Not too many unfortunately. I trust Proton bc I am not breaking any Swiss laws, and I know they leak recovery emails so I don’t have one listed, but that’s about it.

To be honest I’m not an expert in this, definitely haven’t achieved de-googled life yet, but someday I dream I will. Even if they are not collecting usage data they’re surely getting metadata

I noticed a big jump from pixel 6 to 7 in cost, so the 6 is what I meant. Still very usable in 2024. I don’t need all the newest features, just security upgrades. The battery is fine - I use a chargie to keep it between 35 and 85% to prolong the life.

You can pay more for a more modern phone, but if your only criterion is a usable pixel you don’t have to spend more than about 200 if that.

Edit: I really appreciate your recommendations though – I may try one of those out when I need to upgrade.

For me it is a matter of trust. What does it matter if you’re getting security updates faster than everyone else if you’re getting them Solar Winds? In other words, if you don’t need security against nation-state actors, the highest threat is Google / Apple themselves.

I usually buy pixels used for $200, where are you getting 6/7 phones for that price?

Matrix continues to be awful and weird. Discord is basically easy to use IRC – too bad no one else has figured out an easy irc