I suspect you feel that way because it’s easier to know what DOES mine you, free or paid, on Android, than it is on any other mobile OS. Consequentially, it’s also easier to block such stuff on Android with custom dns, custom roms, root and a hosts file or using apps to track the trackers like Exodus. So, no, I disagree: You say it’s highly limited when trying to avoid those kinds of apps… We have F-Droid and other third party app stores. There’s a plethora of FOSS apps that can replace the common garbage data collecting apps out there. People just don’t want to make the effort and look a little bit harder elsewhere for what they would feel more comfortable using. That’s why we have privacy nightmares: people are lazy.
I suspect you feel that way because it’s easier to know what DOES mine you, free or paid, on Android, than it is on any other mobile OS. Consequentially, it’s also easier to block such stuff on Android with custom dns, custom roms, root and a hosts file or using apps to track the trackers like Exodus. So, no, I disagree: You say it’s highly limited when trying to avoid those kinds of apps… We have F-Droid and other third party app stores. There’s a plethora of FOSS apps that can replace the common garbage data collecting apps out there. People just don’t want to make the effort and look a little bit harder elsewhere for what they would feel more comfortable using. That’s why we have privacy nightmares: people are lazy.