The WAN Show – August 29, 2025: Android Has Become Apple
Podcast: The WAN Show
Hosts: Linus Sebastian & Luke Lafreniere
Air Date: August 30, 2025
Episode Theme: Major industry shifts in smartphone platforms, user choice in technology, and broader tech landscape changes
Episode Overview
In this episode, Linus and Luke tackle seismic shifts in the mobile OS landscape, with Android adopting Apple-like restrictions on sideloading. The conversation explores what this means for users, how “open” Android truly is, and the broader implications for app freedom and alternative OS adoption. The show also covers developments in Battlefield 6 multiplayer, the future of OpenAI parental controls after a lawsuit, GPUs at MSRP, changes to the Steam review system, Framework's unlikely Nvidia modular GPU win, and more.
Headline Topic: Android Locks Down Sideloading—Is It Becoming Apple?
Timestamps: 02:19–15:00
Key Discussion Points
-
Google Announces Dev Verification for Sideloaded Apps
- Starting October 2025 (rollout in select countries by 2026, globally by 2027), Android will require developer verification even for apps installed outside the Play Store.
- This echoes Apple’s new “open but restricted” sideloading policies in the EU.
- Quote:
“Android has become what they set out to destroy...” — Linus [02:19]
-
Reasoning & Analogies
- Google claims it's like “an ID check at the airport... confirming who the developer is, not reviewing the content.”
- Linus and Luke both criticize the analogy as nonsensical.
- Quote:
“Her analogy makes no sense.” — Linus [04:26]
-
Speculation on Motives
- Linus suggests Google has watched legal and regulatory action against Apple, and is now mirroring the maximum lockdown permitted by law.
- Quote:
“It seems to me like Google has been watching extremely interestedly from the sidelines... to see what they can also lock down.” — Linus [05:10]
-
Practical User Impact
- Will this ban certain apps or only gatekeep which developers can sideload?
- Luke points out that in current form, it just seems like paperwork, but could easily lead to an anti-competitive allow-list.
- Linus and Luke both foresee a world with even more tightly controlled app ecosystems.
Alternatives: GrapheneOS and the Rise of Custom ROMs
Timestamps: 08:04–16:00
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Enthusiasts Flocking to GrapheneOS
- Linus and Luke discuss GrapheneOS as a “flag waving” solution for privacy and open Android.
- Some tradeoffs—certain apps (e.g., Authy, banking) outright refuse to run due to Google’s integrity APIs.
- Quote:
“There are some ways that Google does attempt to exert some control over device security. In this particular case... there’s not a meaningful impact on the actual security... but simply will not run.” — Linus [09:10]
-
Hope for Alternative Android Distributions
- Both hosts note a wave of interest in “alternative Android” (e.g., GrapheneOS, SteamOS’s normalization of Linux, the legacy of Cyanogenmod).
- Linus: The camera experience is the one technical barrier keeping most people with the big OEMs.
Main Takeaways
- Android and Apple are converging on controlled, less open ecosystems, possibly stifling innovation and user choice.
- There is a growing tension between security, privacy, and openness.
- Niche user communities are revitalizing alternative operating systems, but core hardware (camera, banking) locks keep mass market change at bay.
Additional Key Segments & Highlights
Battlefield 6: Return of Persistent Servers & Bigger Maps
Timestamps: 19:56–33:33
-
Battlefield 6 will feature server browsers and persistent servers (albeit mainly in custom Portal modes).
- Luke sees it as a critical step back towards a more classic, player-driven multiplayer experience.
- Quote:
“They’re bringing back server browsers.” — Luke [21:48]
-
Vehicle-heavy maps and the differentiated role of classes (overpowered medic, specialized snipers).
- Dialogue on the lack of exciting AAA shooters and nostalgia for older FPS titles.
OpenAI Lawsuit & Teen Safety
Timestamps: 127:13–135:42
- After a high-profile tragedy involving a teen using ChatGPT, OpenAI is now bringing parental controls and better crisis interventional tools.
- Linus and Luke are deeply critical and concerned about chatbot “friendliness” and real harm/erroneous advice.
- Quote:
“If a person did this, the person would be going to jail.” — Luke [132:32]
Steam Changes How Reviews Work
Timestamps: 64:44–68:40
- Language-specific review scores now highlighted for games, isolating the impact of region or language-driven review bombs.
- Both hosts praise Valve for focusing user sentiment more clearly.
- Quotes:
“I actually love this change.” — Linus [67:26]
“As a player who just wants to enjoy the game, this seems like … a better indication of user sentiment.” — Luke [67:47]
GPU Pricing: MSRP at Last, But…
Timestamps: 68:47–76:10
- Some Nvidia RTX 50-series cards (5070, 5080) appear in-stock at MSRP, albeit limited.
- The price for a 5070 is discussed as too high by historical comparison, but it’s at MSRP—"a tiny W."
- Banter about excessively expensive gold-plated GPUs.
- Quote: “We have to take the W’s we can get.” — Linus [70:53]
Framework Laptop’s Nvidia Breakthrough
Timestamps: 171:44–177:41
- Framework will offer a modular Nvidia RTX 5070 GPU for its upgradable laptop—unprecedented for a major brand and particularly notable given Nvidia’s historical hostility to modular laptop GPUs.
- Both hosts express genuine surprise and delight.
- Quote:
“Not only did Framework do it, Framework did it with Nvidia... Companies have been sued. Companies have lost millions of dollars in previous attempts to deliver an upgradeable GPU laptop.” — Linus [173:32]
Notable Moments & Quotes
- On Android following Apple:
- “You shouldn’t have to choose between open and secure… but now you do.” — Linus [02:19]
- On Open Source & Licensing Fiascos:
- [FSR4 SDK leak discussion] “Once something is released as open source under the MIT license, apparently it cannot be revoked.”—Linus [170:03]
- On Tech YouTube Landscape:
- “If you listen to audience feedback, you are basically guaranteed to fail.” — Linus [99:44]
Community Q&A, Industry News & LTT channel updates
- Steep LTT view decline and musings on YouTube algorithms: Recognition of changing viewing habits, algorithm impacts, and pressures for content evolution. [76:10–109:52]
- Scrapyard Wars Part 3 announcement + livestream commentary tease. [158:52, 159:55]
- Spotify adding DMs — universally panned as unnecessary.
- “What another DM inbox means to me is another place that I can get spammed...” — Linus [154:05]
- On Tech’s Changing Role:
- “Everything from the pricing structure to the marketing to the product development... is now geared at system integrators, not DIY PC builders.” — Linus [99:44–108:21]
- Casual, self-deprecating banter:
- “Her analogy makes no sense.” — Linus [04:26]
- “Nobody’s ever died from pepper spray. Yes, although rare deaths have been linked to pepper spray.” — Linus & Luke [165:23]
- “Thank you, Luke. Come and collect your pizza.” — Linus [158:32]
- “Do you have general concerns?” — Luke [01:51]
- Personal Tech Nostalgia:
- Both reflect on their earliest gadgets and the changing experience of using technology growing up. [184:28–187:21]
Conclusion
This episode is a rich, far-ranging snapshot of August 2025 in tech: the tightening of mobile OS walled gardens, the torch being picked up by privacy and open-source enthusiasts, nostalgic hope for multiplayer gaming, the realities of AI’s pitfalls, shifts in review platforms, and glimmers of hardware innovation in upgradable laptops. Linus and Luke’s candid, critical, and genuinely funny exchanges make this an engaging episode for anyone invested in the forces shaping the future of our everyday tech.