposed to say they're doing that's illegal when I complain?
"Please exercise powers you don't have to do a thing I know you fully support and instead listen to me, who you don't give two fucks about. I don't even have a dollar to bribe you with."
No, seriously. What do I put in this form? I haven't a clue. There's no point if I can't even attempt to be convincing and I don't know one single thing that would convince anyone of anything here.
F-Droid
in reply to derptron • • •derptron
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
in reply to derptron • • •Resuna
in reply to F-Droid • • •@crazyeddie
The defunct email addresses in that section are depressing.
derptron
in reply to F-Droid • • •It just sends me to a place where I can report an antitrust claim. Like say google is breaking the law and needs to be investigated.
I don't know what I'd tell them they're doing wrong nor what steps should be taken. I'm especially baffled because we already let Apple do this shit.
I can't just complain about stuff on a crime reporting form. I need to be reporting something.
es0mhi
in reply to F-Droid • • •@crazyeddie
What @crazyeddie is trying to say: standing up for openness, freedom, and the right to choose your own tools only makes sense in a society where openness, freedom, rights or even rational discourse still have any meaning at all. The US is probably no longer such a society.
derptron
in reply to derptron • • •Ryek Darkener
in reply to F-Droid • • •I would prefer a way to have the opportunity to change the behaviour of what I can and what I can’t do on my phone – like a "free"-"unfree" switch to be easily used on my phone. As I won’t bet that politics is willing to to the job in the next 200 days.
F-Droid
in reply to Ryek Darkener • • •Ryek Darkener
in reply to F-Droid • • •I’m very much struggling with the idea that our politicians do not know what happens.
F-Droid
in reply to Ryek Darkener • • •Victor Moral ⁂ reshared this.
Ryek Darkener
in reply to F-Droid • • •I would like to have an operating system for my current – and any other – smartphone to be easy installed via otg stick. Like any other computer. A lot of this is already in place. And frankly spoken I don’t think that 95% of the current users care if they can use F-Droid or not. I like F-Droid. But sadly it is elitist currently and not mainstream.
F-Droid
in reply to Ryek Darkener • • •Ryek Darkener
in reply to F-Droid • • •The problem is the majority of users. And their unwillingness to learn and to adapt.
James Bilsbrough
in reply to F-Droid • • •Marc Prud'hommeaux
in reply to James Bilsbrough • • •nicolaottomano
in reply to F-Droid • • •*_jߍyrope
in reply to nicolaottomano • • •Thlosh
in reply to F-Droid • • •Al & Val's Modern Homesteading
in reply to F-Droid • • •Maximilian Overdraft, Esq.
in reply to Al & Val's Modern Homesteading • • •I also wish for this. Linux drivers for legacy phone hardware, a Chromebook level of simplicity for installing or running variant UX's, maybe from a removable card or USB stick... A secure OS like Tails... Siloed apps... I don't want corporate access to any data.
..
Archilochus
in reply to F-Droid • • •Alonely0 🦀 🇪🇺
in reply to F-Droid • • •ALT43
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
Unknown parent • • •Inclusion How-To | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
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Toughest Bastard on the Fedi
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
in reply to Toughest Bastard on the Fedi • • •Alonely0 🦀 🇪🇺
in reply to F-Droid • • •Preuk
in reply to F-Droid • • •Got a quick answer from EU's DMA Team, they might have a standard response due to high demand :
> Dear citizen,
>
> Thank you for contacting us and sharing your concerns regarding the impact of Google’s plans to introduce a developer verification process on Android. We appreciate that you have chosen to contact us, as we welcome feedback from interested parties.
... 1/N
Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe
in reply to Preuk • • •Can you give me a link where you contacted in the EU and how? I am a bit overwhelmed on where to report my concerns.
F-Droid
in reply to Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe • • •Keep Android Open
keepandroidopen.orgViktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe
in reply to F-Droid • • •@Preuk
Thanks for the link
Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe
in reply to F-Droid • • •I still have problems to understand what happens with apps like those of fossify, or DuckDuckGo for example, that i downloaded and maintain over F-Droid, but that are also available on Playstore and thus should be under the "verified" category.
These should still work but not the F-Droid Store App itself so i need to update via a website manually???
I am not an IT person. I genuelly have problems understanding this, despite having read the infos i found so far.
F-Droid
in reply to Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe • • •@v_d_richards If signed by the developer (reproducible) and the developer has submitted to the Google pressure, the app will work fine.
If signed by F-Droid, we think they will not work at all, not even our Client, so we will not be able to provide updates.
For those apps already on Play you will submit to Google's rules and use Play, right?
For those not on Play... good luck tracking the APK, if the developer bowed down.
Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe
in reply to F-Droid • • •I hated Google before, but do more every day.
I had hoped that if Apps and their developers took it on them to do the verification shit, loading and maintaining at least such apps from other places than PlayStore would be possible in Android.
The users are trapped:
Banking Apps and some others don' t work with Custom Roms.
Open Source from free places will no longer work on G-Android.
The only solution is havingntwo devices which is expensive af.
I.hate.Google.so.much.
Preuk
in reply to Preuk • • •... 2/3
Preuk
in reply to Preuk • • •>
> Kind regards,
> The DMA Team
... 3/3
Preuk
in reply to Preuk • • •F-Droid
in reply to Preuk • • •Roberto Plà
in reply to F-Droid • • •Si china puede hacer un clon de Android, ¿Acaso no puede hacerlo Europa?
¿Para cuando un Linux para dispositivos móviles?
¿hasta cuando seguiremos siendo vasallos de las multinacionales norteamericanas?
¿Para cuando nuestra delcaración de Soberania Digital?
¡Sin Soberania Digital no hay libertad, independencia ni democrácia!
jmjm
in reply to F-Droid • • •unfortunately my country has crashed. Abort, retry, fail?
Denizen
in reply to F-Droid • • •Jean-Paul Lepine
in reply to F-Droid • • •Sören
in reply to F-Droid • • •six million ways to die
in reply to F-Droid • • •Cysio reshared this.
2something
in reply to six million ways to die • • •Sensitive content
The top grossing apps on Google Play in the U.S. are
1) Spyware and adware
2) Spyware and adware
3) Spyware and adware
4) Spyware and adware and rootkit
5) Spyware and adware
6) Spyware and adware and rootkit
I have a really hard time believing it's about "malware."
Also, how do you modify a phone to remove this restriction, assuming the manufacturer doesn't let you unlock the bootloader (as most don't)?
LiquidParasyte
in reply to six million ways to die • • •Having to pay a company and send your government id to that company, who will absolutely turn that data over to the government, is not an acceptable way to develop software.
Especially as that government is actively targeting dissenters and anyone who opposes them.
Especially as that company is making plans to go into the PC space, creating computers more locked down than Windows.
Especially as that company already has an 'anti-virus' activated on every Android licensed device by default that flags and prevents these malicious apps.
six million ways to die
in reply to LiquidParasyte • • •LiquidParasyte
in reply to six million ways to die • • •It will also affect developers who choose to or have to stay anonymous to protect themselves from bad actors like rogue governments, and make it harder to develop software that authorities do not want made, such as emulation software, or adblocking tools and clients, or law enforcement raid watches.
Your personal exclusion from these restrictions does not solve the problem for developers, nor the majority of people who use Android who can't, don't know how to, or afford a degoogled device.
six million ways to die
in reply to LiquidParasyte • • •F-Droid
in reply to six million ways to die • • •moin
in reply to F-Droid • • •Thank you for your amazing work. For me its time to switch to Linux in under 200 days.
@marcprux
yianiris
in reply to F-Droid • • •We don't have representatives, we live in capitalism. All those elected to run government represent multinational industries and their federation, banks and financial institutions. We are their enemy, they are not going to listen.
Unless....
We force them to listen
@fdroidorg @marcprux
paradox
in reply to F-Droid • • •FLOSSbOxIN
in reply to F-Droid • • •FLOSSbOxIN (@fbinin@mastodon.fbin.in)
FLOSSbOxIN (FbIN Mastodon)Jaycosm🔆
in reply to F-Droid • • •If Google doesn't want to play nice, I suppose we have options...
Huawei HarmonyOS: harmonyos.com/en/
Samsung TizenOS: samsungtizenos.com/
Perhaps an Android exodus would scare Google enough to backtrack on its registration agenda.
#KeepAndroidOpen
Tizen
TizenViktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe
in reply to F-Droid • • •Does anyone know how this affects phones that already have F-Droid and apps from there installed?
Will some Android/Google Update make them stop working all of a sudden? Or not let me update them anymore? Or will this affect only future Android versions?
Elischeva91 reshared this.
F-Droid
in reply to Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe • • •Elischeva91
in reply to F-Droid • •@F-Droid @Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe
How does it affect degoogled Android? Will F-Droid Work on Custom ROMs? Will someone tech-savvy still be able to degoogle android and make F-Droid work? Will it be possible to flash an existing android with a custom ROM?
Or: Do I need to buy a phone with a custom ROM preinstalled? Will someone else fork AOSP and save it for custom ROMs?
So many questions. I hate the direction Google is heading to. Which Chance do have surveillance conscious people to get out of it?
Viktoria D. Richards/Uddelhexe
in reply to Elischeva91 • • •@elischeva
Linux Phones.
Posh OS is promising and so is Jolla.
They will need some time to be easy to use for the average people, but i hope for them to get a push through what google is doing.
Custom Roms will still be possible, but will be more slow with updates since they neednto reverse engeneer more from now on ( i think).
Elischeva91 likes this.
h4890
in reply to F-Droid • • •I think it is useless to keep android open. As long as google controls it, it is a sinking ship.
Much better to move to other alternatives like Jolla or other linuxbased options and rebuild from scratch.
F-Droid
Unknown parent • • •Faut l'fer
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
Unknown parent • • •@nathanael @GrapheneOS We should be allies in the Android ecosystem (specially during these days) but they choose to be frenemies for some reason.
Fun fact: We talked with more GOS users at FOSDEM than stock Android users. 🤔
Marcus
in reply to F-Droid • • •Jeroen van Tol 🍋 ✞
in reply to F-Droid • • •Alex Rock
in reply to F-Droid • • •Good to know that Google are keeping their track about "Apple-izing" themselves.
They just waited until there were absolutely zero competitor to close the whole thing.
Time to degoogleize all mobile OSes 😮💨
Page Asgardius
in reply to F-Droid • • •ZZyphraxis
in reply to F-Droid • • •paet 🇪🇺
in reply to F-Droid • • •Thank you for the information and links at keepandroidopen.org/
Got a relatively generic and neutral but friendly response.
I'm still unsure whether this contributes a drop to filling the ocean... 🤔
Keep Android Open
keepandroidopen.orgF-Droid
in reply to paet 🇪🇺 • • •@paet floss.social/@fdroidorg/116086…
F-Droid
2026-02-17 16:47:19
Pete the Gopher Keeper
in reply to F-Droid • • •Izzy
in reply to F-Droid • • •> We know users will rarely visit the site so the Client(s) will get a banner soon too.
The new release of Neo Store (published today) already has it. And our website has it as well: izzyondroid.org/
IzzyOnDroid
izzyondroid.orggrob (teeth era) 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
in reply to F-Droid • • •DFX4509B (Joshua Mason)
in reply to F-Droid • •Doune
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
in reply to Doune • • •@Doune floss.social/@fdroidorg/116119…
F-Droid
2026-02-23 11:56:01
Matija Nalis
in reply to Doune • • •Clippy Campaign
Consumer Rights WikiRomifla
in reply to F-Droid • • •My device is a bit old to install a libre OS alternative without complicated steps. I have yet managed to remove Google services with ADB, and I strongly rely on Aurora and F-Droid to install apps I need. This act would be a hard hit.
Juan A. Zamarripa [E.]
in reply to F-Droid • • •#ThanksForSharing
Here's the direct link to the petition: change.org/p/stop-google-from-…
🖖!
Sign the Petition
Brian Wahl (Change.org)ff7
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
in reply to ff7 • • •✍️ #MorpurgoMedia.nl
in reply to F-Droid • • •Where can I find the sample letter in English that I can use?
@ff7 @marcprux
Blackoverflow
in reply to F-Droid • • •Do I understand correctly, that Google free Android is not directly affected by this policy?
But the majority of the userbase is affected, so an app developer would loose nearly the complete userbase and this would result in many developers giving up, destroying the app market.
And this in turn will affect Google free Android.
Please elaborate, if I misunderstood!
F-Droid
in reply to Blackoverflow • • •@blackoverflow Yes, if you're tech-savvy you'll figure a good device to flash your favorite custom Android distro that favors user freedom.
But the other 3.9 billion stock users... they are at the mercy of Google, if you want to recommend them a good app from #FDroid they are blocked.
Juan Manuel Gozalo
in reply to F-Droid • • •Alonely0 🦀 🇪🇺
Unknown parent • • •Here is some insight of you wanna go down the rabbit hole: discuss.grapheneos.org/d/7519-…
F-droid security - GrapheneOS Discussion Forum
GrapheneOS Discussion ForumAlonely0 🦀 🇪🇺
Unknown parent • • •Apicultor 🐝
in reply to F-Droid • • •Did you secure your build environment yet? Why must you re-sign everything instead of using signed artifacts from developers?
Until then, #Obtainium.
@marcprux
F-Droid
in reply to Apicultor 🐝 • • •@apicultor Everything we do is transparent and public, eg. floss.social/@fdroidorg/116086…
F-Droid
2026-02-17 14:53:10
Salva reshared this.
F-Droid
in reply to Apicultor 🐝 • • •About | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
f-droid.orgSalva reshared this.
Simx72
in reply to F-Droid • • •will this affect lineage phones? (or any other roms)
Directly or indirectly?
F-Droid
in reply to Simx72 • • •oldherl
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
in reply to oldherl • • •F-Droid
in reply to oldherl • • •Keep Android Open
keepandroidopen.orgLuis Falcon
in reply to F-Droid • • •PS: @EUCommission please take note.
#Google #Android #Freedom #GNU
Mark Hughes reshared this.
Brad Koehn
in reply to F-Droid • • •F-Droid
in reply to Brad Koehn • • •@bkoehn
#Google when talking in court against #EpicGames "we are open"
Google when talking with #FLOSS devs: "not for you"
Day
in reply to F-Droid • • •Techlore
in reply to Day • • •Koen
in reply to F-Droid • • •Syphist
in reply to F-Droid • • •Spark Purcell (they/them)
in reply to F-Droid • • •Dawn Tåke 🌙
in reply to F-Droid • • •Inaba
in reply to F-Droid • • •i only use ggle services because of how popular they are, while minimizing what ggle i use
Anikke 🌻 🚴 🇺🇦🇬🇱 ♀️ #ichbinantifa
in reply to F-Droid • • •matt wilkie
in reply to F-Droid • • •To: info@competitionbureau.gc.ca
I'm writing to register my deep concern with Google's intention to block users from installing software WE choose on devices we own from sources WE choose to trust.
developer.android.com/develope…
I'm fine with custom software installs being blocked by default, the security concerns are very real. I'm NOT fine with it being blocked entirely unless the developer registers with Google. There are all number of perfectly valid ways that can go wrong or simply not be practical. Bottom line: it's not their business, it's mine.
...
Android developer verification | Android Developers
Android DevelopersZoltaray
in reply to F-Droid • • •apps to work on #UbuntuTouch?
Hans-Christoph Steiner
Unknown parent • • •Stu
in reply to Alonely0 🦀 🇪🇺 • • •@Alonely0 @cy8aer
I read some of those threads linked from the discuss link. This whole situation is exhausting. Multiple ways to get screwed over on multiple fronts. The layman has no chance to understand any of this.
And then, of course, you'll get a pithy "use ubuntu" reply to these threads, which is fine if you have one of the 12 old phones supported by it.
I don't know what the solution is, but if the answer is "get the apk from github and ensure you trust the dev" then essentially everyone is screwed.
✍️ #MorpurgoMedia.nl
in reply to F-Droid • • •Michael T Babcock
in reply to F-Droid • • •They're *NOT* stopping you from side-loading apps. They're doing the same thing banks have started doing when people try to withdraw cash -- verifying that you're not being coached or hacked and that you *REALLY* want to do what you said.
This is annoying to a very small subset of people, and *VERY* useful to a larger group.
#Android #security #scams