JB11 I forgot that every app is sandboxed while on iOS apps run natively
I'm not sure where you're getting this from precisely; iOS apps are sandboxed as well as on Android.
JB11 2 that are red flagged likely because I used ReVanced to patch them
Yes, that would be expected.
JB11 For whatever it's worth, as at this point I'm not sure, I use virus total to scan apps, which doesn't just use a single anti virus, it uses several.
That'll be better than an individual virus scanner, but it still has the inherent problems in trying to 'find' malware in an app.
JB11 Finally, my concern signing into Google is that it'll annoy me about using my phone number, I get that since it's a sandboxed app I could just uninstall it but that also doesn't solve the root problem.
People have been able to create anonymous accounts for Google Play without being prompted with a phone number requirement. It usually involves:
- Going to a place with Public WiFi
- Disabling any active VPN
- Ensuring that Play Services has sensors permission
- Creating the account within the Play Store app
- Setting up 2-Factor Authentication immediately after the account is created
I may have missed something; I haven't gone this route, personally.
JB11 I get that google probably already "detects" my SIM and phone
I'm not completely sure what this means. Play Services can only access whatever it would be possible for any app to within the permissions you give it. There is a special permission (which has to be manually granted) that lets Play Services access cellular hardware identifiers for RCS compatibility on some carriers. That's the closest thing I can think of to what you're describing, but that's still a permission that has to be manually granted.