This cuts both ways too - "if facebook deploys their spyware build and requires you to sideload it, then just don't use facebook". But then you lose contact with friends/families/etc.
Also Google themselves currently don't actually use RCS either, but rather a proprietary fork of RCS which prevents interop, and already refuses access to third parties who ask to interoperate. And app-store warfare does not address this at all.
There is probably a substantial number of users who are content to use Facebook occasionally on desktop, and not even need it as a mobile app. The era of check-ins is far gone.
I would concede that Instagram is a different story, but even that platform isn't growing as rapidly as it used to.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/5/9/facebook-has-3-b...
There is probably a substantial number of users who are content to use Facebook occasionally on desktop, and not even need it as a mobile app. The era of check-ins is far gone.
I would concede that Instagram is a different story, but even that platform isn't growing as rapidly as it used to.