With all that said, there’s a common misconception that I keep encountering, that simply flashing GrapheneOS onto a compatible device is enough to magically protect its owner from Big Tech or other adversaries spying on them and their data. While GrapheneOS goes to great lengths to disable and circumvent the tracking that smartphone vendors like Google usually build into their Android phones, and hardens various aspects of the system on top of that, the main cause for concern is usually less the bare naked Android system, but more often than not the apps running on top of it. If you are using apps like Facebook, TikTok, Outlook and Amazon, the surveillance happens within these apps and platforms, regardless of what operating system they’re running on.
Well done for putting this up front, it needs to be said again and again. Very common misunderstanding, particularly among GrapheneOS users as it is the most mainstream Android privacy ROM.