You’re missing the point entirely. Curated stores existing is one thing, curated stores being the only way to access content is another.
Going back to the original point; there has never really been a mobile phone ecosystem that did not actively prevent another storefront existing. There can be no ‘Steam’ on Android or Apple devices because their terms explicitly prevent it - however Android devices are certainly popular amongst certain groups of people based on their ability to easily install software from outside of the curated ecosystem.