The latest version (0.0.35) is out already and has this feature. So far it's only on github I think, but you could install it from that apk if you can't wait for the play store release.
Some other things might be broken (default sort no longer seems to be remembered for instance) and you'll have trouble connecting to instances that are not yet on lemmy 0.18 (this might be the majority currently; lemmy.ml is a big one that already updated), but apart from that, it's looking good.
Beehaw "moderators" don't have an issue with their user base checking out other communities. As is clearly obvious from the fact that they aren't defederated from all other instances.
They do have an issue with droves of unvetted users from other instances trolling and harassing their community though. And the most effective way to deal with that currently is to defederate from the instances that the majority of those bad-faith users are coming from. The unfortunate (and unintentional) side effect is that Beehaw users won't be able to interact with any of the users from those instances.
This is a situation born out of a combination of
You can disagree with this decision and users are free to switch, but this meme is a poor caricature of the actual effects of Beehaw's actions and (at least in my estimation) of their intentions.
The decision to defederate is less of an attack or an indictment against the other instances and more of a practical necessity for them to protect their community.
If the user base of the lemmy verse keeps growing I wouldn't be surprised if either