<![CDATA[Your phone is about to stop being yours.]]>Your phone is about to stop being yours.

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Keep Android Open

Your phone is about to stop being yours. In September 2026, Google will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with them.

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(keepandroidopen.org)

125 days until lockdown

Starting September 2026, a silent update, nonconsensually pushed by Google, will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with Google, signed their contract, paid up, and handed over government ID.

Every app and every device, worldwide, with no opt-out.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/03d22f3a-84e8-4ed6-a0f5-9194ee8c7628/your-phone-is-about-to-stop-being-yours.RSS for NodeMon, 25 May 2026 08:59:39 GMTWed, 29 Apr 2026 14:59:03 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Tue, 19 May 2026 09:55:37 GMT]]>Some real useful asssessments of the different Google-free phone OSes:

https://blog.gridranger.dev/mobile-oses-featuring-fairphone-5/

Credit @david_bardos

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116600637853818056https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116600637853818056Tue, 19 May 2026 09:55:37 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Wed, 13 May 2026 20:42:01 GMT]]>@lproven Loved it actually, has a nice ring to it 😄

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/ap/users/116413516515850283/statuses/116569205733404255https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/ap/users/116413516515850283/statuses/116569205733404255Wed, 13 May 2026 20:42:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Wed, 13 May 2026 20:21:23 GMT]]>@weirdmustard I try to throw in some traditional Reg-isms occasionally. 😅

Overall it's more about the general style, and a sincere irreverence, but many people can't get that... But even those folks can spot use of "boffin" or "fondleslab".

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116569124585693886https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116569124585693886Wed, 13 May 2026 20:21:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Wed, 13 May 2026 20:09:40 GMT]]>@lproven Not sure if I wanted to read the word group "Foss fondleslab" today.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/ap/users/116413516515850283/statuses/116569078510394723https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flipping.rocks/ap/users/116413516515850283/statuses/116569078510394723Wed, 13 May 2026 20:09:40 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Sun, 03 May 2026 08:11:43 GMT]]>@FrutigerAero00 @lproven we use a 'light phone 3', protonmail for mail.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://syzito.xyz/users/Milkman76/statuses/116509632342672641https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://syzito.xyz/users/Milkman76/statuses/116509632342672641Sun, 03 May 2026 08:11:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 22:44:38 GMT]]>@lproven yes, I am actually using one of those: GrapheneOS. Still I am curious if these kind of actions can't be stopped by such projects. Installing an APK should be possible, how to circumvent these kind of checks. What would it require. No Google Play Services? Couldn't those kind of checks be prohibited by firewalling or substituting those locally. So many questions, so less knowledge about this specific threat.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://chaos.social/users/dezon/statuses/116501740161992011https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://chaos.social/users/dezon/statuses/116501740161992011Fri, 01 May 2026 22:44:38 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 20:35:21 GMT]]>@antonproitzelhaimer @codemonkeymike @gbsills @lproven Fair, but that's pretty expensive for most people.

We need well priced, reliable, and repairable tech. And the best I seem to be able to do is try to find a oneplus nord n100 and then mod it to run on an established linux/unix os. Which is very afforadable for me but requires me to operate beyond the bleeding edge of my ability. And is a 4 year old phone with a built in battery, no 5G, and an uncertain repair environment. Sigh.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/InkySchwartz/statuses/116501231816489312https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/InkySchwartz/statuses/116501231816489312Fri, 01 May 2026 20:35:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 20:07:41 GMT]]>@EricBono @lproven @theregister on I use hydroxide to bridge mail to the native email client. A bit hacky, but works.

It's been a while, but the last time I tried the Tuta Android client worked.

https://github.com/emersion/hydroxide

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mementomori.social/users/ekari/statuses/116501123015052140https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mementomori.social/users/ekari/statuses/116501123015052140Fri, 01 May 2026 20:07:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 19:04:11 GMT]]>@EricBono @theregister I've never tried either myself, TBH, so I can't even guess. Ask them?

The modern Punkt phone (review coming soon!) offers to preload the Protonmail client apps, so I'm guessing yes. 🙂 And if they run on that, that suggests they'll run on anything? Maybe?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116500873344294643https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116500873344294643Fri, 01 May 2026 19:04:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 16:32:28 GMT]]>Spycrab, no you can't. Read the page carefully, it explicitly tells you that it won't work.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://smithereen.bsrealm.net/posts/8418https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://smithereen.bsrealm.net/posts/8418Fri, 01 May 2026 16:32:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 16:08:27 GMT]]>FWIW I turned my list of alternatives into an article. It's here:

Where to buy a non-Apple, non-Google smartphone

https://www.theregister.com/2026/05/01/buy_a_foss_fondleslab/

Both Cupertino and Mountain View are imposing ever stricter limits on their phones – but you *do* have alternatives

<- by me on @theregister

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116500182289419006https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116500182289419006Fri, 01 May 2026 16:08:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 15:24:26 GMT]]>@lproven
"We must protect you!"

@pluralistic

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/AG100pct/statuses/116500009235899008https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/AG100pct/statuses/116500009235899008Fri, 01 May 2026 15:24:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 14:48:18 GMT]]>@lproven
Everyone to use degoogled Android then?]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://friends.chasmcity.net/objects/c63dc8d3-1669-f4bd-322c-01d569797498https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://friends.chasmcity.net/objects/c63dc8d3-1669-f4bd-322c-01d569797498Fri, 01 May 2026 14:48:18 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 11:41:53 GMT]]>@ottercynical @lopta @lproven Oh, yes. The RCA of *this* goes much deeper.

(Who on earth even thought connecting a glucose monitor to an *American cloud-based app* was a good idea to start with? Let's see .... )

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.babb.no/users/tina/statuses/116499134125767165https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.babb.no/users/tina/statuses/116499134125767165Fri, 01 May 2026 11:41:53 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 01:30:42 GMT]]>@klu9 I guess that would be easy enough to do, though there aren't many phones that are "fully" supported yet. I'd do it but I'm in one of the most remote places on Earth when it comes to shipping things in and out, Australia... @jackdaniel @lproven

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.io/users/justin/statuses/116496730824824198https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.io/users/justin/statuses/116496730824824198Fri, 01 May 2026 01:30:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 01:29:01 GMT]]>@justin @jackdaniel @lproven

2nd hand acceptable

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ohai.social/users/klu9/statuses/116496724236259905https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://ohai.social/users/klu9/statuses/116496724236259905Fri, 01 May 2026 01:29:01 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Fri, 01 May 2026 01:03:58 GMT]]>@klu9 @jackdaniel @lproven are you talking new phones only or would second hand phones be acceptable? After all postmarketOS was originally designed just for old devices.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.io/users/justin/statuses/116496625715182901https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://toot.io/users/justin/statuses/116496625715182901Fri, 01 May 2026 01:03:58 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:56:42 GMT]]>@tina @lopta @lproven Correct. Which is why we're fucked.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://is.nota.live/users/ottercynical/statuses/116496125281398700https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://is.nota.live/users/ottercynical/statuses/116496125281398700Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:56:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:43:11 GMT]]>@dezon Kind of what all the de-Googled Android vendors do right now...

And Google is trying to make it more difficult:

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AOSP on a diet plan as Google halves Android code drops

: Two a year is for your own good, Mountain View insists

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theregister (www.theregister.com)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116496072151524915https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116496072151524915Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:43:11 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:28:15 GMT]]>@lproven This is very helpful. Normally I update my phone on an extremely slow schedule, because I don't need the newest things (or their cost) and the world doesn't need excessive e-waste. I'm feeling very nervous and frustrated about trying to keep my Note20 Ultra in service as Google changes the rules of its use out from under me on a September deadline.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://raphus.social/ap/users/116366479330331657/statuses/116495777502735448https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://raphus.social/ap/users/116366479330331657/statuses/116495777502735448Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:28:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:12:17 GMT]]>@InkySchwartz @codemonkeymike @gbsills @lproven

Yes, there -are: e. g. : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairphone

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/antonproitzelhaimer/statuses/116495714745153356https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/antonproitzelhaimer/statuses/116495714745153356Thu, 30 Apr 2026 21:12:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:03:21 GMT]]>@goodenough They got rid of that a decade ago...

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Google is 20, Chrome is 10, and Microsoft would rather ignore the Nokia deal's 5th birthday

Party poppers in Mountain View, party poopers in Redmond

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theregister (www.theregister.com)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116495443633323660https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://social.vivaldi.net/users/lproven/statuses/116495443633323660Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:03:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:55:03 GMT]]>@lproven

Not forgetting one or more forthcoming Motorola ones.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/ratcatcher/statuses/116495411041726245https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/ratcatcher/statuses/116495411041726245Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:55:03 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Your phone is about to stop being yours. on Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:54:52 GMT]]>@loadhigh @lproven

Nope. Stock android.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/TeflonTrout/statuses/116495410306212041https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/TeflonTrout/statuses/116495410306212041Thu, 30 Apr 2026 19:54:52 GMT