Definitely a huge problem that you never really know, but is it any less valid to take their word for it than to just assume the worst. Taken at face value, Apple is much better at privacy and is a clear winner. Taken at face value, Googles basic operating model itself is exploiting my privacy, why would I accept that?

I also tend to be skeptical about corporate actions matching their promises, given all the evidence of recent history, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re judging them on your skepticism, your worst fears, with no evidence. You can’t know they’re doing the right thing but you also dint know they’re doing the wrong thing. I’ll stick with evidence, and Apple has a long history of privacy-based choices, I’ll start with their promises, but yes we need to hold them to it

It’s a bit harder to know what information Apple collects and what they do with it because they’re more obscure about it. Unlike Google that immediately sells your information to the lowest bidder to slam ads in your face at every possible opportunity.

The lack of sideloading is indeed a large drawback. I do miss the apps I used to get off F-Droid when I had an Android phone. I’ve mostly replaced them with, well, nothing. I use my phone less and less as apps, and the internet in general, become more foul and toxic places to be.

Side loading is not impossible even without jailbreaking your device, as long as you don’t mind “reactivating” the side loaded app every 30 days. There are tools that make it quite easy to do.