Google is locking down Android. By September 2026, sideloading apps will require developer registration, payment, and government ID handed to Google.
DEADLINE: SEPTEMBER 2026
What's happening
Google announced a "Developer Verification" program (Aug 2025) requiring all app developers to register, pay, submit government ID, and hand over signing keys.
Sideloading will be gated. Apps from developers who don't register won't install. You paid for a device you no longer fully control.
Android becomes iOS. The core promise of Android — an open platform where you choose what runs on your hardware — dies.
Governments lose sovereignty. Critical infrastructure software becomes dependent on one US corporation's approval process.
Take action — 2 minutes, real impact
Action 1 — Highest impact
Email the EU Digital Markets Act Team
The DMA exists to prevent exactly this. One email from you adds to the case file.
Google is killing sideloading on Android.
By Sept 2026, every app developer must register, pay, and hand over government ID to Google before their app can be installed — even outside the Play Store.
Android becomes iOS. Your device, their rules.
Fight back: email the EU DMA team in 2 min ↓
[email protected][email protected]
#KeepAndroidOpen #DMA #DigitalRights
Mastodon / Long-form
Google just announced a "Developer Verification" program for Android. Sounds harmless. It's not.
Starting September 2026:
• All developers must register with Google
• Must pay fees
• Must submit government ID
• Must surrender signing keys
• Unregistered apps won't install — even via sideloading
This turns Android into a closed platform identical to iOS. The entire reason many of us chose Android — freedom to install what we want on hardware we own — disappears.
The EU Digital Markets Act exists to prevent exactly this. But regulators need to hear from real people.
What you can do right now (2 minutes):
1. Email [email protected] (CC: [email protected])
2. Email [email protected] (CC: [email protected])
3. Contact your MEP
4. Share this post
More info: keepandroidopen.org
#KeepAndroidOpen #DMA #Android #DigitalRights #FreeSoftware #OpenSource
LinkedIn
Google is fundamentally changing Android's openness.
Their new "Developer Verification" program (effective September 2026) will require all app developers to register with Google, submit government identification, pay fees, and surrender signing keys — even for apps distributed outside the Play Store.
This has significant implications:
For enterprises: Custom internal apps will require Google registration. Every company distributing proprietary tools to employees via sideloading will need to comply.
For developers: Independent distribution dies. The ecosystem that made Android the platform of choice for innovation gets locked behind a corporate gate.
For governments: Critical infrastructure software becomes dependent on a single US corporation's approval process.
The EU's Digital Markets Act was designed to prevent this. If you believe open platforms matter, take 2 minutes:
• Email the DMA team: [email protected]
• File an antitrust complaint: [email protected]
More at keepandroidopen.org
#KeepAndroidOpen #Android #DMA #TechPolicy #OpenSource #DigitalRights
Common questions
Isn't this just about security?
Google frames it as protecting users from malicious apps. But Android already has Google Play Protect scanning, runtime permissions, sandboxing, and user warnings for sideloaded apps. This isn't security — it's control. Real security doesn't require developers to hand over government IDs and signing keys to a corporation.
Will this actually affect me?
If you've ever installed an app from outside the Play Store — an ad blocker, a custom launcher, an app from F-Droid, a beta version, an enterprise tool — yes. After September 2026, those apps won't install unless the developer has registered with Google.
What about the "advanced user flow" Google mentioned?
In November 2025, Google vaguely mentioned a possible "advanced flow" for experienced users. No details, no commitments, no timeline. Even if implemented, requiring users to jump through extra hoops to exercise basic device ownership rights is a restriction, not a solution.
Does the EU actually read complaint emails?
Yes. The DMA team is actively enforcing against Big Tech — they've already opened proceedings against Apple, Google, and Meta. Volume of complaints directly influences enforcement priority. Your email gets logged and counted. The DMA has real teeth: fines up to 10% of global turnover.
I'm not in the EU. Can I still help?
Absolutely. Share on social media. If you're a developer, refuse the early access program and distribute via F-Droid or direct APK. If you're in a country with competition authorities, file a complaint there too. EU enforcement sets global precedent.
What are the alternatives?
For users: Support custom ROMs (LineageOS, GrapheneOS, CalyxOS), use F-Droid for open-source apps, and make your voice heard before September 2026.
For developers: Distribute via F-Droid, offer direct APK downloads, refuse the early access program, and publicly oppose the policy.
For everyone: Email regulators, contact MEPs, share information, and support organizations fighting for digital rights.
Email templates
If the mailto links don't work, copy these and send manually.
I am writing to formally raise concerns about Google's "Android Developer Verification" program, announced August 2025 and scheduled for September 2026.
This program requires all developers to register with Google, pay fees, submit government identification, and surrender signing keys before their apps can be installed on Android devices — including via sideloading.
This effectively eliminates the ability to freely install software on Android devices, which is a core functionality that consumers relied upon when purchasing these devices. It constitutes a gatekeeper leveraging its dominant position to restrict competition and consumer choice — precisely what the Digital Markets Act was designed to prevent.
I urge you to investigate this program under Articles 5 and 6 of the DMA and take enforcement action before the September 2026 deadline.
I am writing to raise a formal antitrust concern regarding Google's "Android Developer Verification" program, set to take effect September 2026.
This program will require all app developers to register with Google, pay fees, and submit government identification before their apps can be installed on any Android device — even outside the Play Store.
Google controls approximately 75% of the global mobile OS market. Using this dominance to impose mandatory registration and fees on all software distribution — including channels that bypass Google's own store — constitutes an abuse of dominant market position and erects barriers to entry for independent developers.
This eliminates the last remaining open major mobile platform and removes meaningful competition in app distribution.
I urge the Commission to investigate this under Articles 101 and 102 TFEU.