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Is there still any hope for privacy phones? 2025 and beyond (lemmy.ml)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/privacy@lemmy.ml
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Google has been trying to make Android proprietary for a few years now, and that's not news, as many AOSP default apps have been abandoned over time in favor of proprietary Google ones. This was never a huge problem for me, as you can still use those apps without network access or use open source alternatives like Fossify on a custom ROM.

However, the situation is quickly getting worse, now that Google is actively trying to prevent the development of custom ROMs and taking a page from Apple's book by forcing developers to beg them for permission to release apps on the Android platform, even outside of the Play Store - giving Google full control.

Is there still any hope left for privacy respecting Android ROMs? What do you think will happen next? And what would be your suggestions for those looking for a phone in 2025?

If you have a different perspective on the situation, also please comment below!

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[–] 7 points 1 year ago* (3 children)

Keep in mind that every Apple phone is also an AirTag, even if "powered off". This isn't the case with most Android phones, and you can get one with a removable battery to ensure it. Sure, there's Faraday bags, but they are easy to mess up, while you can't go wrong with just pulling the power at the source.

Also, you don't have to buy from Google. There's the second-hand and discount reseller market.

We shouldn't live life settling for the "lesser evil", we need more hardware to support things like GrapheneOS.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Keep in mind that every Apple phone is also an AirTag, even if “powered off”.

    This can easily be disabled in settings though.

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  • [–] -2 points 1 year ago

    It's the other way around, it's down to GrapheneOS to support other hardware. They simply choose to focus on Pixels.

    You're onto something with the AirTags but you haven't got it quite right. Every Apple device participates in the Find My network, which means any Apple device marked as lost will have its location reported, anonymously, by every other Apple device it can communicate with. This is a good thing, unless you're being stalked via an AirTag placed on your person, but Apple has taken pains to mitigate this issue. One shoe company recently released shoes with AirTag compartments so parents could track their kids, and the placement should mitigate the beeping they can emit. Honestly the AirTags and Find My network do more good than harm, the impact to devices participating in the Find My network is minimal, and if it's your device that's lost, you don't want people opting out so thieves can get away with stealing your stuff.

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