I mostly use apps installed from F-Droid, so I’m not sure how I’ll use the phone, except that it’s sometimes required as a contact method.
I’ll go back to Ubuntu Touch. I used it a year ago and it wasn’t completely compatible with Fairphone. Now it is.
Use an alternative ROM. That is what I do now.
I’ll root and/or use ADB to install APKs. Fuck Google.
I’m likely going to use ladb to sideload “directly” on the device. I’m really hoping there are some legal challenges and/or bad pr to make them back down. I’m also considering picking up a Fairphone 4 or 5 and running CalyxOS as a plan B.
Fairphone looks really bad after reading some of the GrapheneOS forum threads covering them. Calyx is still on hiatus over the security patch thing
I won’t do anything because I’ve not used a “certified device” in years…
install them with adb. its a crucial feature for developers, so they won’t easiky get rid of it.
How do you get updates when installing via adb?
Install them via adb, probably
Is this manageable for the non-dev by chance? I can get by on a tutorial or too but if enough things break I’m feeling a dumbphone alt may be the only viable path
Depends on your comfort with CLI tools. Here’s the process (assumes Windows):
- Download and extract platform tools
- Add that location to your PATH
- Win + R, type “cmd”, enter
set PATH=%PATH%;C:\your\path\here\
<- Temporary, just for the current sessionsetx /M path "%path%;C:\your\path\here\"
<- Permanent
-
On your device, go to
Settings -> About
and look forBuild Number
it can sometimes be buried inSoftware Information
-
Tap
Build Number
repeatedly until a message appearsYou are now a developer
-
You should now have a new
Developer options
menu item somewhere in your settings. Sometimes it’s top level, sometimes it’s buried underAdditional Settings
orAdvanced Settings
or the like -
Make sure
USB Debugging
is turned on -
Connect the device over USB
-
Back on WIndows type:
adb devices
- You might get a popup on the device asking if you want to allow USB debugging. Select Yes, and run
adb devices
again. You should see your device listed
- Download the APK of the app you want to install (AAB files are a PITA, but can be installed too. Try to get APK files though)
- Install with:
adb install C:/path/to/app.apk
<- ifadb devices
only returns one deviceadb -s <device_id> install C:/path/to/app.apk
<- specific device
You can install updates the same way, just download the updated APK and add the
-r
flagadb install -r C:/path/to/app.apk
Yes it is.
It will probably be something similar to ios altstore. You would have an app which has a list of your non-playstore apps and repo for their releases and would notify you for upgrades that you would manually have to install (for example I suppose obtainium will implement adb), the setup will be annoying but far far less cumbersome than apple where you have to reboot your device multiple times self sign ipas and refresh once a week otherwise the apps don’t load at all. This iOS experience is awful but still doable and non-dev. Android will have a better experience for sure.
No it’s not. Not because of that it’s too difficult but it’s too much work on a weekly basis just to update your stuff.
I have no rooted phone because I have grapheneos but it should be possible to do it directly on your rooted phone with shizuku et al which wouldn’t be that bad.
How’s graphene been serving you? I’ve wanted to take the plunge for a while now and this no side loading bs has me looking into it again
Is this manageable for the non-dev by chance?
Not really.
I’ve not been following things super closely, but the idea would be that each user would get their own developer key and then locally compile and deploy whatever apps they want as though it were a project they themselves were working on. The first bit is not too dissimilar from how a lot of people with XBOXes made dev accounts to install emulators. But the latter is going to get real messy and REAL compromised REAL fast as people just use third party tools and binaries that will inevitably be compromised.
I’m feeling a dumbphone alt may be the only viable path
It really depends on what your use case is. If you actually just talk to people on phones? Uhm… I am not even sure where you would find a dumb phone at this point, but that will probably work for voice calls and SMS using just your carrier and MAYBE wifi. But anything that involves apps, which is a shockingly large part of the world, will be a mess. Some you can (and should) do workarounds (banking apps, for example) but others you are kind of up a creek since your options are to use a modern phone or not be able to (for example) see your kid’s daycare schedule.
I hope there will be a good Linux phone in a few years that I can switch to. Would be great with it was compatible with the latest Fairphone by then, for a true FOSS and ethical phone.
I’ve started donating to PostmarketOS this month, so hopefully I’ll be able to buy a device with decent support once my current phone needs replacing.
I already run LineageOS on my phone with microG instead of Gapps, so not much is going to change for me. There’ll also be an update to Android 16 for me soon, LineageOS just announced that last weekend.
I don’t like android 16. I already regret so much updating to Android 15 a few weeks ago: it’s onky feature was making notifications huge and replace the monochrome logos with rhe app icon (which is not the one I have on my themed launcher) so it takes more space and is uglier. Same for the new control center: I had to disable it. Horrible locked screen experience too with less icons on top left and ios inspired dynamic island gimmicks.
Android 16, will be some design choices which are even less customizable I feel (but at least way better than ios broken transparency)
I’m sure the community will fund a way to install them but honestly this is needed. People have to humble google and put them in their place once and for all. If people allow this to happen. Then those people don’t deserve freedom anymore.
I’ll keep my apps on my phone and just won’t update them. Or I’ll install a Linux distro on a capable phone on small tablet and use the applications for desktop or Linux mobile.
WE DON’T NEED GOOGLE.
Then those people don’t deserve freedom anymore.
Don’t cut yourself on that edge.
They don’t. You people think you can just sit back and be lazy? You have to boycott, demand and protest and if they try to force you you DON’T COMPLY. If you do then the shackles shall be put on because YOU ALLOWED IT.
I only use app from f-droid on lineage and I don’t have a google account anymore, if that stops being an option I guess I’ll use an old dumb phone and fuck all.
I’ll happily continue using my GrapheneOS Pixel since nothing will change for 3d-party ROMs :)
Until it does. Google is already closing development, so the GrapheneOS devs will have a more difficult time rebasing their changes to AOSP each snapshot.
Yeah, it’s a moving target for sure. For now, the devs seem to be very certain that AOSP will stay and that they will still be able to port GOS on new devices (although it will take more time and work).
Is this verified, or does it still depend on how the mechanism is implemented?
If app installation is not managed by Google (i.e. if you’re not using Google Mobile Services or GMS), Google cannot block the installation of any apps. Graphene’s devs have confirmed themselves that this new measure will not affect their ROM
That’s great to read
Perfect. I thought about some kernel level shenanigans which could be out of influence for third party vendors.
Can you tell me how the ad experience is with GrapheneOS? As in, do apps which try to insert ads in screen transitions (or anywhere) still do so? Or websites which put in AdSense popups?
GrapheneOS doesn’t recommend AdAway or other adblocking solutions, so does it do so itself?
It does not block anything by itself. I use Adguard as my DNS provider and it does that system-wide. It you can also use a VPN provider such as ProtonVPN that does it
Hmm. OK, I’ve been using AdAway (not AdGuard) as DNS and/or VPN, experimenting with both) under Pixel 9 stock OS, and it mostly works… but some apps and websites still get ads through.
LineageOS w/Adaway root /etc/hosts blocklists was 100% perfect on my older phone… that’s my main quibble with trying LineageOS vs. GrapheneOS.
I know some people recommend against rooting, but I’ve never had security issues doing it and it seemed to offer more bulletproof ad-blocking.
Find a phone to use plasma mobile on most likely.
ADB in the meantime.
How likely is that this will happen, unchallenged?
I’ve honestly just been hoping it never happens, because I don’t actually have a plan to deal with it if it does…
I read this from Fdroid (https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html) and I also looked at the Google announcement here (https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2025/08/elevating-android-security.html?m=1)
Things are still murky to me. Google said the following:
To be clear, developers will have the same freedom to distribute their apps directly to users through sideloading or to use any app store they prefer. We believe this is how an open system should work—by preserving choice while enhancing security for everyone. Android continues to show that with the right design and security principles, open and secure can go hand in hand. For more details on the specific requirements, visit our website. We’ll share more information in the coming months.
Is the problem then that developers have to register? I see the downsides to this, but does it actually block side loading and using F-droid?
How likely is that this will happen, unchallenged?
Seems very likely.
Is the problem then that developers have to register?
Yes, the problem is that the developer has to register with Google, and Google has to approve them. It only “blocks” sideloading if the developer has not registered with Google, which all of them I have seen, have already stated they won’t be doing this. It also gives Google the authority to block any apps they don’t like, such as the ones seen recently being taken down from Apple/Google stores. As well as any ad-blocking apps or syncing apps like they’ve done in the past. In short, it gives them complete control of the entire platform, and the associate revenue from it.
I have read you will still be able to install using ADB and I figure I will do that since I have done that a lot in the past anyway.
Are you going to constantly plug in your phone to update via ADB too?
You can connect ADB via wifi and push updates via command line. Honestly trivial to automate when you’re at home.
With shizuku you can even run adb and access it via your own phone.
Man this is depressing. I’m hoping the EU will put a stop to this.
They are kinda the cause. They allowed apple to do this crap and know that it’s settled android profits
Every country on the planet has allowed Apple to do this for 20 years. EU is the only one that is fighting back (poorly).
But they set a precedent