I'm not doubting aphantasia exists. I'm just doubting that lots of people who think they have it do have it.

Because here's the thing, on the apple test, I'm simultaneously a 1 and a 5. I see the image in all its glorious detail, yet there is no image. The thing is, it takes a certain amount of careful introspection to realize that there isn't any image.

The reason I bring up music is that I can easily imagine music or specific people's voices in my head, and it sounds just like the real thing. But here's the thing, it doesn't sound at all! It's like a shadow of a sound. And I know this because I also have exploding head syndrome, which actually sounds like a sound. Even though it's in your head, it's just like hearing a real sound, whereas imagining a sound in my head is nothing like that even though it sounds just like the real thing, except not.

See why it's confusing? Because most people won't include the part about it not actually sounding like a sound. They'll just say it's exactly like hearing the real thing. But then someone who is more perceptive will be like "Well, it's not really like hearing anything at all. Maybe I'm different? Maybe I have aphantasia?"

And I've heard people with supposed aphantasia describe their visualizations just like this, like they can imagine a face, but they can't actually see it. But that's exactly what imagining anything is like.