Android has always been a fairly open platform, especially if you were deliberate about getting it that way, but we’ve seen in recent months an extremely rapid devolution of the Android ecosystem:

  1. The closing of development of an increasing number of components in AOSP.
  2. Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus have removed the option of bootloader unlocking on all of their devices. I suspect Google is not far behind.
  3. Google implementing Play Integrity API and encouraging developers to implement it. Notably the EU’s own identity verification wallet requires this, in stark contrast to their own laws and policies, despite the protest of hundreds on Github.
  4. And finally, the mandatory implementation of developer verification across Android systems. Yes, if you’re running a 3rd-party OS like GOS you won’t be directly affected by this, but it will impact 99.9% of devices, and I foresee many open source developers just opting out of developing apps for Android entirely as a result. We’ve already seen SyncThing simply discontinue development for this reason, citing issues with Google Play Store. They’ve also repeatedly denied updates for NextCloud with no explanation, only restoring it after mass outcry. And we’ve already seen Google targeting any software intended to circumvent ads, labeling them in the system as “dangerous” and “untrusted”. This will most certainly carry into their new “verification” system.

Google once competed with Apple for customers. But in a world where Google walks away from the biggest antitrust trial since 1998 with yet another slap on the wrist, competition is dead, and Google is taking notes from Apple about what they can legally get away with.

Android as we know it is dead. And/or will be dead very soon. We need an open replacement.

OC Author @Ulrich@feddit.org

  • illusionist@lemmy.zip
    9·
    5 months ago

    Companies locking the bootloading screams for a new EU law regarding the matter to strengthen customers.

    According to this post https://xiaomitime.com/eu-kills-android-bootloader-unlock-starting-august-1-59449/ there is already a EU law weakening customers.

    " In 2022, a new set of rules (delegated act 2022/30) brought cybersecurity front and center.

    As of August 2025, manufacturers selling devices in the EU need to:

    • Block the installation of unauthorized software
    • Use Secure Boot (or similar) to verify firmware authenticity
    • Ensure only signed and approved ROMs can run "
      • Sandevistan@programming.dev
        2·
        5 months ago

        Thats exactly my go to setup right now but for different reasons, I struggled with doomscrolling no matter how much I’d dumb my phone down.

        I’m using a Nokia 6300 4G for tethering/calls and a Thinkpad for everything else.

    • noughtnaut@lemmy.world
      2·
      5 months ago

      Honestly, the Psion 5 was an absolute beauty. Also the Revo of you wanted it cheaper.

      I still keep a Palm V by my nightstand because its baclklighting is just 😗👌 compared to today’s thousand-nit 6" oled phones.

  • paulbg@programming.dev
    2·
    5 months ago

    i’ve been wanting an open-source powered phone for a long time. the idea that the most personal device you carry every day is basically just a bundle of spyware feels absurd to me.

  • someacnt@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    2·
    5 months ago

    Regarding the first point:

    This does not mean that Google is making Android a closed-source platform, but rather that the open-source aspect will only be released when a new branch is released to AOSP with those changes, including when new full versions or maintenance releases are finished.

    It seems like the particular news does not mean android is increasingly going closed-source, just that the dev branch will be private. Is there an evidence that they are taking components out of AOSP?

    • MTK@lemmy.world
      41·
      5 months ago

      Google has stopped releasing essential files—like device trees and driver binaries—with the Android 16 source code. These files are critical for developers to build and maintain custom ROMs, especially for Pixel devices. The new reference device for AOSP is now the virtual “Cuttlefish,” limiting real-device support.