Thats why I don't use Pixel devices, or any Android devices really. I know its a precarious situation with Apple since they could reverse their stance at any point and sometimes they get it wrong, but they have yet to completely fail me when it comes to privacy.
In any event, it'd be nice if there was a 3rd mainstream vendor in the mobile race[0][1]
[0]: Both design wise and conceptually, I miss WebOS when it was strictly under Palm. It could have really been something. Why they didn't embrace multitouch screens I haven't a clue, it was the one thing that baffled me.
[1]: The one project I really wanted Mozilla to take a long term view on - Firefox OS - was another great innovation of our time that didn't get the love or support it deserved. It was a blast using web technology to build apps that ran fluidly on modern hardware. Unfortunately, it was all too often relegated to cheap manufacturer hardware that couldn't support it ideally, but even with this being true, they pulled off alot of technical excellence with that project.
I haven't tried /e/, I prefer installing a raw lineage with microG myself (although I don't currently use the microG part), but it seems like you and your parent commenter would be in the intended target.
I do agree that an alternative would be great. I'd gladly use Linux mobile with good, realiable hardware.
It did encourage me to provide my Google account credentials, which I refrained to do, which made the appstore essentially equivalent to F-droid.
I can't really get excited about it.
I already own a Pixel running GrapheneOS, but if this happens I'll probably order one as soon as they come out to cast a vote with my wallet.
google and apple, apple is the best in this privacy field
Apple is pretty much the same as a vanilla google phone in comparison.
Sure, but then it ceases being a Google device. The discussion is focused around Pixel, as is, vs. Apple/iOS, in which case Apple wins by far in that aspect.
"Apple is pretty much the same as a vanilla google phone in comparison"
Google literally Ads company, do you know how ads company works????
Not expensive and work great. Was playing with one today. I am impressed.
And yes, it allows you to disable network permissions for apps, among many other nice things.
Opt-in cross app tracking instead of opt-out, but if Google can get all apps on board with their new privacy sandbox thing that'll be less relevant.
More importantly, an equivalent to Apple's advanced data protection for all Google services & backups. I want full E2EE for photos, notes, backups, passwords, bookmarks, etc. I want built-in hide my email to gmail, I want to be able to turn off network access for any app I want in the permission settings. I want Google to treat Android as something completely separate from their advertising business instead of an extension of it as a source of data collection.
Huh? WebOS was Palm embracing multitouch screens.
It is such a breath of fresh air. It is so quiet and functional. It feels like it prioritizes me, the user. I am so grateful to have this OS.
Of course it has flaws, but they're lesser flaws. Like the crop tool is sometimes unusable in the gallery app. I can live with that. I couldn't live with the AI onslaught and spyware infiltration.
Beyond the monochrome icon pack that cannot be changed in the included launcher (which is so aesthetically challenged with an appearance that only a mother could love), the browser that cannot grasp dark mode, and the lack of the accustomed pattern unlock, I find the lack of one singular thing intolerable:
I want root. At a minimum, adb rooted debugging.
I realize that I could unlock the bootloader and Magisk this thing, but with the number of correct decisions that have been made by the authors of this operating system (and they are legion), they do not recognize one fundamental need of administrators:
I want control of my systems.
That is really a shame.
I did consider it at some point but not having google wallet(apparently nfc payments are only available via banks' apps there) was too big of a downside for me.
Wallet is there, you can hold digital cards, and transit cards, and your Ikea member card, etc. It's GPay that won't work to do the payment. And it's Google the one being a bully and deliberately making you think like that towards any alternative that's not in their list of approved systems that can be used in your own phone.
https://grapheneos.org/