My current phone is old and getting slow so I've been pondering how to prepare for this change. I use (and need to use) a mix of F-Droid and Play Store apps, so I'm not such a die-hard that I insist on using only FOSS. But I'd like to do what I can to keep that option open. I've considered various options when getting a new (but fairly cheap, mid-grade) phone: trying to disable OS updates; trying to find a reasonably cheap phone that's compatible with an alternative like Postmarket; doing nothing and hoping the "advanced" escape hatch is actually workable. Switching to Apple is a bridge too far for me. :-)
I'm curious if other people here are thinking about how to react. What will you do if this goes through and sideloading becomes impossible or impractical? Also curious from a developer perspective for those who have apps on F-Droid or the like: how will you distribute your apps in the future?