Google will require all Android app makers to register and verify their identity; unverified apps will be blocked from installing on certified devices. F‑Droid says it can’t force developers to register or assume app identifiers, so the policy would effectively shut the open‑source repository. Rollout starts in 2026 in several countries and expands globally by 2027.
— Turning Android into a de facto walled garden concentrates platform power, threatens open‑source distribution and competition, and invites antitrust and speech‑governance scrutiny.
BeauHD
2025.09.30
74% relevant
Both stories track the same pattern: closing previously open Android pathways to install software. Google’s planned developer‑ID regime would effectively curtail sideloading; Amazon goes further by abandoning Android on Fire TV entirely and allowing only Amazon Appstore apps on Vega OS.
msmash
2025.09.29
100% relevant
F‑Droid’s warning that Google’s verification scheme will prevent installation of unverified apps and therefore force its shutdown.
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