Google reCAPTCHA Update Blocks Privacy-Focused Android Users From Sites

Google updated its reCAPTCHA verification to operate through Cloud Fraud Defense and now requires Google Play Services v25.41.30+ and a QR-code-based hardware-attested flow for suspicious traffic, effectively blocking users of de-Googled Android distributions (GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, /e/OS) from passing verification; critics say this ties basic web access to Google’s proprietary stack and advocates recommend alternatives like hCaptcha, while an audio challenge provides a temporary workaround.