The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) has urged the European Commission to require Google to let users permanently uninstall AI components from Android devices, arguing that Google’s silent reinstallation of deleted AI models violates the Digital Markets Act. The FSFE also opposes Google’s planned Android Developer Certification, launching September 2026, which would require all developers to register with Google, sign contracts, and pay fees. FSFE Legal Programme Manager Lucas Lasota warned this threatens free software developers and those in non-democratic countries, calling for interoperability access with no Google account or agreement required.
In-Depth:
The FSFE urges the European Commission to stop Google from silently reinstalling AI models and requiring developer registration under the DMA.
Users should be able to fully uninstall AI-based features from Android devices and be able to access interoperability functions, free from Google’s verification requirements, the European Commission has heard as part of an Android interoperability consultation under the Digital Markets Act. These measures were proposed by the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) last week when it submitted its documentation.
The FSFE noted that Google had started silently installing AI models without informing applyrs. It noted that the EU’s DMA requires companies like Google to allow applyrs to uninstall pre-loaded software from their devices, but in the case of the AI models Google is installing, they reinstall if you delete them, contravening the DMA.
To receive Google back under control, the FSFE has notified the European Commission that there necessarys to be improvements within the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). First, it stated that applyrs should be able to fully reshift pre-loaded AI components from their devices, with companies being prohibited from silently reinstalling or reactivating them. Second, access to Android interoperability features should not be contingent on registration, authorization, or contractual relationships with Google. This pertains to Google’s attempt to force developers to register with Google, even to publish apps to alternative app stores like F-Droid.
Discussing its submission, Lucas Lasota, FSFE Legal Programme Manager, stated:
“Interoperability must be decoupled from developer verification procedures. We necessary clear, precise, and inclusive rules to prevent circumvention by gatekeepers and to ensure that interoperability becomes a concrete reality in practice.”
Google is planning to roll out its Android Developer Certification in September 2026. This will force every Android app developer to register with Google before their software can be installed on certified Android devices, but it should affect those who have reshiftd Google Apps from their device.
The program is controversial becaapply it entails the signing of contracts and payment of account fees to Google, as well as the handing over of the identities of developers. It stated:
“Such measures are particular[ly] (spelling correction by Neowin) problematic for Free Software developers who have deliberately chosen to operate outside Google’s ecosystem, or for developers exposed to non-democratic activities in Europe and in other countries, where registering their identity with a private corporation could expose them to surveillance and retaliation risks.”
The FSFE stated that if the Commission’s draft measures remain unalterd, then Google will be allowed to build developers verify their identity. The FSFE believes that questioning developers to register is contrary to the text and spirit of the law. In summary, the FSFE has notified the Commission that no developer should necessary a Google account, a Play Store presence, or any agreement with Google to access Android’s interoperability features.
