cross-posted from: https://infosec.pub/post/51252192

My panels were arranged just how I wanted them. Then one day I put my phone in a pocket which opened several apps, as random taps would do. It managed to move a whole panel of apps to a different position. Page 3 became page 2 and page 2 became page 3.

So I want to reverse that. Here is someone asking the same question:

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/138353212/rearrange-home-screen-pages?hl=en

WTF. If my butt can accidentally move an Android screen panel, surely there must be a way to intentionally do that. Anyone know? This is on AOS 5.

Android has always stood for something important: 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺, 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹.

You could install apps outside the official store, use alternative repositories, and test your own software.

Google’s upcoming developer verification policy is presented as a way to improve security against malware and scams.

And yes, 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. Nobody serious should ignore that.

But the concern is simple: 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴?

If apps outside the Play Store depend on centralized verification, this can affect independent developers and open-source projects.

It can also affect students, hobbyists, alternative app stores, and users who bought Android because it was not iOS.

A safer ecosystem should not mean turning Android into a more closed platform.

We need better security, yes.

But not at the cost of 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺.

This is why I think the Keep Android Open initiative is worth reading and discussing:

https://keepandroidopen.org/