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Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week
(www.theverge.com)
this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2026
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how does this square up against "keep android open"?
As far as I can see it doesn't improve that situation. The Google Play Store may be forced to list alternative app stores, but by default the only apps that will install on Android, no matter which store they are downloaded from, are those whose developer has registered with Google, and where Google has approved both the developer and the app. So Google can still censor any app or developer they (or the US Government) consider inconvenient.
Google promises a slightly laborious workaround for this, but they don't say how long the workaround will remain available.
They don't care, but also they can point to AOSP being around. So "Android" is still "open", just making it harder and harder for it to be used without the Google Services (in addition to drivers needed for the crucial hardware bits OEMs use which are their own problems).
Conspiracy theory kind of rant/headspace. I am kind of shocked that the Pixel devices still have easy boot loader unlocking and drivers to install AOSP or Linux based ROMs. Guessing they will lock those down like the OEMs at some point, and make "must have" features for the hardware not work if an "unverified" ROM is installed. Could also see them selling "dev unlocked" versions of the devices that are more expensive, and require the people buying them to get verified for apps at time of purchase (even if the person isn't planning on actually making apps).
Samsung just did that with the tablets recently which are now garbage with 0 options for the bootloader.
Just what I was questioning, the push to make users jump through hoops to use apps not approved by big brother is still out there