135
An Open Letter to Google regarding Mandatory Developer Registration for Android App Distribution
(keepandroidopen.org)
this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2026
135 points (99.3% liked)
Technology
42115 readers
118 users here now
This is the official technology community of Lemmy.ml for all news related to creation and use of technology, and to facilitate civil, meaningful discussion around it.
Ask in DM before posting product reviews or ads. All such posts otherwise are subject to removal.
Rules:
1: All Lemmy rules apply
2: Do not post low effort posts
3: NEVER post naziped*gore stuff
4: Always post article URLs or their archived version URLs as sources, NOT screenshots. Help the blind users.
5: personal rants of Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk are unwelcome (does not include posts about their companies affecting wide range of people)
6: no advertisement posts unless verified as legitimate and non-exploitative/non-consumerist
7: crypto related posts, unless essential, are disallowed
founded 6 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
The entire android project is pushed forward by Google. Take a look at how helpless graphene is when Google hides patches for longer and longer each year. Android is always has been and always will be googles ultimate expression of control. Only Linux mobile will unshackle us
https://beehaw.org/post/25210600
Don't forget that Graphene OS is made to work exclusivly in a Google phones, that gives Google naturally the possibility to control what you can do with Graphene OS and what not. But Google didn't have any influence in independent Phones and other Linux forks than Android. It's like saying that MS has influences in Linux Mint or other distro on desktop. Google has influences in his products, OS and its apps, not in those of others.
Its OS underpins everything. There’s is no truly open source android
Android as such is FOSS, but as said + Google's added crap. Out there also exist an degoogled version without it. It's a modified Linux for Mobile, same as other mobil distros.
You’re misunderstanding the ecosystem. The degoogled ROMs like graphene and e/os still rely on the Google releases of AOSP, hence why Google is allowed to strangle them with biyearly releases. There’s aren’t any major android projects that use a completely open system because android is inherently closed.
There are Linux systems which use a translation layer to interop with android apps for example sailfish os however this is also closed