this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2025
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I can't imagine this to go through everywhere in the world. In example even Apple is forced to allow sideloading in Europe. So why would Android not be forced too, especially because it had it before and is even more widespread than iPhones. I also wonder how many people using an Android phone do actually install applications outside the Google Store? I mean besides pre-installed stores like for Amazon Store or Samsung Store. The sad reality is that most people don't care or use sideloading at all. (Edit: Typo.)
This is different, by design. Sideloading and alternate app stores are still perfectly fine. It's just that the developer has to give a bunch of personal into to Google in order for their app not to be rejected by the phone itself. Middleman doesn't matter which is where most if the regulations are. Problem is that many open source apps don't have a developer willing to spend the time and money or give up their privacy in order to publish an app they don't make money on. So it's designed to kill off FOSS apps.
As the F-Droid team signs the (not repoducibly built) apks with their own key, Google would have to allow the key of the F-Droid team then.
Yet, as Google currently does not permit apps in their PlayStore that aren't in line with their business model, e.g. NewPipe, they would then force the F-Droid team to do the same.
They said they can't do that in the article:
They would need to modify the ID then. ~~OSMand, e.g. has different IDs in PlayStore and F-Droid (
+vs.~suffix).~~Edit: It's the names that are different, the IDs are the same.