[t0bia_s]

Will this stop you from purchasing a new Samsung device?

Yes. I was buying Samsung devices for years because of size (A5, A7, S10e) and ability to unlock bootloader for Lineage OS. Time to look elsewhere.

[metadat]

Yep, if Samsung phones are now just as closed as Apple, well.. Android phones certainly aren't superior in many dimensions. Bummer.