What to do if Google blocks apps in September 2026?

[Tagirijus]

Dear team,

I am using your app frequently. I am in fear that from September 2026 onward it won't be possible (or at least not easily anymore) to install your app on my device, when Google decides to basically force devs to verify themselves and implement a surveillance mechanism with the verification process. This totally does not feel right to me. See https://keepandroidopen.org for more information.

With this message I want to ask:

1. How is your stance in this topic?
2. How can the users use your app, if on a Google-free phone?
3. Will you contact Google and do anything you can to prevent this from happening?
4. Do you already consider (and are there any at all?) alternative ways to distribute your app and let user install (and maybe buy or donate) them?

I am contacting many app devs and politicians right now. Thanks for your reply - I do look forward to it!

[EmmanuelMess]

1. I will give my opinion here, in general this is bad (see https://keepandroidopen.org/), the lock-in issue has been steadily getting worse on the file management side, but this seems to be going further to a system similar to what iOS has.
2. Users can access via FDroid, or IzzyDroid
3. There is not much we can do as an app
4. Fdroid and IzzyDroid are already available, and multiple donation methods

[Tagirijus]

Thanks for converting this to a discussion. I was not really aware that this was possible. Sorry for starting an issue initially instead.

Thanks for your honest feedback on the topic. I am aware of F-Droid and using it a lot (if possible always over Google Play, of course). I must have been a bit confused then since I thought that apps would not be installable via F-Droid neither. But maybe this applies only to non-Google-free Android system I suppose.

So, if I understand it correct, this whole thing will probably split the Android world. Apps being only available on Google Play and Google-Android, but on such devices even F-Droid apps won't be installable. And on the other site Google-free-Android, were only F-Droid (or similar) apps will be installable, hm? This does not feel good.