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Debloat non-rooted Android devices

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Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#81

Post by rightbyte »

andrepd wrote: post #77
rightbyte wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh dear. I had disabled the Samsung keyboard for some other, but it seems it got reenabled again. Maybe Google broke some API endpoint and the old keyboard didn't do the update grind. No warning what so ever for their spyware taking over the keyboard functionally. The need for some FOSS mobile is really over due by now. Edit: > I immediately found an open source keyboard to replace samsung's with Which keyboard did y…

The need for stronger legislation is overdue by now. There is already a Foss mobile OS, it's called Android, or more specifically a distribution of it like LineageOS. But installing it is so difficult that only 1% of people have the technical know how to even attempt it, and it's getting more difficult as manufacturers introduce more and more hurdles in this process. Which is all irrelevant anyway because the vast ma…

Ye that is true.

As I see it the problem is with the phone manufacturers, only supporting Google.

Also, there is this problem with banks requiring signed OS:es for their silly app "security".

Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#82

Post by lysp »

Symbiote wrote: post #54
userbinator wrote: post #27

IMHO better to root if you can, since then you do get full control as the rightful owner.

Some banking apps detect this, or might detect it in the future, and refuse to work. In some countries (Scandinavia...) not having the banking app is inconvenient, as it's used for authentication with many other services.

Magisk (the main rooting method) allows you to hide root from such apps.

Most apps I use (ie. banking) are bypassed simply by adding them to a hide-list.

The only apps that require a bit more work / expertise are apps that require integrity checks (ie. google wallet).

Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#83

Post by nolist_policy »

protoman3000 wrote: post #56

Why is it not possible to compile and install a complete clean Android directly from the sources on your phone? What are the things that prevent that?

AFAIK you can just do that with Google Pixel phones. I'm not saying its easy but the source code is all there.

Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#85

Post by bboygravity »

autoexec wrote: post #23
morsch wrote: post #18

I bought -- full price, retail -- a midrange Samsung phone for a relative recently. The amount of bloatware was incredible. Various social networks and shopping apps were preinstalled. In addition to all the Samsung apps that more or less duplicate the Google stack, poorly. The entire setup process was full of dark patterns designed to extract as much data from you as possible. No way a regular person gets through th…

The first time I had a samsung phone I noticed after about two weeks that every single word I typed into any application was being collected and sent to a third party whose privacy policy said it was used to collect data about my interests, my social life, to make guesses about my intelligence level and education, and that the data would be sold for "market research" among other things. No user would ever suspect tha…

I find it mind blowing that:

1. Samsung is able to sell phones like that legally. 2. People are not in jail. 3. Governments somehow think it's ok that random companies can see everything their citizens do online. National security risks maybe? Trade secret issues?

It's almost suspicious to the point where I would start thinking those third party spy companies are possibly (US/5 eyes) government run?

Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#86

Post by bboygravity »

morsch wrote: post #39
resource_waste wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a user/psychology problem. No one in their right mind is suggesting Samsung. Heck, similar to Apple, you have swaths of people warning you about Samsung. Samsung lives and dies off their huge marketing budget. Buying their phone is more of a psychology thing, than 'I did lots of research and I bought a high quality phone'.

I've had multiple Samsung Android devices before buying the midrange phone. The hardware, I found, was universally pretty good. They were one of the few manufacturers with a moderately sized flagship device (the new Pixel 8 also qualifies, which is great). I bought the midrange device because it was one of a few phones priced around 300 EUR with more than two or three years of updates.

[dead]

Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#87

Post by bboygravity »

rapnie wrote: post #75
morsch wrote: post #18

I bought -- full price, retail -- a midrange Samsung phone for a relative recently. The amount of bloatware was incredible. Various social networks and shopping apps were preinstalled. In addition to all the Samsung apps that more or less duplicate the Google stack, poorly. The entire setup process was full of dark patterns designed to extract as much data from you as possible. No way a regular person gets through th…

Bloatware, dark patterns, opted-in privacy invasions, and unavoidable privacy infringement.. I feel that Samsung is somewhere in the top of that spectrum. Which commodity Android device vendor has the least of that out-of-the-box?

Unihertz

Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#88

Post by croes »

bboygravity wrote: post #85
autoexec wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first time I had a samsung phone I noticed after about two weeks that every single word I typed into any application was being collected and sent to a third party whose privacy policy said it was used to collect data about my interests, my social life, to make guesses about my intelligence level and education, and that the data would be sold for "market research" among other things. No user would ever suspect tha…

I find it mind blowing that: 1. Samsung is able to sell phones like that legally. 2. People are not in jail. 3. Governments somehow think it's ok that random companies can see everything their citizens do online. National security risks maybe? Trade secret issues? It's almost suspicious to the point where I would start thinking those third party spy companies are possibly (US/5 eyes) government run?

They don't care as long they are not Chinese.

Re: Debloat non-rooted Android devices

#90

Post by ryandrake »

hulitu wrote: post #76
autoexec wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The first time I had a samsung phone I noticed after about two weeks that every single word I typed into any application was being collected and sent to a third party whose privacy policy said it was used to collect data about my interests, my social life, to make guesses about my intelligence level and education, and that the data would be sold for "market research" among other things. No user would ever suspect tha…

> No user would ever suspect that the keyboard that came with their cell phone would be letting third parties read all their texts and emails When we were young, this was called a keyloggger and one running was a sign that your computer was compromised. I guess times have changed.

It still is compromised, but somehow we have normalized the idea of our own systems being compromised by our OS and system app developers.
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