By David Cassel
Publication Date: 2026-03-13 18:33:00
Attention, any developers hoping to sell their apps to the world’s 3.3 billion Android phones. “Google is changing the way you install apps on your device!” warns the free and open-source Android app repository F-Droid.
And it threatens the existence of some alternative Android app stores that are used by millions of people. The New Stack spoke with Marc Prud’hommeaux, a member of the board of directors at F-Droid, who also created the website Keep Android Open. In an interview this week, Prud’hommeaux shared the latest news on how their fight is going, the threats being overlooked, the results of their discussions with Google’s Android team — and what developers can do now to help.
And a member of “the resistance” even shared their own theory on what’s secretly been motivating Google.
A battle begins
A Google support page explains that starting in September, even Android developers not distributing through Google’s Play Store will still be required to…
