Phone Is About to Stop Being Yours: 70 Days Until Lockdown

Google has announced a plan to require all Android app developers to register centrally with the company before their software can be installed on any device, starting in 2027. This includes apps shared between friends, distributed through F-Droid, and built by hobbyists for personal use. If a developer does not comply, their apps will be silently blocked on every Android device worldwide.

Google claims that power users can still install unverified apps, but the process involves nine steps and a mandatory 24-hour cooling-off period. This move has raised concerns about the erosion of Android's open platform principles and the potential for the company to exert control over what software users can run on their devices.

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