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AFAIK one of the best solutions for smartphone privacy is using a custom Android ROM without Google apps installed. Of course that means basically no 3rd party

AFAIK one of the best solutions for smartphone privacy is using a custom Android ROM without Google apps installed. Of course that means basically no 3rd party apps, but you can still get a surprising amount of functionality with just a web browser. You’ll still get tracked by your mobile provider, but I think that would happen even with a dumbphone.

andrepd 7y ago
You can use microg. It's a Free reimplementation of google play framework, so that apps which depend on it can still function in a de-googled phone. It's imperfect, I admit it, and breaks some apps, but it's still a massive help.
- qaute 7y ago
  I'll second (third?) LineageOS + microG! Full ROMs combining both are available [1] (OS updates often seem to have to be installed manually, but are supported on popular phones for years). In addition to using everything from the F-Droid repository, I can run Slack/Discord/Messenger/WhatsApp/GroupMe (though notifications are hit-or-miss) and a good few other apps (Duolingo, bank mobile apps, Uber but not Lyft). Many of these apps can be installed via Yalp Store [2], which is a frontend for the Google Play store with a built-in account to provide some anonymity. It'll do until I get a Librem5 [3]. TL;DR: no Google, most things work, but not necessarily smoothly. I've used it for a few years now. [1] https://lineage.microg.org/ https://lineage.microg.org/ [2] https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstor... [3] https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/
arminiusreturns 7y ago
F-Droid is a pretty cool foss app "store" as an alternative to the playstore.
icefog 7y ago
> Of course that means basically no 3rd party apps I'm using LineageOS without Play Store/Services and would like to dispel this myth. Here are just some of the third party applications I can install directly from the developer using adb, without going through a third party store: Signal, Firefox, NetGuard, NewPipe, Orgzly, OsmAnd, Tor Browser. Those pretty much cover all of my smartphone needs and more.
- im3w1l 7y ago
  Three kinds of apps that are very important to me, that I cannot get without play store: The national 2fa app. The app people use to send money to their friends, sometimes street vendors. Rideshare app.
huntermeyer 7y ago
What do you mean by, "no 3rd party apps"? You can use F-Droid (https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/) in place of the Play Store.

andrepd 7y ago

You can use microg. It's a Free reimplementation of google play framework, so that apps which depend on it can still function in a de-googled phone. It's imperfect, I admit it, and breaks some apps, but it's still a massive help.

qaute 7y ago
I'll second (third?) LineageOS + microG! Full ROMs combining both are available [1] (OS updates often seem to have to be installed manually, but are supported on popular phones for years). In addition to using everything from the F-Droid repository, I can run Slack/Discord/Messenger/WhatsApp/GroupMe (though notifications are hit-or-miss) and a good few other apps (Duolingo, bank mobile apps, Uber but not Lyft). Many of these apps can be installed via Yalp Store [2], which is a frontend for the Google Play store with a built-in account to provide some anonymity. It'll do until I get a Librem5 [3]. TL;DR: no Google, most things work, but not necessarily smoothly. I've used it for a few years now. [1] https://lineage.microg.org/ https://lineage.microg.org/ [2] https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstore/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.yeriomin.yalpstor... [3] https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

arminiusreturns 7y ago

F-Droid is a pretty cool foss app "store" as an alternative to the playstore.

icefog 7y ago

> Of course that means basically no 3rd party apps I'm using LineageOS without Play Store/Services and would like to dispel this myth. Here are just some of the third party applications I can install directly from the developer using adb, without going through a third party store: Signal, Firefox, NetGuard, NewPipe, Orgzly, OsmAnd, Tor Browser. Those pretty much cover all of my smartphone needs and more.

im3w1l 7y ago
Three kinds of apps that are very important to me, that I cannot get without play store: The national 2fa app. The app people use to send money to their friends, sometimes street vendors. Rideshare app.

huntermeyer 7y ago

What do you mean by, "no 3rd party apps"? You can use F-Droid (https://f-droid.org/ https://f-droid.org/) in place of the Play Store.