[Animats]

The article doesn't address this issue.

Right now, you can install F-Droid from an APK file without rooting the phone or installing a new boot loader. Google is threatening to take that capability away, via another mod. This seems to be part of a comprehensive program to keep the Google boot on the customer's face.

Also, currently, with difficulty, you can initialize a new unlocked Android phone without a Google account. Is that capability going away?

All these are related. This seems to be part of a comprehensive program to keep the Google boot on the customer's face.