Google has announced that starting September 2026, every Android app developer must register with Google and upload government-issued identification, even if they don’t use the Google Play Store. Brave has joined the EFF, the Tor Project, and more than 40 other organizations in calling upon Google to Keep Android Open and withdraw this requirement, which undermines a historically user-first ecosystem, presents massive privacy risks, and further entrenches Google’s surveillance economy.
Google is overriding user choice
When users install software outside Google’s Play Store, they are choosing to control what runs on their devices without Google’s gatekeeping. That choice is fundamental to what makes Android an open platform.
Last year, we launched an official Brave repository on F-Droid (a free and open source Android app store) so users could get Brave without going through Big Tech app stores and the accompanying tracking and restrictions. Many of our users specifically want software that is not mediated by Google.
Google’s new policy would override that choice. Even when a user deliberately seeks out an app from an independent source, Google would require the developer to have registered with Google first: paying a fee and submitting their legal name, physical address, phone number, and government ID for mandatory developer verification.
