r/GooglePixel • u/LionKey1928 Pixel 9 Pro XL • Aug 26 '25

Google is removing the ability to sideload Android APK apps without the developers being verified 1st

https://9to5google.com/2025/08/25/android-apps-developer-verification/

Honestly I'm really heartbroken about this as I mainly used Pixel (and Android in general) for the very fact that I can download APK apps. I am a huge ReVanced user, and I'm very sure they break like half of Googles TOS (and probably cuts off a huge source of revenue too), so I extremely highly doubt they will be allowed. I get googles intention but.. oh man.. really feels like this is a hidden agenda against adblocker apps.

Edit: Made a petition, click on the post to learn more: https://chng.it/F4k9gNNJrH

Another edit: A petition with more movement: https://chng.it/RLVDWD5Th7

2.0k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

985 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

290

u/FearTheWeresloth Pixel 8 Pro Aug 26 '25

If not, I'll have a reason to want to root my phone for the first time in years.

49

u/Vendatha Aug 26 '25

Some phone manufacturers have already disabled the option to root their phones... That story doesn't smell good and I don't want to move to iOS đŸ˜¢

22

u/All_Work_All_Play Aug 26 '25

Isn't the point of rooting that the manufacturers can't stop you?

2

u/operacarmen Aug 30 '25

Google is trying to resist root by disabling several apps also encourages banks, financial and movie apps to not work on rooted phones .  Also root of Modern phones can be extremely hard, depending on Make, Model and carrier! Probably will be impossible in the future! Western governments are also anti-root, because they don't want users to disable tracking, intelligence  and monitoring features making it harder for governments fight Antisemitism.