I was hoping for this to come to mastodon :) and a new user will enjoy it as well!

they talk about alternative stores as well but fail to do a great reporting on the issue … a alternative appstore that need’s google approve it’s simply not a real alternative.

From https://keepandroidopen.org/ In August 2025, Google announced ↗ that as of September 2026, it will no longer be possible to develop apps for the Android platform without first registering centrally with Google. This registration will involve:

• Paying a fee to Google
• Agreeing to Google’s Terms and Conditions
• Providing government identification
• Uploading evidence of the developer’s private signing key
• Listing all current and future application identifiers

you know what? that might be it!