Edit: Replaced “Restrictions” in place of the word “Ban”
If this actually happens, my next phone will probably be a dumb phone, unless I can find a true linux phone.
Not updating my phone for now. Installing a custom ROM on my next phone
There hasn’t been anything Google on my phone for a while now, so I’ll first wait and see how they regain control over my phone :D
the “:D” really made the comment, its like the “this is fine” meme, but simplified to 2 characters xD
Basically, yes
All we can really do is deal with shit as it arises, but it’s still shit
Chaos and rebellion.
Sell off any phones that I can’t modify. Aggressively de-Google while setting up fake accounts to send garbage into their system training.
Light my way with the burning of bridges.
I use F-droid for everything. I’d truly be fucked.
No plan required, as I’m not using stock Android of any kind.
The ban is only in Brazil, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. Terrible, and those are some of the bigger markets, but I am not affected in a years time. I will have to see more as we approach the date on working around it.
The change is global, but it’s hitting those countries first (2026).
From the official post about the change:
- October 2025: Early access begins. Invitations will be sent out gradually.
- March 2026: Verification opens for all developers.
- September 2026: These requirements go into effect in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. At this point, any app installed on a certified Android device in these regions must be registered by a verified developer.
- 2027 and beyond: We will continue to roll out these requirements globally.
I think it was clear I know about it, because I said “in a year’s time”. I even already sent this exact timeline in this thread
What’s their PR flavour text for that?
And how does a company get the authority to do a “ban”? Isn’t that supposed to be a Government thing?
Seems like their real goal is to make the users of their devices as vulnerable as possible. How?
- First they remove the ability for other apps to record phone conversations, so we can’t use call recorder apps
- Then, in the recording feature of their own app, they don’t record the part where it says, “This call is being recorded”, making it possible for anyone to claim that they had not been informed of the call being recorded.
- While the phone goes screen-off and lock in 15 seconds (that’s the timer I set) when doing something useful, like reading stuff on a website, if I leave it on the home screen, it seems to randomly decide sometimes that it doesn’t want to turn off (last I checked, I waited for > 2minutes before I pressed the off button myself)
- and then using the off button too much, will make it go bad faster, which will then not have a replacement.
- they will definitely call this a “bug” if the matter falls out of their hand. But until then, they will keep on denying it. Do they even read bug reports?
This comment is very conspiratorial. While this change is making people more vulnerable to malware and lessening their freedom, the screen lock thing is complete nonsense. Your launcher has been given permission to keep the screen on. If it is the system launcher and that permission was provided automatically, all you need to do is use another launcher.
The official Google blogpost states this timeline:
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October 2025: Early access begins. Invitations will be sent out gradually.
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March 2026: Verification opens for all developers.
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September 2026: These requirements go into effect in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand. At this point, any app installed on a certified Android device in these regions must be registered by a verified developer.
-
2027 and beyond: We will continue to roll out these requirements globally.
There is no PR stunt here, just the need to read. Unless you are considering a PR stunt the claim that it is 50 times more likely to get malware from outside of the Play Store, that is just a complete lie as the Play Store is filled to the brim with malware.
If it is the system launcher and that permission was provided automatically, all you need to do is use another launcher.
I am using stock android on a smartphone that was in the Android One program. I have not changed the the launcher.
My expectation when keeping the Google first party screen lock thing is for it to not make it easier for me to make the mistake of leaving the phone unlocked.At this point, any app installed on a certified Android device in these regions must be registered by a verified developer.
And that will mean that if I were to feel like making my own app for the smallest of things and just install it on my own phone, I need to tell Google: “Hey! I am programming for Android!” as if they don’t already have enough of my data.
And then sideloading would probably require signing it with a certificate, so Google will always know that I made a software and installed it on my phone.There is no PR stunt here
Yes. There is no PR “stunt” here. Not everything that includes PR is a stunt.
Using the phrase “PR flavour text” refers to whatever PR is saying to make the actions of a company, seem less controversial. And that is the main job of a company’s PR department.
In this case, it is:
‘This change aims to reduce malware and scams associated with unverified apps, as sideloaded apps are significantly more likely to contain malicious software’And yes, that thing is a lie as you already explained. That is why I call it PR flavour text.
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We’ll have to see how they implement it first. If it’s just through Play Protect, I’m fine as I’m already not using that. If not, guess I’ll have to make-do with a Linux phone.
It affects only people using factory roms and google play services. I don’t remember the last time I used a factory rom, I’ve use microg for nearly a decade, (and I’m a mod of !microg@discuss.tchncs.de) and I’m not planning to change this workflow even when I will replace my phone, so I’m pretty sure I’m not affected at all.
See the thing with this is, Google would be forcing manufacturers to meet their “requirements” in order to get Google Play Certified, now they are using the requirement list to force this change, they could also add a “Disable Bootloader Unlocking” requirement to certification.
Its the mobile equivalent of the “Windows 11 TPM Requirement”.
Unlockable bootloader is indeed more and more important. Hopefully a handful of manufacturers still allow that
Get a Fairphone. Install Lineage on my current phone, install Linux on the Fairphone.
This seems like an ideal opportunity for samsung to fork android.
Judging by the “Galaxy Store” they tried to get people to use, Samsung would just make apps go through their approval process instead, not that much better.
Waiting for someone in Europe to sue them.
The only reason I’m on a Google rom is because I can’t get confirmation that I can cast Netflix to a Chromecast with microG. It’s the only Google ecosystem thing that matters to me. If they try to break my phone then I finally get to get over that hump, no loss. Almost everything in my phone is F-Droid (“side-loaded” is such a loaded phrase)
I’m also hopeful that this move will get struck down given the recent anti competitive practices cases they’ve lost.
That was a completely different environment. Dont forget who was watching from the balcony at inauguration.
i have a degoogled Samsung something running lineageos and was able to easily cast to a friends google tv thing through vlc
Yeah, I’ve got an actual Chromecast, not a Google TV, so I can’t install anything on it. I have enough computers around that buying anything new would be redundant, but nothing works quite like a Chromecast.
i truly don’t know the difference, this guys was a little disk that plugged in hdmi. let me look it up and see if i was a cast. (who knew google had more than one ‘smart tv’ product line)
edit- from what i see, it was a cast
The name is really just branding - Chromecast, Google Cast and Google TV have all been used for radically different Cast Receiver products. The important part though is that my device doesn’t have Android TV installed on it; it doesn’t have Apps and I can’t install VLC on it.
(If you meant VLC was on the mobile device, I believe this is a separate system where you stream from the mobile device to the Cast Receiver thingy. The big value of Chromecast (the standard) is that the mobile device doesn’t do any real work, just tells the Cast Receiver where to look for the stream. If I misunderstand the situation let me know, I’m eternally hopeful)
Does anyone know how graphine performs on foldables? The big reason I haven’t just switched to it is a healthy skepticism about it’s ability to handle the two screens well.
Using graphineos on a pixel fold, only complaints is that the taskbar isn’t editable like it is in stock android, and sometimes it does not enable the inner screen when I unfold it, but only when full screen stuff is open. Close it and it works fine.
Super small nitpicks overall. Everything else works as expected for me.
That is very surprising and promising, thanks for the feedback
Honestly no idea. It’s hard enough finding a phone with an audio jack, and now I have to find a phone with an audio jack, and an unlockable bootloader so I can install another OS?
Just seems like my way of living is incompatible with modern society. It’s all just too hard
yeah so hard to switch to wireless audio. horrible even.
Idk if you’re aware of this. But phones with headphones jacks still have Bluetooth. I use wireless earphones occasionally (and yes, it is horrible) but I also need to be able to plug in to my home hi-fi system
Just seems like my way of living is incompatible with modern society. It’s all just too hard
I know right?
Used a locked phone! Submit your ID to the web! Create a Instagram account! SUBMIT! SUBMIT! SUBMIT!
