Google: “Based on this feedback and our ongoing conversations with the community, we are building a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn’t verified. We are designing this flow specifically to resist coercion, ensuring that users aren’t tricked into bypassing these safety checks while under pressure from a scammer. It will also include clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved, but ultimately, it puts the choice in their hands.”
Thank god. I would’ve ditched Android for good if this went through, and while it sounds like it would be annoying for casual users to enable unverified apps, at least we can still install them.
You’re unfortunately right that a Linux phone wouldn’t solve these problems and I’m with you that devs who bend the knee to Google have no interest in providing a Linux phone version - at least for the foreseeable future.
Once there’s a considerable market share for Linux phones (which may never be the case…), those users are potential customers and the tides will shift.
Until then it would at least provide a portable computer that can do a lot of the things current smartphones are capable of, but without the restrictions created by Google and Apple.