Clients aren't really serving the information, that's on the relay side. Not saying that would stop them from blocking clients on the appstores, though.
APKs can be potentially be stored outside the reach of the UK gov.
Discussion
What if you Google decides you needed ages verification to use an APK? Not sure? Ditto alt operating systems...?
Well, that'd be on you for running stock OS on your phone 🤷♂️
I say this only half jokingly. Things are already bad enough on that front to be running a stock OS. That would only push more people into being willing to walk that extra mile.
Isn't the ability to run a different OS just a decision Google/phone manufacturers have made that can be revoked or also put behind a verification wall? (Genuinely don't know).
yes, because google coerced them with licensure rules. which is backed up by both the USA and CN government force.
Yes and no. I don't think Sony ever made the decision of making all their devices hackable, yet it happened. In the end the move towards, on-line stores and gaming killed pirating your PS.
It's true that with phones is harder to make OS compatible with all devices, but that just ends up meaning people who don't want a stock OS move fewer devices, instead of get what you want and hack it.
Degoogling your life is the first step towards walking in a freer world.
google won the war against alt roms a long time ago. my phone is rooted but i can't flash it with a new rom because they make it too difficult to make roms that work on all hardware, deliberately. my phone is rooted because i want to leave it in my house, plugged in, all the time, and the default charger software overcharges phones left in this state.
but i'm still stuck with google everything on the phone, without extraordinary effort to remove all of the pieces.
Then they would change their name to Apple.
they are gonna be playing a game of whack-a-mole to try and stop people. but you know how these things work, they will try and herd the people into their plan.