I have an Android phone/tablet. How can I get things done without dicking around?

Android in a Box — Run Android applications on any GNU/Linux operating system.

1 File transfer over USB

Usually, this means “file transfer over MTP,” which is the native/default USB protocol for filesystem access. AFAICT this is OK on Windows and surprisingly tedious on macOS. Linux is usually OK, but sometimes modern devices don’t work with the OS.

Mac users have the Google native app File Transfer, but it’s awful. Maybe try instead: Ganesh Rathinavel’s OpenMTP (source).

If you are looking at transferring books because your tablet is an e-reader, you can use Calibre which has in-built connectivity.

But shouldn’t FUSE allow this to just work as part of the normal desktop Finder experience? Archlinux thinks so.

On Linux, this works by simple-mtpfs. simple-mtpfs is provided in homebrew. Installation and usage are minimalistic to the point of sullen:

simple-mtpfs mountpoint

doesn’t give errors or much feedback. And in fact, if something goes wrong, it can fail silently in confusing ways (the folders always show empty).

Try

simple-mtpfs -v -f tmp

to run it in the foreground with verbose feedback, which seems to work fine.

This app also worked on macOS in the past, but I am not sure if it does anymore because of the ongoing quagmire that is macFUSE.

To mount macOS style,

sudo simple-mtpfs -o allow_other,rw -v /Volumes/mountpoint

Contra the manual, on macOS the usual unmount command works.

umount mountpoint

Or just quit.

Alternative: go-mtpfs works great for me, although I had to manually install.

sudo apt install golang-go
sudo apt install libusb1-devel
mkdir /tmp/go
export GOPATH=/tmp/go
go get github.com/hanwen/go-mtpfs
mkdir xoom
go-mtpfs xoom &
cp -a ~/Music/Some-Album xoom/Music/
fusermount -u xoom

2 Alternative distros

3 Comparison of Privacy-Focused Android Distributions

Below is a comparison table of leading privacy-focused Android operating systems: GrapheneOS, /e/OS, LineageOS, CalyxOS, DivestOS, and CopperheadOS. These are the most widely recommended alternatives for users seeking enhanced privacy and security on their mobile devices.

Feature GrapheneOS /e/OS LineageOS CalyxOS DivestOS CopperheadOS
Website grapheneos.org e.foundation/e-os lineageos.org calyxos.org divestos.org copperhead.co/android
Primary Focus Security & Privacy Privacy, Usability Customization Privacy, Usability Security & Privacy Security & Privacy
Base AOSP LineageOS AOSP AOSP/LineageOS LineageOS AOSP
Supported Devices Pixel only Many (Fairphone, etc.) Many (196+) Pixel, Fairphone, Moto Many (legacy too) Pixel (recent)
Google Services Optional, sandboxed microG (default) Optional, not included microG (default) Not included Not included
Security Hardening Advanced (kernel, memory, app sandboxing, verified boot) Minimal Minimal Some (verified boot, regular patches) Kernel hardening, verified boot Hardened kernel, secure boot, regular updates
Privacy Features Network/sensor permissions, minimal connections, hardened WebView De-Googled, cloud alternatives, privacy ratings De-Googled, user control Tor integration, privacy apps Blocks tracking, ad networks, minimal telemetry Privacy guard, anti-tracking, ad-blocking
Ease of Use Technical users User-friendly Intermediate User-friendly Intermediate Intermediate
App Compatibility High (sandboxed Play Services) High (microG) High (if GApps flashed) High (microG) High (F-Droid, no Play Services) High (F-Droid, no Play Services)
Updates Regular, fast Regular Community-driven Regular, fast Regular, even for old devices Regular, fast
Notable Limitations Pixel-only, minimal UI Not security-hardened No verified boot, less secure Fewer hardening features than GrapheneOS Small dev team, fewer features Commercial, limited device support

3.1 Key Takeaways

4 Alternative app repositories

4.1 F-droid

No frills open-source repository: F-droid

4.2 microG

MicroG is a free software re-implementation of Google Play Services and other proprietary Android components and libraries.

4.3 APKPure

APKPure is faster and more complete than F-droid, but has had security breaches.