🤖 Android's always been about freedom. Now Google's pulling a power move The whole point of Android was that it wasn't like iOS — no walled garden, no gatekeeping. Build what you want, install what you want, from wherever you want. But that era's about to end. Google's rolling out a new developer verification policy that basically makes them the sole boss of the entire Android ecosystem. Soon, every single developer (even the ones distributing apps through their own site or third-party stores like F-Droid) has to jump through Google's hoops. We're talking $25, a government ID, and begging for "permission" just to exist on the platform. This hits close to home for us. You know why the full AdGuard for Android isn't on the Play Store? Because Google bans system-wide ad blockers there. We've always relied on Android's openness to get our software to you directly. Now Google's reaching way beyond its own store and trying to control the whole thing. We signed an open letter with F-Droid, EFF, the Free Software Foundation, and Vivaldi telling Google to reconsider. Security matters. That's what Play Protect is for. Forcing indie devs to dox themselves and pay up just to distribute privacy-focused software? That doesn't protect users. It kills competition and hands Google the keys to everything. Android's strength was always freedom. Let's not lose it. Full breakdown and the open letter on our blog: adguard.com/en/blog/google-a…