Summary
- The F-Droid app repository accuses Google of restricting the installation of external applications on Android.
- Google’s new policy, scheduled for 2026, requires developers to verify their identity and link apps to registered accounts.
- F-Droid warns that the measure could give Google excessive control over software distribution, impacting alternative app stores.
The alternative app store F-Droid accused Google of misleading users about the future of installing apps from external sources on Android, called sideloading). The dispute gained strength due to the arrival of new developer verification rules, which, according to F-Droid, aim to control the distribution of applications outside the Play Store, making the freedom of installation on the system “irrelevant”.
The well-known app repository argues that while Google may keep the option technically available on the system, the new rules will nullify that freedom.
What does Google’s new policy look like?
The center of the controversy is Google’s new verification system, which is expected to begin rolling out in phases in 2026. The policy will require all developers, even those distributing apps outside of the Play Store, to verify their identity and link their apps to a registered account. Google defends the measure as a security improvement for the entire Android ecosystem, aiming to combat the spread of malware.
For F-Droid, this process puts independent app stores and individual developers under the supervision and control of Google. The organization warns that, if Google decides not to approve a specific developer or app, it cannot be installed from external sources, even if the user wants to.
“If Google does not approve the applications, they will not be available for installation outside the official store, thus changing the very nature of the process”, stated F-Droid in a publication. The text also argues that the promise of an open platform is being broken. “You, the consumer, purchased your Android device believing in Google’s promise that it was an open platform (…) starting next year, they will release, without consent, an update that will block this right.”
Dispute between F-Droid and Google
The tension between the two entities did not start now. F-Droid had already warned that Google’s verification system could mean the end of alternative app stores in September 2025. In response, Google stated that installation from external sources was “fundamental” for Android and that the policy was only aimed at security, without limiting user options.
F-Droid also criticized the use of the term “outside installation” (sideloading) by Google. The platform argues that the company uses this language to frame the practice as something risky or unsafe, treating it as “a problem they tolerate”, rather than a standard functionality of an open system. The project argues that it is simply “another way of installing software”, and not a security breach.
The group’s post ends with an appeal to regulators and governments, claiming the move will give Google excessive power over software distribution and calling for an investigation into the company’s plans.
Source: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/liberdade-de-instalar-apps-no-android-esta-ameacada-diz-f-droid/
