Today I’m grateful for the open Android operating system.
My first Android device was a tablet. It was the Nexus 7, the original model from 2012. It had a custom Nvidia Tegra SOC, 1GB of RAM, and NFC (which I considered to be a new and exciting feature at the time). The device was very popular. It was well built, competitively priced, and otherwise demonstrated what a ‘good’ Android experience aught to be.
I put a lot of thought into purchasing it. I knew that I wanted a modern mobile computer, and I knew that there were a few options to choose from. I was a poor college student so cost was a major concern for me. But beyond that, what mattered most to me was that I had the ability to run the code that I wanted on the device. I wanted to develop my own apps, and also to install apps made by others. I wanted the ability to install an operating system and load programs from an executable file. Just like every other computer I had ever used.
I briefly considered an Apple iPad, but given my criteria it didn’t take me long to dismiss the idea. The device was too expensive, and it was completely locked down. Apple ‘allowed’ you to execute your own code on the device only if you were registered as a developer. Additionally, developers were required to use tooling that was only available on Mac computers, which I didn’t own. And of course the App Store was the only means of installing programs to the device. On a device that you paid (a lot) for, and is ostensibly your personal property, Apple gets the final say in what code gets run, not you. To me this was unacceptable.
I also looked to Microsoft. Their Windows Phone operating system may be long forgotten now, but at the time I found it compelling. It had a very polished, minimalist user interface, which I personally liked more than what was being offered by either Google or Apple. It was also more performant, at least moresoe than Android. Even budget devices were regarded as being ‘snappy’. Windows Phone also seemed to have better support for low-level development, building apps with native binaries written in C or C++. I was learning and enjoying game development at the time using C++, so this stood out to me. Unfortunately, Microsoft like Apple decided to lock down the device. This was really disappointing to me. I was an enthusiastic Windows user at that time and would have liked to develop apps for my mobile device just the same as I was developing programs and games on my desktop.
Android was ultimately the right choice for me. It was the closest of the three to just being a handheld personal computer. When I used my Nexus 7 I felt like I was in control of my device. I spent hours pouring over the settings (including developer options) to make the system exactly as I wanted it. I would later discover custom ROMs, and would be swapping out my entire operating system constantly.
Not long after buying (and enjoying) my tablet, I bought my first smart phone. A Huawei Ascend Y300. I found it at a gas station near my apartment for only $100. Other than requiring a code from Huawei to unlock the bootloader, my experience of this device was much the same as my tablet. I was very satisfied with it.
I’ve only ever owned Android phones, and have been overall very satisfied with that decision. But over time the things I like most about Android have been slowly taken away. Every time I bought a new Android device it was a little harder to unlock the boot-loader. Eventually I caved and bought a device for which it was impossible, a used Samsung Galaxy S20. Gaining root access as well became similarly more difficult. Installing apps from APK was always possible, but Google slowly introduced more and more friction to the process. First a single toggle, then a per-app toggle, then blocking through the Google Play Services (Play Protect). And now in 2026, Google is trying again to make simply install a program on your handheld computer yet more onerous.
Google has announced that beginning in September of 2026, the following procedure will be required for installing programs on your handheld computer:
- Open Settings, find Developer Options
- Tap the build number seven times to enable Developer Mode
- Dismiss popups warning not to install programs on your handheld computer
- Enter your PIN
- Reboot
- Wait 24 hours
- Go back to settings, dismiss again yet more scare popups
- Choose ‘allow temporarily’ (7 days) or ‘allow indefinitely’
- Confirm, again, that you want to install programs on your handheld computer
I understand Google’s argument for this. This helps prevent call-based scams in which the victim is coached into installing malware onto their device. I’ll give the benefit of the doubt, and assume that the people who crafted this policy genuinely care about this issue and want to help their users.
But this is also to the company’s benefit. Google cares about its reputation, which is damaged every time an article gets published about someone losing their life savings to a maliciously installed app. Google cares about the Play Store, and sees it as a problem if too many people are installing apps from outside that walled garden. What Google clearly does not care about, is the freedom for their customers to do what they want with their own property.
Personally, what I care about most of all when using my computer is control. This matters to me even if I never use a given feature. To know that the manufacturer deliberately and completely restricts functionality of a computer that they sold offends me, and deciding what code can and cannot be executed is the worst of it. I can understand and agree with adding friction (hiding settings, confirmation prompts, etc…) for the sake of security, or even just better user experience. But what Google has proposed demonstrates a clear lack of concern for user freedom. Without sufficient push-back, I fully expect Google to one day remove ‘sideloading’ as a feature entirely.
I currently own a Pixel 7 Pro. It’s actually more open, and respectfully designed than my previous phone the Samsung Galaxy S20. I had a lot of fun exploring XDA looking for just-the-right custom ROM to install.
Google deserves praise for keeping their Pixel-series phones open, they are much better in this regard than other flagship manufacturers. The legacy of Android is also one of openness and user freedom, and it is clear that this was a foundational principle for the operating system. This recent policy change is a signal that Google is sacrificing its principles to achieve other goals, many of which are completely self serving and cyncial. At risk of further diluting the meaning of the word I’m willing to say this is an example of enshittification.
As of writing there is an active social media campaign to push back against Google on this policy change. This isn’t the first time this has happened, and it won’t be the last. Hopefully with a strong enough signal Google can be made to back down entirely. I’m sure they’d be satisfied to take 3 steps forwards and only take 2 steps back.
If you care about user freedom and open computing like I do then I encourage you to sign the petition, just as I did.
Agree or disagree, If you have any comments feel free to email me at mail@lzon.ca, or reach out through one of my social accounts linked on the homepage.