Android

Degoogled android ROMs will not have this restriction, as they will just have googles verification system removed. So until linux for mobile is a bit more ready you can still use graphene/lineage/etc.

Linux on phones no where near as private or usable

Android (AOSP) is really solid as a platform. Even with Google trying to turn it into a proprietary hellscape projects like Lineage OS still work to build a open platform

Not an endorsement, but I just found out about the existence of this phone today: FLX1 which purports to be based on Debian.

Unfortunately, I think the vast majority who care are already using one. However, with Google device tree and other shenanigans on Pixel devices, it probably makes substantial room within the niche market for the likes of Fairphone and Shiftphone to get into new regions.

On the other hand, mandates for major operating systems to report illegal activity that are in the pipeline could have a larger effect.

I dunno, I'm talking out my ass.

This is about all app makers, not just ones in the Google Play Store. This also applies to third party app devs and hobbiests making open source apps to put up on alternative app stores like the all open source F-Droid.

Technically, this would allow the identification of malware providers in Google's app store.

play store publishers are already needed to submit (and publish) their name and address. they made it a requirement ~5 years ago.

Install a custom ROM. Or buy a Chinese made phone, such as Xiaomi (which I do not recommend***).

Edit: some custom ROM links in no particular order:

• https://lineageos.org/
• https://grapheneos.org/
• https://calyxos.org/
• https://e.foundation/e-os/

*** Edit 2: I don't recommend the route of a Chinese brand, because I've had only bad experiences.

Root it

To your first question: Google released a list of all "certified" android devices and it's basically every phone from every halfway known brand. So yeah, you will be effected. The only devices unaffected by this would probably be no name Chinese phones (probably also Huawei, but I am not shure) and IOT devices like smart fridges. The best way to avoid this would probably be installing a custom ROM, like Graphene OS.

To your second question, the Android System already controlls the package Installation process, do you know the "Do you want to install this APK" popup, you geht every time you want to install an app outside of the playstore? That's controlled by the android operating systen and by extension Google. In the future, every android apk would have to have a unique "developer key" attached to it and if it isn't verified by google, the android system can just refuse to install the apk. For that, you don't have to go through the playstore, but you still would have to go through a verification process with Google for every app, you make. How that will be implemented in detail is not yet quite known.

Google could have done this much earlier, it isn't hard to implement, but you can't make it in a way that only negatively impacts ransomware or pirated apps. And most sideloading on Android is perfectly legitimate, so the reason, why Google hasn't done it, because there is (deservately) a big pushback from developers.