Now with Aurora store out of the picture it seems there is no real alternative to using the Google Play store for apps that cant be downloaded directly or via Fdroid.
But how bad is it actually to use Play store? I never used it before on my current phone, its no problem to create a dummy google account and the apps I need is free so no credit card needs to be registered. But what info will they actually get from my device ? Will they pull my phone number and whatnot ?
I don’t know from a security and data-privacy manner, but keep in mind it’s slower and laggier than the other alternative, especially when checking for updates (It will take a long time), and downloading the updates is a painful process.
My experience with Android 8 and 9 is the same.