For years Android had one major advantage over iOS: freedom.

Users could install apps from anywhere — the Play Store, alternative stores, open-source repositories like F-Droid, or simply by downloading an APK and installing it.

That freedom is now under threat.

Google is introducing a Developer Verification program that could require developers to register with Google in order for their apps to install on Android devices — even if those apps are not distributed through Google Play.

Many developers and open-source organizations see this as a serious problem. If Google can decide which developers are “verified”, then sideloading and independent app distribution could effectively disappear.

Projects like F-Droid warn that this could fundamentally change Android from an open platform into something much closer to a walled garden.

A coalition of developers and digital rights organizations has published an open letter asking Google to stop this change and keep Android open.

You can read it here:

https://keepandroidopen.org/open-letter/

F-Droid also explains the issue here:

https://f-droid.org/en/2026/02/24/open-letter-opposing-developer-verification.html

Even though my own software currently targets Windows, platform openness matters for the entire software ecosystem. Once companies gain full control over what software can run on a device, that control tends to expand rather than shrink.

If you care about keeping Android open, consider reading the open letter and signing the petition.

👉 https://c.org/vx6wWBC8tL