I do wish this was an easier sequence of steps to follow. I know I should, but it’s so very much work.

Step 1.5. Log into some email service that you only use for the purpose of travel (ie: forward your hotel reservation etc). Put some of your travel photos back on your phone.

That way it looks like you actually used the phone and didn’t wipe it before crossing.

Less sus.

You want a dummy account on it that just has the details of the flight in there so its not completely blank just useless to the border police but clearly not just blanked awaiting setup.

Didn’t that was enough fot the guy with memes of Babyface Vance?