posting this here to hopefully give the issue & petition some more reach:
Google is going to close down Android.
What this means is that Android at the moment allows users to download and install apps not just from the google play store but from any outside source. this includes, but isn't limited to, self-coded apps you distribute privately to your friends and family, apps that no longer exist on the play store but that you have the file for, apps developed by creators that can't afford or don't want to out their apps on the play store and more. this website explains it much better than i can.
BUT this is going to change.
Google has announced that on September, 1st 2026 they are going to close down these options. Much like with Apple's app store to get listed on there developers will have to pay Google, get verified by them (via governtment verification!!) & have to agree and adhere to Gooel's terms and conditions.
This is where the petition comes into play. Obviously, there is no guarantee for us to get Google to stop this. But we can try & with enough people backing this petition & giving it enough publicity, there is a chance.
So, consider signing this, even if you're not sure this applies to you or would even bother you at all, because this isn't just about this specific issue.
This concerns us all, because in the end this is about control & power. Over developers AND users.
Google are flexing their power to control who gets to share what with a wide variety of people. One day they're going to delete an actually harmful app (which, let's be honest, they haven't been very stringent on) and the next they're deleting apps because they don't fit a regime's propaganda.