The EU requires Apple to allow direct installation of apps, but tolerates Apple requiring the apps to be signed with an Apple-approved key, which makes it possible for Apple to ban developers.

Google's plan seems to be similar.

Despite what your favorite tech blog might’ve said, the EU hasn’t forced Apple to allow sideloading (more than is already allowed in the US and most of the rest of the world).

They forced Apple to allow third-party app stores (apps where you DOWNload other apps). Google is planning on doing exactly what Apple is doing in the EU, but globally.

They could've just added an option in the OS to only accept apps signed by Google alongside "Install unknown apps" but nooo, they had to do it the Apple way and take the freedom of installing any app you want entirely.

Fuck em'.

For most of Android's existance you have been able to sideload apps, now if that won't be possible any more, I'd expect that the EU will implement the same demand against Alphabet as they did against Apple:

You see, that's the fun thing.

Android will still technically allow sideloading, they'll just make it difficult and scary for average user, and annoying for devs.

Yes these changes made by Google are technically in violation of the DMA, but the courts are sloooow. And so far google has only announced these changes afaik, not actually shipped them. They will probably be forced to support third party stores properly at some point.

Unless of course the EU chat control laws get passed, because if they do, then you can just forget about all these digital openness and privacy laws because they are completely worthless then. Locked down stores would be the number one method of distributing backdoored apps to allow them to "protect the children"...

Technically it will still be allowed. In reality, it will just be Play Store without a nice UI. Now question is whether or not it's enough for the European Comission to take action.