| Headlines |
| 2025-09-29 |
F-Droid seeks solution to Google decree against open source apps |
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Google announced recently that it will be rolling out changes to Android which will prevent users from loading applications onto their phones, unless those applications are distributed through the Google Play Store. Loading third-party applications (called "side-loading") has long been one of the attractive features of Android and part of what made the platform more appealing to people seeking an operating system more open than iOS. With this locking down of Android alternative software centres, such as F-Droid will no longer work. F-Droid has offered easy access to open source apps on Android (and Android-based operating systems) for 15 years and Google's change may make it impossible for F-Droid to continue. "The F-Droid project cannot require that developers register their apps through Google, but at the same time, we cannot “take over” the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.
If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open-source app distribution sources as we know them today, and the world will be deprived of the safety and security of the catalog of thousands of apps that can be trusted and verified by any and all."
People who wish to be able to run third-party, open source apps on their phones are advised to contact their government representatives to ask them to protect the open source ecosystem.
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