Opening my weather app this morning I was greeted by this warning:
Google has announced that, starting in 2026/2027, all apps on certified Android devices will require the developer to submit personal identity details directly to Google. Since the developers of this app do not agree to this requirement, this app will no longer work on certified Android devices after that time.
It’s the first time I hear about this, seems to be about:
Cirrus app: Github
Was this a big thing I somehow missed? I hope more devs will follow suit.
Yes, you must have missed it. And so it begins.
Google is moving to make Android less open source. I’m not sure more devs following suit is going be good for them or their users. The G doesn’t give an F.
What we need is an OS fork that gets maintained. If not that, some other workaround that fools the Google servers. Because you can bet money that nobody made from flesh and blood is going to look at this inside Google.
Maybe devs can band together and form Middle Finger Corp. and designate one willing person as their contact to serve as registered dev for a gazillion apps. Follow the letter of the law, not the misguided spirit of it, in a manner of speaking.
If you are sitting on a mobile OS and you were afraid to fail like Windows, maybe now is the time to give it a go?
GrapheneOS
are you kidding? only available for google phones. are we supposed to give money to google for this situation?
I think they are looking to partner with a phone manufacturer to move graphene platform to other brand of phones.
Specially since it’s unlikely that google pixels will keep providing the spec info and openness that GOS need to work.
Well yeah, since device trees are no longer available going forward from Google, they’d be dead in the water otherwise.
LineageOS has good support for other devices
deleted by creator
e/OS too, if Graphene fails or isn’t available. Or Murena.
Murena has had questionable policies…
And what policies would that be?
Kids these days won’t search answers on the internet…
I’m an adult, and promise you I’ve been using computers longer than you’ve been alive, and I still don’t care to waste what little time I have on this planet to look into shit that sounds completely made-up.
Put up, or shut up.
Hopefully this leads to a lot more development of and for Ubuntu Touch. Biggest issues it faces are lack of compatibility and lack of apps. I think the core is solid though. I used it for a week when switching from iOS (so no Android background) and enjoyed it, but a few too many minor issues built up and I ended up going to Calyx.
They’re not “pulling” the app from anywhere, it’s just simply not going to work on “certified devices”. This is the end of Android as we know. It’s been a good run.
It is a big thing at least in developer circles. It made the front page of Hacker News multiple times.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45087396
Wording of the message implies it’s possible to have uncertified version of Android… Such a thing possible?
.
any version of android that’s not vendor or downloaded from the official android website
- like https://lineageos.org/
- https://e.foundation/e-os/
- or the aforementioned GrapheneOS
calyxos.org (paused)
And so it continues… Google trying to shoehorn themselves into a position of authority of the internet. Imagine they get as much sway as the banks now have? Private entities controlling the masses for massive profits. Fuck off Google.
Yet another possible antitrust lawsuit series. Some day maybe a judge will do something to help the consumers.
.
Would people be able to circumvent this by downgrading their version of Google Play Services? …or not updating it in the first place?
I think you could still adb install unverified apps into your phone.
That untill they’ll block that path too.
Also I suppose that you’ll need to adb every update. So apps that would want to go this way should self check updates instead of relying on an external store.
What’s adb?
Android Debug Bridge. It is a way to control the device via command line, mainly from an external computer. Among other things allows for app installation. It’s one of the main ways to test and debug apps while being developed.
