Your phone is about to stop being yours.
88 days until lockdown
Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn’t registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.
Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.
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Such a secret update that we know it’ll be done in September. Good to spread the message but stop the click bait.
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It was never your phone to begin with.
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Doesn’t affect GrapheneOS because Play Services don’t have the necessary permissions. If you are running a device with privileged play services, you can simply wait 24 hours to install an app.
AOSP isn’t changing, Google Play Services is.
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Yes but will developers of FOSS apps continue developing if the majority of their users (non-GOS users) won’t be able to use their apps?
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Will the majority of users stop using an app because they have to wait 24 hrs to install it once and then never again for any other apps?
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Yes, the price of vendor friction is lack of user adoption.
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Users installing apps from sources other than play store will be minimally discouraged.
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ADB commands for installing apps still exist.
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That’s until they don’t or until Google simply decides to restrict them too.
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That depends on the developer creating a verified Google account:
The vendor friction applies to both developers and users, especially with the advanced flow.
That’s a fair point. But this isn’t exactly a minor issue we’re dealing with here. It affects, for example, nearly the entire F-Droid Store.
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Nearly the entire F-Droid Store implies exceptions within it.
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Why should anyone have to wait to install an app on a phone they paid for?
Should you have to wait 24 hours to do your laundy in the washing machine you paid for?
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Where do you see that this is a one-time delay?
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What percentage of users of the Android ecosystem would you say even know what ADB is, let alone how to use it?
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When did I say you should have to wait to install an app on a phone you paid for 
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Fake identification services’ profits are going to skyrocket…
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The word “simply” implies that you consider this to not be an unreasonable requirement.
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