“The new sideloading flow will require multi-step warnings, identity verification, and developer attestation for every install outside the Play Store.”
Android’s open-platform pitch was always conditional. The minute Google decided sideloading was a competitive threat, sideloading became the next thing to break. The new flow is not a security feature. It is a tax on alternative app distribution. The Epic v Google ruling forced Google to allow alternative stores. The friction is how they comply with the letter of the order while breaking the spirit.