This only works if you trust Apple instead of the firm you're running from.

But it does "work". iPhone is the only phone besides a GrapheneOS phone with an intact security model worth writing about.

Not to say that any organization (eg Apple) is trustworthy to an outsider, but at least Apple makes a lot of money upfront from the device’s price tag.

Their incentive is to not annoy their rich & powerful customer base with privacy violations.

> Their incentive is to not annoy their [...] customer base [...]

Apple knows how much they can get away with annoying, that's why they can push updates that slow down your phone, or make devices less repairable.

Privacy is trickier though because it's based on trust not annoyance and it doesn't take much to lose it. I've already lost trust in Apple. What I do trust is that 'privacy' is currently working for Apple to increase their market share. It also conveniently keeps data away from competitors.