I think that avoids a lot of nuance. Apple will know things like what apps you have installed and what movies/TV shows you watch on Apple TV, but iPhones provide some of the best hardware security you can get and iOS gives you very granular control over what third party apps have access to. All depends on your threat model really, Apple devices are a great choice for some people.
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A monolithic approach is the downside but compatibility is assured. I haven’t used SimpleLogin, only the Proton integration after they acquired the service. It isn’t the most straightforward process at first but creating aliases takes seconds now. The only annonying part is sending emails from the alias and not being certain it worked. They are constantly making quality of life improvments. Proton’s userbase is growing so I’m confident they will still be around in 10 years.
Some of those services you mentioned are coordinating to offer better value. I like making a single payment each year to ensure all of my ducks are in a row. Proton Pass, Mail, Lumo, and Drive all use the same storage. This can be a liability but means each service connects without extra credentials or friction.
The integration can be clunky at times but noticably improves from one year to the next. They are branching out at a rapid pace and it is becoming seamless. Maybe I’m missing out but sometimes self hosting is too much effort. I’d rather trust the experts and make local backups.
I‘m one of the biggest CrApple hater existing and I have to defend CrApple hating 
:
You don‘t have very granular control over things that third party apps can‘t so and can do. You can‘t even withdraw an application the right to access the internet.
We don‘t know what CrApple knows since everything is proprietary. From all these big tech companies hating freedom, apple is the worst.
If you try to change the software on your device, Apple’s lawyers claim you are a criminal under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Apple left a security hole in iTunes unfixed for 3 years after being informed about the problem. During that time, governments used that security hole to invade people’s computers.
For more arguments see Apple is Defective by Design | Defective by Design and Reasons not to use Apple
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It can take a looooong time to claw your life away from Apple/Google/Microsoft, so just make sure all of your critical accounts are accessible during the transition.
But good idea to start with a password manager. I found making a checklist of every account tied to my Apple account a good way to approach approach moving to a new email provider. I still find accounts of services that still have my ancient Google/iCloud email addresses.
Might be worthwhile to set up an alias service to knock out two birds with one stone. Consider your 2FA method also, in case you get locked out of an account during the migration.
But to your point about devices and OS – I see everyone has mentioned GrapheneOS, which I also use, so I don’t have much to add here. You can essentially set it up like a stock Pixel, but I do recommend setting up separate profiles later on to compartmentalize your device usage.
Anyway, I also will parrot that Linux is quite wonderful also. You can get a very similar experience to MacOS with distros like Zorin, but I’m a fan of Fedora KDE personally.
But yeah, it’s great you have a strategy. It really shows just how powerful these companies are at keeping a death grip on our lives. It shouldn’t be this difficult, but alas. Good luck!
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I’ve been slowly switching to non-Apple services the past year. I’m not entirely sure I want to go all in on GrapheneOS until E2EE RCS comes to it, but I’ve at least been decentralizing at lot of my Apple-exclusivity. Here’s how I’ve migrated in rough chronological order:
- iCloud mail
Proton Mail - iCloud calendar Proton Calendar (still with Family iCloud viewing)
- iCloud Drive Proton Drive and external storage
- Passwords Bitwarden and Ente Auth, though I’ve been trying out Proton Pass and may stay
Eventual moves to make:
- iCloud Photos Ente Photos
- Apple Notes Notesnook
- Apple Reminders
- Apple Music
Frankly, I’m not sure I’m going to soon leave Apple completely because I like using shared Notes. All but two of my friends and people in my organization are on Apple devices, so it’s really simple to collaborate without asking them to download other apps. Messaging is also really simple and I like that iMessage/FaceTime brings E2EE communication to almost everyone I communicate with.
I’m at the place (tonight, at least) that I’m just working to minimize my reliance on Apple products so that it’ll be easier when I decide to move. I’m pretty ok with where I’m at now and will continue to make changes out of total reliance on the ecosystem.
I think it’s interesting that Fria and Jonah here use iPhones over GrapheneOS when many members of the forum are so passionatley (probably rightfully so) for GOS. I’m mainly unhappy with Liquid Glass, but I at least have a little confidence if some of the leadership here is ok with using some of their products for the time being.
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I’m somewhat on the same boat and test drive grapheneos on a Pixel 7 Pro.
It is not just AI. But it is also political.
Tim Apple is friends with Trump and a donor.
The world is getting crazier by day. Trump just could ask or by force to create a backdoor in ios to spy on people. Or shutdown certain services. I dont want that to happen on my device.
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The best time was
The second best time is now (well maybe this month or year realistically?)
It’s up to you on the rest of migration, here’s what I think:
Start using Ente photos or back them up or proton drive, whatever fits at this point
For shared notes, enable the iCloud web app and use it here.
[Now of course keep the iPhone as a backup in the event say for example you missed something]
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(Hi! 
First time poster here. Been reading the PrivacyGuides forum for about four-six weeks.)
I cannot speak directly to your needs, but as somebody who’s on the same path (i.e. leaving the Apple ecosystem), I can describe mine:
Apple devices (primary) → Apple devices (offline) → Apple devices (secondary)
Intended outcome and end goal:
The intended outcome of my “de-appling” path is for an old-school computing environment free from telemetry, internet connectivity requirements, profiling, targeted advertisements, etc. The end goal for me is to keep them around as secondary computing devices as I switch to new primary privacy-centered devices.
My action steps:
- Exported all of my in-app Apple data (Reminders, Notes, etc.)
- Imported all of this data into alternative privacy-centered services
- Exported all of other data (Game Center, etc.)
- Encrypted this (unusable) data as a backup on my C: drive
- Uninstalled all Apple apps on iOS
- Hardened my MacBook Pro and iPhone following the steps outlined in ‘Extreme Privacy’ [1] and its associated blog [2]
- Logged out of my Apple ID on both devices*
- Set a task to wipe/replace the majority my Apple ID data
*Logging out of my Apple IDs: My latest and final step was to logout of my Apple ID on both devices. Doing so a) disables Apple Pay, and b) prevents app downloads and updates. These are both inconveniences. To adapt, I screenshotted all my loyalty cards, and added them to an Ente Photos album. I switched my primary payment method habit in physical locations to use physical debit cards. Finally, I setup a reoccuring task to periodically log into my Apple ID on the iOS app store to update and/or install any wanted mobile apps.
Since my intended outcome is to transition my iPhone and MacBook Pro into more private computing environments, these are the actions steps I have been taking. These Apple devices are going to be used to maintain a public-facing pseudonymous image of myself, as well as to be used as productivity-enhancing technology and alternative backup storage locations. Regarding my stated end goal of this path and its device destinations, I am purchasing a Google Pixel for GrapheneOS and a Lenovo laptop for use with a Linux distro. (I’m currently dual-booting Fedora Asahi Remix on my Macbook Pro to get comfortable within the Linux environment first.)
Hope this description of my journey helps you in some way!
Peace. 
[1]: Extreme Privacy (What It Takes to Disappear) - 5th Edition (2024)
[2]: IntelTechniques Blog
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before deleting anything, this step is indeed very important
Yes! Also taking notes of sneaky (but important) details into a Notion/Obsidian could also get you a long way into not forgetting things. 
Consider having backup codes for them too. Not sure what’s the best recommendation to store those tho. I do like them in my Password manager but that might also be an issue if you forget the master password. 
Some store them on paper then into some sort of safe. 
Even the default Gnome DE is very close to a MacOS UI.
I mean, it’s not like MacOS UX is amazing to begin with, it is not the most consistent/practical and it is mostly just a learning curve at the end of the day too. Once you figure out where your shortcuts/buttons are, the rest should be perfectly fine. 
Unless you do live in the US and need to SMS with people, using Signal is a very easy and cool way to go. Actually, Molly is even nicer. 
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even then there is a main perk of E2EE RCS which is No app negotiation required (Android-to-Android), If you need to go that route, negotiate them to use signal.
second, this isn’t a US exclusive thing, even people in Europe use their default messaging especially when the other line does not use or want to use say for example whatsapp (and this goes back to the whole negotiation thing for other apps). And even then RCS has about the same trust as whatsapp with E2EE I agree but it is a reasonable compromise considering the barrier of entry to E2EE rcs is almost 0 at this point, emphasis on almost, Universal E2EE seems to be in beta and is coming so yeah (essentially what I mean is Metadata is still a thing but at least the trust is on the carrier rather than meta, perhaps google also yes but to my understanding alot of what you send on RCS goes to the carrier not google, at least thats what I understand).
which is also why my setup of RCS & Signal is here to stay and I am refusing to use any other messenger (in context of whatsapp, viber, line etc.)
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Ah I missed that announcement! That’s awesome.
Thanks for weighing in. Will continue the migration 
Signing out of iCloud is a great way to opt out of most of Apple’s shovelware services, since it typically won’t work without it. That leaves you with access to the App Store and a number of polished apps that function locally just fine. From there, you can take baby steps to sync only what you need with your other machines. I haven’t been signed into iCloud in a decade. It’s their second-worst invention after the Magic Mouse.
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honestly as an iPhone + Android users, yeah, this exactly l, I just don’t use any of their services and just use iCloud for backing up parts of data of the iPhone (because lets face it, you do want a form of phone backup for justifiable reasons, I guess the only gripe is it only works with iCloud, thanks Apple and thanks for intentionally only giving 5GB to work with so you can force users to pay for iCloud /s [/s on thanks apple for context. And you wonder why we advocate for things like Linux Phone for example {yes calm down, GrapheneOS does do decent phone backup too where they choices are basically, FOSS cloud storage with no strings attached, I know, I understand just let me prove my point for once}])
I think I haven’t received nor sent an SMS for the past 17 years tbh, with either friends, family, colleagues, work or anything related really. Nobody uses SMS and you would look weird doing/asking for that in 
or 
. 
Also, last time I checked RCS is not a default opt-in but you need to either contact your ISP or go into some settings to actually get through it.
On laptop/desktop, you can still install some apps throught .dmg hopefully otherwise it would be quite a fiasco. But yeah, iPhones and iPad are definitely not the same on that regard..
Aside from mandatory sandboxing for App Store apps, it doesn’t seem worth it unless someone is fully invested in the Apple ecosystem and it’s just a convenience factor. Macs work fine without it
iOS like macOS still allows you to sign in to Media & Purchases only. They don’t make it very apparent to someone with no prior experience with the OS, but it works fine if you don’t need Apple Pay, automatic iCloud backups, and other stuff I’m blanking on. I don’t, but everyone else’s mileage might be different
They’ll think you’re having a stroke. Often it’s the same with iMessage
on android, in google messages it’s as simple as going to settings → RCS Chats → Enable → Wait → Done
On graphene after the september update should be more or less as simple as grant play services phone permission and then same above.
this is advise leaving the apple ecosystem not staying and hardening, what you said seems to apply to iOS
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Molly is locked to Android unfortunately 
; not exactly a big fan of Signal, don’t you think Session is a better choice?
thank you very much for this, I was not aware. Just scrolling in the comments I’ve gone through all links about Graphene OS and indeed it seems the most privacy-friendly as it gets.
noted. I just noticed in their last devices they made unlocking the bootloader more difficult and one has to fill up a form in order to get an approval … Adding to that the recent rumors of the company shrinking its market, allegedly they’re about to pull out of other markets and stick only in China, ‘cause they’re not doing so well (but yeah, these are rumors).
I just saw this in a YouTube review, it’s so awesome how easy they made it! 
exactly that was my main concern as well. Realistically, you can sort of feel it’s an American centered smartphone. You open the Translate app (Apple) and see not so many European 
languages listed there (Finnish, Dutch, Bulgarian etc.). The German proofreading from AI is absolute garbage and many other things which clearly are red flags — I’m circumventing these by setting DeepL as my default translator on all devices, works flawlessly.
Also what if one day EU-US trade just crumbles and we’re locked out of the ecosystem (uncool)? Quite risky.
I really want to do that when I finish setting up NextCloud locally and shift everything over. However, other integrations are not so native as they did with their tooling which is understandable from an ODM’s perspective but I was hoping one way or the other that the DSA/DMA laws would force them to make that integration smoother (I filed a complaint pointing out all these monopoly issues to Commissioner Teresa Ribera and team and they replied back that they’re on it and more changes are coming).
I’m not a heavy smartphone user and my habits differ from most people, but can you give examples?
Obviously contacts, storage, media, email, and message syncing aren’t an issue, provided you’re not using iCloud Mail, iMessage, or other Apple services. What else do you need iCloud for?
Lifelong Apple user here. I made the switch from iPhone 12 to GrapheneOS a few weeks ago. But I started the process months ago by switching to android-available alternatives. I figured the OS switch would be easier if i was already familiar with the apps.
- Proton for mail, calendar, VPN, passwords, drive, docs, sheets
- Ente for photos
- Lunatask replaces Apple’s Notes and Reminders app
- VLC for music I own
- Catima for non-payment card storage
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Not sure if we do understand each other but am I wrong when I say that you cannot download an app on an iPhone without going through Apple’s App Store and logging in?
A .dmg on a MacBook can be used without having an Apple ID.
That was all my point haha.
Overall, iPhones are not as popular in EU and you don’t have this cult here where you’re a weird underdog with your Android. People just use tools that are cross-platform compatible.
Overall, you need:
- to know RCS is a thing
- go into the menu
You probably lost 80% of your user base already by that point.
Sure an enthusiast might do just that and enjoy E2EE but it’s not a default opt-in that your average Joe will benefit from out of the box.
I didn’t really follow the whole RCS thing, but if you need to enable Google Play services, then it is very much dead to me yes. No way I allow that on my GOS at least.
Sticking with Signal by a long shot.
Sure, Molly is Android-only and the best to be used if you’re on GOS.
But Signal is just fine of an alternative too.
Why aren’t you a fan of Signal? UX? Phone number? Something else?
Session is objectively a worse alternative in comparison to Signal until they do fix some of their lacking points:
- Don’t Use Session (Signal Fork) - Dhole Moments
- Session messenger adds PFS, PQE, and other improvements
Not sure that opting from company A to B is the best way to go.
Are we talking about some Apple translate or Google Translate?
You need to self-host this one but that would be probably the only one that I would fully trust.
Any other option would still be shipping your needs to a company and hoping that they are healthy/care enough. If they do, doesn’t mean that it will last and them being US or EU probably doesn’t change a lot at the end of the day.
I think that he meant that the tools are not always very nicely cross-compatible and need their own Apple way/formats to be added properly. I think everybody has an example in their mind of such Apple quirks.
Yeah, good thing is that all of those apps are pretty much 90% identical so that the OS doesn’t really matter.
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