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.
This is what happens when you don’t have strong competitors. We need to promote more independent OS platforms for smartphones like Linux distros.
AKA: Don’t waste time and energy fighting google, spend it helping GNU phones.
Which GNU project are you buying from/supporting?
Motorola is releasing with Graphene OS soon.
You don’t need to wait for confirmation someone else is doing x before doing x yourself. Take the first step!
I’m confused about what point you’re making here. @kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com is asking for recommendations. How do they “take the first step” when they have no idea what’s good? Especially when they’re talking to someone who seems to already know which ones are good, and it’s very easy to ask their knowledgeable opinion.
You’re assuming kbobabob is asking that question in good faith, while thenoirwolfess seems to believe they might be asking in bad faith (i.e., rhetorically asking as a “call out” because they assume leftascenter isn’t actually supporting a GNU phone project)
Oh. Well if you’re right, then I just double down. That’s a shitty thing to do. Assuming bad faith tends to be the sign of someone who themselves acts in bad faith. The first comment asked a reasonable question and there was no rational basis on which to assume it was anything other than sincere.
Stop overthinking it. This is a platform for discussion. Let people ask a damn question.
This is called explaining. I think the issue here is a lack of thinking on your part
It’s actually a lack of care on your part in differentiating between explaining and defending.
deleted by creator
Indeed, I assumed sarcasm, and replied as if kbobabob was sincere and honestly thinking of supporting a GNU project but would only support whichever ones leftascenter are supporting. My own bias played a part in my interpretation, as I believe that at this point any community GNU project is a worthy project.
Language and emotions are complex aha
I’m pretty unaware of Linux phone projects. Currently on Samsung, but if a good enough Linux phone came along then I’d switch.
Are there actually any projects that are worth it currently? Is it a situation where no one can agree so it’s a fractured space and never really moves forward as a result?
That’s how I read it too, but it looks like we’re in the minority
In fairness, plenty of actors are taking steps in doing x, aka, mobile Linux operating systems. It’s difficult as fuck, even for those with lots of experience, in ways that primarily boil down to the proprietary nature of smartphone communications infrastructure because of companies that have taken actions similar to Google, and then were supported by overreaching legislation. (From what I understand)
This shit runs so deep and has been running for so long, but we’ve only recently started hearing more about ongoing projects because of the flagrant privacy violations surrounding us. Just because so many of us only recently started paying attention, myself included, doesn’t mean that these solutions are new.
Both are important.
Legal cases create precedents which can be used to fight similar cases in the future.
In bizarre legislation systems like the US and the UK if I understand it correctly. I hope the EU will find some non BS thing to do stopping this crap.
And that graphene os will come to good cheap phones 😬
I expect the opposite but hope I’m wrong.
Every single time competitor appeared, they were ignored. Blackberry, Symbian, Windows 8/Mobile.
Microsoft even tried throwing money at app developers to bridge the biggest gap aka apps, but most companies didn’t even want their money, perceiving porting as too troublesome.
What? BlackBerry was ignored? BlackBerry existed before Android and iOS. It was Android and iOS that killed BlackBerry.
It’s actually a shame, because Windows Phone was actually good. It featured a much more user/task-centric UI, letting users think about what they want to do, rather than which app they need to use to do it. Of course, this was bad for apps’ ability to gain and reinforce brand recognition. So of course they didn’t want to support it.
Honestly this, I thought the windows phone was really good. That said I’ll never forgive Microsoft for buying nokia and effectively killing Meego (yes I know sailfish is a thing but it’s pretty stunted growth wise)
I was a windows phone user and the last Windows version is to blame for killing their phones. They released a half baked platform that literally required SOAP for all network traffic. No raw TCP or UDP access just SOAP… a horrible standard based on XML with like 10x the overhead. 6.1 was probably the best but even that was plagued by compatibility issues.
I’ve treated a couple on a Fairphone 4, I’ve owned dsupported devices and I’m enamored, but there are some pros and cons, I highly suggest helping your distros and DE of choice to advance the daily drivability of mobile Linux offerings.
PostmarketOS is a bit annoying because of the mainlining process., but worth considering, specially if you’re a developer, or don’t mind tinkering with kernel configs, OR if you have a phone that is already supported. You got the Alpine repos, plus Flatpak, and Waydroid. (sidenote fairphones need some work, please send help if you can)
Mobian is similar to postmarketOS, but there’s Deloitian which can help adaption, although it uses Halium. Debian repos and Flatpak and Waydroid are available too.
Ubuntu Touch also uses Hailium, but is a great option for first timers, its easier to port to devices, and has a lot of devices supported and more in development/testing. But, also offers a vast versatility for running applications, not sure if more than the rest, though… (OpenStore, Waydroid, Libertine Containers for Ubuntu Repos+PPAs, no Flatpak though)
SailfishOS also uses Hailium, and is a continuation of Maemo and Moblin, and although its not FOSS, its more customizable than UT, and has more keyboard and sync options than most. If your device isnt officially supported you can still run android via Wayland (like all distributions here) this uses zypper btw, also no current flatpak, and has OpenRepos and Chum Repo.
There’s also Manjaro Mobile, which means there’s also Arch Mobile. There’s Fedora PocketBlue, its brand new, but stable in some devices.
As for Mobile Environments; Phosh is most common and I can’t complain, although I don’t enjoy gnome, its been in development for long enough that I’ll admit, its my preferred environment, despite needing another app to theme Qt apps.
GNOME Mobile is suppose to be mainline but, felt more limiting than Phosh, which has been running for longer. I didn’t try this much.
KDE Mobile, JFC I want to love it, but it currently still needs work, the Akonadi alternative wasn’t ready when I tried it, its very close to how Android works, and is the most customizable of the bunch. Again, if you can, send help for development.
Lomiri (UT) can technically be installed in any distroes, it has probably my favorite implementation of a status bar, there’s not much wrong with it, but I haven’t tested it outside of UT.
Lipstick, SailfishOS proprietary fork of NemoMobile, is beautiful and feels nostalgic to what old phones would’ve evolved into has we not have this duopoly. Its closed source so, you can’t contribute, but…
NemoMobile is in active development, and also prefers openSUSE as a base, I suggest checking them out and maybe contribute if it interests you.
There are more but I haven’t tried them.
My personal favorite were PostmarketOS, andSailfishOS. But I’d give someone Ubuntu Touch (or SFOS) for beginners, or Mobian for not-so-beginners.
have you read the process - it’s all about anti scam which is a billion dollar industry right now
https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html
We are taking about Google. The US tech company that works with the US government(which is rotted to the core now). No matter how noble the reasons they will tell you for this actions, this identity verification will be used for surveillance and control of personal life. This is basically the same thing as with child safety now.