Opening my weather app this morning I was greeted by this warning:
Google has announced that, starting in 2026/2027, all apps on certified Android devices will require the developer to submit personal identity details directly to Google. Since the developers of this app do not agree to this requirement, this app will no longer work on certified Android devices after that time.
It’s the first time I hear about this, seems to be about:
Cirrus app: Github
Was this a big thing I somehow missed? I hope more devs will follow suit.
Privacy has become a very important issue in modern society, with companies and governments constantly abusing their power, more and more people are waking up to the importance of digital privacy.
In this community everyone is welcome to post links and discuss topics related to privacy.
much thanks to @gary_host_laptop for the logo design :)
Just use a custom ROM. This sadly will affect app developers. But if you are on a custom ROM without GMS it will continue to work just fine.
Google is trying to kill custom ROMs too. Also I thought the majority of modern phones aren’t bootloader unlockable.
Ehhhh… sorta maybe. Ultimately they can’t, but they can make development more difficult.
Also Google has nothing to do with whether or not you’re bootloader is unlockable. Get a phone that is.
If you rally want to go down the whole FOSS path it does ultimately become a bit of a lifestyle.
You can unlock the bootloader on just about every phone, just depends on how much effort you want to spend.