install them with adb. its a crucial feature for developers, so they won't easily get rid of it.

I've started donating to PostmarketOS this month, so hopefully I'll be able to buy a device with decent support once my current phone needs replacing.

I already run LineageOS on my phone with microG instead of Gapps, so not much is going to change for me. There'll also be an update to Android 16 for me soon, LineageOS just announced that last weekend.

I only use app from f-droid on lineage and I don't have a google account anymore, if that stops being an option I guess I'll use an old dumb phone and fuck all.

GrapheneOS

I will switch to Android roms that don't have that defect, and continue to buy and tinker with Linux phones when I can afford it, until they become daily-drivable.

I hope there will be a good Linux phone in a few years that I can switch to. Would be great with it was compatible with the latest Fairphone by then, for a true FOSS and ethical phone.

I'll root and/or use ADB to install APKs. Fuck Google.

Staying on Graphene for the time being. AFAIK should be able to still install apps whatever way I see fit.

Graphene's team has stated that they are looking into OEM's to potentially work out a solution to make a suitable device to run GOS, since Google is locking things down.

If it really comes to it, (long term), I'll make the jump to a Linux mobile device, whether that's a phone or a custom solution.

Just because corpo's are making things difficult, doesn't mean I'm going to cave. I started this privacy journey 6 years ago and I'm not about to undo it because of greed and inconvenience.

I moved to GrapheneOS about a month ago, not too long after the announcement. Bought a used Pixel and jumped. TBH moving to Graphene was something I'd considered for a while for privacy reasons but Google gave me that last push.

There are some different ways of doing things but I've really enjoyed the transition overall.

I feel embarassed to say this as someone who is fairly techy, but I'm a little confused by the whole brouhaha.

Is Google making changes to Android, or to AOSP?

If Google is making changes to the Android fork they put on their own phones, then fuck 'em. Use Graphene. Use e/OS/, use Lineage...use something that forks their own branch of AOSP and Google can pound sand because those forks are in no way obligated to make the same changes as Google. AOSP is open source for that very reason.

If Google is making those changes to AOSP itself, which means that anyone who uses AOSP as a base have those changes by default, then isn't Google obligated to keep those changes as Open Source, in which case anyone else who uses AOSP can just remove them from their own fork?

Someone explain like I'm a particularly dim five-year-old, please.

Well, I know that I probably wont be buying anymore android devices and I know for sure that I'll never buy an iOS device. But outside of that I'm not sure, I'll have to wait and see how things play out. If possible, I'd like to be able to use Linux or at least custom versions of android but, as of now, most of my devices don't have custom roms available and the two that do haven't been supported in years. I have looked into Linux phones, tablets and other portable devices like the Steam deck and the Legion Go S but they are very expensive and there isn't even a way for me to purchase some them.

I am also aware of ADB commands but I've never used them before. If they are easy enough to use without potentially bricking my devices, I am not opposed to using them.

LineageOS user here, so nothing will change for me. Perhaps in the long-term Google might kill off AOSP for good, in which case I'll seriously consider a so-called real Linux device. Cautiously optimistic about the FSF's Librephone project, which right now is attempting to reverse engineer blobs in Android devices.

I already have a Pinephone sitting around so maybe I'll re-flash Mobian on it and play around with it. In the long term my ideal distro would be Guix or some Guix derivative.

I'll happily continue using my GrapheneOS Pixel since nothing will change for 3d-party ROMs :)

I'll just keep using grapheneOS.

Well, I did do app development for Android for a couple of years, so I'll be using ADB it install APKs in any device affected if needed.

I'll also never do development work for Android ever again, beyond making utilities for myself if need something like that.

Beyond that, I'll never buy an Android device that cannot be unlocked. Last one I got was a Xiaomi phone, which at the time could be unlocked (which I did and installed an alternative ROM on it before I started using it), but they stopped that so Xiaomi isn't going to be getting any more money from me.

Mid to long-term, I expect Linux devices are the solution. I'm especially interested in getting a Linux tablet (7" or 8") to replace the tablet I currently use mostly for book reading and internet browsing when I'm out and about (hence the size needs to be small enough to fit a back or jacket pocket).

When I started looking into it, my expectation was that Linux tablets would make even more sense as devices than phones since they're closer to notebooks in terms of how they're used, but I haven't really found all that many out there - there are more Linux phones than tablets - and all of them were 10" or more (so, too large for my use case).

(PS: suggestions welcome, even just stuff I can root and install something like Ubuntu Touch on it)

Am I so unusal in wanting an portable computing device with a big enough screen to read stuff, for the purpose of consuming media rather than working on (so no keyboard need), which is not so big that I need to haul it in a backpack, not a full-blown smartphone with all the bells as whistles (I already have a smarphone on my pocket with mobile data, camera and GPS, so why would I need that shit AGAIN on a tablet???) and not a locked-down system like iOS or Android?

I've been using GrapheneOS for a while, which should minimise disruptions, but I'm also hoping the Linux phone ecosystem improves before Google locks down Android completely.

If it really interferes, same thing as when YouTube started enshittifying: use it less and likely be better off.

I have read you will still be able to install using ADB and I figure I will do that since I have done that a lot in the past anyway.

I'm likely going to use ladb to sideload "directly" on the device. I'm really hoping there are some legal challenges and/or bad pr to make them back down. I'm also considering picking up a Fairphone 4 or 5 and running CalyxOS as a plan B.

Leaving android

I'm currently using GrapheneOS on my Pixel phone I brought secondhand so think I should (for now) be okay?

Otherwise, Linux phone looks interesting but it just relearning both another OS (like iPhone users trying to learn Android and vice versa) and also just I have low income so buying new tech is just expensive.

I don't want to throw myself a deepend to an OS that I not as familiar with beside on my desktop and Raspberry Pi. Personally, I prefer to know what's there before I just go blind so at least I can manage my expectation than expected it to do 1:1 stuff that I do on my phone right now.

Custom ROM

I don't know yet, I'm going to keep track of developments around this and see what the community comes up with. I refuse to be bent over by tech giants.

Use an alternative ROM. That is what I do now.

Find a phone to use plasma mobile on most likely.

ADB in the meantime.

Man this is depressing. I'm hoping the EU will put a stop to this.

keep using graphene os

Keep on using my phone till a good Linux phone or similar releases.

I'm fed up enough to try Ubuntu on my phone. But probably will use a custom ROM. And I will never ever buy a phone that is not confirmed unlocked. I hope others do the same. And I wish the locked phone companies many hours of doom scrolling on their unsalable phones.

Short term, my next phone will have Harmony NextOS installed. I'd rather give my data to China than the US and 5-Eyes.

Use my phone less.

I can't think of a single app I use that doesn't have a desktop/web version.

Build a time machine and go back in time to stop WebOS from being sold to HP.