The logical next step would be to require devices sold in the country to only be able to use legal app stores, where "legal" is defined as "complying with the requirement to block any E2E apps without backdoors".

Everything is already in place for this, both hardware- and software-wise.

> There are other methods of distribution than app stores.

And all of them are completely irrelevant because only us nerds would even know about them let alone how to use them.

> People didn't buy their copy of Napster from GameStop back in the day

Those days are long dead.