Its just now possible to turn it off for all apps with one swipe and on click. Like I know WhatsApp need Microphone access for voicemail, but I can turn off the access for all apps with one click and turn it one for all apps with access when I need it
No, its been there for about the same time ios. A few years ago now they changed it so that the permissions are asked for from inside the app (when X is used) instead of when installing if that is what you are thinking about
Android is AOSP, it has no Google at all. Don’t confuse OEM ROMs and Android Open Source Project. As someone with GrapheneOS I can only laugh when someone calls iOS more private
Exactly, but it’s inexcusable when a tech discussion happens. You either know it, or dare to shut up (not you precisely, though). Don’t be a hypocrite, only facts.
Except for the ridiculously powerful permissions you need to give most system-type apps in order for them to function (i.e. read and paint over all screen content) because the accessibility APIs are shit, and password manager APIs too fragmented to be useful.
Sometimes the policy of “you will use our API and you will be happy” is actually beneficial for users.
If you can’t or don’t want to root the phone and install your own de-Googled Android rom then you could get an Android phone designed for mainland China, which will come with all of the Google stuff already removed.
I mean, what’s Xi Jinping gonna do with your data? If you’re not a higher up in the defense industry then you really have nothing to lose from a hypothetical Chinese government backdoor into your phone (an American government backdoor, on the other hand, is extremely threatening to you as the USG has shown time and again that if you become a “person of interest” for any reason they can and will build a spurious case against you).
Ahh yes the ol’ “the (Chinese) government doesn’t have any reason to want my data.” You know this is what some people use to deflect the concept of privacy because they have got nothing to hide, right?
It’s no secret that the Chinese government controls everything Chinese companies produce. If I’m using any digital item made in China I assume it sends whatever info it can on me back to China. This is nothing to do with Chinese people and everything to do with its authoritarian government.
Touch some grass and learn the concept of nuance you twat.
The average android user doesn’t have the ability to use lineageos. None of the android phones in my home even have support. So its not really a fair to talk about lineage when comparing android to iOS.
I could be wrong, but doesn’t lineageos have problems accessing banking apps since its missing some kind of DRM?
If one person believes one thing and another person believes the opposite, that doesn’t mean they’re hypocrites. That means there isn’t a consensus. Besides, android can be better than iOS and deserving of criticism at the same time.
Or maybe people hate Google ruining the internet AND realise that iOS is still much worse than Android? The two things are in no way mutually exclusive unless you view the world as a tribal binary.
Chromium is open source, too, but so many projects putting all their eggs in the same basket gives Google carte blanche to push any standard they want as a new de-facto standard before the rest of us can decide on whether it’s ready or needs changes or is just bad.
This is such a brain dead take. You cannot compare an OS from one developer to a device from another unspecified manufacturer with no context. No one would claim that a Samsung phone is more private than an iPhone, regardless of the “potential” in the context of degoogling, or the niche privacy switch that’s present on less than 1/10,000 Android devices sold.
Yeah its much more fair to compare pixel devices to iphones. And it still matters if you install a custom rom onto it or not. In my use case yes a pixel is more secure but a lot of people who just go with the out if the box experience may be safer with apple.
Probably - but not as easy as your android device. Ask the black hats if they prefer their victim on iOS or android - it should help identify the most insecure device.
No - that would only be true if both OS are equally secure in the first place. No matter how you behave you are limited by that. So equal behaviour on each system does not yield the same result.
Freedom is not security or privacy, but sure you (or someone else) can change your dialer on android and that can’t be done on iOS.
I’m not sure you can compare the is to each other. It’s like comparing Ubuntu to Windows and say they are equal as you can demicrosoft windows.
I’m not sure you can compare apple to Google either. One gives away their os for free and make their money from user data, the other charge their users silly amounts and make their money from devices and cuts of app publisher’s sales. To me that’s a big difference.
As any user can install an app that “takes over your internets” without rooting there’s only trust keeping other apps from doing the same. Customisation comes at a cost, and many people don’t understand that.
I’m not sure you can compare the is to each other. It’s like comparing Ubuntu to Windows and say they are equal as you can demicrosoft windows.
That’s simply not true. You can install either Linux or Windows on your Desktop, but when you buy a phone you basically stuck with the OS. (You can flash LineageOS but it’ll still be android)
I’m not sure you can compare apple to Google either. One gives away their os for free and make their money from user data,
Not sure it’s true either, I heard that companies have to pay for Google for putting Google services on their smartphone lines. I might edit to add a source later.
As any user can install an app that “takes over your internets” without rooting there’s only trust keeping other apps from doing the same.
But when it’s open source and reviewed, while being backed up by bodies like mozzila (looking at you rethinkDNS), it’s way better than your other options. Also, if you don’t trust and app just don’t use it? Web versions are good enough for most cases. And there you have Mull (hardened ff for android) with uBO to protect you.
This is pointless - I don’t agree to the view that iOS and Android are equal - anymore than windows and Linux are equal.
The same goes for the companies behind - one sell devices the other sell ads through their free services.
The customisation you speak about is the same like what browser-bars introduced on pc’s ages ago. Some users have a good working one, but non technical people can end up being tricked in adding one without understanding. That is why it has a cost - nobody can easily swap out the dialer on iOS to listen in. On Android it’s standard functionality
Technically that would make it expressly LESS secure. Is that your aim?
Regarding privacy, Apple does end to end on the vast majority of their services. Their servers are set up using a unique, physical key, that is then broken so once running, no one can get to the data.
Apps are sandboxed. Most every sensor or feature is gated behind a user setting to allow/deny.
But the most critical, Apple is a hardware company. The lions share of profits come from hardware. Google is an ad service/data manager. Probably one of the biggest reasons they dove right to amassing market share by licensing the OS to everyone outside Apple. It certainly helps their vested interests.
Trust whomever you like, but most things are true to their nature. Whether you want to believe it or not.
If you root your phone you can go both ways and give your security a good night kiss. It is important what kind of phone it is as well. Android devices are a wild world where you can stop getting any updates last week. Also, being able to unlock bootoader does not mean you will get the ability to install any rom you want. Usually this only counts for more expensive devices. Otherwise you might be lucky to get a rom maintained by one guy from India who is taking care of 5 other roms.
I’m trying to that it is easier to be more private on android by setting methods such as DNS66. dns66 acts as a VPN so It can’t be blocked by network providers. it is hard to setup measures to protect you privacy on ios and there are not many reliable methods in place on IOS without jailbreaking
iOS has privacy features built in. It has iCloud private relay which is essentially a VPN, and has dynamic IP and MAC addresses to limit tracking. You can also install profiles to modify your DNS however you want, just like on android without a jailbreak.
Even something as degoogled as DivestOS will override your permissions and sensor settings to make the dialer app work in all circumstances. So who knows what proprietary apps that many people need might exploit this possibility.
Like you say, unless you physically disconnect the hardware, you can never now.
Especially if it’s straight out of China. I just kicked back a fake 11 tablet that was actually 7. The OP advice is only useful if you’re running a rom that you can at least audit the source of.
I don’t know what phone they’re talking about, but PinePhone disables sensors via hardware kill switches, i.e. nothing on the phone can use the sensors because they’re physically not connected anymore.
OK, but in terms of privacy, I can degoogle my phone by installing one app which is even in Google’s play store (Netguard).
Edit: Maybe refute instead of downvote? Netguard lets you block all apps from sending data, including all system apps and Google Play Services.
I suspect the issue people have is that it is not possible for the average user to confirm that a block like that is working 100%. Seen as google control the OS they can just route their traffic around a block like that if they wish. Sending the data over 4g would mean you don’t even see it on your network traffic logs. There are a number of reviews suggesting it intermittently lets aupposedly blocked traffic through too, but the biggest issue maybe the way it works. As far as I can see, it acts as a VPN, but that means it won’t work well with other VPNs, which is another way the traffic can leak. Basically, installing an app like that doesn’t degoogle your phone at all, it just makes you feel like you’ve stopped your data leaking.
Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a way to link to a filtered set of reviews on the play store, but If you go to the store, find the app, go to the reviews and filter by 1 star you’ll see them. Some of them just don’t understand how the app works, as you say, but there are a number that are harder to ignore. The thing ism if it is acting as a pseudo VPN, it could easily leak when the OS suspends it (for power saving, switching network modes or the like). Honestly, I haven’t tested it, it doesn’t do what I need (I’m on another VPN a lot of the time), and I wouldn’t trust it very far myself, but if it does what you need, that’s what matters.
Thanks for the reply. I’ve now read through all 1 star reviews on the play store and am pretty confident that all of them have no idea what they’re talking about. Various popup messages during installation and use of the app explain in simple terms how to avoid all the issues these users were facing.
I personally observe with my own eyes many many times where Android turns off Adguard’s VPN for a split second when doing various Google things like receiving messages in Google Messages.
I haven’t been able to pinpoint it but my observation is that the disconnect/reconnect happens when a connection is trying to be made (ex. RCS message incoming), and I suspect Android is dropping the VPN to make its own connection. Sounds paranoid, but I’ve been carefully watching it happen for a long while.
I’m not sure if you’re dense or just pretending. You talk about a piece of software and I refer to their faq. I’m sure you have researched your claims and read up on this software….
OK I’m now assuming you talk about Netguard’s FAQ, not some others from Google, Android or Apple (all of which would have been equally likely in the context of this thread). Yes, I’ve read them. I’ve also read all the 1 star reviews of the app. I know about the apps limitations and am still confident it blocks Google from spying on me. Now what?
Saying privacy is better on Android is literally insane, I can’t think of a less private OS (talking about the version installed by manufacturers). Even Windows has some catching up to do to be as invasive.
For wifi, I was pleasantly surprised that I could set a custom DNS on iOS while still using DHCP for other settings. Can only set DNS on Android if I use manual IP (or just use Wireguard).
Edit: not true, Android can have custom DNS with DHCP, see below.
Ehhh, technically but its hard for them to tell if your able to switch back before turning it in. And if it doesn’t boot then well… It’s not going to be much of an issue then. Also it is a bit legally grey if companies can void you warrenty solely for installing a custom ROM.
They provide, or at least used to provide, ROMs of both Oxygen and Hydrogen OSes to flash at your leisure. Not 100% what the deal is in the new OPPO-ish world.
Depends on the brand. Xiaomi will (in most cases) service the phone even if the bootloader was unlocked and os changed, you just need to restore it to stock state. I haven’t personally tried this, but I heard multiple stories confirming this.
I rooted mine, messed with custom ROMs, bricked it and sent it in.
They honored the warranty and sent it back with a newer Android version than was installed originally, or available through updates :)
I’m patiently waiting for my 4th Pixel 5A RMA since they love frying motherboards outta nowhere but damn once you get grapheneos going it really is something else
It makes the stock pixel seem so bloated with all the non-removable google apps. Like why can’t I remove the pixel buds app?
I never had any issues with the motherboard on my 5A, but I gave up on it after destroying the screen twice. I have a 6 now but it’s annoyingly large, top heavy, and I have to keep it on LTE only mode to have decent battery life.
I had similar argument in reddit today , people talk about bloat but ignore all the Google bloat, I don’t want to use Google apps, there are better alternatives out there.
I’m running Paranoid Android on my mi 11x . better than stock miui though I need GM’s and few Google stuffs for some peculiar apps to work.
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