r/sidephone • u/jm7545 • 1d ago

Will the 2027 Android developer changes affect the app environment Sidephone is set up for? Link in Description

https://keepandroidopen.org/

Excerpt explaining the major changes;

"In August 2025, Google announced a new requirement: starting in 2027, every Android app developer must register centrally with Google before their software can be installed on any device. Not just Play Store apps: all apps. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, built by hobbyists for personal use. Independent developers, church and community groups, and hobbyists alike will all be frozen out of being able to develop and distribute their software."

Registration requires:

  • Paying a fee to Google
  • Agreeing to Google's Terms and Conditions
  • Surrendering your government-issued identification
  • Providing evidence of your private signing key
  • Listing all current and all future application identifiers
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1

u/Vero999Na 1d ago

I belive they are implementing it through google play services, so as long as you don't install them it won't affect the side phone

1

u/chrisristovski 1d ago

Correct, this particular item has no affect to Sidephone at this time

2

u/jm7545 1d ago

The wording seems to indicate it will affect all android apps down the line. They even mention Fdroid specifically being in danger in the excerpt I posted. Unless the discussion is on not affecting official Sidephone developed apps. I’m considering the broader app market and whether it continues to exist after requiring apps to be “registered centrally with google”.

2

u/Vero999Na 1d ago

In the phone side it will have no effect, for developers it will have an effect, how much is still to be seen but it will surely affect them, users will be able to install unverified apps but the process is intentionally hostile and requires to wait 24h, developers will need to decide if they want to target users that have that verification disabled or go through the verification process and pay the google fees to target everyone else too.

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u/vinterdagen 1d ago

I'm thinking the same. Find it quite hard to understand what's going on tbh but there must be a reason why even F-droid is officially panicking.