"I only ever cross borders with a blank phone because I don’t want you invading my privacy" is a perfectly valid answer. You can also add that it is your employer’s policy and/or your government official recommendation.

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Terr_ an hour ago | parent | next [-]

You can also point out that other countries want to search phones too.

"I have to do this because of country X, you know that they're like, amirite?"

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inigyou 40 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

It's one that will get you denied entry, or detained indefinitely.

	▲	microtonal 33 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I have worked for employers that required taking a burner phone to certain countries without any accounts logged in, etc. (so mostly for calls, maps, and web browsing) and nobody has ever been detained or denied entry. Some countries know that this is just standard procedure when they are visited for business trips. Probably different for the US though. (Not legal advise of course, just observation. Always check with the legal department of your employer, etc.)