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How does this kind of approach compare to custom roms for removing OEM and Google spyware? https://www.reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/jqxe1u/tutorial_how_to_degoogle_any_android_phone/ https://www.reddit.com/r/privatelife/comments/rohq46/100_foss_smartphone_hardening_nonroot_guide_40/

>>20235 using the info from your first link is good, but a rooted phone, is best. root is required to block and permanently remove stuff at a low-level. unrooted phones using an app like netguard on android, is really powerful, but requires time & patients to learn.

Just run GrapheneOS already. Anything else is just whack-a-mole.

>>20279 Rooting android fundamentally breaks the security model. If you use proprietary software, backdoors and spyware can be hidden almost anywhere. If you want a secure smartphone, use a custom ROM that uses only free software, Graphene is good for this. Hardware backdoors and vulnerabilities are still a problem though, so if you really want to be secure, don't use a smartphone and preferably no cell phone either. Note on netguard: An app on your phone will not save you from kernel-level backdoors and spyware.

>>20308 >>20373 this. also consider your threat model. most security schizos on the internet don't actually have a very high threat model, hence why even the ones who are super contrarian and constantly bash linux (micay, madaidan) use it themselves. it's the same reason why it's not terrible that everyone's house locks are absurdly easy to pick - people just don't go around picking locks that often. as long as you're not a pedo, drug trafficker, or the head of an anti-government activist movement, you'll be fine with anything that isn't actively being attacked with wide-reaching exploits in the wild. so just update your soykaf and don't be stupid, you'll be fine even if your lock is easy to pick.

>>20308 I looked at all the major projects but none of them have roms for my phone model. >>20374 My threat model is Google and OEM having easy access to everything I do. I'm not trying to be unhackable (but that would be nice). I just want to know if this will actually remove everything, including anything hidden, and it won't be able to re-enable itself.

>>20308 >Just run GrapheneOS already how can I be sure that the sellers on ebay or amazon aren't going to send me a pixel with a locked bootloader?

>>20566 Ask them. If you ask them ahead of time if "OEM Unlock" isn't greyed out they will tell you. Some of them put "OEM Unlocked" in the sale page headline and expect another $50 for what they're selling. Depending on where you are economically the $50 to avoid the hassle may worth it. Go for the Pixel 5 or newer.