Google Broke reCAPTCHA for De-Googled

Based on community signals so far, this refers to a growing issue where Google's reCAPTCHA system fails to work on Android devices that have been de-Googled—meaning they run custom ROMs or configurations without Google Play Services. Users report being unable to complete CAPTCHA challenges, effectively locking them out of websites that rely on reCAPTCHA for bot detection. The problem highlights the tension between Google's proprietary services and the de-Googled community's desire for privacy and independence. While Google has not officially acknowledged the issue, anecdotal evidence from forums suggests it may be intentional or a side effect of changes to reCAPTCHA's integration with Google Play Services. This affects not only privacy-conscious users but also developers who build apps or websites that depend on reCAPTCHA for security.

A surge of Hacker News discussion about Google reCAPTCHA failing on de-Googled devices, indicating a growing frustration among privacy-focused Android users.