this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
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Android

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Keep Android Open (keepandroidopen.org)
submitted 2 days ago by not_IO@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/android@lemmy.world
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People should be able to write software for Android, and distribute it outside Google's Play store, without having to:

  • pay Google
  • give government ID to Google
  • agree to Google terms and conditions

People should be able to install the software they want on their phone, from sources other than Google's Play store, without having to jump through Google-imposed hoops.

e.g. via F-Droid.

We've got until September this year to stop Google squeezing the open Android ecosystem.

https://keepandroidopen.org/

https://mastodon.neilzone.co.uk/@neil/116087210269757672

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[–] certified_expert@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago (17 children)

What would it take to start from a clean slate? I mean, a mad lad said about 35 years ago "UNIX expensive. I'm gonna make my own OS"

What are the obstacles for something like this to happen for phones? I assume device drivers, but probably it is much more complicated than that

[–] Canuck@sh.itjust.works 46 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (10 children)

I have a GNU/Linux phone I carry in my other pocket. Here are the biggest issues I can see:

  1. Driver support for components in the mainline kernel (lets you install any distro and things like camera, Bluetooth just work)
  2. Power management; turns out it is a hard technical problem to have your phone suspend to save energy, while being awake enough to know what and when to turn back on to receive chats/calls, playback music, etc
  3. Cameras have a lot of stuff beyond drivers happening behind the scenes these days in software that would need to be developed, especially given it is a big reason people choose their phones for
  4. Phone certification is tough, this has stopped even companies like Fairphone from shipping their devices worldwide, I imagine even harder for a device like the Purism Librem 5 where you can literally upgrade Wi-Fi, BT, and cellular generations like a gameboy cartridge
  5. App ecosystems take a while to build up, it is a chicken/egg scenario. I think things are in a useable state for all the default apps an iPhone has, but if you want Uber, Uber Eats, you either have to draw even more power essentially running Android via Waydroid, or use a typically more janky web app that may be missing some features
[–] aarRJaay@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Aren't there also issues with Banking Apps and their requirements around security and signing?

[–] elch78@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago

and authentication apps like itsme ...

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