I’m checking if my VPN has exit nodes in Iran, Cuba, Russia, Belarus, etc
How would that help you?
The article says, “unverified apps will only be easily installable in the sanctioned countries where verification doesn’t exist.”
So even if you used a VPN to trick Google into thinking you live in a sanctioned country, you wouldn’t be able to distribute apps to those countries without breaking sanctions.
I don’t want to distribute apps, I just want to be able to install whatever I want on the hardware I own.
I feel the same way, but can you explain how a VPN would help achieve that in the face of Google’s proposed developer verification scheme?
My first thought reading this was that the “cool down” period to install (side load apps) would also be waived.
That’s not what this says though.
I’m basing this on OP’s comment
Someone in Cuba or Iran can keep installing APKs with no new restrictions, but devs will suffer.
Why do people seem to think ungoogled won’t just become ‘unverified’ and the world won’t just keep spinning as usual?
This sucks for anyone with a stock phone, sure.
Oh no, I can’t use my banking app!
Oh no! 🙄 Guess you’ll actively have to remember your balance. The horror.
Computers still exist and they still have browsers and they still work for your bank’s website.
Even in the browser of an unverified phone.
And how am I going to get past the bank’s custom 2FA which requires the phone app?
You use a different bank. Honestly, if people voted with their feet, these issues wouldn’t be as common
I identify as $SANCTIONEDNATION
So, a ton more developers for the GrapheneOS ecosystem.
It’s fine. I understood Google doesn’t want me as customer, so this will be my last mobile with Google software.
Maybe 2026 can be Year of the Linux Phone.
People should not reinvent the wheel. FOSS Android has already solved many problems which Linux always will have, by design.
Non-preemtive scheduler which doesn’t take app usage into account will drain battery fast. Non-managed app platform is always a security risk.
The absence of a single app framework will always lead to a zoo. Any average Gnome installation bring all KDE and vise versa because different apps use different GUI and Desktop convenience libraries.
Google is trying to kill Android by moving more and more core functionality from OSS into proprietary services.
We need to fight back through forks and legislations. Android has started as a Linux phone 15 years ago? And has already solved a ton of inherent problems.
Both is good
Android Forks becoming their own fully independent things, and Linux Mobile
Good to have options
We’re still at least a couple of years out from that, the biggest issue at present is app compatibility, specifically in the context of banking apps. For everything else it is usable with some minor quirks
Most banking (and many other) apps could be a website, and most (all?) banks have websites, so a linux phone could be compatible with most banks the same way a desktop OS is compatible with most banks.
But I agree that we’re several years out from Linux phones becoming anything more than a novelty. It’s still a good path to take. We really need a magic rectangle that is not locked down in any way.
I think the biggest issue is the 2fa for transactions which is annoyingly inconsistent between allowing SMS verification and requiring an app 2fa. I know that I have had fairly consistent issues with capital one in this respect, I don’t know if it is prevalent elsewhere
Are you saying there are banking sites where you have problems logging in using a web browser? Because using a web browser is what I am suggesting.
