this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
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Android devices with a non-deadlocked bootloader can be reflashed to have de-googled builds of Android. LineageOS isn't completely de-googled (it's damn close to it) but you can put that on any supported device without GApps and use it that way.
Apple is completely deadlocked, through and through, and you cannot de-Apple without completely abandoning their platform.
That's a bit hyperbolic and unfair to the point of being misleading.
"Android" is not one universal type of phone operating system. It, like Linux, has various distributions. Samsung makes their own version. as does Motorola, as does HTC and Nokia, as does OnePlus, Huawei, etc... The version of Android that comes with a Samsung phone is radically different than what comes with a Motorola phone. You cannot blame Google for what Samsung decides to include on their own strain of Android. You cannot blame Google for what shady Chinese brands put on their hardware.
Want an Android device that isn't crammed full of adware, trackers and all sorts of garbage? Stop buying garbage devices from garbage OEMs.
Motorola and Google are the two that (shock, surprise!) are the most open, always have unlocked bootloaders when bought directly and not through a carrier and have the most well supported devices if you decide to go with a custom rom.
I work for an Android OEM; i am quite familiar with GMS and AOSP versions of Android. I was unclear what i meant - software choices on Android are highly limited when trying to avoid adware and trackerware apks. It's just unfortunately a platform where the value extracted from it is way more often from provide free but not great software that also mines your life. not too many options for great software that also doesn't mine you, free or paid.
I suspect you feel that way because it's easier to know what DOES mine you, free or paid, on Android, than it is on any other mobile OS. Consequentially, it's also easier to block such stuff on Android with custom dns, custom roms, root and a hosts file or using apps to track the trackers like Exodus. So, no, I disagree: You say it's highly limited when trying to avoid those kinds of apps... We have F-Droid and other third party app stores. There's a plethora of FOSS apps that can replace the common garbage data collecting apps out there. People just don't want to make the effort and look a little bit harder elsewhere for what they would feel more comfortable using. That's why we have privacy nightmares: people are lazy.