2 ms·

> Other commenters report that Android will silently re-enable cell data under various conditions This is terrifying.

autoexec 2y ago
It's expected. The people who own the phones aren't in control of the OS and the wireless chipsets are closed/proprietary. Cellphones really shouldn't be trusted by anyone.
- mise_en_place 2y ago
  Correct, the baseband usually has binary blobs. Although I am curious why Google/Apple decided not to make their own baseband, given their new silicon manufacturing expertise.
  - Too 2y ago
    Armchair speculation: Patents?
  - adamomada 2y ago
    IIRC Apple has tried/is trying, but it is ridiculously complex to the point that they had to go back to Qualcomm as there really is no other option. Read: The biggest tech co on the planet stumbles with this, it should be considered a magic box as this point.
  - nolist_policy 2y ago
    Google is sort of trying by using a Samsung modem (instead of Qualcomm) with an IOMMU in between, so at least the modem doesn't have access to the whole address space like on other phones. But they get a lot of flack for it.
- spxneo 2y ago
  so then whats the other alternative? solder on some ESPs on an old playstation portable device and connect from starbucks?
  - autoexec 2y ago
    Right now we have no alternatives, but it's not technologically impossible to create mobile devices that give us root access to a mobile OS, or to create open wireless chipsets with open firmware.
nickburns 2y ago
i'm almost certain i've had it happen on iOS, too. only reason i can't definitively say—is because i can't rule myself out always having to manually toggle cell data on/off, both radio-level and per-app, when i'm coming/going from my own networks to my mobile VPN.
spixy 2y ago
even in roaming?
tredre3 2y ago
Both Android and iOS will do that when you receive a MMS. Even if the MMS is supposedly on an intranet, it wouldn't surprise be that a poor implementation might expose the rest of the system to internet for a brief moment.

It's expected. The people who own the phones aren't in control of the OS and the wireless chipsets are closed/proprietary. Cellphones really shouldn't be trusted by anyone.

mise_en_place 2y ago
Correct, the baseband usually has binary blobs. Although I am curious why Google/Apple decided not to make their own baseband, given their new silicon manufacturing expertise.
- Too 2y ago
  Armchair speculation: Patents?
- adamomada 2y ago
  IIRC Apple has tried/is trying, but it is ridiculously complex to the point that they had to go back to Qualcomm as there really is no other option. Read: The biggest tech co on the planet stumbles with this, it should be considered a magic box as this point.
- nolist_policy 2y ago
  Google is sort of trying by using a Samsung modem (instead of Qualcomm) with an IOMMU in between, so at least the modem doesn't have access to the whole address space like on other phones. But they get a lot of flack for it.
spxneo 2y ago
so then whats the other alternative? solder on some ESPs on an old playstation portable device and connect from starbucks?
- autoexec 2y ago
  Right now we have no alternatives, but it's not technologically impossible to create mobile devices that give us root access to a mobile OS, or to create open wireless chipsets with open firmware.

nickburns 2y ago

i'm almost certain i've had it happen on iOS, too. only reason i can't definitively say—is because i can't rule myself out always having to manually toggle cell data on/off, both radio-level and per-app, when i'm coming/going from my own networks to my mobile VPN.

spixy 2y ago

even in roaming?

tredre3 2y ago

Both Android and iOS will do that when you receive a MMS. Even if the MMS is supposedly on an intranet, it wouldn't surprise be that a poor implementation might expose the rest of the system to internet for a brief moment.