F-Droid Warns Google’s New Rules Could Kill Third-Party Android App Stores

The free Android app store F-Droid is slamming Google’s upcoming developer registration rules, warning they could wipe out third-party Android app distribution.

“We do not believe that developer registration is motivated by security. We believe it is about consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem,” F-Droid wrote in a post on Monday.

F-Droid issued the criticism a month after Google unveiled new rules to try and prevent Android malware from circulating, including over third-party app stores. To weed out cybercriminals and scammers, the company is going to require that all app installs on certified Android devices can only occur if the developer has been verified by Google.

The tech giant already implemented app developer verification for the Google Play Store back in 2023. Now its expanding the requirement for all Android apps, including those circulating outside the Play Store. Although Google has described the upcoming change as like “an ID check at the airport,” F-Droid is blasting the new requirements as anti-consumer choice. In addition, the upcoming rules conflict with F-Droid’s distribution model.

“The F-Droid project cannot require that developers register their apps through Google, 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,” the group said.

F-Droid site

The F-Droid site, which hosts a link to download the free and open-source app store. (F-Droid )

“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,” F-Droid added in the post, which also notes: “If you own a computer, you should have the right to run whatever programs you want on it.”

F-Droid also takes issue with Google’s rationale for the new rules, noting that malware and adware continue to infiltrate the Play Store, despite the existing developer requirements. In contrast, F-Droid says its own team carefully vets Android apps before listing them, including looking for any signs of covert tracking features.

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“F-Droid offers a trustworthy and transparent alternative approach to security: every app is free and open source, the code can be audited by anyone, the build process and logs are public, and reproducible builds ensure that what is published matches the source code exactly,” the group added.

To stop Google from mandating the new rules, F-Droid is urging governments to scrutinize the company and calling on users to press regulators to step in. “By making your voice heard, you help defend not only F-Droid, but the principle that software should remain a commons, accessible and free from unnecessary corporate gatekeeping,” the post added.

Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company plans on gradually phasing in the app developer requirements, starting first with Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand in Sept. 2026. The requirements will then roll out globally in “2027 and beyond.”