[devmor]

No, it's a prerequisite to doing business.

The OEM phones are cheap because the manufacturer sells them at a loss, recouping money by locking them down and pre-installing certain software.

The alternative is that Google is properly regulated, or cheap smartphones phones don't exist.

[donkeybeer]

Its possible the forced apps are a cost recouping mechanism. But how does a phone bootloader being locked down become Google's fault? Does it mandate that for some kind of Android certification?

[j4hdufd8]

Yes Google mandates a locked bootloader in order to meet Google Play Integrity's remote attestation. More generally it mandates a perfectly clean and valid secure boot chain. Among a variety of other requirements.