That's all true and fine. But is there anything I said that hints that I'm a company trying to sell an Android phone without Google? If not, what are you refuting exactly?

I said that we don't know what Apple software is doing because it's all closed source. You then spent the last several replies trying to convince us that the same is effectively true of Android. It's not. You know how I know? I'm writing this reply from a Pixel 2 running LineageOS without Google Play Services. Is it a pain in the ass to do this kind of setup? Yep. Do I miss out on TikTok? Probably (I don't want it, so I don't know if it requires Play Services). Is it closed source? No.

In any case, refuting my claim that we can't trust Apple by arguing that we also can't trust Google doesn't actually refute a thing.

So you can have a completely open source version that is a pain in the ass and can’t run many Android apps. Congratulations?

I'm not looking for a pat on the back from you. Again, all I said was that you (mostly) don't know what closed source software is actually doing. I have yet to understand how in the world you disagree with that.

Have you personally audited every piece of code on your phone?

Of course not. And even if I did, there's no chance I could catch every possible bug or issue or exploitable issue. But, like I said several replies ago: life is full of choices between imperfect options. I try to choose the less bad choice as often as possible.

If you wanted to spy on your users, would you honestly risk publishing your source code? Let's be real.

Next obnoxious, low effort, trolling, question?