I have always selected "Do not back up." and "Do not sync." on my Android phone. When I routinely reset my phone, they ask too much and try to trick me. I patiently select "Do not back up." and "Do not Sync".

Google Photos, it seems, has been doing it anyway for years. There is no way to easily manually delete all of the photos they've backed up. They will only direct me to pages saying "Google respects your privacy and safety". I am so disgusted.

I need to get a pinephone and a standalone gps device or something. I'm studying self hosting but I'm not nearly that skilled yet.

If I knew I were capable, I would absolutely sue Google for this.

I am so disgusted.

Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Good luck suing them because you didn't turn off Photo Sync in the photos app. Once you turn it off, go to photos.google.com and delete all your photos, which can be done with a few mouse clicks.

The backup and sync options relate to your apps and phone data...each individual app may have its own settings.

If you buy google products, you buy into the google business model ("you are the product"). There's no point complaining - especially not here.

you may find other options such as LineageOS, but you have to ensure your device is supported and that you know what you're doing / are prepared to do the work/learn how to prepare the device, install the new image, configure everything, etc.

I, too, am waiting on just a bit further development on the Pinephone. There's just a few wrinkles in the available operating systems apparently and a bit of underpowered issues compared to common phones in 2024. In the meantime I'm using an Android Pixel 5 with the de-Googled Calyx OpSys on it. I understand that Graphene is even more private but I find Calyx quite secure and decent armor against invasion of privacy.

There is no One Size fits all so don't take my anecdotal experience as good for you, just look up what your phone can do and what an alternative OpSys can do for you and decide for yourself.

Apple is just as bad. It badgers you to connect to iCloud every day. Backup to the cloud... Nope notta. Only apps on my phone are the ones out of the box and most never used. And photos I want to keep are downloaded to 'my' home server on my time and place. When I decide to change phones, go android, or have none at all, I am not 'tied' to any service or backups in the cloud. I don't need to be tethered and pay for the privilege! Really the only reason I have a phone is required for work (they paid for it) (TFA and call out duties).

As an aside, I find it ironic that some persons wax paranoid about the "surveillance state," which has rules and regulations and oversight, but then these same persons waltz gleefully and unthinkingly through a surveillance economy.

Interesting. Please expand on this. I certainly regard the "surveillance state" and surveillance by "Big Tech" as cogs in the same machinery.

I take a view that a google, Apple or MS device is only as "dangerous" as you make it. For example, a smartphone running Android, which is only used for basic things, is less of a risk than e.g. a facebook/instagram/whatsapp account running in a browser on any platform. The biggest problem is those who opt in, or fail to opt out and willingly provide the data...