Well now that I have come across this bit of news, I’m going to take an active approach towards the protection of my data. I just need some help with my research into backing things up.
I would love to move towards Graphene OS but I’m afraid my tech skills fall short of allowing me to do this.
Thank you so much for your advice.
This is very easy to do. There are many videos online for you to learn. Don’t think it’s difficult.
Thank you for the link. I had not discovered this previously. Is this a Cloud service? Thank you.
It probably is very easy. However, I sometimes get brain fog and frustrated when I can’t do it *exactly* how the YouTube video shows. I would blame it on my MS but I think it’s just really a me thing and something I need solve. Thank you for the suggestion though 
You don’t have to follow any one video. Following the instructions on the website they have should be enough. It really is a straight forward process.
Thank you. I might give it a look. However, I have had my iPhone now for just over a year and it would feel a bit of a waste to switch now when my initial plan was to use it for its lifespan (I’m hypothesising until 2028/2030). Same thing for the MacBook though I scream silently inside when using the MacBook file system. Dear Lord, why so messy? 
It depend on your phone usage.
For me the phone is an accessory with nearly everything on it a copy of what is on my laptop. Anything I want to keep long term, like some photos, I transfer to my laptop as soon as I can. Usually the same hour if not the same day. Everything else on the phone is easily reinstalled from the Apple Store (apps) or from my laptop (music, keepass data, etc.)
(Edit because autocorrect keeps wanting to change “keepass” to keeps.)
I probably don’t need a backup of my phone at all but it does make it convenient if I need to send the phone out for repair. In those cases I just factory reset the phone before handing it over for repair then restore it when I get it back.
If your phone is your primary device and there are things on it that you can’t afford to lose then your situation is different.
Cost might be an issue but setting up a NAS should not be a barrier. I haven’t worked with all brands and models but I have set up several over the years and most are very straight forward.
If your phone is your primary device and there are things on it that you can’t afford to lose then your situation is different.
There are *definitely* things on my phone saved that I absolutely cannot lose access to. They are my life.
Cost might be an issue but setting up a NAS should not be a barrier. I haven’t worked with all brands and models but I have set up several over the years and most are very straight forward.
Thank you. For me, the more I research into this the more I’m inclined to set one up. However, I still have a niggling voice that makes be scared to start unless I have 1:1 help. I’m terrified of losing (very important) data.
Nope. Just an alternative/enhanced way of interacting with and extracting data on iPhones. Some functions in imazing are not available on the native MacOS iPhone backup function.
Hmmm. For 3 devices (iPad, iPhone, and MacBook) a €59.99 one time charge (according to their website) does seem like a bargain. Would think to consider it if it was a backup service.
Backup with iMazing and move to Proton suite.
Ok for a longer term project, I would suggest that you learn how to self host the services that you depend on.
This may be time to go into things like converting an old PC to a network attached storage or NAS and self host from there. Look into TrueNAS, or if you are less tech inclined, something like HexOS. From there you should learn about how to do backups and how to add apps.
Its a rabbit hole for time and money. Do have a look into it if you have a deep need of owning your data.
Its a bit unfortunate for Apple but they were legally forced and there is not much they can do. Its up to you to secure and make private your own data.
I am researching into both of these suggestions. There are two things that are making me cautious w/ Proton. There’s no middle tier storage size. Either it’s 1tb or 3tb. And if I pay for 12 months and cancel in month 1, I won’t get to use the rest of the months I purchased. This seems consumer unfriendly. I will still look into iMazing. Thank you for your suggestions.
Are you sure this is the case? The cancel subscription button says “When you cancel, your subscription won’t be renewed, but you can still enjoy plan benefits until the end of the subscription period. After that, you will be downgraded to the proton free plan.”
Thank you for your suggestions. The issues are that I don’t have any spare PC laying around. I will look into TrueNAS however, with me being somewhat less tech literate I will also be eyeing out HexOS.
TrueNas is free afaik so it is looking to be the one I go with. Lots more research will need to be done by me.
I haven’t read this on their website. I am looking at the terms in their Proton Drive section found here.
Apparently VPN and pass plans cancel at the end of your subscription period but the others just give you credits. Weird. I’d suggest emailing them directly and asking because I’ve seen 3 different things so far.
Thank you so much. I will make an email account (take advantage of the 5GB for my notes in the meantime) and email their CS. Thanks again.