I've been an iPhone user since the first model, but over the past couple of years, I've become increasingly concerned about my digital footprint. I've been lurking on this forum, reading about others who've made the switch to more private alternatives, and I thought I'd share my own situation to get some feedback.
To be clear, I'm not trying to evade law enforcement or hide from the government. I just don't want to be tracked and have a massive digital dossier compiled about me. It's a matter of principle, really.
Currently, I use an iPhone without iCloud, and I've enabled lockdown mode. I back up my data locally or using Proton Drive, and I've opted for privacy-focused apps like Signal, Proton Mail, and Mullvad. I also use apps from my bank and credit card companies, as well as Google Voice for disposable communications. Most of my contacts use iPhones, so I use iMessage and FaceTime with them, although I do have a few contacts on Signal.
One thing that's been bothering me is the effectiveness of VPNs on iPhones. From what I understand, they've been partially compromised for a while now, which makes me wonder if I'm wasting my time using Mullvad.
If I were to switch to GrapheneOS, I'd likely use Google Play Services to get push notifications for email and Signal. However, I've heard that using Signal without Play Services can be a battery hog, so that's a consideration. I'd also need to find an alternative to Google Voice, since the app behaves differently on AOSP devices.
Overall, I'm fairly happy with my current setup, but I do have some lingering concerns. What data is Apple collecting about me, exactly? Are they snooping on my Proton Mail and Signal communications? Are they storing my iMessages despite my iCloud being disabled? Do they still work with PRISM (or whatever the new version is) and siphon off all my data for government storage? These are the kinds of questions that keep me up at night.
I'm not sure if I'm being paranoid or if these are legitimate concerns. I'd love to hear from others who've navigated similar situations. Is it worth switching to a new system just to gain a bit more privacy? I'm not sure, but I'm open to feedback.