And the phone number thing is already happening too. Google, discord and probably other stuff already ask for a phone number to prove you are a human when they flag your account.

I love that lemmy is so techy, this is in c/memes of all places

Have you considered the possibility you are a robot? /s

There are other captcha providers. If only companies would start using them instead of Google.

That’s a big if though, considering that Chromebooks didn’t exactly take off either.

What is supposed to happen with desktops here? If they require a phone to pass the captcha on the desktop that is already a huge issue and many people will complain about that regardless of play services.

I change every 3-4 years but that’s not the point. A 24-hour delay plays into the “sideloading” thing. You could theoretically “sideload” all your apps, it shouldn’t be a secondary thing. Waiting 24h doesn’t matter in normal cases. Now if your phone breaks and needs to be switched immediately it could be an issue.

This means though that now the important stuff HAS to come from the play store or you have a 24-hour penalty every time you get a new phone.