Add 2026 April's Fools post

Author: TheAssassin

_data/images.yml

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   size: 500
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+android-bot:
+  url: android-bot.png
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_posts/2026-04-01-google-referral-program.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: "New Google Developer Discount Program For NewPipe Community"
+short: "Google Developer Discount Program"
+date: 2026-04-01 00:00:00 + 01:00
+categories: [pinned, announcement]
+author: <a href="https://github.com/TheAssassin">@TheAssassin</a>
+image: 2023_Android_Bot
+excerpt_separator: <!-- more -->
+---
+
+Team NewPipe, in cooperation with [NewPipe e.V.](https://newpipe-ev.de), proudly announces a new **Google Developer Discount Program** for our beloved NewPipe Community!
+With our referral affiliate links, you can get a **_free_ one-year Google developer account** and a **permanent _30% discount_** on your subscription!
+Read on to learn more about this new opportunity!
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+<div class="alert alert-info">TL;DR: visit NewPipe e.V.'s&nbsp;<a href="https://google-referral.newpipe-ev.de" class="alert-link">special website</a>&nbsp;to claim your discount today!</div>
+
+<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="btn btn-primary btn-lg" style="color: white;" href="https://google-referral.newpipe-ev.de">Click here!</a></p>
+
+
+## Background
+
+In our [most recent blog post](./2026-02-23-keepAndroidOpen/), we explained how Google is locking down Android and requiring developers to register and even pay recurring fees to allow their apps to be installed on regular Android phones. Team NewPipe believes this is a problematic change for many reasons you can find in the above blog post.
+
+As we could not accept this situation, we have come up with a solution for you, our community, which we believe is an ideal trade-off of Google's and our community's needs.
+
+
+## NewPipe e.V. chiminig in
+
+[NewPipe e.V.](https://newpipe-ev.de), the association founded by members of Team NewPipe and the NewPipe community to take care of such things, therefore has contacted Google directly to discuss the situation.
+As you can probably imagine, they know NewPipe as a project very well, thus, we were initially ignored.
+However, given the cooperative and, in parts, obsequious message we sent, Google's head of community relations responded to us with a request for a meeting.
+
+NewPipe e.V.'s board decided on [@TheAssassin](https://github.com/TheAssassin) to lead the negotiations.
+Within the meeting in January and a follow-up in March, they worked out what is now known as the "Google Developer Discount Program".
+
+Today, we publicly announce this program!
+
+
+## Terms and conditions
+
+As a developer signing up, you will:
+
+- receive a free first year
+- receive a permanent 30% community discount (enter code "NewPipeRulez!" once a year before the recurring payment)
+- be signed up to both NewPipe's and Android's developer mailing lists for the latest and greatest news
+
+As a project, we will:
+
+- receive a 5% commission of all sales (for the first year of subscription)
+- receive personal data of all developers signing up using our portal (only to sign them up with our mailing list, of course!)
+
+
+## Next steps
+
+As a developer, [click here](https://google-referral.newpipe-ev.de) to claim your discount.
+
+We hope for other projects such as [F-Droid](https://f-droid.org) to follow our example and sign up for this referral program!
+With the earned commissions, development work to fight Google and become more independent should be much easier to fund.
+
+Please feel free to reach out to our head of acting deputy press secretary, Mr. Torsten Sträter, for more information on the exact conditions. Call in under +49 163 1737743 (available Sunday 11-11:15am) or text him on WhatsApp´.
+
+
+## References
+
+- [Google's press release on the program](https://press-releases.google.com/2026/newpipe-developer-discount-program-wate9cha)
+- [Keep Android Open](https://keepandroidopen.org/)