Google is following Apple's dark patterns and locking its ecosystem

Google has deployed dark patterns on Android, at least on my new Pixel 10 Pro. It's now impossible for me to install custom APKs like F-Droid without jumping through an absurd number of hoops.

• Installing any APK forces you to disable all Advanced Protection features on your Google account, including finding your lost phone, blocking spam, and blocking malicious JavaScript!
• Even after doing that, APK installs are still blocked. You have to disable Google Play Protect, but the toggle is grayed out until you've disabled all Google security protection on your entire account, not just your one device.
• I tried disabling the verifier flag over ADB (adb shell settings put global package_verifier_user_consent -1). Even with this set, I could not install APKs.
• I finally installed F-Droid directly via ADB: adb install fdroid.apk. But even after granting F-Droid permission to install packages, Google Play Protect blocks every install. It's not enough to enable developer mode, disable Advanced Protection, disable the verifier flag, sideload F-Droid via ADB, and grant F-Droid install permissions. Google has effectively killed F-Droid on new Pixels.

The only remaining workaround is to manually download each APK on a desktop machine and sideload it individually via adb install. Every single app. And now, I can't use F-Droid to keep my software updated.

There's a reason I chose Linux and Android over iOS. But Google is following Apple's lead, tightening the ecosystem one dark pattern at a time. It's only a matter of time before I give up on Pixel phones entirely.