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Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

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Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#31

Post by mtreis86 »

danepowell wrote: post #28

Can anyone speculate what will happen if I'm using an unlocked Google device (Nexus 5X) on Verizon? Will the new app be force-installed somehow? And can it be removed?

Not sure, but I do know for sure that the firmware to the radio is a proprietary blob that we, as users, have 'no rights' to. Meaning, they could already be doing this without notifying anyone, and we have no way to confirm beyond packet capture and analysis or reverse engineering. I find it hard to believe there is no market for an open-firmware phone.

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#32

Post by colanderman »

jaredandrews wrote: post #13

Verizon is the only cell company that has coverage in my home town in central Massachusetts. Thus I have used them all my life. I recently had my first "positive" customer service with experience with Verizon switching to their unlimited plan. My bill dropped significantly. ($120 base -> $80 but really $200 -> $80 because I always go over on data) I just noticed that I have a "phone upgrade" waiting as well. I am an…

Have you tried a Verizon MVNO? There's a list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_v... The biggest name I know from that list is Credo.

This is what my wife & I did for a while (but with AT&T, since we wanted GSM). Although now we're both happy Republic Wireless customers.

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#33

Post by gcb0 »

hprotagonist wrote: post #12

for now, i am nice and cozy in my iOS walled garden. The advantages of doing business with hardware companies is that it's much more clear that i'm paying them scads of money for a handset, instead of any other financial transaction.

surprise surprise. apple also is an advertising company.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205223

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#34

Post by cdurth »

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #17

Not trying to be an Apple fanboy here, but at least apple can generate revenue without resorting to something this low. Guess they gotta make sure Mr. McAdam can earn his $18,000,000 check.

What does apple have to do with this?

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#35

Post by jaredandrews »

colanderman wrote: post #32
jaredandrews wrote: post #13

Verizon is the only cell company that has coverage in my home town in central Massachusetts. Thus I have used them all my life. I recently had my first "positive" customer service with experience with Verizon switching to their unlimited plan. My bill dropped significantly. ($120 base -> $80 but really $200 -> $80 because I always go over on data) I just noticed that I have a "phone upgrade" waiting as well. I am an…

Have you tried a Verizon MVNO? There's a list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_v... The biggest name I know from that list is Credo. This is what my wife & I did for a while (but with AT&T, since we wanted GSM). Although now we're both happy Republic Wireless customers.

Never looked into it. Thanks for the link!

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#36

Post by ocdtrekkie »

cdurth wrote: post #34
kylehotchkiss wrote: post #17

Not trying to be an Apple fanboy here, but at least apple can generate revenue without resorting to something this low. Guess they gotta make sure Mr. McAdam can earn his $18,000,000 check.

What does apple have to do with this?

Presumably that since Apple directly controls it's software updates, that this sort of thing doesn't occur on their platform.

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#37

Post by matt_wulfeck »

cdurth wrote: post #34
kylehotchkiss wrote: post #17

Not trying to be an Apple fanboy here, but at least apple can generate revenue without resorting to something this low. Guess they gotta make sure Mr. McAdam can earn his $18,000,000 check.

What does apple have to do with this?

They fought hard to create a platform where this type of thing doesn't/can't happen.

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#38

Post by hprotagonist »

gcb0 wrote: post #33
hprotagonist wrote: post #12

for now, i am nice and cozy in my iOS walled garden. The advantages of doing business with hardware companies is that it's much more clear that i'm paying them scads of money for a handset, instead of any other financial transaction.

surprise surprise. apple also is an advertising company. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205223

Limit Ad Tracking: enabled.

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#39

Post by ocdtrekkie »

gcb0 wrote: post #33
hprotagonist wrote: post #12

for now, i am nice and cozy in my iOS walled garden. The advantages of doing business with hardware companies is that it's much more clear that i'm paying them scads of money for a handset, instead of any other financial transaction.

surprise surprise. apple also is an advertising company. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205223

Apple has an advertising service, yes. But Apple's revenue primarily comes from hardware. Apple is ergo, a "hardware company" that has additional services. Whereas over 90% of Google's revenue comes from ads, Google is an "advertising company" that also sometimes makes software. (Microsoft, by this definition, is a "software company".)

This is key because companies are going to make decisions based on what keeps them in business. Apple would place it's hardware sales over it's ad business in a heartbeat, whereas Google would abandon Android before it would give up on ads, because that's it's entire business.

My hope is that companies that don't place advertising as a core part of their business can be convinced that there is a market in privacy-oriented products, and that competing on advertising isn't worth it.

Re: Verizon announces plans to install a download-tracking app on its Android phones

#40

Post by nommm-nommm »

0xfeba wrote: post #27
moltenbobcat wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely they are going to be loading it using Carrier Configuration tied to the sim card... As soon as you put a verizon sim card into your unlocked non verizon phone it installed a bunch of helper apps. https://source.android.com/devices/tech/config/carrier.html

Ah, so that's how those Verizon apps got on my Pixel!

Wondering when they started doing this. I have a Nexus 5x on Verizon for less than a year and I never got any Verizon apps installed.
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