The recently lost file upload feature in the Nextcloud app for Android

This is exactly why the EU's Digital Markets Act exists. And why it needs teeth. Google disabling Nextcloud's all-files access on Android, while quietly letting its own apps and big corporate players keep it, isn't about "security". It's about control. Nextcloud is a European, privacy-first alternative built on open standards and that can be fully aligned with GDPR requirements. Blocking its core functionality while favouring your own services is a textbook abuse of platform power. Android was supposed to be open, but moves like this show it (at least the Play Services verison) is just another walled garden. If the EU is serious about digital sovereignty and fair competition, this is the kind of behaviour that must be stopped. Otherwise, no European tech, no matter how compliant, open, or user-friendly, stands a chance.

What apps in Google's ecosystem have the "all files" permission? Google Drive certainly doesn't. The "upload" button on GDrive prompts you to select a file just like NextCloud does.

The "sync just one folder" functionality exists in SAF without any high-risk permissions. Migration of existing profiles may be a pain (as the user would need to grant permission on the folder when switching to the new API).

Synchronisation of the entire virtual storage, the download folder, or any extra folders vendors like Samsung might've added to the blacklist, isn't possible with the new API, but it's also not possible with Google's own services. The DMA only requires Google not to be put in a special position; as long as they don't offer such a feature, they don't need to offer it to NextCloud.