Android has always been a fairly open platform, especially if you were deliberate about getting it that way, but we’ve seen in recent months an extremely rapid devolution of the Android ecosystem:
- The closing of development of an increasing number of components in AOSP.
- Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus have removed the option of bootloader unlocking on all of their devices. I suspect Google is not far behind.
- Google implementing Play Integrity API and encouraging developers to implement it. Notably the EU’s own identity verification wallet requires this, in stark contrast to their own laws and policies, despite the protest of hundreds on Github.
- And finally, the mandatory implementation of developer verification across Android systems. Yes, if you’re running a 3rd-party OS like GOS you won’t be directly affected by this, but it will impact 99.9% of devices, and I foresee many open source developers just opting out of developing apps for Android entirely as a result. We’ve already seen SyncThing simply discontinue development for this reason, citing issues with Google Play Store. They’ve also repeatedly denied updates for NextCloud with no explanation, only restoring it after mass outcry. And we’ve already seen Google targeting any software intended to circumvent ads, labeling them in the system as “dangerous” and “untrusted”. This will most certainly carry into their new “verification” system.
Google once competed with Apple for customers. But in a world where Google walks away from the biggest antitrust trial since 1998 with yet another slap on the wrist, competition is dead, and Google is taking notes from Apple about what they can legally get away with.
Android as we know it is dead. And/or will be dead very soon. We need an open replacement.
OC Author @[email protected]
Which project is best to back, though?
For you personally? Whichever one appeals to you.
Thats always how FOSS has worked. It might be nice to have a unified effort to get one experience to a polished state, but the reality is that’s never how linux or FOSS has worked when there are multiple projects. Users and devs and sponsors will gravitate to the ones they wanna use 🤷
I am not Linux-savvy enough to figure out which one may appeal to me, I mean. The most phone-critical services for me would be GPS-guided navigation and Syncthing compatibility, probably. I’m not sure of how to research which ones may have both…
Ah, gotcha. For the moment, I wouldn’t think any of them are in an amazing state for daily driving to be honest, potentially depending on what functionality you need from your phone. I could be mistaken though, I haven’t kept up with reviews or anything.
Reviews where people look at what all is functional would likely be your best starting place if you’d like to explore (I see them pop up periodically on youtube). Last I saw, the basic apps were reasonably funtional but core phone features like calling people was kinda jank or not working properly. But this was a while ago.
That being said, I think this is a fairly slow moving space at the moment. Hopefully this helps
Edit: just checked and it looks like there are two linux phones comms my instance is federated with, there may be some useful/interesting articles or info there [email protected] [email protected] .ml is more active (as usual for linux comms, as they were the first instance), but I don’t keep up with whose instance is federated or defederated from them