Should you DeGoogle your smartphone?

Comments

• FuyuhikoDate@feddit.org ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Short answer: yes Long answer: yes totally!

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  • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    While Iagree (and I’m largely degoogled for a couple years now), there are a few things that make it quite a pain.

    Maps being the biggest one. I have 5 mapping apps (CoMaps, Magic Earth, CoPilot, Organic, Waze and Gmaps) and even the combo of them doesn’t approach what GMaps can do, unfortunately.

    I’ve paid for CoPilot to have true offline mapping, I would pay for an app that can do what GMaps does.

    But the average person will have a real hard time de-googling, unfortunately. Google has done an exceptional job locking people in.

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    • RmDebArc_5@piefed.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      What exactly are you missing? The /e/os team has their own maps app in beta. In my experience it’s not that great, but you seem like someone who can’t get enough map apps (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

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    • NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Given how many times google maps has been wrong and OSM right, I think I will stick with OSM.

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    • j5y7@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Back in my day we’d stop and ask for directions.

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• DahGangalang@infosec.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Haven’t read article yet, but my experience jumping to Graphene: it was surprisingly easy, but I’m a tech nerd who already understands a lot / has reps and sets on digging through documents to learn. Its definitely not one-for-one swap with Android and there are some minor inconveniences I put up with that some in my family would never tolerate.

  Overall: doable and worth it. Expect at least a small learning curve as you do it.

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  • krashmo@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    What are the minor inconveniences you’re referring to? I’ve run e/os on a Fairphone for a while so I’m pretty sure they will be similar but I’ve used graphene so I’m curious

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    • DahGangalang@infosec.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Total grab bag of random things that immediately come to mind. There’s probably more, but first set that come to mind:

      Some apps won’t boot at all (mostly the grocery store apps I was using at time of swap + Costco - though I’ve found the Costco browser experience is actually better than in app).

      Some features of apps just don’t load or error out (Thinking insurance and banking apps, especially when trying to sign docs - I expect its them doing a flavor of play store verification that I have blocked at the app level).

      I know its possible to set up Android Auto, but I’ve run into some difficulties with it and ultimately determined it wasn’t worth the privacy sacrifices. But the inconvenience of not having Android Auto be plug and play is something a buddy commented on.

      There’s not an Assistant search bar in the app tray. This “feature” of stock android is baffling to me. A different buddy commented on it (when I passed them my phone to DJ while I drove) since they usually open the app tray and type the app they want to use (vs finding it in the list).

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• bloogoose@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I wish a Linux based OS worked on my Pixel 8. I run Graphene, but the dream of pocketable then dockable Linux is one I’ve had for years.

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  • grue@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    As the owner of both a Pixel 8 running Graphene and a Pinephone, you really aren’t missing anything.

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  • GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    The missing feature I really wish FairPhone 6 had.

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    • bloogoose@lemmy.zip ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Yeah I really want a Fairphone.

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  • 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Same. Been a dream of mine for about a decade.

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• Alberat@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  the biggest problem is banking and government apps that require strong play integrity… this kills the custom rom

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  • 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    One degoogled as a daily, one cheap stock for these privacy invading apps. Phone A goes with you, while Phone B stays home and comes out to play only when required. At least, that’s my take.

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    • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      That’s probably the simplest solution. Even though it’s not intellectually satisfying, I don’t think there’s another option at the moment.

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  • quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    If you’re doing banking on a phone, lol, you’re doing it wrong.

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    • j5y7@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I never thought it was a good idea myself.

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  • newton@feddit.online ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Depends on your country .

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  • kuiskaaja@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    yeah… stuck with a phone loaded with spyware cus of that :x

    i hope jolla and their sailfishos become a viable option in the future

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  • SpikesOtherDog@ani.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

    If you are technical you could run an android VM at home and then just remote into it when needed

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    • Alberat@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago

      do android VMs pass play integrity? I thought the whole point was to deter bots…

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• LodeMike@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Yes

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• hash@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Recently lent a family member an old phone and took a chance by leaving GrapheneOS on it. Of course they reinstalled all the google apps but it’s cool to see they can still get some benefit without major issues.

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• nevyn@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Lineage themselves repeatedly state their OS is not degoogled, but using it is definitely much better than using stock android.

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  • quick_snail@feddit.nl ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Lineage is degoogled…if you don’t install gapps

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    • nevyn@slrpnk.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Lineage devs say otherwise, repeatedly.

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• hexagonwin@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  there’s just no reason to have gapps installed even on a manufacturer rom unless you really need the google safetynet shits

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  • jorge@lemmygrad.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Here in Brazil some apps (such as banking apps) demand it. I used it sandboxed on GrapheneOS.

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    • hexagonwin@lemmy.today ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      yeah same here, those are the shitty apps that need google safetynet… :(

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  • Trilogy3452@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    What about notifications

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    • timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Microg. But in the end the real obstacle is devs not adding unified push support which as I understand is not that immense. Work sure, but not insurmountable.

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    • solxix@pawb.social ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      UnifiedPush

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• Eternal192@anarchist.nexus ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Which OS can easily be installed on an HMD skyline.

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