What they want is to get rid of apps like YouTube Vanced that are making them lose money (and other Play Store apps)
what about us losing control over our own devices? do you like losing control over devices you paid for?
You are inadvertently reaching the true core of the question. The ones who have "control" over a device, are those who control the software running on it. Be it the bad guys (in the case of a malware-infested device), a giant corporation (in the case of a locked-down device), or yourself (when you can install and replace any software you want on the device).
I think this is what commenters here are missing. I agree politically with the notion that people should own their devices (having full control), but the reality is not and will never be that the majority have anything but the illusion of control. Meanwhile, as these devices become increasingly necessary for people to exist at all, and the data they store becomes increasingly sensitive, the ability to theoretically install your own software is completely irrelevant compared to the risk of anything bad happening.
Things that would be compromised if my phone is compromised: All private communication, bank accounts, stock portfolio, medical history, driver's license, criminal record, sexual history, grocery habits, all communication between my government and me, real estate deeds and mortgages, two-factor authentication keys, and I suppose my Steam library.
Like, that's a lot. People can lose their homes. The stakes are unfathomably high here.
"Free" devices exist. Linux computers. Linux phones. No codesigning, minimal sandboxing, none of that "malevolent" stuff from macOS/Windows/Android. Knock your socks off. You have a choice. Ideologically wanting everyone's devices to be like this is not sensible.
This isn't like anticompetitive behavior (bundling, lock-in, fees) where "you have a choice" is irrelevant because corporate power should be minimized and competition and consumer surplus should be maximized. Tradeoffs between security and nerd-fantasy "freedom" are valid.
I still remember that piece about the tween girl getting her nudes exposed because of a RAT. True "freedom" with technology, for non-nerds, means being able to use technology to pursue your passions, learn singing, fashion, dancing, without having to be terrified that this computer might destroy your life. That's "freedom" for 99% of folks. But the high-empathy folks here will respond "user error", "personal responsibility", "you should have known not to click that". You aren't entitled to be care-free, to have a life, to pay no attention to boring nerd stuff. Become a dead-inside geek like us, you bottom-quintile person, or else.