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Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

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Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#171

Post by twobitshifter »

johnbrodie wrote: post #144
cookiengineer wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, the Internet Connectivity Check on LineageOS also sends your position/IP to Google, and also avoids a VPN tunnel because it's lower down the stack. I can recommend LineageOS, however be aware that lots of malware infected builds have made it to xda dev in the past, so you should build it yourself if possible (or use the official downloads). Regarding the Connectivity Check: You can add all google related…

I can't recall the exact settings to push via ADB, but the Internet Connectivity Check is "easy" to fix. Create a server that's always up that responds with a 301 (or whatever the check expects), and push the address to the phone. Done. It's a shame that Google's servers are the default, and I wish it were at least called out by Lineage. That said, I doubt they want to cover hosting costs of such a service (although…

This internet connection check actually caused problems for us when we started having users in China on android. Our code was checking for a connection before transmitting data and android thought the device was disconnected due to the great firewall. I think there’s just a hack around it for now that disabled the android connection check for those users.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#172

Post by commoner »

daneel_w wrote: post #125
salusinarduis wrote: post #75

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

> ...and have a better experience in every category than iOS, hardware and software. Really? I tried GrapheneOS on a Pixel 4A, and without exaggerating or trying to come off sensationalist the experience was really tepid compared to iOS, and even "normal" Android. Stuttering and jerky UI (which often also wanted to take a brief nap), very poor GPU hardware acceleration support, notably worse battery life, loads of th…

The mid-level processor on the Pixel 4a may just not be performing to your expectations. A phone with a high-end processor would perform better. For GrapheneOS, the fastest compatible phone available (used/refurbished) right now is the Pixel 4 (or Pixel 4 XL).

Also, if you are using a Pixel phone with a non-default flavor of Android, the Google Camera app still works if you download it manually. APKMirror is a trustworthy app source run by Android Police:

https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/camera/

(For Pixel phones using an older Android version, you may have to use an older version of Google Camera if the current version does not work.)

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#173

Post by aqfamnzc »

padraic7a wrote: post #24
nimbius wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.dslul.open... OpenBoard is a 100% foss keyboard based on AOSP, with no dependency on Google binaries, that respects your privacy.

Thanks, I'll check that out. I've been using Swiftkey since before Microsoft bought it, and really enjoying it. I know I shouldn't be surprised but I feel really betrayed that they use it to track app usage and link it to IMEI and the Google advertising id.

I was also a long-time fan of Swiftkey, and switched to OpenBoard a few months ago. The main differences are lack of swipe input which I miss dearly, and slightly less intuitive correction. I think since switching I've put a little more effort into being more accurate which has helped.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#174

Post by Steltek »

technerder wrote: post #167
salusinarduis wrote: post #75

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "Discord is sandboxed"? Are you using an app to sandbox it?

Could be using [Shelter](https://github.com/PeterCxy/Shelter) to isolate apps. I don't know how effective it really is.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#175

Post by AuthorizedCust »

marcellus23 wrote: post #153
AuthorizedCust wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's more of a process than simply selecting text on the task manager tile.

I guess. You have to hit the screenshot combo and then tap the screenshot, versus hitting the app-switcher button. Are you doing this often enough for that 1 extra step to be a big deal?

I’m increasingly finding great value in reducing complexity of simple tasks. I thought the push button rear door closer on my minivan was silly, but it came with it, so (shrug). I’ve grown to like it!

Reducing from a few steps plus a major context switch to just one step is valuable.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#176

Post by websap »

_V_ wrote: post #160
Throwaway808808 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconded. The downvote button is for comments that detract from the conversation, not because somebody disagrees. This place is turning into another Reddit.

How does "I hope you at least pay for these apps" adds anything even remotely relevant to the thread about what apps someone uses as part of their de-googled phone? Yeah, developers do need to eat, but this (IMO) snarky comment is hardly relevant to the OP.

The way I read this submission is:

1. Google is tracking you. They track you because they need this data to target better ads, this is how they make money.

2. The OP for this comment, says they use FOSS apps to get around Google’s tracking.

My comment is about - if you are against the idea of being tracked from profit, it would be a good idea to vote with your wallet to help open source developers get paid and to show that there is a viable business model for other individual developers.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#177

Post by commoner »

Steltek wrote: post #174
technerder wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "Discord is sandboxed"? Are you using an app to sandbox it?

Could be using [Shelter]( https://github.com/PeterCxy/Shelter ) to isolate apps. I don't know how effective it really is.

Insular is another app that activates the Android work profile: https://secure-system.gitlab.io/Insular/

Both Shelter and Insular are effective for isolating your files, contacts, and phone logs in each profile. If you are using a VPN, it is limited to the profile that the VPN app is installed on, and you need to install and run it again on the other profile to cover the apps in that profile.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#178

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

dgan wrote: post #115
dylan604 wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this something more popular outside of the US where credit/debit cards are not as ubiquitous?

Maybe. I never owned a credit card, however I also basically didn't use cash for years, only debit card

I've had a US debit card where 3D secure was triggered.

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#179

Post by commoner »

Scramblejams wrote: post #139
salusinarduis wrote: post #75

I use GraphineOS and LineageOS without Google Play Services. They are great and are suitable replacements for Apple and Google. - Osmand(FOSS) for maps (supports being fully offline!) - Signal and Discord for messaging (Discord is sandboxed) - Newpipe(FOSS) for Youtube - F-droid(FOSS) for my FOSS appstore - APKmirror for the few non-free apps I need - Libretorrent(FOSS) and VLC(FOSS) for watching movies - Firefox(FOS…

What do you use for photo management?

The default Gallery app is functional, and there are other FOSS options such as LeafPic and Simple Gallery.

- LeafPic Revived: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.alienpants.leafpicrevive...

- Simple Gallery Pro: https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.simplemobiletools.galler...

If you are looking for a hosted service to back up your photos, Stingle is an end-to-end encrypted photo hosting service. Alternatively, you can use Nextcloud to self-host. Both are FOSS on the client side, and Nextcloud is also FOSS on the server side.

- Stingle: https://stingle.org

- Les Pas gallery app for Nextcloud: https://github.com/scubajeff/lespas

Re: Android phones are sending significant amount of user data with no opt-out [pdf]

#180

Post by gpvos »

Kubuxu wrote: post #152
salusinarduis wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some will, however I have heard some of these apps have janky hooks into Android's trust system which will break them on non-google distros. Personally I wouldn't suggest having banking apps on a phone. You can always use the web browser if you absolutely must access those accounts.

Most banks in EU require phone app based confirmations for transfers and other operations (according to PDS2 directive). Visa and Mastercard also introduced 3DSecrue system which piggybacks on the same system of confirmations. Vendors are incentivised to adopt it by lower rates. In essence when paying with card or making a wire transfer (or using some instant transfer method, for example Blik in Poland), you get noti…

It depends per bank; mine discontinued the paper OTP pad as well as the SMS codes, and gave me a separate 2FA device when I didn't want to use their app. I don't think banks can force you to have a smartphone yet.
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