Leaving Apple: A Personal Quest

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Some of you may know from previous posts about my desire to leave the Apple ecosystem after over a decade as an active user.

Since the launch of the iPhone 8, I believe, something has bothered me. Apple boasts about the number of photos taken with iPhones, but if privacy is truly on-device, how do they know? Later, after selling my Apple Watch, I noticed my Apple Health app even tracked how many times I washed my hands.

Today, Apple no longer stands out from its competitors. As a corporation, profit is the priority, but their strategy of fragmenting apps across devices creates dependency, limits functionality to push subscriptions, and turns users into products. Innovation has stagnatedā€”shifting camera positions or adding buttons becomes a parody when software is launched incomplete and buggy. I can no longer say ā€œit just works.ā€

Recent actions, like complying with government demands (e.g., the U.K. governmentā€™s recent request I posted earlier), is another red flag in how corporations are encroaching on our lives. This is a wake-up call to push back.

Many other factors influenced my decision, but to keep it brief: Iā€™ve decided to leave Apple for good. Iā€™ve ordered a Surface Go 3 (Iā€™m going to install Linux) and a Samsung A52 (Iā€™m going to install LineageOS), both refurbished and Iā€™ll receive them Monday. Hereā€™s a fun fact: together, they cost less than the cheapest new iPhone released this week, and my iPhone 11 Pro Max, nearly six years old, still outperforms it.

The transition wonā€™t be easy. My main challenge is migrating the books Iā€™m currently writing in Apple Pages to libre office and the books Iā€™ve purchased through Apple Books that are locked to their ecosystem. It will be a hurdle, but not impossible.

Iā€™ve already received feedback and ideas from some users here, and I appreciate it. Iā€™ll keep you updated. My experience might help others considering a similar move.

Even with these small changes, I already feel a sense of freedom. Now, Iā€™ll have full control over my devices.

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I like the idea of a Windows tablet.
Windows is really more usable for me than Android, the programs are just better vs the apps of mobile phone platforms.
I just cannot make my mind up about whether a Windows tablet or laptop would be better.

As for Apple - I currently use an iPhone. Itā€™s not bad as a phone, serves its purpose. But I do miss some functionality oftentimes. The filesystem is weird, I cannot transfer files easily either. The App Store is limited in some ways.

You are right concerning Apple fragmenting functionality. From memory, I remember the notes app allowing only attachment of photos if you buy the iCloud service subscription.
The Apple Watch with LTE connectivity would be an amazing standalone product - but I think you need an iPhone anyway for pairing. And the prices are getting ridiculous for iPhones. I donā€™t feel like using their AI functionality either. It feels too intrusive into my personal life.

I donā€™t remember weird issues like that with Android.

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I completely forgot to mention that Iā€™ll install Linux on Surface and LineageOS on Samsung. Iā€™ve added there. Sorry.

You donā€™t need a subscription for the notesā€™ attachment as far as I remember, but Apple only gives you 5GB of space, which half of it easily is reached with the device backup. So you need a subscription in the short run.

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I had a similar experience a few years ago: leaving Windows for Pop!_OS (a variation of the Ubuntu flavor of Linux, installed on an HP laptop that I refurbished battery- and hard-drive-wise), and leaving Google Android for LineageOS (installed on a ā€œlike-newā€ Google Pixel 4a, whose battery eventually bulged) and then CalyxOS (installed on a ā€œlike-newā€ Google Pixel 6, which continues to perform quite well).

To keep the contacts and calendar in sync between the laptop and the cellphone, I use the zero-price ā€˜subscriptionā€™ of a Nextcloud service along with DAVx5 on the cellphone and the contacts- and calendar-synchronization features in Thunderbird on the laptop.

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Good choice.
In the past, I made great experiences with KDE on my desktop and LineageOS. I wish I could go back there, but here I am stuck with Windows and an iPhone. Windows, I need it for some working software. And switching to a Lineage Phone is currently too expensive for me as I would like to try the Pixel Fold with Lineage.

I can also highly recommend the KDE Connect app as the link between computer and phone.
I used to transfer all my files with KDE connect , very simply from PC to the phone and back. Or just connect with a cable. Now with the iPhone, I have to use an FTP server. Itā€™s unbelievable, I just checked the calendar and it says 2025.
Maybe people are kind of happy in the Apple ecosystem, but I only have the iPhone.

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@roberto Thanks for sharing this. your timing couldnā€™t be more relevant. Just this week, Apple is facing another privacy lawsuit (this time in France) over allegations that Siri recordings were collected and processed without user consent. Similar claims in the U.S. led to a $95M settlement (without admitting wrongdoing, of course). Itā€™s unsettling to think that unintentional Siri activations might have exposed peopleā€™s private conversations, some of which, as a whistleblower revealed, included deeply personal moments.

Although I was never an Apple user, I can imagine how hard it can be to leave such an ecosystem, when all your devices are connected & youā€™ve undoubtedly invested all this money into your devices.
That said, there was something that bothered me about Apple. Like, they publicly boasted about the privacy and security of their devices, but in reality there are all these lawsuits that outlined how they were, in fact, doing the complete opposite.
This really highlights how ā€˜privacyā€™ can mean different things when Apple controls the definitions.
Your decision to transition to open-source alternatives is looking more and more like the right move.

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I did remote work a while ago and my job was to play peopleā€™s Microsoft Cortana (the Microsoft version of Siri) recordings and transcribe them. I would be sifting through hundreds/thousands of recordings of people just going about their day saying ā€œHey, Cortanaā€¦ā€ and type what I heard them say. It was extremely creepy.

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@The OMG. this IS super-creepy

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Looks like they are open about it, too.

I just found these articles about exactly what I was doing:

Microsoft admits contractors listen to Skype, Cortana chats

Working on Microsoftā€™s Cortana Is Laborious and Poorly Paid

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I appreciated the suggestion to read your post, which I found relevant and applicable to my goal.

I recently inquired about suggestions of running Linux or Windows apps on an Android-based Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C Pro. Being an e-ink device, Iā€™ve been enjoying using it for work, which mainly consists of reading music and completing office tasks. Iā€™d love to be able to use it as a laptop, namely to compose music on (e.g., running MuseScore, etc.), a task that appears more challenging to accomplish given the Android-based device.

Iā€™m currently considering two Linux-based tablets and one Windows one. If anyone has comments, I will include links below. Neither of them is an e-ink device, though. A Lenovo 2-in-1 laptop/tablet comes with an e-ink screen, but Iā€™m uncertain about its Linux touchscreen compatibility.

StarLite
FydeOS Duo
Hi10Max

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus

By the way, howā€™s your experience running Linux on Surface Pro? What OS do you use?

Zvony

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Kirk~
Could you provide more information on how to set up DAVx5 to work between devices?

I eagerly await my Kontakt, so I wonder if DAVx5 would also work to sync the calendar and contacts between my phone, tablet, and laptop.
Thanks!
~Zvony

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Zvony,

DAVx5 is an app that can run on Google Android as well as any AOSP-based device, such as (presumably, but to be confirmed) Mudita Kompakt.

Learn more here:

You can find software on non-Android devices that can connect to the same storage to which your DAVx5 app connects. An example is the Thunderbird email client that runs on Windows and Linux.

You can get free storage for your contacts and calendar at Nextcloud-based services such as TheGood.Cloud:

Kirk

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Thanks, Kirk. This is very helpful!

I have one more quick question that I forgot to include in my last post. Do you know of a non-Google/Apple SMS messenger app that syncs across devices (e.g., Mudita Kompakt => Linux/Windows tablet/laptop?) Iā€™m not referring to WhatsApp on Telegram, although Iā€™ve heard that Signal may allow something like that.

Thanks!

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Zvony,

I use Session on Linux (and sometimes on Windows), and it synchronizes with Session on my CalyxOS-deGoogled Google Pixel 6.

Kirk

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Thanks, Kirk. Can you use Session to message folks with SMS, or does it work only by invitation, like Signal or Telegram?

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No, you cannot use Session to send SMS messages. The recipient also must have Session installed (somewhere).

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Thanks so much, Kirk.

To move away from Google and Apple, I have many more questions about migrating from an iPhone and preparing for Mudita Kompakt successfully. I also realize that some of my questions might be outside this forumā€™s scope, so Iā€™m happy to redirect my queries if needed or post them by replying to a posting that more directly addresses these issues.

Feel free to advise, and Iā€™ll be happy to summarize my questions in a subsequent post.

Thank you!

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I recommend that you continue to post here, given that your questions relate to the topic of this thread and given that others may be able to help, too!

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Hey, everyone!

I appreciate the opportunity to continue posting on this thread. We may all share a similar desire to move away from Google and Apple products, especially given how deeply integrated they are into our everyday lives, at least here in the U.S. I previously asked about Linux tablets, particularly e-ink devices, and I look forward to your insights and suggestions. Still, now Iā€™m focusing on the smartphone aspect of the transition.

One of my biggest hurdles is managing SMS messages and contacts. Iā€™ve accumulated years of messages synced between my iPhone and work MacBook Pro. Iā€™m looking for the most painless way to transition to a non-Apple messaging app that could ease my path toward using Kontakt. Iā€™ve considered exporting all my messages for archival purposes and starting fresh, especially as I prepare for the shift to Kontakt.

Another issue is that some folks, including family and close friends, might not be open to using apps like Session or Signal for work. Does anyone have recommendations for alternative messaging apps that still allow for SMS functionality while being non-Google/Apple?

I recently started using Protonā€™s email service, which offers a calendar and contacts even on the free version. However, the challenge is that Proton contacts donā€™t integrate with my current messaging apps, complicating my efforts further. Compartmentalizing several email accounts has also been key for my work-life balance, but managing that adds another layer of complexity.

On a positive note, Iā€™ve begun exploring options on my Android-based Boox e-ink tablet. Iā€™ve used Aurora and F-Droid to find some non-PlayStore apps that can replace Apple services. Following Kirkā€™s suggestion, Iā€™ve held off on implementing a calendar and contact sync since Android Thunderbird lacks landscape mode, which I prefer on my tablet. However, I plan to revisit this as I get more familiar with Kontakt.

Iā€™d appreciate any insights or experiences you might have regarding transitioning away from the iPhone while effectively managing SMS and contacts. Thanks in advance for your help!

Zvony

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@nagymusic This may not be the answer you are looking for, but clinging onto text messages is an unwinnable battle that may not really be worth the time and headache. Deleting texts is hard at first, but gets easier. Rather than exporting years of text messages, it might be worth reconsidering holding onto them at all. Iā€™m willing to bet that 99.9% of those texts you will never go back and read anyway. Alternatively, you could back them up in iCloud and just leave them there.

Switching people over to Signal is pretty seamless in my experience, because the UI is already better than most. In fact, many prefer it now. All you have to say to them is ā€œMessage me on Signal because I prefer itā€. The real ones in your life will have no problem with that.

At the end of the day, Signal seems to be the closest thing to what youre looking for. Dealing with old texts and converting friends is the only thing standing in your way. Both are hard mentally but very easy in practice.

Take care

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