A movement named “Keep Android Open” has emerged in response to new restrictions announced by Google, which will require all applications installed on certified Android devices, including those sideloaded, to originate from verified developers starting next year. This decision has been met with significant backlash from many in the Android development community.
The initiative, spearheaded by software developer Marc Prud”hommeaux, seeks to mobilize support against Google”s verification requirements and to alert regulatory bodies about potential antitrust issues. The petition highlights concerns regarding Google”s authority to manage the verification of all Android developers, irrespective of whether they distribute applications through the Google Play Store, third-party app stores, or alternative Android operating systems such as /e/OS or LineageOS.
This petition consolidates sentiments expressed in various online platforms following Google”s announcement and echoes previous discussions from the F-Droid blog, an open-source alternative app store. An additional petition has also been created on Change.org. Prud”hommeaux shared with The Register that opposition among Android developers is overwhelmingly strong, estimating that over 90-95 percent of developers are either concerned or outraged by the proposed changes.
Earlier this year, Google stated, “Starting next year, Android will require all apps to be registered by verified developers in order to be installed by users on certified Android devices. This creates crucial accountability, making it much harder for malicious actors to quickly distribute another harmful app after we take the first one down.” Since 2023, the company has mandated that developers who wish to submit apps to the Google Play Store undergo a verification process. By March 2026, Google intends to expand this verification process to all Android developers, with initial enforcement planned in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand.
Prud”hommeaux pointed out that the core issue Google aims to tackle involves repeat offenders—developers who submit malicious applications and subsequently create new versions with different digital identifiers whenever their harmful apps are removed. The petition urges organizations to sign an open letter opposing Google”s verification protocol, which entails a one-time fee and various identification requirements.
The letter articulates, “While we recognize the importance of platform security and user safety, this requirement represents an unprecedented expansion of Google”s control over the Android ecosystem that threatens innovation, competition, privacy, and user freedom. We urge Google to rescind this policy immediately.” Google has not yet responded to requests for comments.
Prud”hommeaux, a board member for F-Droid and operator of the alternative iOS store App Fair, is one of the primary contributors to the Keep Android Open initiative, a personal project he initiated following his concerns. In a recent blog post, he challenged Google”s claims about the necessity of its verification program, asserting that it effectively undermines users” freedom to choose the software they wish to install on their devices.
He critiqued the term “sideloading,” suggesting it is a pejorative used by both Google and Apple to further their commercial interests. Instead, he proposed the term “direct installing” to describe the traditional method of obtaining software without intermediaries like app stores.
Prud”hommeaux highlighted a report revealing that numerous malicious apps on Google Play had garnered millions of downloads, questioning Google”s competency in catching harmful applications. He also criticized the lack of accountability from Google when verified developers unknowingly submit compromised apps to the Google Play Store.
Amidst Google”s push for a global developer-identity allow list, Prud”hommeaux acknowledged there might be some merit to Google”s security claims but emphasized that the company”s ultimate goal appears to be establishing comprehensive control over app distribution for certified Android devices, which constitute a substantial portion of the global market.
In his blog, Prud”hommeaux further discussed how Google”s modifications to Chrome extensions have diminished the effectiveness of ad blockers and how the company has restricted public development of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). He argued that the developer verification requirement poses a significant threat to free software distribution platforms like F-Droid and emerging competitors to the Google Play Store.
As regulatory scrutiny of Google”s verification plan intensifies, Prud”hommeaux has communicated with officials in Brazil, various U.S. states, and the European Union, indicating growing interest in the implications of Google”s policy changes. He concluded by stating that the upcoming rollout of these measures in selected countries will be a crucial development to observe.
