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FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

email.faircode.eu

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Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#91

Post by tjoff »

tadfisher wrote: post #33
cassepipe wrote: post #27

I was wondering it seems like when you get a mail app, Android ends up storing that mail address as an account in the account section of the parameters. Is there a way to avoid this ?

This is the user interface to the AccountManager API, which is one of the standard mechanisms to manage auth tokens and background sync. IIRC it's been around since Android 1.0 and it's probably not a useful vector for third-party tracking.

Why not?

Being the standard way of doing it since beginning of time is just an argument for why it is a useful source to steal contact information and track users.

Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#92

Post by severine »

ancarda wrote: post #51

Is anyone else getting this error on F-Droid? Download failed! The requested file was not found. https://f-droid.org/repo/eu.faircode.email_1518.apk How can I download this app? I use K-9 Mail at the moment, but I'd like to try this to see if it's any better.

Same error, for several different apps, since yesterday.

Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#93

Post by throwaway81523 »

skratlo wrote: post #34
throwaway81523 wrote: post #21

I'm using F-droid K-9 and am happy with it. What would be the point of switching? If the new thing is flat-out better then it might be worth considering, but I haven't seen any explanation of this.

Comparing K-9 to FairEmail is like comparing Outlook Express (from Windows 95 fame) to Mozilla Thunderbird

I don't understand the comparison? Outlook and Thunderbird were pretty similar iirc. K9 does give me notifications when new email arrives. It's possible that it's every 15 minutes rather than instant: it hasn't been an issue for me so far. I know that Linphone is able to receive phone calls which is presumably by listening on a socket or getting activated by some inetd-type thing in Android. Maybe K9 could do similar.

Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#94

Post by forgotmypw17 »

muppetman wrote: post #74
forgotmypw17 wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

PGP has support for every language, client, and platform one may be using. It,s time tested and the most widely adopted standard. It supports plaintext. Signal has support for... Signal.

None of those points detract from the fact PGP is a complex nightmare to use. There's a reason millions of people have Signal/WhatsApp installed and not PGP. Even Media organisations have ditched it in favour of things like Securedrop (and/or Signal). I'd argue that Signal is much more widely adopted that PGP ever was.

I agree that a good interface is missing...

But the protocol has all the capabilities needed.

Nor is full support of every feature needed by every client.

I think from a crypto strength perspective, it,s silly to reinvent the same thing over again.

(The thing being basic PKI of just public/private keys and signed/encrypted messages.)

Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#95

Post by t0astbread »

deckard1 wrote: post #66
rexreed wrote: post #39

Am I a weirdo for using POP mail on an Android? I don't trust any third party with storing my email. Is there a reason why I should move to IMAP? I mean I know the technical reasons. But it says on the FairEmail page: "FairEmail might be for you if you value your privacy." and also says "works with virtually all email providers, including Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo!" For me, privacy is more than what's on the client -…

If you don't trust Google to store your email, I have bad news for you. You will never escape having some of your email stored on Gmail servers. Most people you email are using a gmail address, whether direct or via forwarding. End-to-end encryption is your only true ally. In this regard, email is hopeless. I personally feel that all these privacy mechanisms on top of email are a) hopelessly pointless and b) give peo…

You're absolutely right but unfortunately, my biggest use-case for email is still sending my own personal data to businesses I (more or less) have to interact with that don't offer an alternative.

Also, I'm not sure most email users know what a "plaintext, insecure protocol" is and what it would imply.

Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#96

Post by kop316 »

pomian wrote: post #73
kop316 wrote: post #8

I was curious to see if FairEmail could work with OAuth without Google Play (I have a school Google account that does not allow me to log in without OAuth): https://github.com/M66B/FairEmail/blob/master/FAQ.md#user-co... "OAuth for Gmail is supported via the quick setup wizard. The Android account manager will be used to fetch and refresh OAuth tokens for selected on-device accounts. OAuth for non on-device accounts…

Using both this and k9 without Google play or any Google. They work great. But both of them, no longer allow storing your mail and/or attachments on 'external' or SD card. That is frustrating. This anti feature, just started in the last few months.

I use k9 right now for my fastmaol account, and that works fine. I just can't use my school account that is gmail.

I'm not sure how you're using it?

Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#98

Post by aasasd »

mdaniel wrote: post #89
aasasd wrote: post #56

Am I the only one who can't make FairMail deliver mail faster than 15-20 minutes? The notification is on, the battery optimization for the app is off, still nothing. K9 actually receives the message earlier, despite not having a persistent notification.

Have you opened an issue for that behavior? I haven't looked at the repo's issue reporting policy, but my experience says that telling HN isn't nearly as effective as telling the issue tracker. I would be especially interested in knowing if that happens in a DeGoogled setup, versus on "normal" Android

> isn't nearly as effective as telling the issue tracker

I don't agree with this conjecture, at all. After seeing plenty of projects with hundreds of open issues, I don't create them anymore unless I'm ready to submit a patch, or it's just a quick question. Whereas here in a thread that will be out of sight by tomorrow, it's a no-brainer—two people answered already.

FairEmail makes this decision even easier by 1) promoting its paid version, which I didn't buy and thus am not in a position to demand anything; and 2) not having an issue tracker in the first place.

Re: FairEmail: Open-source, privacy friendly email app for Android

#100

Post by _e »

doc_gunthrop wrote: post #87

FYI this is by the same developer who authored the popular NetGuard ( https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard ) for Android.

... and M66B developed XPrivacyLua: https://github.com/M66B/XPrivacyLua

it spoofs and restricts Android API calls made by apps.

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