Keep Android Open - Hacker News

Posted by LorenDB 10/29/2025

2693 points | 889 commentspage 3

preisschild 10/29/2025|

Whats also an issue is that Android seemingly has stopped publishing the source code for Android (AOSP). Android 16 QPR1 has been out for months but still no source code released.

zb3 10/29/2025||

They're exremely tight-lipped on this.. many people asked using multiple channels but no response for months.

unfitted2545 10/29/2025||

Yep, slowly moving pieces of AOSP to closed source and now silence on putting out any AOSP releases, in the name of simplifying their development..

morshu9001 10/29/2025||

You can't even develop without the paid dev account? I thought it'd just be for distribution. Like, you can build and run whatever you want on an iPhone without a paid account.

lern_too_spel 10/29/2025|

You can develop and install via adb, but you can't just tell the package manager to install an APK you downloaded on your phone. Maybe attestation makes sense to allow Amazon App Store or Epic Games Store to be installed without a warning and to allow companies like Spotify to distribute their apps themselves from their websites without using Google Play Store and without a warning. What's wrong is preventing people from installing apps that haven't been attested by Google straight from their phone, even with a warning.

morshu9001 10/29/2025||

I get that requiring attestation for downloaded apps is wrong too, it's just this website says "it will no longer be possible to develop apps for the Android platform without first registering centrally with Google" which seems incorrect from what you're saying.

Edit: Oh I get it, "develop for the platform" means develop and distribute. Maybe it's just me, but seems like an important difference.

munchlax 10/29/2025||

I think it is and it doesn't just end there. It's develop and distribute binaries.

Everyone is still free to develop and distribute source code.

grandfugue 10/29/2025||

I don't understand the Google's move. Google uses Android as a platform to collect virtually everyone's personal info and build the profile to benefit its ad business. If there is an extremely tiny chance that people (or a sizble population) may walk away from the platform, it's not worth the risk.

inavida 10/29/2025|

It's Google's response to the remedies required by the Antitrust act decision last August. The timing is explained by the US Supreme Court decision of Oct 6 to deny Google its request to pause implementation of said remedies.

codethief 10/29/2025||

I wish¹ the page would also raise awareness for all the other stuff that's been going on w.r.t. Google & Android recently:

- AOSP is no longer developed in the open (if it ever was) – source releases & security patches have been severely delayed lately.

- Pixel devices will no longer be the reference devices for AOSP, and it seems Google will no longer release their device trees in the future. In addition, Google could also lock down the Pixel's boot loader and thereby prevent installation of custom ROMs.

¹) Of course focus is important, so I get why they kept the page short & sweet. Besides, while the side-loading topic is an issue that might be interpreted as anti-competitive and that institutions like the EU might be able to do something about, with the other issues it's not as clear-cut, I think.

drooopy 10/29/2025||

I wonder if it's possible for a consortium led by major phone manufacturers to "libreoffice" Android away from Google's control.

Android (to a lesser extend iOS) has become deeply embedded in the infrastructure of modern society. It is essentially a public utility and should be managed as such.

0x073 10/29/2025|

Major phone manufacturers would break androids neck. (E.g.Samsung)

clumsysmurf 10/29/2025||

Has anyone seen Andy Rubin publicly comment on Google's stewardship of Android? I wonder what he thinks about his creation and the way its evolving.

ocdtrekkie 10/29/2025|

Considering Andy Rubin is a massive creep, let's not have him publicly comment about anything at all, ever: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/andy-rubin-google-settlement-se...

fungi 10/29/2025||

never been a better time to donate to postmarket os, mobian or friends.

dreamcompiler 10/29/2025||

Google got a minor slap on the wrist for their last antitrust case so now they know they're invincible and can get away with anything.

DrSiemer 10/29/2025||

A year ago I built a React Native Android app for my wife called "Pimp daddy", which she uses to track her earnings as an independent contractor.

The whole concept is meant to poke fun at the idea of me "checking up on her" (I file her tax returns) and the entire theme is 80s pimp styled.

Every time she submits something, she'll get a random pimp remark, like "Go get that money for me, girl!". She just rolls her eyes and ignores it, but it's what made it fun for me to work on it.

Edgy stuff like that could jeopardize my account in the near future. It might just be security now, but an automated "naughty words detector" will be an obvious next step.

I doubt I will invest any more time in hobby app development if I have to deal with some humorless overbearing watchdog telling me what I can and cannot install on my own device. Very sad to see Android following Microsofts anti power user direction.

IamDaedalus 10/29/2025|

I've only been interested in Android phones particularly Pixels because I can just flash another OS and do whatever but if Google goes through with this I might consider iphones this time

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