Android

I run lineage os

I'm running LineageOS on a Moto G42. I bought this device with LOS in mind (also it is one of the very few devices with headphone jack and MicroSD slot). So far I'm happy. I always rooted/custom flashed every device since 2012. I'm no longer rooting anymore though. Shizuku is sufficient for my needs.

Using LineageOS on my Moto G7 since I got it, no GApps at all. I plan to use it till the battery gives out and then get myself a latest Pixel and install GrapheneOS on it. De-googled Android is probably the best compromise of privacy/functionality you can get, Linux phones sadly are just not there in both hardware and software and I have no desire to trap myself in Apple's walled garden prison.

I use GrapheneOS on my Pixel 5, even though I didn't want to use Custom ROMs anymore.

I run it mainly because of sandboxed Play Services (i. e. Google services running as a user application with much less capabilities, instead of a system application, like with the factory image) and the additional functionality, which includes the ability to revoke network and sensor permissions for any app.

One of the reasons I decided to flash it, instead of remaining on the factory image, was that it behaves like the factory image once it is installed. Meaning the bootloader is closed and I don't have to ever worry about updates (manually flashing the latest firmware files or the latest gapps, etc.). It even has automatic system updates, meaning it installs system updates whenever I am not using the phone. So while I'm asleep my phone is updating itself and the next morning I start the day with the latest GrapheneOS release. Very convenient!

I still download apps primarily from the Play Store (auto updates also work for those apps!) and use F-Droid only for apps that aren't available there (due to F-Droid signing most apps with their own key). But, since the Play Services and the Play Store run as a user app, I am at least able to take all permissions away from them, which should reduce the amount of data that can be collected by them.

There are drawbacks though, one of them is the lack of Pixel features. Those missing features include adaptive charging and sound output improvements, which results in degraded speaker quality on GrapheneOS, especially with newer Pixel phones (verified on a Pixel 7).

In the future I hope to ditch Android altogether on my main phone and switch to a Linux phone (and have a cheap Android phone, or a compatibility layer, for disrespectful companies, like banks or EV charging providers, that force me to install an Android or iOS app), but I haven't seen the right Linux phone hardware for me yet. I plan to replace my Pixel 5 when Android 15 releases (as Android 14 is the last major update for it), so maybe I can switch to a Linux phone by then. :)

I'm running LineageOS for many years now, currently using LineageOS4MicroG on a Motorola because I really need good GPS.

Running de-googled Lineage OS (Android 10 equivalent version). Biggest drawback for me is maps. I make do with OSMAnd+ but I have to search on Google Maps, get the coordinates and paste into OSMAnd+. Other than that no issues

I run LineageOS on my Nexus 6, to get ongoing security updates. I also keep one other sacrificial phone running stock android with bootloader locked, so no more security updates, but I don't run anything on it but my banking app, since it's too insecure.

Would if I could, but I cannot.

I have "debloated" as much as I can, which includes a fair amount of Google stuff. I don't have a Google account.

No drawbacks. In fact, if anyone, like me, is unable to root their phone or install a different ROM, the simple process of using adb to "uninstall" the apps nets you a few more hours of battery per charge.

I am running Paranoid Android Topaz 4 on my OnePlus 7T. No fancy features, but very stable. Just like Roman Empire.

I don't see enough DivestOS here. It's basically LineageOS, but actually more private and secure. Though it explicitely doesn't support any way of emulating Play Services, which can obviously be a dealbreaker for some.

Yes, AlphaDroid (Android 13)

Honestly the names mean almost nothing, custom ROMs with new names come out all the time and get discontinued all the time. Just need to find the stable one for your specific device and with the features you want. I use custom ROMs mainly because I get much better battery life and performance compared to stock ROMs which are bloated and slow in my case.

The drawback is mainly you should be tech savvy and be willing to do trial and error/tinkering a lot. But once you find a good ROM you'll probably stay a long time and if the dev is good you'll get consistent updates.

There's also the banking apps problem some people have. With most new ROMs these days, banking apps should work out of the box. Now if you root your phone that's what apps try to detect but it's pretty easy to get around after research (again tinkering). It's a cat and mouse game. If they change something you'll have to update your method of hiding root or Magisk. At the moment I'm using banking apps just fine without them detecting root.

I run degoogled LineageOS

Yes to all questions. Only drawback I can recall is my banking app refusing to pass Safetynet but the website works good enough.

I haven't run a custom ROM in years. I pretty much stopped using them when I started buying unlocked global phones that didn't have carrier bloatware on them.

Nope. Pixel 6 Pro.

I used to. I haven't been able to find a good custom ROM for my current phone (LG V60).

Running /e/ OS on a 1+ 7 Pro

No.

ArrowOS 13.1 on my POCO F3 and Xiaomi Pad 5

GApps version btw, because I just hate MIUI and love AOSP.

On my current phone, no, because I want to be able to use Google Wallet and pay with it. On my old phones yes I unlock bootloader and install some kind of custom ROM to play with them.

For privacy, I thought about running a de googled custom ROM. Then I did some risk assessments of common apps and realized that every app relies on multiple libraries and these libraries all have telemetry. Even major apps that you would think kick down their user data so bit even consider the data being hovered up by the libraries.

This means that there are probably 20+ data agrogators constantly pulling your data unless you don't install a single app on your phone. Next option is a dumb phone, but even the "dumb phones" at the store are just Android with a locked down UI.

I consider it a lost cause at this point.

If you want privacy, buy some land in the mountains, put a big tarp over it, and never leave. :(

If you want more control over the OS to do things that users usually can't do, than it makes sense to root.

Still am because miui is shit

I'm using Paranoid Android in my Poco F2 Pro , I like more the smoothness and visuals of AOSP against MIUI, especially since A12 when Material You and Monet features were introduced, before only smoothness was my motivation.

I would, if not for a combination of a few factors:

Firstly, I currently own an S22 that can't be unlocked, but I'm loathe to trade away a perfectly good phone so soon.

Secondly, Pixels (which seem to be the best supported in the custom ROM scene?) are still kinda shit hardware wise. At minimum they need a proper ultrasonic fingerprint sensor before I consider switching.

And finally, I don't have a strong enough motivation to switch.

I'm concerned about my privacy, yes, but at the same time I really don't do anything interesting with my phone. Most of my computation happens locally on my Linux desktop, far out of reach of any prying eyes.

And it's not like they can use what little information they can harvest for anything, since all my devices are juiced to the gills with adblockers.