Live data from Hacker News

Why I'm Ditching Android

kevq.uk

251–258 of 258 posts

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#251

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you feel about the android-based blackberrys?

I heard they are pretty good and are a bit more secure, but the underlying system is still android.

The problem is not Google itself, the problem are the Google Services coming with every phone (often plus two Facebook Apps, plus Instagram, plus some manufacturer specific stuff - mine was spamming me once a month with "Why don't you buy a new theme for HTC Sense"). As mentioned by me & others, you can replace those with MicroG, though YMMV.

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#252
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you looked here? They do builds of lineageos with mircog already installed https://lineage.microg.org/

Thanks :), but as I said: > If you already have a LineageOS-supported device, you can grab a prebuilt LineageOS+MicroG image from the MicroG site. I redacted a lengthy part of my comment since I felt it wouldn't add anything to the discussion; but it went like this: Sadly, my device (HTC 10 aka pme) is officially only on LineageOS 14.x, which is Android 7. Since I am coming from Android 8 stock ROM, I'd like to stay…

Ahh sorry, I missed that.

What may be easiest for you is actually to use Xposed. I think that can allow the signature spoofing needed for MicroG.

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

User- or sender- determined? One of those never works.

The user determines the priority of notifications per-app and per-app-notification type (using notification channels) and configures how the notification is allowed to interrupt them. https://developer.android.com/training/notify-user/channels

That at least ... stands a chance ... of working.

Though in my experience, any notifications is too many.

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#254
post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All he had to do was research. And that's the problem. One platform offers, mostly, sane defaults with strong privacy guarantees and no bloatware, the other requires you to invest time and effort, first to research, then enact.

> strong privacy guarantees This can change any day. And if you think that's impossible, look at Windows or Google Chrome. Most users just will happily trade privacy for convenience. > the other requires you to invest time and effort, first to research, then enact This is classic learning curve = bad. Rust is also harder than JavaScript, and Vim is harder than Notepad. What matters is whether its worth it. Some peopl…

> This can change any day.

It can, but seeing as Apple have staked the farm on running things locally and respecting privacy as a USP it's doubtful. I'll take "privacy protecting today, but maybe in the future I'll have to switch" over "I'm the product" any day of the week.

And yes, a learning curve CAN be bad. There is so much conflicting information in this thread alone that shows shorting the wheat from the chaff is not easy, and at best people might buy into snake oil solutions, at worst be in a less secure state than they otherwise may have been before.

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#255

I've been coming around to this way of thinking more and more lately. Apple has a clear business model that involves selling high-end phones and other hardware and taking a percentage of app sales, not selling me to advertisers. I've found at least 5 different privacy settings buried in various places around the Android menus in a confusing way (instead of just having a single switch in the privacy settings menu), an…

Have you considered a Blackberry? I’m using an android BB from maybe the first run, few years old, and it’s got all the privacy I need up front.

I actually had a Blackberry Priv before the phone I have now. I could never really gel with it - the physical keyboard was awesome though. Still have it in the drawer actually.

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#256
post #252

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks :), but as I said: > If you already have a LineageOS-supported device, you can grab a prebuilt LineageOS+MicroG image from the MicroG site. I redacted a lengthy part of my comment since I felt it wouldn't add anything to the discussion; but it went like this: Sadly, my device (HTC 10 aka pme) is officially only on LineageOS 14.x, which is Android 7. Since I am coming from Android 8 stock ROM, I'd like to stay…

Ahh sorry, I missed that. What may be easiest for you is actually to use Xposed. I think that can allow the signature spoofing needed for MicroG.

I used NanoDroid - worked quite well :) I'd still prefer to build a LOS with MicroG integrated, but it's difficult to get the required information from the folks at xda-dev...

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#257
post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand your point and you are right. There is a difference between theory and practice - in practice, it is Chrome.

Plainly no: in practice, it is the Android SDK WebView class, not the 140MB Chrome app.

From Google search results:

Android WebView is a system component powered by Chrome that allows Android apps to display web content

Re: Why I'm Ditching Android

#258
post #237
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Chrome is the webview for all apps, might be tricky to remove.

You can install Bromite (un-googled Chromium) WebView from f-droid repository https://www.bromite.org/fdroid

When you write an app, will you test that it works with that?
Post reply on HN