4 ms·

They only seem to support pixel, although pixels can be bought for cheap when compared to iphones, they're still expensive for countries which are still develop

They only seem to support pixel, although pixels can be bought for cheap when compared to iphones, they're still expensive for countries which are still developing. For example Im using a device which is 1/4th the price of cheapest first hand pixel that I can get :(

notpushkin 3y ago
LineageOS is supported on a bit more devices, and works with microG if you're willing to sacrifice Google Pay for better battery life and less privacy violations: https://lineage.microg.org/ https://lineage.microg.org/
- snapplebobapple 3y ago
  This worked ok, but wasn't as nice as grapheneos' solution so I ended up upgrading to a pixel once my cheap chinesium phone was sufficiently old and haven't looked back since. If you do the microg route you should be using a throw away gmail account you don't care about losing with the aurora store (if you need access to the google play store) because there is a non zero chance they ban your account.
  - notpushkin 3y ago
    > a throw away gmail account you don't care about losing with the aurora store They also have a pool of accounts you can use by clicking “anonymous”. They do get banned frequently, and you have to re-login once in a while (for me it's almost every time I want to download something new again), but it is definitely usable.
    - wkat4242 3y ago
      It's a lot less usable lately because of the "Oops this account is rate limited" error unfortunately. Sometimes it takes me 10 tries. Updates are fine though, it's just searching for new apps that trigger it.
      - notpushkin 3y ago
        Yeah, I thought search was completely broken tbh. Usually I search in browser then use “Open in app” to open in Aurora and download. Maybe they can add some web scraping thing to sidestep this issue completely?
- sspiff 3y ago
  Interesting, can I still use the Play Store with mircoG? I already run LineageOS, but with Play services. I would like to be able to ditch Play services, but still need the Play store for things like my banking app, and an app to log in to government services.
  - mindslight 3y ago
    You can install apps from Play Store with Aurora Store, which is in F-Droid. I'd say it's a toss up whether specific apps will definitely work. But if they don't I'd recommending segmenting between different physical devices, and making the one that lives in your pocket as secure as possible. It's likely that you don't need to run banking and government apps on the same device that's privy to your movement.
    - sspiff 3y ago
      In my country (Belgium), mobile payments are a big thing using the national payment network (Bancontact). Lots of small shops don't accept cards and only do mobile payments because of the lower transaction fees. These mobile payments only work with your banks app or a dedicated app (Payconiq). My current approach is to put all these apps in my work profile which I can turn off (using Insular from F-Droid). Only apps for which I need background activity or instant notifications (Signal, an open source podcast app, and sadly WhatsApp) are installed in the main profile. Sadly, this approach still requires me to have Google services always running in the background for a functioning Play store in my work profile.
    - notpushkin 3y ago
      I've heard something about using Play Store proper with microG, but obviously that's very flaky. Aurora Store is the way to go. And banking / government apps tend to work in Europe (at least the ones I have tried). Notable exceptions for me are Revolut (shame!) and McDonalds (who knew microG is the healthier option haha). Of course, in the US things might be vastly different.
- HansHamster 3y ago
  LineageOS unfortunately dropped support for my Moto G4 relatively quickly after I installed it and it only was supported up to Android 7.1. I have been running an unofficial build of 8.1 ever since, but that is also horribly outdated by now.
  - tortoise_in 3y ago
    Dude buy something new
    - HansHamster 3y ago
      But why waste the money? I intend to use this thing until it breaks...
      - slikrick 3y ago
        it's not a waste of money, that android version is a security mess
        HansHamster 3y ago
        It is for me. And there is nothing important on my phone so it is not a huge concern. And why do we have to accept that phones just turn into garbage after a few years? Even my old 2009 laptop* still runs an up-to-date OS but my 2016 phone is obsolete after 2-3 years? * but I have to admit that the hardware is quite slow
        eks391 3y ago
        > And why do we have to accept that phones just turn into garbage after a few years? Even my old 2009 laptop* still runs an up-to-date OS but my 2016 phone is obsolete after 2-3 years? It is because computers run one of a few available OS's. The OS is being maintained by the distributer (MS, Apple, Google) and your hardware is good as long as the drivers are still receiving updates. Phones are different because even though everyone only uses iOS or Android, every Android manufacturer puts their own layer onto Android, so Google can continusously update it but the manufacturer might not. Most companies only maintain their phones for about 3 years, giving a significantly reduced lifetime than computers. It still works fine, from from a security perspective, keeping the phone without patch support is a bad idea.
- wkat4242 3y ago
  Yeah I love MicroG. But I really wish there was a big-tech-free payment solution :(
  - notpushkin 3y ago
    Yeah. It's either that or state-supported systems (UPS in India, SBP and MirPay in Russia). Cryptocurrencies could be the answer but governments would never let that happen I think.
neilv 3y ago
Even in the US, the limited hardware support is a barrier right now, especially with having to find a unit that has an unblockable bootloader. But it's still doable for many people. I most recently bought a second-hand Pixel 6a for GrapheneOS, and BYOD it to an inexpensive no-contract plan. Pixel 6a units with unlockable bootloaders are currently $235+ on US eBay, which is less than new current Pixels and iPhones bought outright, but more than many lower-end devices, and more upfront than people pay for contract plans that toss in a phone.
milosmns 3y ago
Can you share some examples? It's very interesting because 1/4 of Pixel 6a would be around 80 EUR... so I wonder about your environment and what workarounds you have for these problems.
- blameitonme 3y ago
  So I'm in India, and pixel 6a seems to be of 30999 Rupees on Flipkart (amazon like online store) The device I use regularly is moto g14 which is at about 8500 online, with discounts can go for 8000. Honestly there is no work around as the moto g14 comes with a 4gb ram and 128 GB internal storage, 6.5 inch screen and 5k mah battery, it can do pretty much anything. I've just started working full-time after college and now I earn more than enough to buy pixels or iphones but currently the money is going on other important things that were pending
callalex 3y ago
Aren’t those kind of phones typically infested with malware from the manufacturer to begin with, making Google’s stalking the least of your worries?
diego_sandoval 3y ago
I got lucky and bought a barely used Pixel 3a for ~ $130 USD. But yes, it was hard to find. It was much easier to find a Pixel 4 or a 4a, but those were too expensive for me.

notpushkin 3y ago

LineageOS is supported on a bit more devices, and works with microG if you're willing to sacrifice Google Pay for better battery life and less privacy violations: https://lineage.microg.org/ https://lineage.microg.org/

snapplebobapple 3y ago
This worked ok, but wasn't as nice as grapheneos' solution so I ended up upgrading to a pixel once my cheap chinesium phone was sufficiently old and haven't looked back since. If you do the microg route you should be using a throw away gmail account you don't care about losing with the aurora store (if you need access to the google play store) because there is a non zero chance they ban your account.
- notpushkin 3y ago
  > a throw away gmail account you don't care about losing with the aurora store They also have a pool of accounts you can use by clicking “anonymous”. They do get banned frequently, and you have to re-login once in a while (for me it's almost every time I want to download something new again), but it is definitely usable.
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    It's a lot less usable lately because of the "Oops this account is rate limited" error unfortunately. Sometimes it takes me 10 tries. Updates are fine though, it's just searching for new apps that trigger it.
    - notpushkin 3y ago
      Yeah, I thought search was completely broken tbh. Usually I search in browser then use “Open in app” to open in Aurora and download. Maybe they can add some web scraping thing to sidestep this issue completely?
sspiff 3y ago
Interesting, can I still use the Play Store with mircoG? I already run LineageOS, but with Play services. I would like to be able to ditch Play services, but still need the Play store for things like my banking app, and an app to log in to government services.
- mindslight 3y ago
  You can install apps from Play Store with Aurora Store, which is in F-Droid. I'd say it's a toss up whether specific apps will definitely work. But if they don't I'd recommending segmenting between different physical devices, and making the one that lives in your pocket as secure as possible. It's likely that you don't need to run banking and government apps on the same device that's privy to your movement.
  - sspiff 3y ago
    In my country (Belgium), mobile payments are a big thing using the national payment network (Bancontact). Lots of small shops don't accept cards and only do mobile payments because of the lower transaction fees. These mobile payments only work with your banks app or a dedicated app (Payconiq). My current approach is to put all these apps in my work profile which I can turn off (using Insular from F-Droid). Only apps for which I need background activity or instant notifications (Signal, an open source podcast app, and sadly WhatsApp) are installed in the main profile. Sadly, this approach still requires me to have Google services always running in the background for a functioning Play store in my work profile.
  - notpushkin 3y ago
    I've heard something about using Play Store proper with microG, but obviously that's very flaky. Aurora Store is the way to go. And banking / government apps tend to work in Europe (at least the ones I have tried). Notable exceptions for me are Revolut (shame!) and McDonalds (who knew microG is the healthier option haha). Of course, in the US things might be vastly different.
HansHamster 3y ago
LineageOS unfortunately dropped support for my Moto G4 relatively quickly after I installed it and it only was supported up to Android 7.1. I have been running an unofficial build of 8.1 ever since, but that is also horribly outdated by now.
- tortoise_in 3y ago
  Dude buy something new
  - HansHamster 3y ago
    But why waste the money? I intend to use this thing until it breaks...
    - slikrick 3y ago
      it's not a waste of money, that android version is a security mess
      - HansHamster 3y ago
        It is for me. And there is nothing important on my phone so it is not a huge concern. And why do we have to accept that phones just turn into garbage after a few years? Even my old 2009 laptop* still runs an up-to-date OS but my 2016 phone is obsolete after 2-3 years? * but I have to admit that the hardware is quite slow
        eks391 3y ago
        > And why do we have to accept that phones just turn into garbage after a few years? Even my old 2009 laptop* still runs an up-to-date OS but my 2016 phone is obsolete after 2-3 years? It is because computers run one of a few available OS's. The OS is being maintained by the distributer (MS, Apple, Google) and your hardware is good as long as the drivers are still receiving updates. Phones are different because even though everyone only uses iOS or Android, every Android manufacturer puts their own layer onto Android, so Google can continusously update it but the manufacturer might not. Most companies only maintain their phones for about 3 years, giving a significantly reduced lifetime than computers. It still works fine, from from a security perspective, keeping the phone without patch support is a bad idea.
wkat4242 3y ago
Yeah I love MicroG. But I really wish there was a big-tech-free payment solution :(
- notpushkin 3y ago
  Yeah. It's either that or state-supported systems (UPS in India, SBP and MirPay in Russia). Cryptocurrencies could be the answer but governments would never let that happen I think.

neilv 3y ago

Even in the US, the limited hardware support is a barrier right now, especially with having to find a unit that has an unblockable bootloader. But it's still doable for many people. I most recently bought a second-hand Pixel 6a for GrapheneOS, and BYOD it to an inexpensive no-contract plan. Pixel 6a units with unlockable bootloaders are currently $235+ on US eBay, which is less than new current Pixels and iPhones bought outright, but more than many lower-end devices, and more upfront than people pay for contract plans that toss in a phone.

milosmns 3y ago

Can you share some examples? It's very interesting because 1/4 of Pixel 6a would be around 80 EUR... so I wonder about your environment and what workarounds you have for these problems.

blameitonme 3y ago
So I'm in India, and pixel 6a seems to be of 30999 Rupees on Flipkart (amazon like online store) The device I use regularly is moto g14 which is at about 8500 online, with discounts can go for 8000. Honestly there is no work around as the moto g14 comes with a 4gb ram and 128 GB internal storage, 6.5 inch screen and 5k mah battery, it can do pretty much anything. I've just started working full-time after college and now I earn more than enough to buy pixels or iphones but currently the money is going on other important things that were pending

callalex 3y ago

Aren’t those kind of phones typically infested with malware from the manufacturer to begin with, making Google’s stalking the least of your worries?

diego_sandoval 3y ago

I got lucky and bought a barely used Pixel 3a for ~ $130 USD. But yes, it was hard to find. It was much easier to find a Pixel 4 or a 4a, but those were too expensive for me.