Google has waited patiently for the moment at which they could start strangling their users without fear of ostracizing them and it’s apparently arrived. Blocking ad blockers in YT, breaking sideloading apps in android, charging for storage after the forever-free model getting people to store everything with them, etc. I believe the average user feels moving would break too many elements of their daily life and will put up with anything Google does at this point.

I’m definitely not what any true privacy-seeking person would call a diehard but I have pushed back where I can, choosing to try to find a way to keep from being impacted by these changes. Firefox, Freetube, CoMaps, personal mail, etc but it takes a decision to give up a ton of convenience that I feel a lot of people aren’t willing to make.

I’m waiting to see what the sideloading change brings before I decide where to go with my phone.