Google declares war on non-custodial wallets

[NotATether]

Very concerning news - Google Play is going to ban non-custodial wallet apps for US and EU users, on December 2025. That's in just four months.

This seems to be part of the broader trend of companies and government attacking privacy.

Alternate app stores are required immediately.

[Charles-Tim]

If this is true, thry are only deceiving themselves for people that truly wants privacy and not those that just use what they see. The noncustodial wallets are existing without Google. Example is Electrum wallet that you can download on Electrum official website, while some other noncustodial wallets can be downloaded directly on their official websites and on GitHub. We do not need Google to use the apps.

[NotATether]

If this is true, thry are only deceiving themselves for people that truly wants privacy and not those that just use what they see. The noncustodial wallets are existing without Google. Example is Electrum wallet that you can download on Electrum official website, while some other noncustodial wallets can be downloaded directly on their official websites and on GitHub. We do not need Google to use the apps.

This will enable phishing campaigns on an unprecedented scale.

Many people will lose their funds because they do not know where to download wallet APKs and verify PGP signatures.

[Charles-Tim]

This will enable phishing campaigns on an unprecedented scale.

Many people will lose their funds because they do not know where to download wallet APKs and verify PGP signatures.

I check Microsoft Store now I did not see Electrum.

I understand you, that there will be fake apps to scam people. But I do not think so. According to what I read about the one for European Union, if the noncustodial wallet has FinCEN, state banking, or MiCA license, it will continue to be on the app store.

I think something like that will also be for people living in United States.

That means those exchanges noncustodial wallet apps (and some other ones) might be the one thriving on Playstore which are close source apps. This will give more ways for close source apps on the Store.

Even with Google, there are still fake apps. It is people that should be careful. If care is not taken, someone can even download fake app on the Stores.

[Mia Chloe]

This will enable phishing campaigns on an unprecedented scale.
Many people will lose their funds because they do not know where to download wallet APKs and verify PGP signatures.

Sighs another win for centralization and loss for decentralization. Basically decentralization is actually losing every single day that passes and it's not fair. These open source non custodial wallets are safer and better than their centralized counter part and even though the creators don't really make money from them it's sad they're still being targeted.

I think it's high time we had a trusted site compiling all open source softwares for safe downloads especially for wallets.

[NotATether]

I think it's high time we had a trusted site compiling all open source softwares for safe downloads especially for wallets.

What a great idea. It would be like KYCnot.me but for wallets.

On it. 🫡

[Mia Chloe]

What a great idea. It would be like KYCnot.me but for wallets.
On it. 🫡

Yeah exactly, since it would even be coming from this forum's trusted members it will not only be safer but people will have more reasons to trust it including my self. We are all decentralization enthusiasts and we can't sit back and watch decentralization crumble at the very least let's do what we can.

I'm 100% available for tech related support you may need along the way you can send me PMs and I'll be in touch to assist in ways I can and please give me the liberty to name it

[Alphakilo]

Someone lost their assets because they downloaded a fake wallet app on playstore.

Before now, that is before playstore had these non-custodial wallets on their store, we used the official websites of these wallets and that made us to even be more security conscious. While I agree that this is like a crackdown on privacy and tightening on regulations, I wonder who will be the loser here. It is amazing how human can quickly adapt to new changes if they think that these new policy by Google is in or not in their own best interest. It is also over to the developers of these wallets to see how they would react.

[BitMaxz]

Luckily I don't live in these countries, but I believe local countries will follow to try to control privacy.

What a great idea. It would be like KYCnot.me but for wallets.

On it. 🫡

Do we still need them?

How about Bitcoin.org: We already have a list of wallets listed there, and most of the wallets have their own source code link.

Or Bitcoin.org untrusted?

Since this is not managed by some trusted members here, I think another extra site created by a group of trusted people here might be a good idea.

[PX-Z]

I think it's high time we had a trusted site compiling all open source softwares for safe downloads especially for wallets.

What a great idea. It would be like KYCnot.me but for wallets.

On it. 🫡

It could be better to work KYCnot.me with the team and developers of those wallets so they can upload the .apk directly to the site just like how Play store works. Because if not, it will be a another work the KYCNotme team/dev to do the uploading of those wallets.

[logfiles]

Some of us who have used devices that nolonger rely on Google services such as playstore like Huawei Phones are even having a huge laugh about this  
America companies and corporations think that they are the only ones that exist and run the world, but they are very wrong!

This will enable phishing campaigns on an unprecedented scale.

Many people will lose their funds because they do not know where to download wallet APKs and verify PGP signatures.

Google Play Store has hosted fake and phishing apps in the past and continues to do so to date anyway

[pooya87]

I think it's high time we had a trusted site compiling all open source softwares for safe downloads especially for wallets.

Don't you think it is more centralization introduced into the decentralized world? In fact I categorize google appstore as a centralization that should not have existed if we are going to talk about decentralization. And I would even go as far as saying when people were downloading wallets from the centralized google store, it was a loss of decentralization and when they shut down it can be categorized as a win.

What we need to reach better security in the decentralized world are these 3:
1. 100% open source software
2. Reproducible/deterministic builds
3. Signed binaries

This trio would ensure that people can download compiled software from literally anywhere not just some "trusted" centralized server controlled by one entity (single point of failure). They just need to verify the hash for integrity (a hash that anybody who compiles the same source code can vouch for) and verify the signature for authenticity.

[Charles-Tim]

I think it's high time we had a trusted site compiling all open source softwares for safe downloads especially for wallets.

What a great idea. It would be like KYCnot.me but for wallets.

On it. 🫡

Wallet scrutiny can be used for it. https://walletscrutiny.com/

Just enter the name of the wallet to check if the wallet is open source or not.

[NotATether]

Don't you think it is more centralization introduced into the decentralized world? In fact I categorize google appstore as a centralization that should not have existed if we are going to talk about decentralization. And I would even go as far as saying when people were downloading wallets from the centralized google store, it was a loss of decentralization and when they shut down it can be categorized as a win.

I don't want to live in a world where my portfolio goes up if this is the cost of it mooning.

What good will our bitcoins be to us if all of these gatekeepers to the internet can force us to surrender our coins via AML/KYC proxy?

For now it's just Google - if Apple does this too it's game over for a lot of users.

[ABCbits]

I searched for more details and found that some news media noticed Google have updated their support page stating this policy exclude non-custodial wallet[1]. But i would remain cautious since there's no list or definition of non-custodial wallet. But on other side, i wonder whether this policy will make scam custodial wallet/service (such as Freewallet) kicked from google play.

[1] https://decrypt.co/335134/google-non-custodial-wallets-exempt-new-crypto-app-rules-play-store

[Charles-Tim]

For now it's just Google - if Apple does this too it's game over for a lot of users.

For users that do not want privacy. Many people fall under this category. And likely they are using their Trust wallet or Bitget wallet already. Either due to ignorance, unknowingly preference for centralization in relation to believing what the government are saying. I have noticed some people just like to follow the government and not knowing what is actually behind government plans.

I have posted already that I search Electrum on Windows Microsoft Store, but I did not see it. But people that wants good noncustodial wallet for bitcoin still downloaded it. This wallets can exist without these centralized bodies.

Bitcoin Core, Sparrow, Bluewallet and some other wallets that I search for are not on Microsoft Store. Bitcoin Core and Sparrow are also not on Android and many people are using them.

This should not be of concern to people that wants privacy. All they need is learning about it. Also, information from a forum like this can help.

[Z-tight]

For now it's just Google - if Apple does this too it's game over for a lot of users.

It is theirs to decide, and they could also decide to take the same step as Google, yeah that would be game over for people who download their wallets from there. And what would naturally happen is that people would seek better sources to download the wallets they need, i.e. downloading electrum from electrum.org rather than on Playstore.

[rdluffy]

After some time in crypto, it seems that history is repeating itself, over and over again
China bans, Google removes ads, China bans again, Google will remove wallets...and so on

To be honest, it won't change much for me, but for those who want security in crypto, they will have to seek a little more information before downloading any dubious APKs
It can facilitate some scams and cause confusion

The downside is that it can make it more difficult for new crypto users to download more secure wallets
Another negative point for Google

[Forsyth Jones]

This is unprecedented nonsense, seriously, I don't even know how to describe this situation. What a boring world we live in. This only reinforces the point that we need to flip the switch, defend our freedom and privacy, and never give in.

Luckily, we have alternatives like Fdroid. Those celebrating this news are the wallet fraudsters who will invest heavily in phishing campaigns, causing many people to get robbed.

Thank you, daddy state, for creating yet another problem. My tax dollars are being well spent...

After some time in crypto, it seems that history is repeating itself, over and over again
China bans, Google removes ads, China bans again, Google will remove wallets...and so on

To be honest, it won't change much for me, but for those who want security in crypto, they will have to seek a little more information before downloading any dubious APKs
It can facilitate some scams and cause confusion

The downside is that it can make it more difficult for new crypto users to download more secure wallets
Another negative point for Google

Imagine this happening in a certain Latin American country where we have a crazy president and a court minister with serious popularity problems who thinks he's a dictator:

"Only regulated wallet apps and accredited by Anatel, requiring CPF registration, can be downloaded by users".

[pooya87]

For now it's just Google - if Apple does this too it's game over for a lot of users.

It would be damaging or more like inconvenient but I don't think it would be game over since all of these popular wallets have a website where they self-host their binaries and also there is github where they share the source code and some of the also publish the binaries there as a mirror.