5 ms·

Very tempting. What is the deal with play store integrity, i.e. is wallet (and some banking apps) supported?

GranPC 2y ago
Afraid not. These things usually require hardware attestation to ensure you're running the exact software Google wants you to run. Now, if someone figured out a way to bypass it, that would probably work for a bit. But it's a cat and mouse game.
- numpad0 2y ago
  It's not just what Google wants you to run, it's what Google promises to some of its customers through a face it has on one of numerous facets(facing banks in this case) as what they let users do with phones, and a humanware chain of trust that allows the server and the phone to be viewed as sort-of secure computing environment. From an idealist standpoint, it shouldn't be done that way by taking away rights from users, but trivializing it as how specifically Google wants you to do it isn't accurate either.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
freedomben 2y ago
It says "F-Droid, Aurora Store, and other sources'" so I'm guessing there's no Play store and probably no GMS and other increasingly mandatory proprietary dependencies. Open source Android is in rough shape as a result of Google's tightening the ratchet. Edit: In a different comment one of the devs clarified that it does have microG, so quite a few apps will actually work.[1] [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41840021 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41840021
numpad0 2y ago
Why does this question always come up? There's zero technical reasons you can't electronically pay with all-open software stack e.g. Ethereum on GNU/Linux, it's pure matter of trust. With currently available payment standards, it's like asking for a live credit card with someone else's private key and an open debug port, all at the same time. Things don't work that way.
- rvense 2y ago
  What kind of reply is this? None of the people I want to give money will take Ethereum.
  - numpad0 2y ago
    Then what makes you think the same people will let you insert a bomb-looking thing with wires sticking out into a credit card terminal?
    - dpassens 2y ago
      Who said anything about sticking anything into credit card terminals? And I'm not seeing any wires sticking out of the phone. I'd say it doesn't particularly look like a bomb either, but given recent events, that probably doesn't say much.
      - numpad0 2y ago
        You'll be asking the same thing by trying to pay through a totally custom phone. As I'm repeating here, the blocker is lack of trust from banks, not technical reasons. THEY have to trust YOU, and then banking apps will work. Otherwise any tricks to get past security check to manipulate your bank accounts will be just short-lived hacks. If the King of England walked into the Bank of England and wrote a hand-written bond for GBP1k with a bic pen on back of copier paper, they'll take it. Electronic platforms has nothing to do with that. That's why it's stupid to keep asking if banking apps would work.
        FactKnower69 2y ago
        >If the King of England walked into the Bank of England and wrote a hand-written bond for GBP1k with a bic pen on back of copier paper, they'll take it. what has gone wrong in your brain that you think that?
        2y ago
mixmastamyk 2y ago
Use the web browser and a debit/credit card. Can we get a Linux smartphone that works before worrying about nonessential use cases? One the powers-that-be will never support until step zero is shipped at volume.

Afraid not. These things usually require hardware attestation to ensure you're running the exact software Google wants you to run. Now, if someone figured out a way to bypass it, that would probably work for a bit. But it's a cat and mouse game.

numpad0 2y ago
It's not just what Google wants you to run, it's what Google promises to some of its customers through a face it has on one of numerous facets(facing banks in this case) as what they let users do with phones, and a humanware chain of trust that allows the server and the phone to be viewed as sort-of secure computing environment. From an idealist standpoint, it shouldn't be done that way by taking away rights from users, but trivializing it as how specifically Google wants you to do it isn't accurate either.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

freedomben 2y ago

It says "F-Droid, Aurora Store, and other sources'" so I'm guessing there's no Play store and probably no GMS and other increasingly mandatory proprietary dependencies. Open source Android is in rough shape as a result of Google's tightening the ratchet. Edit: In a different comment one of the devs clarified that it does have microG, so quite a few apps will actually work.[1] [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41840021 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41840021

numpad0 2y ago

Why does this question always come up? There's zero technical reasons you can't electronically pay with all-open software stack e.g. Ethereum on GNU/Linux, it's pure matter of trust. With currently available payment standards, it's like asking for a live credit card with someone else's private key and an open debug port, all at the same time. Things don't work that way.

rvense 2y ago
What kind of reply is this? None of the people I want to give money will take Ethereum.
- numpad0 2y ago
  Then what makes you think the same people will let you insert a bomb-looking thing with wires sticking out into a credit card terminal?
  - dpassens 2y ago
    Who said anything about sticking anything into credit card terminals? And I'm not seeing any wires sticking out of the phone. I'd say it doesn't particularly look like a bomb either, but given recent events, that probably doesn't say much.
    - numpad0 2y ago
      You'll be asking the same thing by trying to pay through a totally custom phone. As I'm repeating here, the blocker is lack of trust from banks, not technical reasons. THEY have to trust YOU, and then banking apps will work. Otherwise any tricks to get past security check to manipulate your bank accounts will be just short-lived hacks. If the King of England walked into the Bank of England and wrote a hand-written bond for GBP1k with a bic pen on back of copier paper, they'll take it. Electronic platforms has nothing to do with that. That's why it's stupid to keep asking if banking apps would work.
      - FactKnower69 2y ago
        >If the King of England walked into the Bank of England and wrote a hand-written bond for GBP1k with a bic pen on back of copier paper, they'll take it. what has gone wrong in your brain that you think that?
        2y ago

mixmastamyk 2y ago

Use the web browser and a debit/credit card. Can we get a Linux smartphone that works before worrying about nonessential use cases? One the powers-that-be will never support until step zero is shipped at volume.