5 ms·

... don’t use Android, period. Google did a great job with PR in the early years, but the reality has always been that your data is exploited to their ends.

elric 7y ago
What are the alternatives? The iphone is prohibitively expensive for most people, and it's unacceptable that privacy should only be available to the wealthy. There's basically an Android/iOS "duopoly" out there, and it's only getting worse. There are now bank accounts that are unusable without a smart phone app, and guess which platforms are supported...Google Play and Apple App Store. And don't even think about sideloading onto a rooted device, it won't work "for security reasons". Such bank accounts, and services like Apple Pay, are effectively enabling vendor lock-in for very important services.
- ajphdiv 7y ago
  I'm thinking of trying to dump my smartphone for a flip phone. It's much easier to control tracking/privacy from a laptop. Maybe I don't need the Internet everywhere I go?
- chappi42 7y ago
  There a secondhand iPhones (it's also better for the environment). Otherwise no alternative than using a desktop computer and forego some smart conveniences.
  - elric 7y ago
    There are literally banks out there that are unusable without an Android/Apple smartphone. And while it's currently still possible to use a bank that isn't as insane, I expect this trend will only get worse. It'll no longer be a case of foregoing some smart conveniences, but about being able to access important parts of the economy.
    - freehunter 7y ago
      Not only is it still possible to find a bank that works without a smartphone, at least in America you'd have to go dramatically out of your way to do business with a bank that only works if you have a smartphone. The number and quality of banks that work without a phone is so much higher than the number of banks that require a phone, it's barely even worth mentioning.
      - elric 7y ago
        The course has been set, that's the way all banks are headed. Challenger banks like Revolut, N26, Bunq, ... are all very reliant on smart phone apps. Even if they have web interfaces, you can't log in without authenticating with the app Tangent: American banks might not be the best example here, given their reliance on ancient tech like signatures, paper checks and magnet strips. But they, too, will move in this direction.
  - izacus 7y ago
    The problem with secondhand iPhones is Apples relentless war on repairability - with Apple Stores not being widely available and Apple limiting supply of spare parts (and using DRM to lock them), those secondhand iPhones are very poor value proposition. Especially when new Androids come with manufacturers warranty, local repair center and fraction of the cost.
    - Accacin 7y ago
      DRM? Wasn't that only with the fingerprint sensor? (Which was wrong anyway). On my iPhone 7 I've repaired the screen, battery and charging port and haven't had one problem at all.
- NetOpWibby 7y ago
  Apple is getting better at providing more affordable iPhone options. You’re not getting a flagship under a thousand bucks but you’ll still have a damn good device that’ll be supported for a while.
  - izacus 7y ago
    The cheapest iPhone available in my region still costs almost as much as the average worker wage. The Android phones are available for 1/5th of the price. Also iPhones are not localized to the local language at all, so this again provides significant barrier to less well off.
    - NetOpWibby 7y ago
      Oh wow, I didn't know that. That sucks.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- hombre_fatal 7y ago
  $200 for an Amazon Renewed iPhone 7 which I just bought when my previous iPhone was stolen. https://www.amazon.com/iPhone-7-Plus-Renewed/s?rh=n%3A16947735011%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A16907722011 https://www.amazon.com/iPhone-7-Plus-Renewed/s?rh=n%3A169477...
  - morganvachon 7y ago
    The 7 is at the bottom of Apple's support list from this point forward, and I recommend you check your battery health on that "renewed" device before you decide $200 is a good deal. You can get "new open box" (opened but never used/used for a week and returned) iPhone 7 devices for less than what you paid. I'm not trying to sour your purchase, but I'm desperately trying to find something to replace my iPhone 7 that is not Android and not a face-scanning iPhone, and I'd rather spend good money on something like the PinePhone or a Jolla (if they would sell to me) than wasting money on the Apple treadmill.
    - q-base 7y ago
      I just bought a used iPhone X and have disabled the face-scanning and use code to unlock instead.
- GeekyBear 7y ago
  According to the Apple prognosticator with the best track record for accurate predictions, Apple will be releasing a new model with the guts of the current flagship in the body of an iPhone 8 for $400 this quarter. https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/10/14/20913321/apple-iphone-se-2-release-date-price-features-ming-chi-kuo https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/10/14/20913321/... If the prediction is true, that represents a significant advantage in privacy, performance, and years of software support after the sale at that price point.
- lern_too_spel 7y ago
  The iPhone is even worse for privacy, as I've pointed out elsewhere in this thread. If privacy is your main concern, don't log in to an account on an Android phone and get your apps from F-Droid and GitHub. There are also private-by-default Android and Linux phones that can provide stronger guarantees, but they are not yet ready for primetime.

elric 7y ago

What are the alternatives? The iphone is prohibitively expensive for most people, and it's unacceptable that privacy should only be available to the wealthy. There's basically an Android/iOS "duopoly" out there, and it's only getting worse. There are now bank accounts that are unusable without a smart phone app, and guess which platforms are supported...Google Play and Apple App Store. And don't even think about sideloading onto a rooted device, it won't work "for security reasons". Such bank accounts, and services like Apple Pay, are effectively enabling vendor lock-in for very important services.

ajphdiv 7y ago
I'm thinking of trying to dump my smartphone for a flip phone. It's much easier to control tracking/privacy from a laptop. Maybe I don't need the Internet everywhere I go?
chappi42 7y ago
There a secondhand iPhones (it's also better for the environment). Otherwise no alternative than using a desktop computer and forego some smart conveniences.
- elric 7y ago
  There are literally banks out there that are unusable without an Android/Apple smartphone. And while it's currently still possible to use a bank that isn't as insane, I expect this trend will only get worse. It'll no longer be a case of foregoing some smart conveniences, but about being able to access important parts of the economy.
  - freehunter 7y ago
    Not only is it still possible to find a bank that works without a smartphone, at least in America you'd have to go dramatically out of your way to do business with a bank that only works if you have a smartphone. The number and quality of banks that work without a phone is so much higher than the number of banks that require a phone, it's barely even worth mentioning.
    - elric 7y ago
      The course has been set, that's the way all banks are headed. Challenger banks like Revolut, N26, Bunq, ... are all very reliant on smart phone apps. Even if they have web interfaces, you can't log in without authenticating with the app Tangent: American banks might not be the best example here, given their reliance on ancient tech like signatures, paper checks and magnet strips. But they, too, will move in this direction.
- izacus 7y ago
  The problem with secondhand iPhones is Apples relentless war on repairability - with Apple Stores not being widely available and Apple limiting supply of spare parts (and using DRM to lock them), those secondhand iPhones are very poor value proposition. Especially when new Androids come with manufacturers warranty, local repair center and fraction of the cost.
  - Accacin 7y ago
    DRM? Wasn't that only with the fingerprint sensor? (Which was wrong anyway). On my iPhone 7 I've repaired the screen, battery and charging port and haven't had one problem at all.
NetOpWibby 7y ago
Apple is getting better at providing more affordable iPhone options. You’re not getting a flagship under a thousand bucks but you’ll still have a damn good device that’ll be supported for a while.
- izacus 7y ago
  The cheapest iPhone available in my region still costs almost as much as the average worker wage. The Android phones are available for 1/5th of the price. Also iPhones are not localized to the local language at all, so this again provides significant barrier to less well off.
  - NetOpWibby 7y ago
    Oh wow, I didn't know that. That sucks.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
hombre_fatal 7y ago
$200 for an Amazon Renewed iPhone 7 which I just bought when my previous iPhone was stolen. https://www.amazon.com/iPhone-7-Plus-Renewed/s?rh=n%3A16947735011%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A16907722011 https://www.amazon.com/iPhone-7-Plus-Renewed/s?rh=n%3A169477...
- morganvachon 7y ago
  The 7 is at the bottom of Apple's support list from this point forward, and I recommend you check your battery health on that "renewed" device before you decide $200 is a good deal. You can get "new open box" (opened but never used/used for a week and returned) iPhone 7 devices for less than what you paid. I'm not trying to sour your purchase, but I'm desperately trying to find something to replace my iPhone 7 that is not Android and not a face-scanning iPhone, and I'd rather spend good money on something like the PinePhone or a Jolla (if they would sell to me) than wasting money on the Apple treadmill.
  - q-base 7y ago
    I just bought a used iPhone X and have disabled the face-scanning and use code to unlock instead.
GeekyBear 7y ago
According to the Apple prognosticator with the best track record for accurate predictions, Apple will be releasing a new model with the guts of the current flagship in the body of an iPhone 8 for $400 this quarter. https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/10/14/20913321/apple-iphone-se-2-release-date-price-features-ming-chi-kuo https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/10/14/20913321/... If the prediction is true, that represents a significant advantage in privacy, performance, and years of software support after the sale at that price point.
lern_too_spel 7y ago
The iPhone is even worse for privacy, as I've pointed out elsewhere in this thread. If privacy is your main concern, don't log in to an account on an Android phone and get your apps from F-Droid and GitHub. There are also private-by-default Android and Linux phones that can provide stronger guarantees, but they are not yet ready for primetime.