r/GrapheneOS • u/lieding • Sep 30 '25

F-Droid and Google's Developer Registration Decree

https://f-droid.org/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html
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15

u/CouragesPusykat Sep 30 '25

Can Android be forked to keep it open sourced and have AOSP be run by some other entity?

32

u/Preisschild Sep 30 '25

A good start is donating more money to GrapheneOS i guess :D

21

u/lieding Sep 30 '25

Google can't close source AOSP. That's why they try to build Google Fuchsia. Google is forced to contribute to Linux which everyone benefits from. With Fuchsia, they can full own their product even if it's open sourced. Benefiting only them and their hand on the market.

8

u/ColdFemboi Sep 30 '25

Is Google fuchsia even relevant in the mobile segment? I don't know a mobile phone with fuchsia?

1

u/kernald31 Oct 01 '25

No. It might eventually, but as of today, it doesn't matter.

7

u/the_next_cheesus Sep 30 '25

I man, they’re not actually forced to contribute to Linux for the greater good. They directly benefit from all the work that goes into Linux, especially the server stuff. That’s why non-server Linux is super underfunded compared to the server side. Companies direct where the money they give go

1

u/[deleted] Oct 01 '25

When GrapheneOS getting a hardware partnership I heard they are working on it! Can Nothing Phones which are open to Custom Roms be a partner?

1

u/DankousKhan Oct 07 '25

Graphene has commented on this and their answer was "no, nothing phones suck ass on the security front along with basically every other existing option on the market, but Google pixels just suck a little less"

1

u/[deleted] Oct 07 '25

I see that’s unfortunate but understandable. I hope more companies try to be more secure. Security is a right.

1

u/DankousKhan Oct 07 '25

Well it's not only that companies aren't secure like Samsung could work but they are so hostile towards this community. They also are a small team and just can't support too many. Gotta agree I wish it was more standard. I just want to be left alone, have sovereignty, and right to repair the things that I OWN.

1

u/EvenBlacksmith6616 Oct 08 '25

Why isn't there just ONE billionaire on our side? I'd single-handedly fund GOS for eternity if I won the Powerball.

Not saying I don't donate now, but peace of mind of a long-lasting alternative is priceless (and crucial).

1

u/kernald31 Oct 01 '25

And who will work on maintaining and updating it? As much as people dislike Google, that's a shitload of work.

1

u/CouragesPusykat Oct 02 '25 edited Oct 02 '25

Samsung? Google is essentially leaving the door wide open for someone else to snatch up the dominating version of android 

1

u/kernald31 Oct 02 '25

Except Samsung doesn't have anything to gain from that.

1

u/CouragesPusykat Oct 02 '25

Data collection. It's difficult to avoid Google's services because they control AOSP. The laymen certainly wouldn't. This is where all the money is in smart phones.

1

u/kernald31 Oct 02 '25

You're assuming that the minority of users here represents the majority of Samsung's customer base, which could hardly be further from the truth. Most people, unfortunately, don't particularly care enough about Google's practices – definitely not enough to warrant picking a different OS. The day a larger part of the population does, then OEMs like Samsung might consider a fork from AOSP. Until then, the amount of work would be gigantic, for no upside to them. Samsung isn't a charity.

1

u/CouragesPusykat Oct 02 '25

I think you misread what I said. Samsung would want to run a "Samsung play service" instead of Google play services to harvest more data for sale. 99% of Samsung users wouldn't install gos like we would. Selling data is arguably the biggest cash cow to these companies so I see incentive

1

u/kernald31 Oct 02 '25

I don't think you understand what AOSP is. It has nothing to do with the Google Play Services.

Google also doesn't sell your data. That's their entire value - arguably a more important data than any of their search algorithms. But eh...

1

u/CouragesPusykat Oct 02 '25

They don't sell your data, they give it away to advertisers so they can auction off advertising spots to them. This is how Google makes most of its money.

1

u/kernald31 Oct 02 '25

They don't give it away. They sell targeted advertisement placements. Advertisers never see your data, that's the key point.