Cirrus app dev informing the app will stop working on certified android devices in '26/'27

GrapheneOS

Hopefully this leads to a lot more development of and for Ubuntu Touch. Biggest issues it faces are lack of compatibility and lack of apps. I think the core is solid though. I used it for a week when switching from iOS (so no Android background) and enjoyed it, but a few too many minor issues built up and I ended up going to Calyx.

Yes you're right. I've worded that wrong in the title!

When one thing dies, another thing is born.

Only works for those of us who own a pixel or bought one for the reason but this won't effect Graphene users

I believe you can sideload with ADB.

Thank you for these links they are fantastic! I was aware of the procedural lock in via play integrity services and also the lockdown on side loading so that didn't get past me, but I wasn't aware google also wants to alienate developers now by requiring ID. It seems to me google want to now fully commercialize the platform, transforming it into the ad infested network that web2+3.0 already became. I think their plan, by alienating non commercial devs, is that all apps will run on their ad models and non without them will be left.

First of all thank you for providing a foss app!

I think it's a big difference if the platform tolerates you or actively wants to stop you from doing it. You got my fullest sympathy.

Yes, like GrapheneOS

any version of android that's not vendor or downloaded from the official android website

• like https://lineageos.org/
• https://e.foundation/e-os/
• or the aforementioned GrapheneOS
• calyxos.org (paused)

Yes, think cheap android tablets that are so shit google store can barely run on it. Those devices are usually chinese knockoffs and do not ship with google services, google store or any gapps.

Google just came out of the biggest antitrust suit since 1998 completely unscathed so you can expect this sort of anticompetitive measures to continue.

Even apps installed outside the Play Store will need to have a "verified developer", and this change will affect any devices that use Google Play Services, so it will be a problem even to old devices.

If you don't have Google Play Services installed, then you're not affected. Of course, how many custom ROMs will live to that day is unknown.

There won't be Fdroid on Google OS phones period

From what I gather, yes. But will you be allowed to install F-Droid? No.

Unclear, but they are saying it will affect side-loaded apps, and no way to bypass with Developer Options, so I would assume so.

Depends on your OS. Most likely no.

I think you could still adb install unverified apps into your phone.

That untill they'll block that path too.

Also I suppose that you'll need to adb every update. So apps that would want to go this way should self check updates instead of relying on an external store.

They're baking this right in the package installer of android, it goes beyond play services. I have my doubts that this will pass in the EU

Don't think so, bud

From what I've seen elsewhere, yes. adb sideloading will still be possible, but that adds a level of inconvenience many people will not enjoy, especially since FDroid and similar have been so easy.

Install, maybe. What about updates though? Do you plan to pull out adb for each and every one of them? Or would you rather keep using old, potentially insecure, versions?

Just use a custom ROM. This sadly will affect app developers. But if you are on a custom ROM without GMS it will continue to work just fine.

End-users can use e.g. waydro.id to run Android apps on Linux.

I'm not deep into Android development, but I doubt it's possible to just port an app without basically a complete rewrite. Android has an own layer on top of the JVM, called Zygote, and there's presumably lots of system libraries which the Android apps implicitly depend on, for handling graphics and whatnot, which make tons of assumptions about running on an Android device.

Screw that!
Get a Fairphone with /e/OS before you switch to the rotten apple.

I switched to iPhone in 2016. I had no idea Pixel was coming, and my choices all sucked. The more I looked at the iPhone 6s, the more I realized it was the right phone at that time.

I’m now on my fourth iPhone and I’m kind of done with them. “Apple Intelligence” and the keyboard gets so many things wrong. On a 16 Pro Max. And yet my Galaxy S10 which is 5 years older gets almost nothing wrong.

iPhones have great screens and the newest Snapdragon barely catches up to the new iPhone chip. But I think it does more. The Pixel chip is much further behind (comparable to an iPhone 11, I hear) but even that phone seems smarter.

I feel like iPhones are really nice basic/feature phones. They work well with my Macs, but Macs don’t stop working if your phone runs Android. They just don’t play well together.

Apple is a lot better on privacy. They never pretended to be or care about open source though. iOS is based on macOS which is certified UNIX; Android is Linux more or less but neither is open. I think it's a moot point at best and a bullshit non-point most days. Open source I mean. As far as privacy, I think Apple is better on a good day but maybe misleading, but Google never really pretended to care. The deal was always, premium stuff for your personal data. We just didn’t care as much back then.

Honestly there are no great options. If I had to buy a phone right now, I’d probably get a Galaxy S25. I just hate what’s going on with Nova Launcher. But I love using my S10, it’s just a dated screen at this point.

Honestly considering the same. Sideloading is the only reason to stick with Android and that's now going away. Apple devices have more power, better battery life, better displays, etc etc etc. Especially considering the "base" 17 is now actually a really good value while Pixel prices have skyrocketed in recent years to iPhone levels (presumably for AI shit I don't even want).

Wait you could install arbitrary apks on android tv?

Agreed. Google just didn't consent to you getting an app without ads. My hope is maybe we can circumvent it for a while with PWA or browser website bookmarks. Maybe long enough for alternatives to arrive or consumer protection to kick in. I refuse to give up hope even though I might need to abandon android. For now I guess I will just not buy another phone since androids time seems limited. Really hard to find something to recommend to family and friends that just works. My goto grapheneOS also seems more and more cut down with more and more apps refusing to work outside play store downloads or refusing to work on 3rd party OS.

How does this do that. To get in the play store you already have to be registered. This is for apps not on the play store.

Its not about security for google, its about to have more control over their platform. They saw apple got away with their policies about sideloading here in Europe (which is still a pain in the ass) so they thought why not have it in android.

How does this help with malware?

this wont help with malware, in the past there was malware on the google play store.