There are some serious concerns about the future ability to direct-install (“sideloading” in evil Google language) any none Google tolerated applications/bits.
See more details here: https://keepandroidopen.org/
Could we have a statement, even with assumptions, around these changes and what will this means to /e/OS users?
I don’t think they know what it means. They’ll likely be an open version of AOSP like there currently is, but “sideloading” apps from the Play store will likely be impossible as devices running Murena, Lineage, etc are “not secure” and not trusted.
This is basically an expansion of safetynet, and if Murena updates to the next AOSP they likely won’t have a connection to the Google App Store at all.
This topic applies to Android – Certified devices. It seems a given that it is unlikely that any device running a custom ROM could be in this category. It certainly seems an extra effort or attempt to marginalise AOSP.
This is something that will impact Google prebuilt apex and does not impact /e/OS. You can check official documentation which should be available in the Android Open Source Project under “APEX file format” and “Vendor APEX”
@Manoj Just to be absolutely sure: are you saying that with the new Google policy nothing changes for users of /e/OS, not even for downloading apps without Google account?
Developer verification is mostly required for stock phones with google services. De-googled phones aren’t affected. As of now it does not impact /e/OS or the apps on it. What changes Google may bring about in the future is not known and no point in speculating on what is not available in the code now. These changes will impact stock phones which are dependent on Google services.
Actually, as a user of /e/OS, I didn’t expect the announcement of Google would change anything in the process of app installation. However, I’m sure that the requirements for app developers cause some effect on the app community. Not every developer will register with Google and may terminate their app development.
I.e. even if we’re still free to install or sideload any app, the availability of the apps may decline.
because the restriction applies no matter the origin of the install(!), their target audience will shrink and it could make a dent in motivation. I assume popular foss apps atm on the Playstore will likely verify an identity though.
How could they know that when the policy isn’t even officially outlined in a measurable way? From what I understand, device ownership of “uncertified” devices (Like Lineage, Murena, etc) will allow that device to install software as they want, still using F-Droid.
Google’s policy absolutely sucks - but I don’t believe there’s any real way F-Droid can know for sure right now how it will affect them.
I wanted to share that I’m about to write an article on 421.news about this topic. I’ve been reading up on it over the past few days and checking the forum, which answered some of my questions, but new doubts have come up.
1- I understand that this change would strictly affect “stock Android,” but it’s not clear to me why “custom ROMs” are safe. In other words, a stock Android device, with these changes, wouldn’t be able to install F-Droid and access the entire catalog of free and open-source software.
2- If Google moves forward with this, do we have any certainty that they won’t push even further toward a fully locked-down policy? I imagine the answer is “we don’t know.” I’m asking this because nowadays we can use Play Services thanks to MicroG, which is essential for using banking apps, among others.
I think everything is heading in the worst possible direction: governments pushing toward biometric age verification, and Google locking down Android even more. We have to resist and fight it—there’s no other option.
Any responses from anyone in the community would be greatly appreciated, as they will help provide a clearer perspective for the article. Thanks in advance, and long live eOS and free software!!!
Hi @soldan as mentioned above the changes are specific to stock ROM devices.
What Google does in the future is not known to us. And as regards Government laws the response was already shared
Please get in touch with the communications team members who helped you in the past in case you want any further updates on releases and products coming up on /e/OS.
Ofc it will have a secondary (negative) effect on Custom ROMs but I believe more the action now is
Loosely speaking certified devices will have accompanying “certified” software, while all the rest of us will have regular software.
Rather off topic but a family member received a communication with a Samsung “original” software upgrade in very forked tongue language saying that her next device must be “certified” to avoid “all the uncertainty of security with smartphones these days”.
