Believe what you may.

The only real solutions are DeGoogled phones and Linux phones, running nothing but FOSS apps, syncing to your own Nextcloud online ecosystem.

DeGoogled phones run great!

Linux phones and DeGoogled phones are all I've been running for a couple of years now. 

 I choose to make some trade offs and not be maximally paranoid 🤷🏻. I accept the risks and any told-ya-so moments in the future. 

 I used to run defoogled and FOSS, but it's just a huge pain in the ass and the experience just isn't as good. I too except the trade offs for a better mobile experience.