Flash a stripped down rom like LineageOS with minimal google services. De-crappify it. They are well supported and documented on XDA.

Ive never used a chromecast. Can they be flashed and de-googled?

I like Android overall, but I try and avoid as much google as I possibly can.

I made the mistake of using the LG smart tv features for like 2 years. I set up a pihole to block ads and eventually WebOS just quit working because ads and trackers did t work anymore. I factory reset the tv and switched over to a Roku stick. That worked well for nearly 4 years. Now I’m on a $19 ONN 4k streaming stick from Walmart. It’s actually kinda beef for what it is. Made by Asus and flashed LineageOS on it. Audio drops out and requires a reboot every few days. I want to move to a Nvidia shield but haven’t had the funds for it because I’m in a kitchen remodel.

Uhhhhh. I don’t know what you are talking about with Usenet. There is no shortage of trek there lol.

Yeah. That’s what I’ve been looking into. I used to root and do roms and stuff. Back in the day I was pretty involved in the XDA community.

I hate that. One of the reasons I dislike Samsung phones. Last phone from them was a Note 8 and unless they go back to a pure Android experience, I won’t get another. We know that isn’t happening any time soon.

Honestly I’m super over all our current choices. Im on an iPhone and while I like their privacy stuff slightly better than android, there are lots of things I don’t like.

I also hate how much metadata the big G snorts up. Even just the location data they retain is out of this world.

There just aren’t any options if you want something that doesn’t keep you boxed into a closed ecosystem or track every love you make.