I have mixed feelings about this. I'm exactly the type of person who used to jailbreak my iPhone to run Cydia, and I used to build my own custom Android ROMs and spend hours on XDA-Developers before that. Now though, I appreciate how locked down iPhones are, and I keep it as locked down via Apple Configurator as possible, because the mobile web and mobile application space are fraught with peril. The vast majority of mobile apps are net-negative experiences unless it's a companion app to an in-person service (e.g. restaurant/airline/hotel/bank), and even those are often risky. If you look at the Android ecosystem, the Google Play Store is basically a ghetto where the lowest common denominator criminal gangs operate malware at scale with impunity, and Apple has been a haven away from this.
I went through a lot of effort to switch my elderly parents into the Apple ecosystem, and since doing so I have been able to have a lot less support required and to sleep easy at night. With sideloading coming, I am not longer certain that their devices are safe and they won't be tricked into putting malware on the device.
A nice solution to this would be a new Parental Control setting. If I fear a parent may end up installing malware, then I would configure their phone to disallow 3rd party stores.
> Do you wrap yourself with tinfoil at night to prevent your neighbors Android from scanning your thoughts?
Do you think this sort of question is in line with HN guidelines? Nothing I said is driven by paranoia, it's driven by the reality we find ourselves in. As mentioned in my comment I've developed custom Android ROMs, my wife actually is an Android user (yes I'm in a house divided), but myself and my wife are also much more technology savvy than my elderly parents. If you cannot understand how those situations differ in our current reality, there's not much I can do for you.
When it comes to non-technical users that don't have good opsec practices, Android is a ghetto that basically guarantees your mobile devices are running malware, and the Apple ecosystem is nearly the opposite. Arguably the App Store is fraught with danger, but it's many orders of magnitude better about the impact of apps on user security and privacy than the Google Play Store. You may feel strongly in your support of Android and its ecosystem for other reasons, but it's pretty indisputable that it is less secure and less privacy-respecting, especially in relation to third-party applications.
I went through a lot of effort to switch my elderly parents into the Apple ecosystem, and since doing so I have been able to have a lot less support required and to sleep easy at night. With sideloading coming, I am not longer certain that their devices are safe and they won't be tricked into putting malware on the device.