Nonono Micdan sir, it is not age verification! it is like checking an ID at the airport separate from the bag screening!
If you got that’s sarcasm in the first place, good job intelligent individual, if you had to reveal this to see it, I don’t blame you, does not come off as sarcastic at first
Would this restrict user freedom? Definitely. You wouldn’t be able to install your own app, or an app published exclusively on GitHub. Same goes for security critical apps that use a custom F-Droid repo for timely updates.
That’s not good enough. It’s my device and taking away from me the ability to do whatever I want with it, including running rm -rf /, is insulting.
for legal reasons please do not run the above command not even in superuser privileges thanks, none here claims any damages for running this command
You can have it. Just make google account only for playstore on that device, don’t add contacts, calendar, social network apps, probably not even SIM card (but it might be needed for verification/activation of e.g. bank app), disable/remove all google, samsung, facebook, microsoft… apps that were preinstalled. And you’ll have quite good privacy there.
And then you realize that your banking and government app send data to Google. Ask how I know 
I am already completely degoogled, (see my earlier post), and did it over a period of time with a spoofing phone for anything that contained the G virus. Carrying two phones around with you isn’t that difficult TBH providing one of them is a compact and five to eight years ago when I was doing it there were plenty of very small phones around. I had a brief flirtation with UT along the way as well but decided to put the Linux phone idea on the back burner and wait it out for it to mature.
At the moment I’m using a completely degoogled iode phone as the daily driver but I recently bought a phone compatible with Droidian that I’m playing with. Waydroid has really improved in recent times for running FOSS apps on and right now I am testing different browsers for optimising the use of webapps with. Will probably end up with three maybe four different browsers where each browser is optimised for a different purpose. So sites such as this will be in the social media browser (medium security), anything where you need a payment facility (ebay, paypal, etc for example) will be in the one dedicated as banking so will be of the highest security. I’m hoping that by dividing them up using different browsers will just make things that little bit easier to organise and manage the use of them.
Not sure there is much if anything that can truly be ‘disabled’ on a stock android phone. You would have better chances of finding a handbrake on a submarine. 
An alternative approach is using Android’s Linux Terminal app to run an isolated VM, within which you install the OS of your choice and your private comms, media player, etc.
Google said you will still be able to sideload trough ADB:
As a developer, you are free to install apps without verification by using ADB, so you can continue to test apps that are not intended or not yet ready to distribute to the wider consumer population.
But that’s the issue. Google should not require developer ID verification for users to download and install apps on the devices and software they have already paid for. I should be able to install any app on my device from any developer who may not or cannot get verified. It’s about freedom at large - that’s the issue and that’s what Google is trying to take away like how Apple has always had it.
I totally agree, but I shared because it is useful to know that it won’t be totally blocked, although very severely limited.
It seems to be integrated into AOSP, not just Play Services, so there might be some impact on GrapheneOS, LineageOS etc. unless they patch it out. Although maybe not, as Google said it would only restrict installations on “certified” devices.
Theoretically, with the adb workaround, you could install Shizuku and then use it to install any “unverified” APK on your phone without needing to connect to a PC (via “wireless debugging”)
Then, my understanding is that once an “unverified” app is installed, you can update it without further restrictions.
Another potential workaround could be F-Droid if they register with Google. I’m not sure how the verification works, but potentially any app compiled and signed by F-Droid could then be approved even if the actual developer remains anonymous.
How folks on here can discuss privacy with the words ‘google’ and ‘privacy’ in the same sentence is beyond me. You either accept the compromise in the form of trading some of your data or you bite on the bullet and completely cut all ties with big tech. MicroG and Aurora is only a compromise in that it provides a minimising option but it isn’t 100% and likely never will be.
Absolutely not. That’s what I proposed as a better solution (then got bashed by another user), but it’s NOT proposed actually.
By Google or by F-Droid? Do you know what the plan is on either side?
Google is very clear what’s their plan is : Sideloading an app requires you to submit personal info like your name, phone number and email. They say an ID may also be required. https://developer.android.com/developer-verification
Nowhere do they talk that third-parties will be able to certify apps.
They would argue that they aren’t restricting your rights to be free to choose which software you put on your own phone, it’s just that you didn’t buy the correct device by pointing to Pinephone, FuriOS or Librem as possible alternatives. Not that I use one myself as I only buy Sony’s but then again, I only install FOSS OS and app’s.
these aren’t alternatives.
FuriOS uses Hybris iirc so it actually still has Android driver junk and is using Linux 4.19 which went EOL last December!
PinePhone and Librem can run eg. pmOS with a mainline kernel but it isn’t daily driver material yet.
….what makes you believe that I think they are legitimate alternatives? I already admitted that I don’t use one. The point I’m making is that legally speaking they have every right to say that if you want to download software from us your device has to meet with our specifications. They are just making sure it does.
Seems like Google’s push for mandatory registration was caused by their recent settlement with Epic Games to better support third-party app stores.
Importantly, Google is allowed to create “reasonable requirements” for certifying these app stores. Reviews may be carried out, and Google can charge fees for that process; however, the fees cannot be revenue-dependent.