5 ms·

Is there an Android fork where this isn't a problem and which you could suggest?

by cm3 10y ago

cm3 10y ago
Related question: given how short supported update cycles for Android devices are, which of the sub 100EURO Android phones on AliExpress are a reasonable choice in terms of installing an Android fork? I'm eyeing a cheap phone because I expect to buy another one in less than 2 years because of update support politics.
- renke1 10y ago
  Not <100€ but I can only recommend the Wileyfox Swift [1] which replaced my old Nexus 4 (which I really loved). It runs Cyanogen OS (a commercial version of CyanogenMod). [1]: https://www.wileyfox.com/swift/ https://www.wileyfox.com/swift/
  - cm3 10y ago
    Thanks for the suggestion. That one seems nice but too expensive for my use case. Since support cycles are abysmal, I'd like to get cheap devices and treat them almost as dispensable.
- retox 10y ago
  Very happy with my ulefone power, though there seems to be some hotspots on the backlight. Very capable device for the money.
akerro 10y ago
Depending on how it is implemented. If it's coded into Android OS that's a bigger problem, if it's included in Gapps, you can just remove them of block their connections on firewall. If I correctly understand `Last modified: June 28, 2016, they are writing`, this feature should not be available before that date, so either it comes as an update to a gapps or to Android.
- em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
  Well when you first boot a custom rom like cyanogenmod or replicant or self-compile android, there is no such terms that you have to agree to. So this privacy issue is not with Android Open Source Project, but rather with the proprietary google apps.
ocdtrekkie 10y ago
Part of the problem is the large percentage of apps that are now tied to proprietary Android, and won't run without Google Apps installed. Even Microsoft apps like Outlook and Skype won't load without Google Play Services installed. (The version of Skype on the Amazon Appstore is around a year old, and won't even take my login credentials.) So even if you find a relatively safe Android version to use, you're getting a heavily gimped experience where a very limited selection of apps work. (Generally, what you find on F-Droid.)
- api 10y ago
  Hmm... so effectively Android is no longer open.
  - ocdtrekkie 10y ago
    It is a challenging definition, but I would argue that it is not. Because while the core OS is open, you are not effectively able to fork it. Google's developer advocates heavily encourages the use of proprietary Google APIs in app development, which binds those apps to Google's proprietary packages. I guess the question is how you define a platform or an operating system, but I think that the platform apps on it run off of is a major part of it. And the difference in what will run on AOSP and what will run on Google Play flavored Android is staggering.
    - cm3 10y ago
      Is there a page to check what popular app does not work on F-Droid or Cyanogen? Say something like Nokia's mapping app.
      - ocdtrekkie 10y ago
        I don't know, but please tell me if you find one. I have F-Droid and Play on my phone, and disabled Google Play Services to see how many of the apps I have installed and use continued to work. Many gave me "must update Play Services" dialogs, some just crashed outright. I've been trying to transition to open apps or apps available outside the Play Store, but unfortunately, Skype is one need I can't work around right now.
api 10y ago
Cyanogen?
- ironsides 10y ago
  Seconded. Does anyone know if the phone home "feature" has been removed from CyanogenMod?
  - gvurrdon 10y ago
    Presumably any of Google's data gathering will use Google Play Services, and so using Cyanogenmod would be no protection against it if the gapps package has also been installed.
616c 10y ago
It's called Replicant. It is aggressively free in the GNU sense and has a limited installation base because of strict requirements in hardware due to blobs and general functionality. http://replicant.us/ http://replicant.us/ If you want a compromise, like me, Cyanogen with out GApps. What other options do you have? The more I got into Android, the sooner I realized it was a crap shoot when addressing your question and my core interests in hobbyist computing on phones just like computers.
Magnets 10y ago
This code won't be in Android but in the Google apps which are pretty much essential if you want to use Android (Play store, Chrome, Maps, Google play Services) Play store alone has enough permissions to collect call metadata

Is there an Android fork where this isn't a problem and which you could suggest?

by cm3 10y ago

Is there an Android fork where this isn't a problem and which you could suggest?

cm3 10y ago

Related question: given how short supported update cycles for Android devices are, which of the sub 100EURO Android phones on AliExpress are a reasonable choice in terms of installing an Android fork? I'm eyeing a cheap phone because I expect to buy another one in less than 2 years because of update support politics.

renke1 10y ago
Not <100€ but I can only recommend the Wileyfox Swift [1] which replaced my old Nexus 4 (which I really loved). It runs Cyanogen OS (a commercial version of CyanogenMod). [1]: https://www.wileyfox.com/swift/ https://www.wileyfox.com/swift/
- cm3 10y ago
  Thanks for the suggestion. That one seems nice but too expensive for my use case. Since support cycles are abysmal, I'd like to get cheap devices and treat them almost as dispensable.
retox 10y ago
Very happy with my ulefone power, though there seems to be some hotspots on the backlight. Very capable device for the money.

akerro 10y ago

Depending on how it is implemented. If it's coded into Android OS that's a bigger problem, if it's included in Gapps, you can just remove them of block their connections on firewall. If I correctly understand `Last modified: June 28, 2016, they are writing`, this feature should not be available before that date, so either it comes as an update to a gapps or to Android.

em3rgent0rdr 10y ago
Well when you first boot a custom rom like cyanogenmod or replicant or self-compile android, there is no such terms that you have to agree to. So this privacy issue is not with Android Open Source Project, but rather with the proprietary google apps.

ocdtrekkie 10y ago

Part of the problem is the large percentage of apps that are now tied to proprietary Android, and won't run without Google Apps installed. Even Microsoft apps like Outlook and Skype won't load without Google Play Services installed. (The version of Skype on the Amazon Appstore is around a year old, and won't even take my login credentials.) So even if you find a relatively safe Android version to use, you're getting a heavily gimped experience where a very limited selection of apps work. (Generally, what you find on F-Droid.)

api 10y ago
Hmm... so effectively Android is no longer open.
- ocdtrekkie 10y ago
  It is a challenging definition, but I would argue that it is not. Because while the core OS is open, you are not effectively able to fork it. Google's developer advocates heavily encourages the use of proprietary Google APIs in app development, which binds those apps to Google's proprietary packages. I guess the question is how you define a platform or an operating system, but I think that the platform apps on it run off of is a major part of it. And the difference in what will run on AOSP and what will run on Google Play flavored Android is staggering.
  - cm3 10y ago
    Is there a page to check what popular app does not work on F-Droid or Cyanogen? Say something like Nokia's mapping app.
    - ocdtrekkie 10y ago
      I don't know, but please tell me if you find one. I have F-Droid and Play on my phone, and disabled Google Play Services to see how many of the apps I have installed and use continued to work. Many gave me "must update Play Services" dialogs, some just crashed outright. I've been trying to transition to open apps or apps available outside the Play Store, but unfortunately, Skype is one need I can't work around right now.

api 10y ago

Cyanogen?

ironsides 10y ago
Seconded. Does anyone know if the phone home "feature" has been removed from CyanogenMod?
- gvurrdon 10y ago
  Presumably any of Google's data gathering will use Google Play Services, and so using Cyanogenmod would be no protection against it if the gapps package has also been installed.

616c 10y ago

It's called Replicant. It is aggressively free in the GNU sense and has a limited installation base because of strict requirements in hardware due to blobs and general functionality. http://replicant.us/ http://replicant.us/ If you want a compromise, like me, Cyanogen with out GApps. What other options do you have? The more I got into Android, the sooner I realized it was a crap shoot when addressing your question and my core interests in hobbyist computing on phones just like computers.

Magnets 10y ago

This code won't be in Android but in the Google apps which are pretty much essential if you want to use Android (Play store, Chrome, Maps, Google play Services) Play store alone has enough permissions to collect call metadata