Is there any partition in the E U to stop Google from implementing their developer verification system?
Like Stop Killing Games?
this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2025
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Telling people to file DMA complaints may be a start, ostensibly it was passed to prevent monopolists from locking things down like this, a stick that has already been used on Apple with some success: https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/contact-dma-team_en
Done
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The EU hasn't even been able to stop Apple, who's been doing this for 20 years.
And yet the EU did force Apple to goddamn finally use USB-C in their phones. It wasn't out of their own goodwill.
And to allow installing non-market apps. Apple wasn't happy about that in the slightest.
And implemented it in the shittiest way possible
And got away with it, which probably assured Google that they can do something similar (though coming from the opposite direction) without upsetting the EU...
Rumor has it that sideloading will still be possible using ADB, that is the shittiest way possibile
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When will this game of endless ping pong with big tech overreaching human rights end
There probably will be an exception for the EU. I imagine.
Unfortunately, I think this plays into the EU Cyber Resilience Act, and the developer verification is how Google is trying to comply with it...
Distributors and importers must verify that products comply with CRA standards before selling them. They must review technical documentation, ensure that software does not have known vulnerabilities and comply with update obligations. They must work with vendors to report vulnerabilities and request patches. Finally, they must conduct audits to ensure continued security over time.
[...] Finally, the resilience of mobile apps must be verified through regular testing.
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To get more control and more money. Saved you a click.
Yeah it's a real same thing we do every night pinky vibes.
Reasons:
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Mass surveillance
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30% on app sales
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Sell all your data
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Remove any and all ad blockers
Etc
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Everyone is suggesting LineageOS, but my big questions are:
- Won't ROMs/forks be affected too if this becomes mainstream? Google closed Android's source (probably exactly for this)
- Should I just try going full Linux phone?
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Maybe - the community tends to patch out these kinds of things
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probably not as they aren't very mature
This is only affecting roms that are Google approved and have Google play services installed meaning that going to a custom rom will fix this but also that any device currently supported by GPS will be affected. Therefore even old unsupported devices which are no longer receiving updates from their manufacturer will be locked down without the user's choice
GPS is usually decoded to global positioning system, which all phones use. Your usage of the acronym for something else is needlessly confusing. You could avoid the confusion by decoding the acronym yourself: ... Google Play services (GPS)...
I did earlier if you read it
This is what you wrote:
This is only affecting roms that are Google approved and have Google play services installed...
What I'm saying is your connect would have been less confusing of you flagged that you were using an acronym oddly:
This is only affecting roms that are Google approved and have Google play services (GPS) installed...
Google "certified" is the proper terminology. But no, it will affect the entire Android ecosystem, because people won't develop FOSS apps for the <1% of users on uncertified devices.
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even old unsupported devices which are no longer receiving updates from their manufacturer will be locked down without the userβs choice
Source?
The lockdown is not in android itself but in Google services so if the device is on a new enough android version (not very new like marshmallow) the lockdown will apply. If the lockdown were in android itself it would affect(effect? Idk) all roms
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So is it worth investing time into something like LineageOS?
Yes definitely especially considering it's not much time to invest at all you just install once then update like normal
Few weeks ago google started messing with aosp. I don't really remember what they did but I think it was either delaying security patches or something to do with firmware. The point is that they can lock apks while pointing at Roms to call the privacy users, then few years later, kill Aosp and we are done
They are withholding device trees and driver binaries for Pixel phones in addition to releasing security patches when they see fit.
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Google made Android to get a foothold into the market. The free and open model was only because they were up against Apple. Donβt nobody kid yourself into thinking their intent was all along anything other than being able to rake it in and have total control just like Apple. They just needed an in to get big. Now Android is huge and now they wanna slam the door and lock everyone down and start really fucking the cash out of everyoneβs asses.
Embrace. Expand. Extinguish.
I started using Android in 2011, IIRC, the enshittification has hit hard.
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Yeah, I'm fixing to move to either /e/OS or LineageOS. I'm leaning /e/OS, but I'm worried it's less supported than LineageOS for a newbie like myself. On a side note, I also need to go through all my Authy 2FA keys and refresh them because Authy is too locked down to work on anything but a "real" android phone. That's going to be another PITA.
I am enjoying /e/ on the Fairphone.
Im very tempted to just get a small cyber-deck setup and "call" it a day ;). https://www.clockworkpi.com/shop is VERY close to what I want.
Serously, the only people that "Call" me are spam callers. Everyone SMSs or something similar. A small linux device can do the same when you think about it. The only thing I am missing is a directions app and Ill personally be fine.
If by "directions app" you mean navigation, there are several on F-Droid. I keep seeing lots of positive talk about Organic Maps lately if you need somewhere to start.
Comaps... Organic maps had some drama about how they handle the money and control a single point of failure with the map server address. So it was forked to comaps.
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This is the first time I've seen a device like this, super cool. Thanks for sharing.
I honestly don't use my phone much either, it's as you say, mostly for text based messages.
The app I use the most, besides my banking app (which I've confirmed works in waydroid aka LineageOS), is probably the Lidl app π.Luckily I don't get spam calls because in my country we have pretty good privacy laws still:
like my number is set to private and I'm on the "Robinson" list, and if someone calls that's not in my contacts list I don't pick up. Cold calls is how they get ya, and once they know there's someone picking up, it's like sharks smelling blood.
I do still use Google Pay quite a bit, but I'm fine going back to card. I don't even know if NFC works in LineageOS or /e/OS.
And like you said, as long as the phone can do some GPS stuff for navigation, that's mostly all I need. And browse the internet (IronFox) every now and then.
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Google's version of android isn't the "real" one, it's the (soon to be even more) defective one.
There used to be an exploit in an older version of the Authy desktop app that could let you export your 2FA keys, but i dont think you can sign in on the old desktop apps anymore (iirc the app was made in Electron and they left chromium's developer tools enabled in it, which allowed you to run your own JS or something like that). It's always a pain to move 2FA keys to a new app.
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This kills Aurora store and other alternate play store frontends that are entirely based on spoofing your identity when you download an app. Of course, you can still install these things on Custom ROMs I assume, since those aren't going to be verified Android or whatever google is calling this bullshit, right?
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Time stamp is about 7 minutes to 18 and a half minutes.
Next version of Android 14 Graphene OS flavored with desktop mode and Linux apps will give plenty of time to wait for my next phone.
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These companies and their enshittification have kinda killed the broader concept of phones in my mind.
What is my phone? It's my worst computer, proprietary and closed, and which I have been actively avoiding using all year long in order to improve my mental health. It's a tool that makes it easier to exist in modern society, not something that enhances my quality of life.
So I'm not thinking about whether I need iMessage vs Android openness like I might have a decade ago. I'm sitting here wondering if I even need a phone number in the first place! But, even with some wonderful Linux phone device that's like a 6" laptop with a touch screen and LTE/5G, I guess you'd still just have a number associated with your service.
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