Confusing

Posted Sep 29, 2025 14:33 UTC (Mon) by marcH (subscriber, #57642)
Parent article: F-Droid and Google's Developer Registration Decree

> If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open-source app distribution sources as we know them today, and the world will be deprived of the safety and security of the catalog of thousands of apps that can be trusted and verified by any and all. F-Droid's myriad users will be left adrift, with no means to install — or even update their existing installed — applications.

Really? There would be zero F-Droid developer willing to register with Google? Or rather, F-Droid refuses to request that from developers? Confusing.

> but at the same time, we cannot "take over" the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.

Couldn't the same app be distributed twice with two different identifiers? One through F-Droid, the other not?

The announcement seems all about politics (which DO matter, don't get me wrong) and feels short on technical details. Other references appreciated.

Confusing

Posted Sep 30, 2025 10:38 UTC (Tue) by tzafrir (subscriber, #11501) [Link]

How does this affect reproducibility? Is it the same source with a different external signature? Or will it require changes to the source?

Confusing

Posted Oct 3, 2025 13:06 UTC (Fri) by r4tth3w (subscriber, #179108) [Link]

No, they're saying that because of the architecture change, if F-Droid registers with Google, then Android will insist all applications that were _ever_ signed by F-Droid must continue to, thus making F-Droid a lock-in product just like the Play Store.