Sounds like Google will push us to have Linux running on more phones.
Sounds like Google will push us to have Linux running on more phones.
The erosion of sideloading is being quietly justified under the banner of security. On mobile platforms, this is most visible. Apple has long enforced strict control over iOS, allowing only App Store installations, while Android, once a haven for openness, now discourages sideloading through increasingly aggressive warnings and convoluted settings. Though these measures are framed as protecting users from malware, they also serve corporate interests: locking users into curated ecosystems and ensuring a cut of all app revenue.
This creeping control isn’t limited to phones. Even desktop PCs, traditionally bastions of user freedom, are being drawn into the same model. Microsoft, for instance, has been steadily pushing users toward the Windows Store. Features like Windows S Mode—which restricts installations to store-approved apps—are marketed as security enhancements, but they effectively neuter the PC’s versatility. Subtle UI changes and default behaviors further steer users away from traditional software installation, making the store the path of least resistance.
It’s a classic case of the boiling frog. Each restriction seems minor, even reasonable, when introduced. But over time, they accumulate into a fundamental transformation: from open, general-purpose computers to locked-down appliances. Users lose the ability to choose what runs on their devices. Developers face gatekeeping and fees. Innovation is stifled. And worst of all, the very idea of computing as a space for exploration and creativity is quietly replaced by consumption and compliance.
I think we all know where this is going.
The erosion of sideloading is being quietly justified under the banner of security. On mobile platforms, this is most visible. Apple has long enforced strict control over iOS, allowing only App Store installations, while Android, once a haven for openness, now discourages sideloading through increasingly aggressive warnings and convoluted settings. Though these measures are framed as protecting users from malware, they also serve corporate interests: locking users into curated ecosystems and ensuring a cut of all app revenue.
This creeping control isn’t limited to phones. Even desktop PCs, traditionally bastions of user freedom, are being drawn into the same model. Microsoft, for instance, has been steadily pushing users toward the Windows Store. Features like Windows S Mode—which restricts installations to store-approved apps—are marketed as security enhancements, but they effectively neuter the PC’s versatility. Subtle UI changes and default behaviors further steer users away from traditional software installation, making the store the path of least resistance.
It’s a classic case of the boiling frog. Each restriction seems minor, even reasonable, when introduced. But over time, they accumulate into a fundamental transformation: from open, general-purpose computers to locked-down appliances. Users lose the ability to choose what runs on their devices. Developers face gatekeeping and fees. Innovation is stifled. And worst of all, the very idea of computing as a space for exploration and creativity is quietly replaced by consumption and compliance.
I think we all know where this is going.
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