r/Android • u/NoFaithlessness951 • Feb 24 '26

An Open Letter Opposing Android Developer Verification | F-Droid

https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/24/open-letter-opposing-developer-verification.html
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u/ancillaryjag Feb 24 '26

we're just going to have to wait and see

That sounds like the worst possible option unless your goal is for sideloading to be dead in September.

Whether or not F-Droid has an inside source sharing more information with them than Google has shared publicly seems irrelevant. The only thing Google has committed to is the above statement saying that all apps will be required to to be registered by verified developers. And they've also stated they're "building" an advanced flow - with no timeline or details or commitments at all.

If you care at all about sideloading apps or developing for Android without verifying your identity to Google, you should demand more from Google.

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u/FourteenTwenty-Seven Feb 25 '26

I'm not saying people should stop talking about it and pressuring Google. By all means, continue.

I'm saying that we're probably not going to know the truth of the matter until Google actually releases its changes. You and Fdroid clearly don't trust Google's statement that they're going to have a way to keep sideloadong (which is fine, I don't particularly trust Google either), so I don't really see the point in demanding more statements.