If you haven’t seen this yet, Google is planning to require mandatory developer identity verification for all Android apps, including apps distributed outside the Play Store, taking effect September 2026. This affects every independent and open source Android developer directly.
This is not just about the Play Store. After September 2026, on any certified Android device, applications from unverified developers will be blocked by default. The only proposed bypass, the “advanced flow”, exists only as a blog post and has not appeared in any beta, dev preview, or canary release. No one outside Google has seen it.
The community has been fighting back at keepandroidopen.org:
- Read the full breakdown of what this means
- Sign the open letter (organisations only)
- Contact your national regulators — contacts listed by country on the site
- Add the countdown banner to your project
September 2026 is closer than it looks. The time to push back is now.
I’d rather stop using android than join some anonymous internet battle. What are my options?
i sure would like to know what you found becuase the answer as far as i can tell is… there are no options
This is what happens when you don’t have strong competitors. We need to promote more independent OS platforms for smartphones like Linux distros.
Are there any FOSS devices available on the market now? I’d rather not wait until next year
Start moving to LineageOS or GrapheneOS now. Plan your next phone purchase on a model supporting one of these. eBay a used phone if you have to. Get out.
Do they have their own app stores? How does that work? Already switched my PC to Linux. Maybe I’ll look into that.
You can use the Google Play app store if you want; or you can use alternate app stores like F-Droid, Aptiode, Accressent, or probably some other thing I’ve never heard of.
Obtainium is an app store of sorts