If you haven’t seen this yet, Google is planning to require mandatory developer identity verification for all Android apps, including apps distributed outside the Play Store, taking effect September 2026. This affects every independent and open source Android developer directly.

This is not just about the Play Store. After September 2026, on any certified Android device, applications from unverified developers will be blocked by default. The only proposed bypass, the “advanced flow”, exists only as a blog post and has not appeared in any beta, dev preview, or canary release. No one outside Google has seen it.

The community has been fighting back at keepandroidopen.org:

  • Read the full breakdown of what this means
  • Sign the open letter (organisations only)
  • Contact your national regulators — contacts listed by country on the site
  • Add the countdown banner to your project

September 2026 is closer than it looks. The time to push back is now.

  • mrbutterscotch@feddit.orgEnglish
    2·
    4 hours ago

    I am currently using the Fairphone 6 with e/OS and I am very happy with it.

    Not a heavy phone user though, as in I don’t really take pictures or play hardware heavy games etc, so I wouldn’t know how FP6 competes on those fronts.

    But for everything else it has worked really well!

    • determinist@kbin.earth
      2·
      4 hours ago

      Thanks for replying. I don’t play games. I’m definitely a light phone user however I like to take photos when I’m out hiking/biking. This Motorola actually takes good photos, even though it’s a “budget” phone, so I’d like something equal or better.

      • mrbutterscotch@feddit.orgEnglish
        3·
        3 hours ago

        Looking at the hardware it almost seems like they are using the same rear camera:

        Motorola:

        50 MP Sony Sensor - LYTIA ® 700C f/1.8 Blende 1 µm Pixelgrösse | Quad-Pixel-Technologie für 2 µm Quad PDAF Optische Bildstabilisierung (OIS) 13 MP Kamera mit Ultra-Weitwinkelobjektiv (120° Sichtfeld) Macro Vision f/2.2 Blende 1,12 µm Pixelgrösse PDAF 10 MP Teleobjektiv 3x optischer Zoom f/2.0 Blende 1,0 µm Pixelgrösse PDAF Optische Bildstabilisierung (OIS)

        FP6:

        50MP Sony Lytia 700C sensor, 1/1.56", 1.0μm pixel size Quadpixel Autofocus, 10 cm minimum focusing distance, time of flight sensor Up to 10x digital zoom Optical (OIS) image stabilization Ultra Wide camera: Image sensor: 13MP, 1/3.06", 1.12μm pixel size ƒ2.2 5 elements Autofocus, Macro Mode, 2.5cm minimum focusing distance, time of flight sensor Electronic (EIS) image stabilization

        But I am no expert, I’m sure there are differences due to software.