If you stay current with tech news you’ll probably have noticed all the clickbait articles of “Google is killing Android”, “The end of sideloading” and various other catchy titles.
For the longest time in Google’s very own mission statement it said “Don’t be evil.”, that was quietly removed a few years ago. If it weren’t, with their recent announcement they’d definitely be going against that statement.
Under the current popular excuse of “Security” Google have announced that as of September 2026, to run an app installed from the Play store or anywhere else on any certified Android device (pretty much all of them) the publishing developer will need to have a paid, verified developer account. The cost for an account which is rumored to be around £35 as a one time payment is largely irrelevant.
The intent behind this is to block apps that Google don’t like on any Android device. The main target here is undoubtedly “YouTube Revanced”, but it will also be targeting any modified APK’s that are floating around that circumvent advertising and allow premium features within apps such as Spotify without requiring payment.
I for one am absolutely furious about this announcement. Over the years the one longstanding benefit to me of Android over iOS was it’s open nature. My phone is a small computer. I would never accept a computer (Windows, MacOS or Linux) that restricted me to only being able to install programs from a single source that they controlled. It’s a ludicrous concept and when it’s laid out like that I’m sure you would think so too. Then why should we accept these limitations on our small pocket computers?
Google have been encroaching on smartphone users freedoms for a while now, with things like Safetynet and Play integrity they have tried to block users from using banking apps, accessing government services and various apps if their devices operating system is not the one it shipped with, or if it has been rooted. Again, this is done under the guise of security but when you think back to my computer analogy their reasoning falls apart.
On my desktop or laptop computer I have the freedom to install anything I want, from any source I want. The onus is on me to ensure that the software I install is safe, and that I take precautions to keep my device secure. With anything I want installed on my system, I am free to log in to my bank, government services or anything else I wish to do. Why should my smartphone be any different?
Unfortunately I think the general population has been conditioned by Apple’s practices with their iOS devices over the years to believe that this is for our own good. It really isn’t. The duopoly of Google and Apple over the Smartphone space was bearable when Android had flexibility. Those that were happy with the restrictions iOS imposed could go with an iPhone, those that weren’t could get a device running Android from any manufacturer. Where do we go after September 2026?
Personally I am formulating a long (ish) term plan in my head. I have a Pixel Tablet that’s running a custom ROM devoid of any Google services, that should cover my media needs. My phone however is a different story. I think I may actually end up using two phones. One that will run within the confines of Googles rules that will be switched off the majority of the time, only being used for banking etc that can be used over WiFi with no SIM card. The other may have to be a Pixel (always buy used, don’t put any money into Google’s pockets) so that I have long term support for a custom ROM such as LineageOS, GrapheneOS, CalyxOS or anything that allows me to have zero Google services installed. In theory, this would no longer be a “certified device” and shouldn’t be limited on what I can install on the device I own.
I am furious that the world is heading down this authoritarian path, especially when it comes to the internet. I don’t advocate true piracy, but I’m a firm believer that if something can’t be owned then it cannot be stolen. By using apps like Youtube Revanced, modded Spotify, or a modified Reddit client you can avoid the absolute swathes of advertisements that completely ruin the experience, you’re not stealing anything and you’re not harming anybody. Hence my title. Google have lost the battle against open source developers in their ability to stop ad blockers, and modified clients. Their final move is akin to a nuclear bomb, they are completely removing any remaining freedom on Android to stop a problem that will not even be noticeable in their profit figures. It’s greed at the highest level, and we should do everything we can to fight it.
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