If you missed the introduction, please start HERE. Because a good trip requires some preparation and a few words beforehand.
The very first step before buying, sending or storing Bitcoin with a mobile device
I assume that you have read a book about Bitcoin and think you understand it (yet we will cover the basics about Bitcoin in other articles later) the next step is to get a mobile phone.
A new mobile phone
I recommend getting a new mobile phone. If possible, pay for it in cash through a friend or an electronics store. Maybe you can send a good acquaintance. So that the purchase of this phone is not associated with your personality.
Free yourself from Google or Apple!
Even if it is more convenient to run everything via the standardised accounts of Google and Apple. This has a decisive disadvantage: the user becomes the product. In addition, the products of these companies provide a certain level of security. But security does not equal privacy.
Remember that anything that costs nothing always makes the user the product, unless it is FOSS (free open software).
But what should I use instead?
That is the crux of the matter. You need an alternative operating system. There are a few that you could use. For example, LineageOS, CalyxOS or, and this is my choice, GrapheneOS.
GrapheneOS
The reason I recommend GrapheneOS is that it is absolutely free from any Google dependencies like the PlayStore. Nobody spies on you and you are absolutely independent from the big tech companies.
Almost every really important app you need can be installed in an alternative version. I use it for navigation, for notes, there is a Twitter client and of course I have a Bitcoin wallet (Samourai Wallet) and Tor to use e.g. Robosats (a peer-to-peer solution to buy Bitcoin).
It must be a Google Pixel
To use GrapheneOS, you are tied to a Google Pixel, which is a Google device that has no connection to or with Google. This is a bit confusing, but the best way to keep your privacy truly private.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As I recommend, you should buy a new phone. A Google Pixel (if possible a new model that you can then use for several years). Install GrapheneOS on it, it’s not as hard as you think. Because you can do it through the browser. You can find instructions here.
After that you are ready for the next step.