What Google is doing is shameful. One of the promises of Android was being more open than the restrictive Apple ecosystem.
Now that they reached penetration they do the switch - under the guise of security.
Just let me do with my hardware what I want to do it. Let it be my responsibility to install whatever I want (and stop calling it "side-loading", as if I am doing something shady from the "side").
We need to resist this! Alas, from the broader response it seems that most people just do not care.
This is worse than Apple. With Apple you knew where you stood day 1.
AFAIK you can still install any random APK but the process will require enabling developer mode and one time 24 hour wait period. But the problem is many stupid Apps check that developer mode is on and refuse to work.
> We need to resist this!
I agree. What do you suggest? How can we contribute to the resistance?
It's not just shameful, it's stupid. Freedom was the whole point of tolerating the shittiness of Android. If they get rid of that, then there is no point, and I'll just buy an iPhone instead. If I must be in a walled garden, I'll choose the better kept garden, and it sure as hell isn't Google's.