Google, please stop turning Android into another locked ecosystem.

People loved Android because it was open. That freedom is the reason so many of us stayed with Android for years and recommended it to others instead of switching to iPhone. We could install apps freely, test things, develop things, and actually feel like we owned our phones. But now it feels like that freedom is slowly being taken away. Recently, apps like ChatGPT and Physics Wallah literally told me to install them from the Play Store even though they were already installed from the Play Store and fully updated. I even tried disabling Play Protect and other settings, but nothing changed. That is frustrating, and as a developer, it genuinely hurts to watch Android move in this direction.

Nobody is saying security should disappear. But forcing restrictions on everyone is not the answer. If someone wants a fully locked experience, fine. But people who understand APKs, open source apps, modding, development, and third party stores should still have the choice to use Android the way Android was meant to be used. Give users an option instead of silently killing openness. Android became successful because it gave people freedom, not because it copied closed ecosystems. I strongly support keepandroidopen.org because Android should belong to users and developers, not just to the Play Store.