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Google's shocking developer decree struggles to justify the urgent threat to F-Droid
(www.neowin.net)
this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2025
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Technically illegal where I live.
In Brazil you can't sell a device with a given feature and then remove said feature in a software update. Even Apple, known for never allowing downgrades, was forced to downgrade and pay a fine to a customer after his iPad 3 updated to iOS 7 and lost an iOS 6 feature.
In other words... every single Android device sold until today in Brazil allows sideloading. Even if a single customer uses a sideloaded app, removing the ability to sideload freely would be illegal, and because the original feature didn't require a developer signature it can't be enforced now.
The issue is, as always, if this went to court somebody would have to manage to explain to a tech illiterate judge what a "developer signature" is, how this relates to "sideloading" and so on.
thank god for brazil
Also, let's stop calling it "sideloading". Sideloading has a bad vibe. We just want to INSTALL software on our own devices.
.. Brazil is one of the first countries this'll go into effect and I also remember something about how that first batch of countries was chosen because their governmemts support this change.
I can see how Google's PR team might use this argument, but it's certainly illegal in Brazil so our government most definitely isn't supporting this decision. Also, it needs to be way more specific than "government" - who exactly is endorsing this? Procon? Anatel? Polícia Federal?
Either way, the actual reason for targeting Brazil as one of the first is because we do love our piracy, which naturally translates into sideloading being frequent.
Best of luck to Brazil then. Hopefully you get them to change course.
Brazil has actually been really good about holding the mega corps to account recently. I'm very hopeful for them.
brazil and piracy are a match made in heaven, I remember when I was 8 and my mom went with me to a openstreet market to buy xbox360 games, all were pirate copies selling in open sky to anyone to buy, copyright be dammed, and of course can't forget the famous "gato" to watch all tv channels for free with a android box that definetly does not has a backdoor in it
The problem might be that Google will argue this isn't a downgrade at all, but an upgrade (for "security" reasons). I don't want to be a pessimist, but the tech illiterate judges could eat that up.
That's exactly what they're hoping for, and why we need to keep pouring out our outcry to reach them and hope they become more tech-literate.
technically you will still be able to install apps from outside the play store, but the developer will need to verify their identity with google.
Of course, most developers will refuse to do so (myself included), and so most apps will not be able to be installed. From a technical perspective, installing apps from other sources will still be allowed. So i can see judges ruling that this is not a feature removal.
You and I both know this is google killing non play store apps, but I don't think the tech illiterate judges will see it that way.
Technically you can still install apps unsigned through ADB.
Considering it's easier than ever to start up something like Shizuku, it could be used to grant f-droid access to install apps bypassing the requirement.
Obviously not a good solution by any means.
If I purchase a device today, it's got the ability to install apps that are not verified. This is a feature. If now it's restricted, it violates our code.
They’re not removing a feature though, so that whole argument falls over instantly.
Today: I can sideload a non verified apk.
After the update: I grab the same apk and I can't sideload it.
That’s not removing a feature though, it’s just changing it. Side loading is the feature.
You could do something with the device, now you can't.
That's illegal here.
I very much doubt that’s how the law works lol
Sure... and you're telling me that because?
Because you’re wrong.
I'm not. It's cute you believe you understand the legal context better than I do though. But that's still not an answer, I don't give a shit if you believe that's how it works or not.
It’s cute that you think that simply changing a feature is illegal lol
Are they actually proposing to make any previously sold devices “certified” through a software update, though? Your points are right on if this edict applied to all devices.
A "certified Android device" is a device running Google Play Services, Play Protect, Google's WideVine DRM scheme and a few other requirements. If you purchase a device from a known manufacturer, like Samsung, you're falling into this category.