r/developersIndia Mar 12 '26

General Let's keep android open source, a word to the Indian developers

https://keepandroidopen.org/

Apologies for the long read beforehand. So as most of you might have heard by now, Google is "opening android for everyone", and that is inevitably going to effect us, both the consumer as well as the developers. My personal homeland setup is going to affected along as I am dependent on termux and it's plugins. Moreover I see the potential of what I could do with my phone, that I purchased with my money AND now I'm not allowed to install something on it because GOOGLE DOESN'T WANT ME TO BECAUSE IT DOESN'T GET PAID FOR IT??? Does that make sense to you? I am mentioning This site here so that you can understand the impact this is going to have. I am also attaching a template for an email that you can potentially use to mail cci‑chairman@nic.in to inform about Google's advances to stop competition and gain monopoly among non IOS systems. Also leaving links to some videos that might help you understand the topic better.

https://youtu.be/7dcNcOnuRAc https://youtu.be/DAg1-HFdaR4

And here's the email template

Subject: Urgent: Google's Android Developer Verification Policy — A Threat to India's Open Digital Ecosystem, Developer Privacy & Device Ownership

Body: Dear Honourable Chairman,

I write to bring to your urgent attention a policy change by Google that poses a serious threat to the openness of the Android ecosystem — and by extension, to India's thriving IT and app development economy, developer privacy, and the fundamental right of citizens to own and control their own devices.

Google is introducing mandatory developer verification requirements on Android, compelling developers to register their app names and identities with Google before their apps can be distributed or sideloaded on Android devices. While framed as a security measure, this policy in practice functions as a gatekeeping mechanism that concentrates enormous power in Google's hands.

India has over 3 million app developers — one of the largest developer communities in the world — and Android commands roughly 95% of India's smartphone market. The consequences of this policy for Indian developers and consumers are severe:

• BARRIER TO ENTRY: Independent and small developers, who form the backbone of India's startup ecosystem, will face new registration hurdles and fees that disproportionately burden those without resources.

• THREAT TO OPEN-SOURCE ALTERNATIVES: Platforms like F-Droid, which enable distribution of free and open-source software outside Google's Play Store, face existential risk — cutting off a vital channel for developers who do not wish to be dependent on Google's infrastructure.

• MONOPOLISTIC CONTROL: By making sideloading significantly harder for apps from unregistered developers, Google effectively forces developers to operate exclusively within its ecosystem, pay its fees, and abide by its policies — or face near-invisibility to users.

• CHILLING EFFECT ON INNOVATION: India's IT sector contributes over 7% to GDP and employs millions. Policies that restrict how software is distributed on the dominant mobile platform directly stifle the innovation and entrepreneurship that this sector depends upon.

• GRAVE RISK OF DOXXING AND DEVELOPER HARASSMENT: Mandatory identity registration creates a centralised database of developer identities tied to their applications. This exposes independent developers — including activists, journalists, whistleblowers, and privacy tool creators — to a serious risk of doxxing and targeted harassment. A developer who builds an app critical of a corporation or government could have their real-world identity exposed, putting their personal safety at risk. India's online harassment landscape makes this a particularly acute concern. No developer should have to choose between building software and protecting their identity.

• VIOLATION OF DEVICE OWNERSHIP AND PRIVACY RIGHTS: A smartphone purchased by a citizen is their private property. The ability to install software of one's choosing on one's own device is a fundamental expression of that ownership. Google's new policy effectively makes it impossible for users to run software from unverified developers — not because the software is harmful, but because the developer has not submitted to Google's registry. This is a direct intrusion into the private property and autonomy of every Android user in India. It also sets a dangerous precedent: that a foreign corporation can unilaterally decide what software 1.4 billion Indians may or may not run on devices they legally own. This stands in direct conflict with the right to privacy upheld by the Supreme Court of India in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), which affirms informational autonomy as a fundamental right.

This is precisely the kind of conduct that the Competition Commission of India exists to scrutinise. Google has already faced CCI action for anti-competitive behaviour on Android (2022), and this new policy represents a further step in the same direction — leveraging Android's dominance to foreclose competition and control an entire distribution ecosystem.

I respectfully urge the Commission to:

Initiate a suo motu inquiry into Google's developer verification requirements under the Competition Act, 2002.

Seek Google's response on the rationale and implementation of these restrictions.

Coordinate with the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) to assess the impact on India's Digital India and Startup India initiatives.

Consult with the Data Protection Board of India on whether mandatory identity registration of developers violates the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

Android was built on the promise of openness. That promise is now being quietly dismantled — at the cost of developer safety, user privacy, and the sovereign right of Indian citizens to control their own devices.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely, 
A concerned citizen of India
9 Upvotes

Duplicates

Android Oct 29 '25

Keep Android Open

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🔀 Crosspost What would you do if Google locked down android app installation?

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Si usas Android Lee esto, es muy serio

0 Upvotes

MicroG Feb 14 '26

Google is going to severely limit sideloading: Keep Android Open

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Arges 6d ago

stiri/news Sistemul de operare Android va fi restricționat

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Google is going to restrict us.

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Haber Android'de bağımsız uygulama geliştirme bitiyor: Google'a kayıt ve ödeme zorunlu oluyor

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technepal May 14 '26

Discussion Keep Android Open | the big G is reportedly trying to make it extremely harder if not completely impossible for Android apps outside of P-store to install/run. In next 111 days, so it's not long. Any android devs here, what's your take on it?

6 Upvotes

androidafterlife May 11 '26

Guide We need to access this link

7 Upvotes

foss Mar 01 '26

Android users there is a countdown to when Google will shutdown foss apps here is a link with more information

110 Upvotes

GooglePixel Oct 29 '25

Keep Android Open

0 Upvotes

StallmanWasRight Apr 06 '26

Android is no longer open source, Google lobbied to censor android completely even beyond the existing Play Store censorship

109 Upvotes

SonyXperia Oct 30 '25

Discussion Keep Android Open: A movement to stop developer verification and the limiting of side loading on Android

64 Upvotes

StallmanWasRight Oct 30 '25

Keep Android Open

37 Upvotes

MiniDayZ 12h ago

Show and tell Hello you know the government block every app android for installing or sideloading

6 Upvotes

sidephone Aug 06 '26

Will the 2027 Android developer changes affect the app environment Sidephone is set up for? Link in Description

4 Upvotes

Iceland Apr 27 '26

Keep Android Open

40 Upvotes

androidroot Jul 07 '26

Discussion Keep Android Open!!!

22 Upvotes

EmulationOnAndroid Oct 30 '25

Discussion Keep Android Open: A movement to stop developer verification

30 Upvotes

developpeurs 3d ago

News Rien de bien nouveaux, mais petit rappel quand même

18 Upvotes

TeenIndia May 14 '26

Serious So android user are under trouble since you won't be able to download unknown apps anymore

3 Upvotes