The New Developer Verification Policy is a Betrayal of Android's Core Principles

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 To: The Android Policy Team, Google Regarding: The New Developer Verification Polic & A new layer of security for certified Android devices "Elevating Android's security to keep it open and safeBy making Android safer, we're protecting the open environment that allows developers and users to confidently create and connect. Android's new developer verification is an extra layer of security that deters bad actors and makes it harder for them to spread harm.Starting in September 2026, Android will require all apps to be registered by verified developers in order to be installed on certified Android devices."


Dear Google and the Android Development Team,

I am writing to you today as a long-time, loyal Android user and developer, dating back to the earliest days of the platform. I have always championed Android precisely for the principles it was built upon: openness, user control, and freedom. These principles are not just abstract ideals; they are the core strategic advantage that led millions of us, myself included, to deliberately choose Android over the restrictive "walled garden" ecosystem of Apple. It is with profound concern and disappointment, therefore, that I have learned of the upcoming policy requiring developer identity verification for all applications, including those distributed outside of the Play Store.

While I understand the stated goal is to protect users from malicious software, this implementation is a dangerously misguided overreach. It is a solution that punishes the entire community of power users, independent developers, and creative innovators in order to build a "walled garden" that fundamentally betrays the spirit of Android.

This policy will have several devastating consequences:

1. It Destroys User Ownership and Developer Freedom. The idea that a developer—or any user—must register their identity with Google to run code they wrote themselves on a device they physically own is antithetical to the very concept of personal computing. This policy transforms Android devices from versatile tools owned by the user into restricted terminals that are merely licensed from Google. It is a direct attack on hobbyists, students, and anyone learning to code, who will now face a corporate barrier to the simple act of creating and testing a personal application.

2. It Punishes the Independent and Altruistic Developer Community. Android's ecosystem thrives because of passionate developers who create valuable, ad-free, and open-source software for the good of the community. Forcing these individuals to navigate a corporate verification process, potentially with associated fees, is a direct penalty against their altruism. This bureaucratic hurdle will stifle innovation and discourage the very passion projects that make the Android ecosystem so rich and diverse.

3. It Functions as a De Facto Tool for Censorship. Let us be perfectly clear: this policy is not just about security; it is about content control. Sideloading is the only viable distribution method for entire categories of legitimate applications that are disallowed from the Play Store for purely ideological or moral reasons, most notably NSFW and adult-themed content. By making verification mandatory, you are creating a system where Google becomes the sole arbiter of what is morally acceptable for all adult users worldwide. This is "censorship through bureaucracy," effectively eliminating any content that does not align with a sanitized, corporate-friendly image, and infantilizing your entire user base.

For years, Android's key differentiator has been trust—the trust you placed in your users to manage their own devices and assess their own risks. This policy is a vote of no confidence in your most loyal and technically proficient users.

I strongly urge you to reconsider this path. A blanket, mandatory verification system is the wrong approach. Please explore alternatives that do not strip away the core freedoms of the platform, such as more robust, opt-in security modes for novice users, clearer and more direct warnings, or other methods that do not destroy the open ecosystem that made Android a global success.

Do not sacrifice the soul of Android for the illusion of total control.

Respectfully,

A Concerned Android User and Developer

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