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Google Gemini is about to control your messages and calls, even if you say no
(www.laptopmag.com)
this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025
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Privacy
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Alright, is there some super-populated center for enthusiast nerds who make Androids less 1984 and shit? Like, the fdroid sub or something? I’m still on the ol’ Tim Cooker but when this thing croaks I’m switching teams. I don’t need Google getting sloppy seconds, though.
I mean, feels like everyone has a phone these days. Surely some niche sect of Internet nerds has a cutting edge solution for this shit.
Is it just GrapheneOS with FDroid apps? What about Google Play Store apps, can I use those without getting fucked? Can I retain nearly every stock feature on an Android without selling my soul to Google? Which Android phone should I buy if I want things to run smoothly with the modifications I need to make? (Are those new touch flip-phones on the menu? Are they more durable now? I fantasize about DS emulation, and slapping my phone together to hang up on people. I just remember hearing all about the highly scratch-able screens and hinge problems.)
GrapheneOS puts Play Services in a sandbox so it's no longer rooted. You can restrict what parts of your filesystem each app has access to very strictly.
For now people still send me emails on Gmail, so I still have Gmail installed, but very limited permissions.
It's a huge improvement.
You can also start sessions that entirely shut down Play Services so you're living entirely with FOSS products.
I'm not quite there yet because I still use maps and drive and photos. Gonna figure out replacements, unfortunately nobody else has the traffic and live rerouting that Google maps does, even if you are willing to pay.
If you've got a pixel, highly recommend. If you have a different relatively recent phone check out lineage or e/os.
What was the recent chatter about Google making it harder to update GrapheneOS? Did that develop into anything or was it just temporary?