Looking for some help with my Oneplus Nord CE3 Lite. I have had this phone for a couple months and looking to harden this phone make it a safe privacy friendly phone and avoid the constant monitoring and spying and being tracked and monitored. I want to limit the surveillance and monitoring best i can with this phone. Not interested in CUSTOM ROM and there isnt any available for my phone right now. So what is my options without that and how do i make this a safe phone?
If you're not using a custom ROM, you're leaking info like a sieve to OnePlus. I moved to LineageOS because the default OS was sending every app you opened and when to the mothership. Even if they've stopped that, they've got every incentive to suck you dry, and you'll spend much more time fighting your OS than if you just switch to a different one.
F-droid is good like the other comment suggested. Aurora store is good for anything not available on F-droid.
One thing you can do is track what network connections apps are making with something like https://f-droid.org/packages/com.emanuelef.remote_capture/. It won't help if the OS really wants to do malicious things, but you can monitor your apps at least
I recommend you to root your phone. With a rooted device you can debloat your phone very easily with UAD (universal Android debloater) for example. Delete any Google related app and of course any diagnostic app from OnePlus. After you deleted Googles apps including gms (!) You can install microG via an magisk module named microG installer for magisk.
You don't need the Playstore, use Aurora instead. But first search on Fdroid if there is an opensource alternative for what you're looking for.
All of this might take an evening, but after it, you have peace of mind. Note that for root, you'll have to unlock the bootloader. This will wipe your data, so do a backup beforehand.
If you want to, I can give you a more detailed guide.
Yeah get a phone that's monitored by entities in your own country and can actually use it against you instead of the ones halfway across the planet. That's the intelligent move.
It's shocking I know but it's "the enemy you know". Also im all about Calyx and cutting Google out of my life. At least when I flash the OS on my phone I'm comfortable that Google is actually gone for good.