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'Keep Android Open' movement fights back against Google sideloading restrictions
(www.theregister.com)
this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2025
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We need a big resurgence of the custom rom scene.
We used to be seeing all the innovation in that space, with google and handset manufacturers lagging behind. Between the innovation advantage and the privacy focus of things like grapheneOS, we really could build out a grassroots fork into a third, open and private/secure phone OS. It doesn't need to be big just thriving enough to adequately serve those of us who care.
Devices became ever more locked down for developers. Between bootloaders that can't be unlocked and drivers that have to be reverse engineered it's just too hard to develop custom roms now.
There were always some devices like that but now it's most of them
I'm hanging on to my current half dead phone until the new GrapheneOS partnership materialises
For anyone out of the loop: GrapheneOS is going to be on another (coming soon) phone from an unknown brand, which is NOT a Google Pixel for once
Well, soon-ish, anyway. Estimates I've seen are 2026 - 2027