That seems a lot like corpo- excuse making about adjusting usage to compensate for the fact that a product someone purchased has been changed, and broken, in order to be forced into agreement for a contract. That is called coercion in many places, but it seems like your recommended solution is that people accept getting screwed just so corporations can make more money when people complain…is that correct?
I'm just saying, how often do you need to adjust your phone while you're cycling?
It's a step back to not be able to do it by voice but if you're concerned enough about your privacy, stopping once or twice during a ride doesn't sound like the end of the world.
I'm not saying it's fine that Google took away functionality but, from a practical perspective, it seems like OP was acting like there's no other option available to change tracks. There is and it's really not that inconvenient.
I mean, any time you suggest "regulate companies" or "form a union", you get dogpiled. So until society gets its act together and collectively fixes these problems, the only immediate solution is to opt out.