Considering Google and Apple both donate to Trump, we really need an alternative: Linux mobile OS. A linux OS that can be installed on a range of phones, from cheap to more expensiove. Just buy the phone and install the OS, as you do on PCs.
Good linux mobile OSs already exist, but phones’ hardware is still proprietary and messed up, so it is very difficult to provide a good hardware support for those mobile OSs
Yes, the bottleneck isn’t software, it’s hardware. We need phones with unlocked bootloaders
I honestly didn’t realize how the fdroid deployment worked, and now I’m gonna be way less skeptical of apps I see there.
I do not go to Google play until apps on f-droid prove inadequate for my usage.
This is something the EU should really regulate, unfortunately they are busy regulating oat
milkdrink and veggieburgers.-
The EU hasn’t even been able to stop Apple from doing this shit.
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The EU is actively preventing their own people from leaving the Google ecosystem with the Play Integrity API in their own apps.
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I contacted the EU DMA team a while back. Part of the response:
We have taken note of your concerns and, while we cannot comment on ongoing dialogue with gatekeepers, these considerations will form part of our assessment of the justifications for the verification process provided by Google.
So at least some part of the bureaucracy are aware of it.
That’s the copy pasta I got, too!
I’m confused why so many open source developers think that the EU is going to be the foster parents of FOSS communities
There’s a real effort in some EU countries to fund FOSS projects to get out from under US dominated tech.
It’s because they did a thing with USB once
the eu is way too busy chewing us boot atm
It’s a banker’s cartel. Nothing more.
Pretty sure the EU was designed to serve the interests of carnists and other capitalists.
When will F-Droid stop working on stock android?
There’s nothing set in stone yet. Google just committed to doing it is all that’s happened so far. But the response against it has been pretty heavy and we’ll see how it goes. We have to speak up right now and organize our communities like this post is doing.
LOL. There’s dozens of us here.
Depends on your location. There is a timeline table here:
Try Graphene today. IT WORKS
Except for stuff you really need like online banking, tap payments and digital ids
All my banking apps and credit card apps have worked flawlessly on Graphene OS. You’re correct that tap to pay doesn’t work, which is a bummer. But that is just Google spyware as well, honestly.
I heard about this a while ago, but I remember the GrapheneOS team talking about suing Google if they didn’t allow them to pass play integrity checks like they should be able to, but Google just doesn’t let them. That’s the only reason tap to pay doesn’t work and some baking apps have issues, its Google purposefully limiting graphene OS so they have a competitive edge somewhere.
You can do online banking via a browser, it’s clunky but you generally just need to be more prepared
Yeah, but over here you pretty much forced to use aome sort of mobile 2fa
Manageable.
Plenty of bank apps work just fine. None of the ones I’ve tried had problems, except Santander, which works perfectly after changing a setting.
Not here in Norway. You need BankID which is an app that well, requires a lot of stuff.
Personally I don’t need or want any of those things on my phone.
Samsung s22 and s25, checking in. Graphene won’t be viable for the vast, overwhelming majority of Android users today or in the coming seasons.
I hope people figure out some kind of virtualization/docker-containerization solution to the coming Goo-lag.
Samsung s22 and s25
I’m still holding some hope that maybe Samsung’s flavor of the OS won’t have the restriction of requiring Google keys. Specially considering that Samsung has its own “Galaxy Store” with app submissions controlled by them, not Google.
Though it’s possible they might simply extend the signatures accepted to include also the ones signed by them ^^U …still it would give them a competitive edge to remove the restriction so they might be incentivized to do it.
I’m hopeful that the hackers will win. I will never underestimate the power of motivated, scorned engineers.
I mean, you can hack/root most devices, even right now. I expect that’s not changing.
If they want a lot of play store banking apps + other things that opt into play protect to work they’ll need to add the signature verification requirement.
Will the banks in Korea, EU and many other areas where Samsung phones are very common keep that restriction if it meant alienating that many users? I doubt it. That’s why I think the support of a big player on this would be a killing move.
Also I’m not 100% convinced that it’s impossible to have some verification without it depending on this one change.
I’m even willing to use the web apps or webpages for banking, if the browsers can make the handshakes. I’ll forfeit using the bank first party apps, if their websites are full featured.
100%, my bank thankfully doesn’t tick that box, but if it did I wouldn’t think twice about dropping the app. Freedom is more important.
There are many other “uncertified” ROMs.
And the bootloader is now locked down across Samsung’s ecosystem, as of this year. Sucks.
If you move to using an unsecured “chinaphone” as an alternative to the big three handset vendors, then it’s unlikely they are target devices for the myriad of uncertified ROM’s.
I think we are going to need software solutions that can run on major Androdis distributions across the variety of hardware.
I think we’re going to need something like UTM or Docker (virtualization or containerization) for running our unsigned Android apps and services, and I don’t know how feasible it will be.
If you move to using an unsecured “chinaphone” as an alternative to the big three handset vendors, then it’s unlikely they are target devices for the myriad of uncertified ROM’s.
Not following your logic here… With the mainstream devices now locked, “the myriad of uncertified ROMs” will necessarily shift to the remaining unlocked phones, or die out.
I think a viable future is owning two devices, one “certified” to access your banking and work apps, and one running GrapheneOS for your private life.
ROMs rarely work as one-size-fits-all-devices, yeah?
I only know of four smartphone categories of phones that are really available in the markets around the world today, en masse.
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The big tentpole phones available from Samsung, Google, Moto, and maybe two other players.
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Boutique devices from vendors like Nothing and Fairphone with limited reach to global markets (like, being Euro only, or being only distributed in markets that can buy into they ideology, etc). Nearly all of them prices or is MOST humans’ reach.
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Chinaphones. A mix of fly-by-night brands with ghost shifts in factories that make many varieties of phones with other people’s designs, but have extremely limited first party support and probably zero ROM support from the global community … And then the handful of tech markings like Xiami, HTC, Huawei, and anyone else that bends the knee to the CCP. Virtually no NA market penetration in this decade, and tremendous barrier for entry, for most of the Western world. Also, security issues galore.
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iPhones.
All that to say, I don’t think a more featured OS existed it’s the way forward, with people all jockeying to make new ROM’s for everyone to NOT be able to run on their phones.
I’m hopeful folks smarter than I will be able to come in about the potential for sandboxes in it phones with their own capacity for running unsigned apps, like a virtualization platform.
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I literally named two different phone models, and I think dismissing that people are often bound to what handsets are available to them is … Well, honestly just cruel.
Most of us don’t have the cash to throw down for phones all the time and we need scalability to protect ALL of us, not just those of us cash flush.
My fingers are still crossed folks figure out some containerization or virtualization solution between now and the Goo-lag.
It’s better to work a few hours to buy a good device than waste thousands searching for a fantasy solution. Phones are bought rarely, not ‘all the time’. If you can’t afford basics, fix the money problem first, privacy can wait.
“Job” is a precious commodity for many of us.
You understand that people who live in the developing world, and have hostile governments that will weaponize Meta/Google’s data and telemetry against them, ALSO deserve privacy and liberty with their devices too, right?
This is why I’m saying that being prescriptive about what hardware we use is not the end game.
It’s going to have to come from the software platform.
Do you live in the developing world? Is your government banning this phone? How can we help others if we can’t help ourselves?
Even on GrapheneOS, sure it uses a sandboxed Google Play Store, which is obviously great for users, but the developers of Android apps still have to hand over their personal data to Google specifically as this new decree from the Lords of the Google fiefdom entails.
Because FOSS developers rightly value their personal privacy, this decree effectively kills incentive for FOSS developers to continue making and maintaining apps for Android. Running GrapheneOS doesn’t circumvent this.
It’s like I’m saying “I’m hungry” and you say “Go for a run, it’s healthy for you.” I mean… it’s true that running is healthy… but the act of running doesn’t solve the problem of me being hungry…
As I understand it the sandboxed google apps are entirely optional. You can go completely free with GrapheneOS just like with LineageOS.
Too, you can shove Google into its own separate User from everything else and keep it locked down in an always on VPN or the like. You don’t owe it the primary user on your phone. You can even keep that user shutdown such that none of it runs until you explicitly switch over and run it.
GrapheneOS is pretty dang impressive.
I use FOSS apps for everything, I only have one special user profile with google play store for my stupid bank and credit card.
For everything else there are alternatives that don’t need google play.
I think you’re missing the point. You say you use FOSS apps for everything. Do you download them from F-Droid?
From the article:
The future of this elegant and proven system was put in jeopardy last month, when Google unilaterally decreed that Android developers everywhere in the world are going to be required to register centrally with Google. In addition to demanding payment of a registration fee and agreement to their (non-negotiable and ever-changing) terms and conditions, Google will also require the uploading of personally identifying documents, including government ID, by the authors of the software, as well as enumerating all the unique “application identifiers” for every app that is to be distributed by the registered developer.
The F-Droid project cannot require that developers register their apps through Google, but at the same time, we cannot “take over” the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.
If it were to be put into effect, the developer registration decree will end the F-Droid project and other free/open-source app distribution sources as we know them today, and the world will be deprived of the safety and security of the catalog of thousands of apps that can be trusted and verified by any and all. F-Droid’s myriad users will be left adrift, with no means to install — or even update their existing installed — applications. (How many F-Droid users are there, exactly? We don’t know, because we don’t track users or have any registration: “No user accounts, by design”)
I get my apps through Obtainium. I usually find the developers pages where they publish source code and the apk and then add them to Obtainium and install from there and let it manage the updates.
Most of the apps I use are also available on f-droid and some probably have play store versions as well.
F-Droid libre software, self-hostable, unstoppable.
Wrong, sandboxed Google Play is not required.
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I don’t have time today
Ok, I’ll extend your deadline til Monday then. ;)
Don’t wait. GOS just works.
On one phone. The rest of are shit out of luck because we didn’t buy the one phone from the company that is causing the problem in the first place.
They’re working with an (unrevealed) major OEM to bring a compatible device to market sometime next year.
https://old.reddit.com/r/GrapheneOS/comments/1o32gpg/blackberry_phones/nivsx0k/
Here’s hoping its a device with an SD card slot and optionally a 3.5 jack. The Pixel’s lack of those is the one reason I haven’t made the switch.
Change phones. You’re rejecting solutions without offering one.
Dude, just fuck off. Your solution does not work for everyone. Pixel phones don’t even have an SD slot ffs.
Get a USB-C memory stick for your phone. Stop acting like this stuff’s impossible.
Get a USB-C memory stick for your phone. Stop acting like this stuff’s impossible.
So it’ll take 3 dongles just to bring my music collection with me? That’s stupid. I’m not offering solutions because there are none. Phone manufacturers and Google have fucked us. My current phone is 8 years old because there are no good options that have The hardware I want. The only hope is the FOSS community and they decided to back one of the most useless phone models that is made by the biggest offender. Might as well buy an iPhone at this point for all the good it will do.
Ironically, with an iPhone you could at least buy into Test Flight privately-signed-apps.
Anyhow, it took me a couple days to realize the guy that you and I have both been replying to is just a troll. Thanks for explaining your thoughts through this discussion, and try not to be too demoralized by the guy.
We don’t need 100 million songs on our phones. We can have 10 million songs. Privacy is more important than a stupidly large music collection.
You can’t even buy a Pixel in Brazil, one of the countries set to receive the change first on Google’s roadmap.
Being stuck on a single phone brand is never gonna be the solution.You clearly have internet, so buy it from anywhere in the world. You’ve given zero solutions. It’s like want us to give up. I’m not giving up on my privacy.
The solution is making noise. Talking to your local regulators, making them know this is an issue worth looking into.
The solution is pushing your government to do their fucking job and regulate these companies so they can’t take blatant anti-costumer measures.I’m not saying GrapheneOS isn’t a solution, it absolutely is, what I’m saying is that it isn’t the be-all and end-all, nor is it available for everybody, and coming into the comments to say “just buy a pixel duh” is smug as shit, and also missing the forest for the trees.
The solution is stopping Google from rolling out this change so everybody can enjoy the increased privacy sideloaded, FOSS apps bring, not just Graphene users.Hell, Graphene themselves are suffering from Google’s fuckery in relation to security patches and AOSP. (Image, Original Link)
Getting Google in a big antitrust lawsuit so they’ll stop being actively hostile to projects built on top of Android would be very beneficial to Graphene, don’t you think?
Wanna talk demoralizing? How about hearing “just buy a pixel and install GOS” on every thread on this topic completely ignoring whole countries where this isn’t exactly feasible?
And when you try to point that out you get the most dismissive answer ever completely ignoring import taxes and a zillion other factors that make even used Pixels cost more than brand new phones that are head and shoulders above them specs wise?Demoralizing you? Be so for real dude. You really think I’m part of a psyop trying to make you give up your OS? Rest easy, I won’t reach thru the screen and snatch your phone.
Just know Graphene needs no negative marketing. If every user walks around talking like this about the project they’ll have plenty already.Thanks for spelling out all of this. I was you to know the I read every word of it.
The guy we both were responding to managed to waste an hour of my own day with back-and-forth so I figured it was worth seeing how others had torn apart the nonsense, and while I knew the issues in a theory level you explaining Brazil’s ecosystem was an excellent illustration I learn from.
Good luck out there. May we someday both learn to evade feeding the trolls.
The solution is pushing your government to do their fucking job and regulate these companies so they can’t take blatant anti-costumer measures.
Now you’re giving a solution. Led with that.
Uh huh. And the devices that are not phones?
And saying just change your phone, much easier said than done isn’t it?
My actions… Piss off.
Computers don’t need Android.
For fucks sake: my tablet, my android tv, a firestick…
Computers can output to televisions and a tablet computer is a type of computer. You’ve given zero solutions. It’s like want us to give up. I’m not giving up on my privacy.
Buy used. The other phone vendors haven’t been offering the security hardware GOS needs, so far. It might change soon enough though.
This isn’t awful advice, but used Pixel prices are vastly out of whack with used prices from just about any other android manufacturer. On Amazon I can currently buy a refurbished Galaxy S25+ for $300 less than a refurbished Pixel 9 Pro XL - when the Pixel is a worse phone by every metric but its ability to run GOS.
Also, in some markets (US I believe? I think its a company called Verizon that does this) Some pixels just cannot be OEM unlocked, at all. So that’s also a risk buying used online at least - there’s usually not a way to tell if you’d be getting one of those if you live in a market that has this fucked up “feature”.
You can always buy used!
Where does one find a used phone? I would have no idea.
More importantly, I don’t want a used phone, OR to have to spend more money.
Ebay
Yuck. Nope. A used phone from a rando? No way in hell. Usb likely worn out, battery half the life of new… No.
Then accept what they’re doing
I dont really have a choice do I?
Also, this isn’t just phones: I am using Fdroid on several TV devices too.
This really, really sucks.
Yes, you do. But you’re making the wrong one
This isn’t a scalable solution. There aren’t enough affordable, used Pixels for everyone in the ecosystem to adopt between now and the Goo-lag.
One con, too, is that Graphene drops support when Google does, limiting the options around buying quite older models and running them for a long time to keep price low.
I still appreciate GrapheneOS and understand why they drop support, but it is definitely a con compared to other ROMs which trend towards extending support longer.
At least they’re trying.
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It’s not a “solution” if it doesn’t solve for most of us. Likely you and I both need to federate with others for results because I’m honestly not a qualified software developer but …
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Modern flagship phones have more than enough resources to run non-gaming app’s within some other container or even with full virtualization or, worst case scenario, emulation. We desperately need folks to figure out porting Dockerlike platform tools and making them accessible for normies like me.
If we can run an entire Windows environment and, separately, if we can run Hades II on a yesteryear Samsung, we should be able to get a sufficiently sandboxed environment together that’s qualified to run the weather apps and calculator apps I run on FDroid.
Because I’ll be god-damned if I’m going to entrust Google’s calculator app with my contacts and phone status permissions.
Not to say I’m entitled to any of their labor but I would join a crowdfunding program in a heartbeat.
If you can’t buy a phone should you be gambling on crowd funding.
I carry an S22 (with no Google services allowed on it) and an S25. I could buy any flagship phone in cash and not blink. Most folks around you and me don’t have this kind of privilege.
I’m fine.
I’m saying that we can’t ask or expect everyone to have the means to do so, AND that tellibg all of them to buy Pixels to fund the very company that is fucking everyone over, in hopes they leave the bootloader for those phones unlocked indefinitely, is basically just complying in advance.
While you’re busy insulting me and others, I seriously think we need a campaign to empower devs because the solutions are going to have to come from software, and that takes real people’s labor, talent and time. That is solely what I’m advocating for.
This is your community. It rises or falls with how we treat each other. How can you and I encourage each other, today?
I seriously think we need a campaign to empower devs because the solutions are going to have to come from software, and that takes real people’s labor, talent and time. That is solely what I’m advocating for.
Great, agreed. Wish more led with this.
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Alternative ROM market is fringe de la fringe, so there’s sufficient used hardware available. I bought my 7a for 320 eur new and my tablet for 400 eur new though, so the Google tax (or, GOS tax, rather) was moderate.
