I don’t like having a google account that has google tracking any video I watch. Also… the recommendations are more addicting and with Tubular (NewPipe fork) and Freetube I just imported my subs and follow them a bit. Never had to deal with the shitty youtube website once. Also, ReVanced still uses the proprietary YouTube apk and I prefer free software on my phone
You’re worried about Google watching what videos you watch, presumably while signed into your Google account on an android phone?
Unless you’re running Graphene that level of abstraction isn’t much in their way.
I use /e/OS. Its an ungoogled android rom. Anyways, even if you use stock android privacy isn’t black and white. Any bit of privacy you can bear to preserve is a step worth preserving. Theres a difference in google getting some of your data or all of your data. Stock youtube is also too much focused on retention maximation for me. I find some creators interesting but think the addictive nature of youtube is toxic
On LineageOS build with no Google Service, download using Tubular/NewPipe/Seal/etc. Play on VLC. Makes for a better privacy experience.
Lots of trouble to build, but worth it. The lack of spam and other spooky things is telling.
Thanks for giving further info, there are lots of people that want more privacy but are uninformed on the depths of what’s required.
I’m looking at moving to Graphene on my P7P but I don’t have the time to spend migrating my data and losing access to my digital only debit cards among other things.
My server among many other services is running immich for photos, Syncthing + Keepass for passwords but there are many more services I’ll need to spin-up to feel at ease leaving the Google ecosystem.
Even Tailscale I want to migrate to Headscale / Netbird. I’ll eventually get everything where I want it but there are only so many hours in the day, and so much coffee and ritalin I can consume before it’s two sleeps to Christmas.
It’s baffling even with something simple like a DNS ad blocker - the volume of communication from my partners Windows laptop, her iPhone and my Android phone being blocked with no loss of functionality. I don’t want to look at wireshark.