And go where? IOS is worse as far as openness and controlling your own hardware. And the Linux phones are not exactly practical for normal use.

If I can't run F-Droid and termux and all that, I have no need for Android supposed freedom. I'll just use an iPhone (it would be the first time!), minimize my use of mobile platforms to the maximum extent I can and stick with Linux laptops.

I'm currently researching Android alternatives, including Librem and Jolla C2, and I'm skeptical that those will be compelling. It's just so sad.

I’ve been daily driving a Librem 5 for two years. It’s not compelling, but I’m surprised at how little all those tiny inconveniences matter in the long run.

I think we tend to underestimate our ability to get used to stuff.

I suspect that many developers publishing on F-Droid, and the F-Droid itself, may obtain registration, and continue to be available, termux and all.

But not every developer, of course, would agree to register.

There are so many apps which just work and don't need updates.

All of those will disappear also on F-Droid because of that.

If both phone OS's are going to be the exact same on user choice then you might as well compare the two on their merits and this is not a comparison Android wins.

You forgot "IMO"

Exactly how you control your "own hardware" on your Android ?

I rely on fdroid and am not sure what I'll do with this pixel 6a. I sometimes root, sometimes don't but I may have to get on the lineageos program full time. And I'm hoping for a rumored last batch of pinephone pro phones to be available later this month although I have no illusions about it being a real daily driver.

LineageOS currently says that it won't install over the latest update on the 6a.

You can try it, but don't cry if it bricks.

The newish one I bought got GrapheneOS instead. That worked without a hitch, but it's got more than a few problems.

What problems are you running into on Graphene OS? Maybe we have different workflows, but it works just fine for my purposes.

I have issues getting sms pass through to a secondary profile, especially if it is a group message or contains media. I have to remember to open the messaging app for it to actually refresh and download/notify me of new messages.

It didn't used to be like this but started maybe a year ago.

No root is the dealbreaker.

The browser doesn't handle dark mode well.

The launcher is primitive. Why didn't they just take Trebuchet?

I was also very used to pattern unlock.

No root is a major security feature, you have chosen an OS that prioritizes security.

Use some other browser if dark mode is really important to you.

I think the launcher is good and I can't think of anything to improve on it. I'm happy it's the default, but I'm sure you can switch to a different launcher if you want.

Pattern unlock is also not there because of security.

fdroid is based in the EU and the Cyber Resilience Act was already going to force them to either make their filters more strict (absolutely prohibit anything with any sort of "monetization"), or start collecting this data.

If they have anything on the platform that is subject to the CRA, they are a distributer:

https://www.cyberresilienceact.eu/cra-guide-for-importers-di...

Ditch Google for what?

I responded elsewhere, but to summarize:

Use an iPhone, minimize my use of it. Continue to emphasize Linux on all my other devices. Move away from Google and Apple services to as much self-hosting as possible. Leverage TailScale to make my services accessible, globally, without actually exposing them on the internet. I'm just assuming that I will have to have some kind of attested device in order to run banking and payment apps and that might as well be a locked down device like an iPhone.

This is the way. I've been living this life for a while now and IMO it's the best way to go in 2025.

An unofficial build of Android, like Grapheneos. It likely won't be able to install apps from the Play Store, but at that point it might be a blessing.

grapheneOS relies on the goodwill of Google to keep Pixel devices open right?

They are apparently in talks with a vendor to produce official devices. But yeah, the open Android ecosystem is shrinking.

Samsung recently stopped allowing the bootloader unlocking. HTC stopped allowing bootloader unlocking in 2018.

My bet is on Nothingphone or Fairphone remaining open for a while.