I’d say ditch both Apple and Google and use an app based on OpenStreetMap data. The mapping data shouldn’t belong to any corporation that can decide to restrict access tomorrow. Use OpenStreetMap and if you find the mapping is not good enough contribute to improve it, just like one can do in Wikipedia.
To access OpenStreetMap data I’d recommend the apps Organic Maps (lightweight and simple) or OsmAnd (more feature packed but heavier). Magic Earth is also an alternative.
You are right, I ran the test on Mull + uBlock Origin on a phone running an ad/tracker blocker at OS level, and this tool reported connections that I couldn’t find in my logs.
It however helped me identify appmetrica.yandex.ru which was not blocked.
It would be great, but a big problem that I see with a new, completely different OS is… the apps.
If a new OS not based on Android launches tomorrow, it will have no 3rd party apps, and it will be very hard to catch momentum without WhatsApp, Youtube, Netflix, Spotify, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter X (🙄), Uber… all of those apps that most people use their phone for 90% of the time.
I just installed Infinity for Lemmy and it looks pretty good so far. It’s still at Avery early stage, but it has the nice look & fell of Infinity for Reddit.
I had a discussion some time ago in Reddit with someone who argued that Spain is not western Europe, but Germany is. They even provided links and it seems that geopolitically it is considered like that, but having lived in Spain and Germany and in between I think barely anyone raised there would say so
Well, that probably depends greatly on the device you are using. There’s dozens of Android smartphones out there.
With this said, OsmAnd updated their rendering engine last year to use OpenGL, so the way each phone and OS handles OpenGL will have a great impact too. Of course considering that you have your Android OsmAnd configured to use the Version 2 rendering engine (which uses OpenGL), and not Version 1.
Yeah, that is just my experience and, of course, will vary with others depending on which apps you track with Obtainium, and maybe on which ROM you run.
I still find a bit odd how some people want to avoid F-Droid, being a reputable source that checks for anti-features and builds from source to make sure the final apk matches with the published code.
However, I am happy that there are several options to install and update FOSS apps in Android and derived ROMs: we can all choose what we prefer and have other options as backup.
I have found Obtainium to be quite unreliable and am surprised by how many people recommend it.
In my case it frequently fails to detect which version I have installed, fails to detect there is a new version, and even tells me an app is outdated when the version I have installed is higher than what it believes is the highest version. I currently use it only for 2 apps: Uazo’s Chromium build (which is not on F-Droid) and Obtainium itself.
In case an app is on F-Droid I personally see no reason to get/update it through Obtainium.
I think the Google Maps issue depends on how you use it. The thing is that Google Maps is at the same time:
a map database
a business database with user ratings
an app to access those 2 things and get routing.
I ditched Google Maps long ago and rely on OpenStreetMap and apps that use its data. But I had to change my mentality, because it is not all in one app:
OpenStreetMap is a database that has mapping data. This data is very complete in some regions of the world, and you can contribute to improve it.
Organic Maps or OsmAnd are very good, FOSS, Apps that use OpenStreetMap data and allow you to look up any address or business, and have their own routing engines.
I don’t really care about the businesses ratings, so I don’t mind missing that aspect of Google Maps
Proton Mail or Tutanota are good options, with free basic services and paid, more complete, ones. Check what the people in degoogle and privacy suggest and try for yourself. In the end you need to find what suits you best.
Yes. Degoogle completely. It might not be easy. It is not one action, but a process. But every one of their services you use is power you give them over you: they not only track you, but have the power to lock and remove your data. Leave as soon as you can.