I’m Tired of Hearing About Custom ROM’s.

Background: I've done everything I can to degoogle and increase my privacy on my phone specifically without the ability to install a custom ROM (deleting apps with canta, only installing FOSS appilications, not using google services on my phone, disabling updates (ik, problemtatic but w.e) and blocking almost every app but the ones I use from accessing the internet with RethinkDNS (i fricking love Rethink yall 🫶🏾🫶🏾)) but I fear that it's not enough and it scares me/stresses me out.

Hear me out…

I came into the degoogling/privacy community this year. This is after leasing the new Samsung S25+ and then having JUST upgraded to Android 16 One U.I 8 (end of 2025/beginning of 2026). So when asking about what I can do to increase my privacy and stop Google and other big corporations from stalking me on Android and Samsung specifically, the only answers are to "download a custom ROM".

My issues with this is, this is not possible for a large group people:

People with a newer Android/Samsung device
People without a Pixel device
People without an Android device in general (i.e Iphone)
People who lease their phones instead buying a $1,000 dollar phone straight up and out of pocket.
People who cannot afford to by a second device phone that allows for custom ROM's

And so much more…

Customs ROM's being given as the "go-to" solution kin of neglects these groups of people. I know for me, it makes me feel like privacy just isn't an- option, and the only thing I can do is accept that and shut up.

Also, I don't know if this makes ANY sense at all but, I feel like with ROM"s being the only fathomable option in the community, it discourages others from finding/creating OTHER solutions, especially when when the response is that it's just "impossible" for some people. It discourages people from trying to figure out why and how it's "impossible" to install a custom ROM on a "non-compatiable" phone. I don't know much about phones or coding (although, I have started learning for this purpose exactly 😭) but there is no way it's impossible for me to install a custom ROM, right?

Like, are half of us just cooked when it comes to privacy and escaping Google's grasp, or am I just overly anxious? idk yall..

tldr: custom ROM's are not an option for most people, and said people can become discouraged constantly hearing that this is the only real option, imo, this also discourages others from finding/creating new ways to escape Google and gain privacy.