> "The sideloading restriction is easily solved by installing GrapheneOS"
> "Unless they block ADB, I wouldn't say it's accurate to claim they're "blocking sideloading"".
Not to pick on these folks but it's like we on HN have forgotten that ordinary people use phones too. For some of us, it's not a limitation as long as we can solder a JTAG debugger to some test pads on the PCB and flash our own firmware, but for most users that's just about as possible as replacing the OS.
When we last got new phones I put GrapheneOS on mine and my partners, I never subsequently had to play tech support on hers.
The Web installer [0] is not really approachable to a normal Android user. The instructions are dense, loaded up with warnings about dozens of edge cases that are discussed in jargon that would intimidate even relatively tech-savvy users:
What's USB passthrough? Did I install my browser through Flatpak or Snap? How would I know? Did I need to understand the paragraph explaining in detail how carrier models lock users in? There's a bunch of stuff in there about Linux... do I need Linux? What's a sha256 hash and do I need to care?
It's not that this is impossible for non-IT-folks to grasp, but there's no chance that my parents are installing this on their phone.
I have never installed OpenWRT on an home router -- too afraid to brick it, to deal with somewhat manual updates [I think].
I bought a GL.iNet. Totally normie, automatic updates. And then, "Hey look, this is... OpenWRT with a GUI!"
There are some [mobile] brands going on similar direction [albeit one that doesn't seem right to me]. Volla & Fairphone. They provide alternatives. I don't like them [the software options available for them], but alternatives exist, working out of the box.