If you can afford it, make your next phone a Google Pixel and put GrapheneOS on it. Despite the phone being google, all the google crap will be removed by the OS.
Nextcloud self-hosted to replace Google Drive.
Install as many apps as possible from F-Droid and the rest via Aurora Store.
I'm really reluctant to recommend Nextcloud. The software is buggy, it's not e2e encrypted, and you're liable to data less if your VPS goes down unless you're good at managing cloud resources.
Depends on the person. I keep my NC on a Raspberry Pi in my home with a few backups on various media stashed off-site, all encrypted. Some people do want to go this far, some people don't.
I don't find NC to be buggy, rather it has a learning curve if you've never installed server-type software before, but if you're the kind of person who likes to DIY it can be a rewarding experience.
The e2e part is true. This frustrates me because if I encrypt everything inside I can't access the contents via the web interface, which is my main way of accessing my content. The e2e plugin they have doesn't work on Raspberry Pis because it just causes the Pi to freeze constantly. My most sensitive files are kept in encrypted containers.
I would say if someone just wants a managed solution, go with Proton Drive.
For most people, Syncthing is better. You don't even need a server, just another device of similar capacity compatible with Syncthing.
Nextcloud has a few easy cheats to get it working smooth these days. Docker all in one images are a thing. The only additional step I had was a cache and cron and I haven't had one error.
Yeah, if all you want to do is keep your data synced across multiple devices, syncthing is great. I even have it running on my NAS so I have a solid source to go back to for all devices, even if all my other devices are off or sleeping.
It is somewhat ironic, though GrapheneOS onlysupports Pixel phones. Having messed around with custom Android ROMs before, I can understand why the dev team are choosing a narrow selection of devices to maintain builds for. Just take a look at how many different Samsung phones there are out there - it would be a nightmare to try and support all of them!
Pixel, Moto, and Nexus have all been some of my favorites because the direct Google support means nobody is going to stop you from unlocking the bootloader and having your way with the system image.
missing just a lot of little features I've grown accustomed to. biggest ones I can remember are the tiny weather widget and the thing where the display doesn't turn off if ur looking at it. also the UI wasn't all that great imo
I remember now, what pushed me all the way away was my bank app not working
fair. in my opinion, banking apps are not worth having on a phone due to the security risks. there are several alternative launchers available on f-droid :)