Unless you go the custom ROM + microG option that 98% of folks would never do… or you embrace the Linux phone OS which has no ‘apps’ (like that banking app that banned you for rooting your other Linux (Android) phone) & the telephony barely works if it even does.

This duopoly sucks.

It’s telling that you think 98% of users wouldn’t do that. It’s 99.9999% of android users my friend.

Good to know that extra 1.9999% was worth a comment. It’s pretty similar to the number of desktop Linux users even (edit: which seem to be over 3% now actually, great).

1.9999% of android users would form the 19th largest country in the world by population. It’s absolutely worth clarifying a difference of that scale when you’re talking about something niche.

And I want to be a citizen of that country. The Indian custom ROM hackers can be the ruling class with the amount of CPU it takes to build Android & their good will to release it for us.

I just use my banking website from my phone. Why install apps?

My bank is detecting Netscape Navigator 4 & you better bet it’s a horrible experience for small viewports, & generally a buggy experience altogether (scoping other sites in my country, they are all just as bad).

This is also presupposing the Google doesn’t get its Web Environment Integrity (WEI) initiative foisted upon us allowing the banks to do the same sketchy attestation that they can do with apps from the browser--meaning they could deny you from running an alternative OS, disabling TPM/Pluton/Secure Boot, to having admin/root access like they block it on phones for dubious reasons.

My bank and credit union allow me to deposit checks from my phone via the apps; their websites don't offer that option.

In my country, bank transfers with vendor is usually done via QR code scanning which isn’t supported on the site. The flow for the site would required adding the vendor (even for a one-time transaction) to your bank contact list, manually inputting all of the account numbers/phone/email, then going back & selecting it—something no vendor wants to wait on. If you haven’t done it in 20 minutes, you will be logged out with no cancel logout pop-up & paste has been disabled for … ‘security’?

Honestly can't recall the last time I've had to deposit a cheque.

I've seen authentication flows that require you to login, or confirm logins, via the bank's app if you're trying to use the account outside of the app itself.

I'm not even willing to do that. I physically go to a bank branch to interact with my bank.

Largely this isn’t possible for e-commerce. Some might say it’s just convenience, bun there are a lot of goods only reasonably available online.

98%? 100% effectively.

Don't you need to use Google on Android for them to even have your data? I've seen this propagated, but I havent experienced it.

Anyway, in the decade of using android, I am not sure what privacy has compromised. I havent received any custom ads from just using my phone.

If I search stuff on the official google search, yes I do, but if I use incognito, I do not. (For instance, I like seeing sports scores occasionally, but if I search it with google, I'm bombarded about sports).

Google search isnt Android though.

Google isn’t collecting your ethnic status to retarget ads. I mean, maybe it changes results a bit.

They’re collecting ethnic status to sell to Cambridge analytica to steal elections.

You can also just not use any Meta apps. It won't completely prevent Meta from building a shadow profile on you, but it'll help.