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this post was submitted on 27 Aug 2025
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Privacy
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While degoogling is accessible right now, what worries me is that all of these projects are 100% dependent on Google's whims because they use Android as the upstream. Same reason why I don't use Chromium browsers: yes, they can patch over things, but they can't fight the direction of the upstream project and they are powerless if the upstream stops publishing commits / source, like Google seems to be moving toward. Additionally, what "the big distros" aka stock ROMs do to prevent FOSS apps being installed means a much much smaller potential userbase for them. I develop an Android app, and (while I don't have analytics) I don't find it unlikely that at least half my users are on stock roms that would lose access to my app with this policy. It's much less motivating to develop something when I know less people will benefit, and especially knowing I'm supporting only custom roms that are 100% beholden to Google. Degoogling is a good first step. I've been on Lineage for many years now. But I believe that the step that will truly make us independent is moving to Linux phones.
What is hard about side loading apps. Just download and install the F-Droid apk. Am I missing something?
I share the concern about the reliance on the Google supply chain though.
Google is making android require a signed key from Google to install apps. I’m probably not explaining properly, but it will stop people side loading unsigned apps
You can aa shit bet that new pipe and smart tube aren’t getting a key
Will this be mandatory or can one turn it off say in developer options?
Nope. Mandatory. You can’t disable it. The only way you can get around it is to use a rom that doesn’t have Google play services on it. But with Google tightening their grip on android, even that may not be around much longer
This link has more info
https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/30878323