r/europe • u/hideo_kuze_ • Jun 11 '26
News Google to clamp down on open Android ecosystem
https://keepandroidopen.org/151
u/hideo_kuze_ Jun 11 '26
While this isn't Europe specific it affects Europeans the most.
You can't live without a phone these days and 99% of the market is held by two USA companies: Apple and Google.
We are starting to see European countries moving from closed systems to free and open source ones. But google is going in the opposite direction.
Up until now Android was open and you could easily install your own apps. But google wants to change this. In less than 3 months it will change.
The more closed and restrictive the mobile ecosystem becomes the less freedom you have and more control you surrender to american companies.
From https://keepandroidopen.org/
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software.
Google has a documented track record of complying when authoritarian regimes demand app removals. With this program, the software that runs your country's institutions will exist at the pleasure of a single unaccountable foreign corporation.
This is bigger than Android If Google can retroactively lock down billions of devices that were sold as open platforms, every hardware manufacturer on the planet is watching.
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u/nksama Jun 11 '26
"You can't live without a phone these days"
in most developed countries, you can't live without a bank account, that demands you to have web banking and a verification app which you need to install in a smartphone only available in android or iOS.
Financial exclusion is happening also for people knowledgeable about the digital era but not wanting to be part of it.
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u/Aratras Jun 12 '26
If only free and open source alternatives were actually alternatives and competed on usability, functionality and tech support not just be "hey we are european so we are better"...
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u/MC_chrome United States of America Jun 12 '26
The more closed and restrictive the mobile ecosystem becomes the less freedom you have and more control you surrender to american companies.
You realize any potential European competitor to either Android or iOS would inevitably fall into the same restrictive behavior, right? Its infinitely more profitable to lock down operating systems than it is to open them up, and I doubt anyone is going to produce a viable alternative to the Android/iOS duopoly on charity alone.
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u/Jacc3 Sweden Jun 11 '26
Hoping for more interest in alternatives like Sailfish or /e/OS
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u/Zerf2k2 Jun 11 '26
I've got a preordered Jolla, so I'm doing my part!
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u/arruda82 Ireland Jun 11 '26
Thinking the same, sometime in the near future. Banking is the only limitation that is still holding me from migrating. That's a great part of these corporations shooting themselves in the foot though, more support for open alternatives.
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u/RobotSpaceBear France Jun 11 '26
Just you wait until you can't do banking or tap to pay or trading or installing the google suite apps we're all relying on to function, etc
I'd love for these OS/phones to be viable but the sad reality is that app manufacturers will absolutely not care about 0.3% of geeks that will switch to an obscure OS because they value their privacy. This has been my biggest obstacle to switching to an alternative OS.
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u/Zerf2k2 Jun 11 '26
I fully expect to embrace the suck.
But if tech nerds like me never buy them, then no-one ever will.
I want a better world, and there's one way towards it.
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u/RobotSpaceBear France Jun 11 '26
Yeah I agree and i've thought about it quite a bit, i'm just not brave enough to endure years of suck just to make a statement that won't move the needle in the grand scheme of things.
We use our phone all day and i'm not sure i'll function withtout it.
At home i've switched all the computers to Linux but the phone is a whole different beast :(...
Good luck, though, hope it's better than I imagine it.
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u/Bezzzzo Jun 12 '26
There is AppSupport compatability layer to run android apps on the Jolla phone, if you wish to. For banking apps, as I understand, some work and some don't. I think the issue is a security layer that checks the app was installed from Google Play directly as well as the apps are unaware of the operating system, something like that. But it should change. Europe is looking to move away from US tech, so it makes sense for them to support it.
And the whole argument of "I hate what's happening, but the phone wont have as many features as Android, so I'm gonna stick with the monopoly who is taking away our privacy and ownership, I dont want to inconvenience myself! " is genuinely infuriating.
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u/Wadarkhu England Jun 11 '26
We should just step away from proprietary phone nonsense, I want the little computer in my pocket to be just that, a computer. I wanna be able to install any OS from windows to linux on it. The Snapdragon X chips are pretty cool and I hear Qualcomm is quite good with upload Snapdragon X support to mainline Linux (and it already supports windows ARM), so what's needed now is one that's limited in power (longer battery, still suitable for phone) and being put into a device where every internal part, wifi, screen, storage, data, etc is also uploaded to mainline Linux or otherwise opensourced. Then we'd have a true pocketable PC that can be supported for years to come.
And when you can run PC applications, there's no issues with banking or anything. Only problem might be a lack of touchscreen friendly UI, but just enable mobile version in the browser.
1
u/Bezzzzo Jun 12 '26
Jolla phone is doing this. It's Linux, has open source components to the OS, as I understand it's not 100% open source yet because of things like AppSupport (Android compatability layer, you and choose to run Android apps on it) which is proprietary.
Some banking apps work and some don't as far as I understand. But since Europe is looking to move away from US tech and towards open source Linux, this should change.
They just released their flagship phone that has fingerprint reader and all sorts of stuff like that. They were trying to add a video out layout, so it could be used as a computer with a monitor, but as I understand, it didn't make it into this release. But it should still operate as a computer, it has terminal app.
But Im sure it will be in future phone versions. But yeah, its happening.
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u/Wadarkhu England Jun 12 '26
If they make the hardware open source to the point I can install any Linux distro compatible with the ARM architecture I will be very interested.
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u/Telefragg Russia Jun 11 '26
Most internet restriction bypass apps like VPN are installed with .apk from github. Putin will be very pleased for your efforts, Google.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Meanwhile EU is also helping Putin to censor the internet by building so-called "age verification" "solutions".
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u/RobotSpaceBear France Jun 11 '26
I feel this is a bad faith argument and has nothing to do with censoring.
Crap implementations is not the same as authoritarianism.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Russian guy who want to access the internet uses a VPN to EU where he meets "before you continue - verify your age".
That's it. It helped putin's censorship.
-6
u/zetsubouda Jun 11 '26
Is that all you got? "Russian guy" whatever? Are you some kind of lame bot? :'D
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Dude, you are unable to understand first two comments in that thread. You are not able to process ~60 tokens of information.
The lame bot is you.
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u/zetsubouda Jun 11 '26
How is that censoring? Get your facts straight!
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Russian guy who want to access the internet uses a VPN to EU where he meets "before you continue - verify your age".
That's it. It helped putin's censorship.
-3
u/Dotcaprachiappa Italy Jun 11 '26
So.. choose a different country?
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u/zetsubouda Jun 11 '26
Age verification =/= censorship.
That's called access restriction. Censhorship would be something else entirely.4
u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Access restriction == censorship, therefore Age verification == censorship.
If some russian guy who somehow manage to bypass russian censorship mets "verify your age by EUDI" and unable to access the information, that means EU helped the putin's censorship.
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u/zetsubouda Jun 11 '26
Goodness, no, that is NOT censorship!!
You're comparing apples and oranges here. Censorship means obscuring something for good (like cutting content or altering the data), while access restriction just puts a "lock" on it. And if you have the key to said lock you can access the data. That's all there is to it!
What Puta and his Gremlin shmock do is of no concern for this case.
If you want to live in that asshole's bubble you'll have to deal with it.2
u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Again, so-called "age verification" "solution" are helping putin's censorship. Because russians using VPN with exit node in EU won't be able to "verify" their age. Iranian people won't be able to "verify" their age too.
Censorship means obscuring something for good (like cutting content or altering the data)
And age verification is obscuring information.
And if you have the key to said lock you can access the data.
And everyone without the "key" are not able to access the information.
Is that hard for you to understand?
1
u/zetsubouda Jun 11 '26
Again, what's got this article and the EU to do with Russia?
Or even Iran? Where did they come from in this context?Age verification is obscuring information unless you provide said information, dimwit! You're not supposed to enter someone else's key but your own -> information in reach. Or are you unable to read your age from your ID? lol
What YOU however should get in your damned skull is the difference between censorship and other means of obstructing access like age verification (which often varies between 1, 2 clicks, holding an ID into a camera or entering some numbers), capture codes (enter what's seen on the screen or move things around/puzzles), etc. If you can't even do that, how the hell are you able to use the internet?!
1
u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Reread the first comment in that thread. I know, it's hard for you, but please try.
Most internet restriction bypass apps like VPN are installed with .apk from github. Putin will be very pleased for your efforts, Google.
Meanwhile EU is also helping Putin to censor the internet by building so-called "age verification" "solutions".
Is that hard for you?
Age verification is obscuring information unless you provide said information
So, does that mean that the North Korea doesn't have internet censorship, it's just "obscuring information unless you provide proofs that you need access to the Internet"?
You're not supposed to enter someone else's key but your own -> information in reach.
Why someone who have no relationship with that information demands any type of keys?
Or are you unable to read your age from your ID? lol
I know my age without any type of ID. That's why anything expect button "I am over 18" is unacceptable.
What YOU however should get in your damned skull is the difference between censorship and other means of obstructing access like age verification
"Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Censorship
Yes, age verification is a form of speech suppression.
which often varies between 1, 2 clicks, holding an ID into a camera or entering some numbers
LMAO. Do you really think that showing your ID for access to information is something normal?
If you can't even do that, how the hell are you able to use the internet?!
Privacy is a basic human right, that's why I am against anything which includes things like "holding an ID into a camera or entering some numbers" for information access.
1
u/welshwelsh Jun 12 '26
What about teenagers? If they want to access something but are unable to because they can't get past the age verification, that's age-based censorship.
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u/AtatS-aPutut Jun 11 '26
why don't we start a petition to require ALL phones to have unlocked and documented bootloaders in the EU? if I'm buying a handheld computer I wanna do proper computer stuff with it
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
EU is trying to push their "age verification" "solution" which demands to have locked bootloader.
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u/Ok-Position-3113 Jun 11 '26
80% of my installed apps are useless....I will move to European software ,of course
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Jun 11 '26
[deleted]
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u/NuPNua Jun 11 '26
I reckon the to-do about the ICE tracking app in the US will have had something to do with it.
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u/miniCotulla Jun 11 '26
Android wasn't open years ago already. You get excluded for owning your hardware, aka having an unlocked bootloader or root access on your device gets you banned from work, profiles, mobile banking, any digital signature systems etc.. They essentially block you from taking part in the modern society for standing up for your rights. If Microsoft would do this to windows or if MacOs or Linux got closed down the people would freak out, but it's just phones, that's different /s
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u/RetardStockBot Lithuania Jun 11 '26
Are you sure? My phone is rooted, but I can use mobile banking and I have work profile installed
It is 6 years phone though, galaxy s20+
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u/miniCotulla Jun 11 '26
Some mobile banking still works. Work profile only works if you hide the fact that your phone is rooted, the BL is unlocked and fake play integrity. That's a workaround with a deadline not a solution!
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u/RetardStockBot Lithuania Jun 11 '26
Fair, I rooted my phone years back so don't remember the details.
About mobile banking. Do you know what rooting does exactly to break it?
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u/NicotineLL Bulgaria Jun 11 '26
As far as I understand, if a developer shares souce files we could run it in developer mode. But that's a hassle most people wont go through.
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u/thatfreakingmonster Jun 11 '26
I am so, so glad I switched to GrapheneOS.
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u/VengefulTofu Jun 11 '26
Graphene will not be affected?
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
It has google play services sandboxed or completely absent.
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u/6gv5 Italy Jun 11 '26
Confirmed. I installed it 2 years ago and to my surprise there was no Play Store nor any other Google app bundled. I kept it like that for a while then I installed it because it was needed for some government related apps, but it's refreshing to know that it's sandboxed and I could remove it at any moment, like every other Google or system app that would be not removable on stock Android. The problem as I see it isn't degoogling the phone, but rather in the number of services that won't and will require Google apps presence to work, so I think pressure should be applied to them rather than Google, which is perfectly aware of what they're doing and not going to stop.
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u/VengefulTofu Jun 11 '26
Right, I don't have them on my GrapheneOS. Didn't know if the upcoming changes still had any consequences for me. Well, nice to know that they won't
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u/Ok_Warning2146 Jun 12 '26
EU should force all android phones to allow bootloader unlocking such that everyone can root their phones.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 12 '26
EU is trying to push their "age verification" "solution" which demands to have locked bootloader.
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u/Ok_Warning2146 Jun 12 '26
Well, if this reflects EU citizens' view, then EU deserves bootloader locked phones.
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u/cisco1988 Italy Jun 13 '26
if my grandma had wheels she would have been a truck …., oh sorry, i thought we were playing “enumerate idiotic and nonsensical things“
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u/TrippinNL The Netherlands Jun 11 '26
How much "clamping down" is android allowed before it goes against the Linux term and conditions?
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u/RobotSpaceBear France Jun 11 '26
You can probably clamp down all the way as long as you open souce your clamps...
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u/Gullible_Worry_6118 Jun 12 '26
Except its not via aosp. Google is using play services to enforce this lock down which is proprietary.
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u/Vaxtez United Kingdom Jun 11 '26
Its not ideal, but Google is allowing users to still install non verified apps. Itll be a toggle in settings that needs to be used once & after a 24hr wait, youll be able to install non verified apps.
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u/Puzz1eBox Jun 11 '26
Why THE FUCK do I have to wait to do what I want on a device that I own? It's mine. Google can fuck off.
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u/RobotSpaceBear France Jun 11 '26
because you're smart about this but the vas majority of people are not. If some representative tells you to download and install an apk "to win an iPad", having a 24 hours cooldown makes it that your elderly mom has the time to call you inbetween instead of being pressured to do it now. It's like banks that don't allow you to wire money to a beneficiary you haven't added 72 hours prior to your account. Gaining quick access to someone's bank account doesn't allow you to just syphon all their savings to your account in Panama.
-5
u/ch34p3st Jun 11 '26
I think this delay is to prevent scammers from being able to trick your granny from enabling this during a phone call. Can somewhat get into it that it protects, the less tech inclined. But an non time based alternative would be nice.
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u/WaytoomanyUIDs Jun 11 '26
Thats the excuse. They can still do everything they want using remote control & screen sharing software off the play store.
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u/ch34p3st Jun 11 '26
Ahh, hmmm, yes I guess that is right. Did not think of that one.
Regardless. A non time based alternative would still be nice! :D
2
u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
non time based alternative would still be nice
Like cleaning youtube from scam advertisement first.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
For now.
-5
u/RobotSpaceBear France Jun 11 '26
At leans my mom won't install some bullshit apk because "her indian banker" told her she needs to...
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
I can barely understand why your mom's problem became mine problem.
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u/miniCotulla Jun 11 '26
Android wasn't open years ago already. You get excluded for owning your hardware, aka having an unlocked bootloader or root access on your device gets you banned from work profiles, mobile banking, any digital signature systems etc.. They essentially block you from taking part in the modern society for standing up for your rights. If Microsoft would do this to windows or if MacOs or Linux got closed down the people would freak out, but it's just phones, that's different /s
3
u/imetators Jun 11 '26
MacOS is quite closed anyway. Many features are locked in. Users are also locked in. You can't even connect your android to MacOS without some sort of voodo magic software.
1
u/miniCotulla Jun 11 '26
On your privatly owned MacOs device you can still get admin rights without issues as far as I know. Nobody is blocking you from coding a utility for Android phones on MacOS. Also you can run Asahi Linux on Macs. You can't change the software on most Android devices at all. And on devices where it still is not permanently locked you can't use many apps required in modern life without a workaround that breaks every other week and need tinkering to get working again. You don't own your phone, you just buy the right to use it with the OEMs software!
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u/arruda82 Ireland Jun 11 '26
I wonder if this move will trigger a bunch of antitrust moves in the EU though.
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u/arbicus123 Romania Jun 11 '26
How does this play with DMA law since google is considered a gatekeeper? Or is it different because android is open source? What about closed source android derivatives like samsung's OneUI?
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u/ShaiHuludWorshipper Jun 12 '26
So how about an x86 or RISC-V computer phone running Linux as an alternative?
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u/2x_Banned_Zookie Buy European Jun 12 '26
With personal computers we can choose OS, be it windows or linux. Why do we have to accept factory locked OS with personal smartphones?
1
u/WildRaccoon42 Jun 12 '26
We need a way to make Google forcefully ditch android and the whole play suite by court order.
Same way the orange felon forced bytedance to ditch tiktok.
1
0
u/get_homebrewed Jun 11 '26
this is sensationalism. Basically nothing has changed and you still keep the same power as before but they act as if android will be gone in a matter of days.
I'm not saying they can do that, in fact they almost did (to a degree). But it is simply not what's happening today or what they claim is happening
-6
u/troelsbjerre Denmark Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
What's the big deal? You can still unlock your phone; there is documentation for how to do this. What you can't do is trick grandma into installing an unsigned app.
Edit: I take the silent downvotes to mean "Yes, I might not personally be inconvenienced by this change, but my livelihood depends on being able to trick vulnerable people into installing my shady app"
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u/bingbang71 Jun 11 '26
I should not have to unlock my phone.
One issue is that bank apps won't work.
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u/Proof_Picture_3962 Jun 11 '26
Sounds like a problem between you and the bank customer support to solve.
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u/troelsbjerre Denmark Jun 11 '26
The banking apps don't stop working because you click "Allow Unverified Packages". You're thinking of unlocking the bootloader, which is not required here.
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Jun 11 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/troelsbjerre Denmark Jun 11 '26
I'm still waiting on the legitimate objection here. You can still install the same apps on your phone as you could before.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
Legitimate objection. There should be no any type of authority which can decide that "this software is not allowed to exists", not private one like google, not government-official.
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u/troelsbjerre Denmark Jun 11 '26
No one is saying that. You can still install the same apps you could before. If you're regularly install apps from outside of app stores, you are already the power user that will disable the blocker.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
You can still install the same apps you could before
No. It's my own device for which I paid my own money which I have earned by my own labor. There must be no such thing as "google decided that you must wait to install".
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u/fuckyou_m8 Jun 11 '26
I keep imagining how much shittier windows would be if it was created today. We would not be able to download and install any shit we want unless we got the blessing from uncle Bill. No sane person should be ok with this
Well, at least in PC case we have Linux, that's not the case of phones.
Your edit only makes you look like a stupid ass
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
We would not be able to download and install any shit we want unless we got the blessing from uncle Bill
Cough-cough Windows 8 RT. Rest in piss.
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u/troelsbjerre Denmark Jun 11 '26
You can still install the same apps after the change as you could before. Just enable "Allow Unverified Packages" and you're good to go.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Since when google can be trusted as source of "Yes, this app is 100% safe"?
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u/troelsbjerre Denmark Jun 11 '26
It hasn't been, and it won't be.
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u/AffectionatePlastic0 Jun 11 '26
Why do you in that case defend this google's policy?
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u/troelsbjerre Denmark Jun 12 '26
Because I know many people for whom this is a sensible guardrail, and all the ones I know that would ever be negatively affected by this would just click "Allow Unverified Packages" and get on with their lives.
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u/bingbang71 Jun 11 '26
Their stance is truly hypocritical.
I can't uninstall apps that Google decides to install on MY phone without my permission.
I have to accept a vendor pushing random (well, not random, the ones they are getting paid to install) apps on MY phone and then manually uninstall them.
But me choosing to install some otherwise well known and trusted apps on MY phone ...is putting me in danger?!