Maybe a small piece of personalised luggage for the holiday. Does she wear makeup? Maybe a nice makeup case with her initials on it.

If that’s not her thing, what about something for your home (assuming you live together)? My wife and I tend to buy ourselves the “bigger” things for Christmas, as our gift to each other - some furniture we’ve been wanting, or similar.

If that doesn’t sounds like you guys, there’s the tried and true jewelry option. Or maybe just cruise Etsy for the sorts of things she likes (does she like knick knacks, or ornamental stuff?) that might be customisable.

Failing that, have a think about what makes you special as a couple. Is there a shared interest or experience that got you together or you always talk about? Is there something in that?

Finally, I’ve been holding on to some ideas for future inspiration should I need them:

• Waveform art: record yourself saying you love her, have the waveform turned into a print, or a piece of jewelry, or similar
• Anamorphic art: a skewed picture that reveals itself when a specifically shaped mirror is put behind it
• A glass lamp base filled with something meaningful: I always thought of filling one with origami love hearts
• Ambigrams: maybe you can figure out an ambigram with both your names, and have it made into something - a print or a wood carving (this will probably take a lot longer than the time you have before Christmas)
• Birth stones, star signs, birth flowers, birth fruit: admittedly these are probably better suited to birthdays

Lol @ “some 20 years ago … ADSL from 2002”. Thanks for making me feel old!

Great suggestion! Thank you. Have you had any luck accessing it on iOS yourself?

No dramas if not - just that I tried using Orbot and the Tor Browser (the one developed by Mike Tigas, in the App Store), but no joy. I’m reasonably new back on iOS, so I’m not (yet) across the best way to use Tor sites on the platform.

Honestly, I’m using an old gag FB account I created back in 2011. I guess that was well before they started asking people to verify with selfies and phone numbers.

Hmmm - DDG’s browser might be a good alternative, if I only use it for this one purpose. Thanks for the suggestion.

Someone else mentioned PWA. I think I’ll investigate that angle next. If a PWA doesn’t share any data from my device, it means I can use my Mullvad VPN whenever I choose to access it, and get pretty darn close to what I’m trying to achieve.

You are the product and they have a long history of being extremely eager to sell the product.

Yeah, exactly what I said in my OP. I’m aware of the reality of what it is I’m asking for. I only recently moved back to iOS after over a decade using Android, so asking around in the vain hope someone has figured this out.

Hmmm - I guess that ticks the box for at least getting messages from interested buyers. I was kinda hoping to use FB to browse Marketplace as well, but I’m probably asking for a unicorn here - being able to use FB without FB being able to use me.

I hadn’t come across this one yet - thanks! Something for me to try.

Hmmm - that’s an interesting thought. If that works, and I then use my Mullvad VPN whenever I want to check my FB, I might get pretty close to what I’m trying to achieve here. Thanks for the suggestion!

“How can I use Facebook and preserve my privacy?”

… you can’t.

Yeah, I’m aware of how impossible a task this is. I feel that what I’m doing on my personal computer (dedicated, clean browser, anonymous account, VPN) is the closest I’ll get. Just hoping to achieve the same thing with iOS while on the go.

Mate, I appreciate the effort you took to write your response, but I get the distinct impression you didn’t go past the title of my post before responding.

As I said, I’m only seeking to use FB marketplace to buy and sell - nothing more. Nothing social. No friends or followers.

I thought I’d made clear the lengths I’ve already gone to, to maintain my privacy when using FB on my personal computer, so I’m just looking to understand if the same is possible with iOS when on the move. That’s all.

This sub obviously has a strong reaction against FB

Yeah - I feel like my efforts kinda got missed, where I make it obvious how much I hate having to do this, but really have no choice for my stated purpose.

But if you need to use it then put up what defended you can and go for it

Yep - that’s the idea. I’m realistic about what can and can’t be achieved, but I’ve only been back on iOS for a few months, so was hoping someone here was aware of a way I could get close to achieving what I want, without having carry a second phone with an alternative OS (which would be just ridiculous for this one purpose).

I’m fully aware of the contradictory nature of what I’m trying to achieve but, in the real world, not everyone can go and run alternative Android builds. At least, not practically speaking.

They said nothing about their feelings towards abusive monopolistic OS platforms, so I assume they’re happy in their Apple prison.

I spent over 10 years on Android, after ditching my iPhone 4S (at the time).

The annoying reality is that I have no choice but to maintain a “mainstream” device for my work. Running alternative Android builds is not an option for me.

I’ve willingly gone back to Apple after so long away for one simple reason: I trust Google a LOT less than I trust Apple. That’s not to say I trust either of them wholeheartedly, though. I just have no choice but to use one of them, and Google is just as an abusive, monopolistic platform as Apple, probably worse.

But, here’s the thing. It wasn’t until I moved back to iOS a few months back that I realised just how many hoops I’d been jumping through to make Android do the things I wanted.

I no longer have to tweak any number of Tasker routines just to make sure my automations do what I want when something in my life changes. I no longer get frustrated at Google’s voice assistant misunderstanding me. My experience when driving (which I do a lot of for work) is far smoother with CarPlay than it ever was with AA.

Also, the rest of my family is in the iOS ecosystem, so there’s en element of no longer being the odd one out, and now being able to benefit from shared features. Have you seen how simple it is to AirDrop a photo to another IOS device? In all my years of using Android phones, not one Android handset maker has gotten that simple thing right. Not one. Sure, you can play around with any number of BT transfer apps to try and transfer files to each other. But it’s a lot of mucking about to do a very simple thing.

What you call a prison, I call a system where I don’t have to fuck around to make shit work. Everything Just Works.

I’ve spent decades working in technology, and I’ve come to realise my time is a lot more valuable to me when I don’t have to expend so much effort on things that should do what’s written on the tin. This isn’t a religious argument. Technology should be about fitness for purpose. iOS is more fit for my purpose than Android.

Really? That’s not been my experience at all. In fact, the default for most Gen Z kids (I have two of them) is either iMessages on the iOS platform or Snapchat.

This old thing - a Barmah Squashy hate, made from Kangaroo leather. I clearly don’t regularly treat it with leather conditioner like they tell you to.

This hat is my constant companion whenever I go camping. We’re literally tomorrow leaving for a three week trip through the Outback, so it’s about to get a lot of use.

A lot less VCDs and MP3s downloaded from FTP servers and BBSes.

Not sure if I’d bring it back, but I sure do miss the fun of playing Quake against my mates on public servers.

No judgement here, and my wife has always said she never judges how anyone gives birth.

Question was asked. I answered. That is all.

Watching her give birth to our daughter. No drugs. Just natural child birth (in a hospital).

Years later, discussing childbirth with her (now) 20yo daughter (my step daughter), when asked why she did it that way for all three of her kids, she simply said it was something she wanted go go through, to feel connected to the experience of having her kids.

Awe and pride don’t even begin to explain what I felt (and still feel) for my wife.