5 ms·

Accounts created on stock Pixels don’t require phone numbers.

• iririririr 1mo ago
  that haven't been true since pixel 4. it just picks your phone in the background. a burner sim, like a literal criminal, is the only way today.
  • goodmythical 1mo ago
    assuming the number you get hasn't previously been assigned to a google account
    • drxzcl 1mo ago
      I've had no end of trouble registering an account on our corporate SIMs as the phone numbers (not the actual SIM cards) had been recycled as employees leave.
      • edoceo 1mo ago
        So many systems cannot handle known pattern of a phone number changing. Who's decided these are imutable values? That I have only one? That it's not shared?
  • asnelt 1mo ago
    Even with a burner sim, there is the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, which is tied to the phone, and is known to all apps with the android.permission.READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE permission.
    • exceptione 1mo ago
      That can't be true? <https://grapheneos.org/faq#hardware-identifiers https://grapheneos.org/faq#hardware-identifiers> As of Android 10, apps cannot obtain permission to access non-resettable hardware identifiers such as the serial number, MAC addresses, IMEIs/MEIDs, SIM card serial numbers and subscriber IDs. Only privileged apps included in the base system with READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE whitelisted can access these hardware identifiers. Apps targeting Android 10 will receive a SecurityException and older apps will receive an empty value for compatibility. The currently enabled carrier-based messaging app for SMS/MMS/RCS is a special case that's given access to certain device identifiers including the IMEI. This is normally the GrapheneOS fork of AOSP Messaging but can be changed to another app by the user. Since these restrictions became standard, GrapheneOS only makes a small change to remove a legacy form of access to the serial number by legacy apps, which was still around for compatibility. It used to need more extensive changes such as disallowing access to the serial number but those restrictions are now standard. I don't know however if sandboxed google play is such a privileged app.
      • asnelt 1mo ago
        I couldn't immediately find whether GrapheneOS grants READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE to Google Play. It might very well be that the GrapheneOS sandbox spoofs a fake IMEI, and I do hope so. In any case, my parent comment was meant for stock Pixels, as mentioned by armadyl further up in this thread.
        • nickspacek 1mo ago
          https://grapheneos.org/usage#sandboxed-google-play https://grapheneos.org/usage#sandboxed-google-play > Google Play receives absolutely no special access or privileges on GrapheneOS as opposed to bypassing the app sandbox and receiving a massive amount of highly privileged access. It doesn't mention IMEI here, but hopefully READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE is included in "privileged access."
          • exceptione 1mo ago
            There is an AppStore app, I am not sure if this is the one we are talking about? <https://github.com/GrapheneOS/AppStore/blob/main/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml https://github.com/GrapheneOS/AppStore/blob/main/app/src/mai...> That one lists: ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE ENFORCE_UPDATE_OWNERSHIP FOREGROUND_SERVICE FOREGROUND_SERVICE_SPECIAL_USE INSTALL_PACKAGES INTERNET POST_NOTIFICATIONS QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES UPDATE_PACKAGES_WITHOUT_USER_ACTION
            • gruez 1mo ago
              That's grapheneos's own app, separate from the play store or play services.
              • exceptione 1mo ago
                True. I think this one is closer to the truth: <https://github.com/GrapheneOS/platform_packages_apps_GmsCompat/blob/17/AndroidManifest.xml https://github.com/GrapheneOS/platform_packages_apps_GmsComp...> There is no READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE mentioned there.
  • megagpt5 1mo ago
    It still works without a SIM card, how do you explain that?
  • alt227 1mo ago
    Its possible to set up a phone with a google account without even a sim card in it and use it as a wifi only device, so Im pretty sure what your saying is wrong.
    • iririririr 1mo ago
      you will be asked for a phone number then.