F‑Droid sounds alarm

F-Droid, the long-running Android repository for free and open-source apps, says Google’s new developer verification rules could break alternative app distribution on Android. (f-droid.org) Google announced the policy on August 25, 2025, saying that starting in 2026, apps on certified Android devices must be registered to verified developers before users can install them. Google said the change is meant to make it harder for repeat malware operators and scammers to keep redistributing harmful apps. (android-developers.googleblog.com) F-Droid said on September 29, 2025 that the system collides with how its store works: it builds apps from public source code, signs packages itself in many cases, and cannot force upstream open-source developers to register each app with Google. The project said taking over those app identifiers would amount to claiming exclusive distribution rights it does not have. (f-droid.org) That fight is about more than one store. Google’s rules apply not only to Play Store apps but also to apps distributed through rival stores, direct downloads, and other channels on certified Android devices. (developer.android.com) Google has argued that sideloading is staying. In its developer help pages, the company says verified developers will still be able to distribute apps directly or through any app store they prefer, and that advanced users will get a one-time setup flow to install apps from unverified developers. (support.google.com) Google added more detail in March 2026, saying the advanced flow and a limited-distribution account type will launch globally in August 2026. The company said enforcement for ordinary users begins on September 30, 2026 in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, with wider global expansion in 2027. (android-developers.googleblog.com) F-Droid says those concessions do not solve its core problem. In a February 24, 2026 open letter, it said over 95% of Android-compatible devices outside China are certified devices and said no public version of Google’s advanced flow would be available before the September 2026 lock-down in the first rollout markets. (f-droid.org) Digital-rights groups have echoed that warning. The Electronic Frontier Foundation said in November 2025 that Google’s registration system could chill volunteer, pseudonymous, and small-team Android development by requiring fees and government-backed identity checks. (eff.org) The dispute lands as Google faces wider scrutiny over Android distribution. The Electronic Frontier Foundation noted in 2025 that a federal court had ordered Google to make it easier for Android users to switch to rival app stores, even as Google was building a new verification gate for app installs. (eff.org) For now, the next hard date is September 30, 2026, when Google says verified-developer registration becomes mandatory for installs and updates on certified devices in the first four rollout countries. F-Droid is still pressing Google to change course before that deadline arrives. (android-developers.googleblog.com)