this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2024
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Privacy

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So today I finally took the plunge and bought a new Pixel 8a to install GrapheneOS on. It will be my new daily driver, replacing my current phone. It's getting delivered tomorrow, and I'd like to make sure I'm getting the full privacy/security benefits from the device. What other recommendations would you provide?

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[–] [email protected] 52 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Get a case with a wrist strap;

Get a usb-charge only cable/adapter for when you want to charge it when out and about.

Get a usb-c to headphone adapter.

Play around with multi-profile alerts, and work profiles for separation.

Play around with file-scopes, and contact scopes.


All y'all downvoting recommendations: That's a really negative way to participate in a community. People are genuinely giving their earnest real lived recommendations (i haven't seen one meme recommendation in this thread) and some of you downvote them for it. We wouldn't have anything to talk about if we all thought exactly the same thing, and had the same opinions.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Some people would love if it all were just memes and no discussions. Lemmy is getting there because downvoting pushes down a lot of valid opinions.

I think people who enjoy downvoting are people who generally never themselves have any opinions that differ from the majority one.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Yeah, the downvote chilling effect is real.

I try to figure out why some people are habitual downvoters, and I have some archtype theories:

  1. I don't 100% agree with what you said, but 99% we are on the same page
  2. I have serious moral objections to your content being off topic, or offensive
  3. I misclicked (or swipped to hard) and was trying to upvote
  4. I stopped reading the messages, and I'm just downvoting your name all the way down the thread because of something you said at the top of the thread.

Example in this same discussion, one person is downvoting ANYONE who mentions a keyboard app that isn't the keyboard app they recommended. That would be personality type 1.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Lol I do the #3 all the fucking time with Voyager app

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

@[email protected] Which category represents your downvote here?

I think it's #4.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago
[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

F-droid session installer, aurora store for google play apps, second profile or 3 for main non invasive apps, google apps, then tor privacy app usage on 3rd. Create backups of each on a flash drive use experimental app data feature in settings. Storage scopes for google app usages, deny most permissions in all profiles, use the camera and mic block toggles. Setup distress in the settings. Download wasted app on fdroid if you like it for extra precaution and settings. Use private messengers. FUTO makes good voice dictation, password storage bit warden its pretty seamless to use. Don't use fingerprint or face ID. Go through the settings and tweak as you need.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The F-droid session installer isn't necessary anymore

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

It now uses the built in API

[–] [email protected] 19 points 3 months ago

You don't need a lightweight launcher like KISS, but... Damn if KISS isn't just a good fucking launcher

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Regarding profiles, having two is generally recommended - your main profile with no Google services, and a secondary profile only for apps that absolutely require Google Play Services. Personally, I just dump everything in one profile and deny nearly every permission to anything Google, and on top of the sandboxing that's enough of an improvement over stock Android that I don't bother with two profiles.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Isn't a 2nd profile unnecessary due to sandboxed Google Play Services?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah I have 2 profiles but I gave up and started using everything in one profile

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I'm glad there are other GOS users out there with only one profile and Play services. I tried out multiple profiles, and even though there might be benefits to it, it was just too inconvenient and inefficient for me. Hopefully Google doesn't steal all my device contents though lolz

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago

One thing I wish I knew going in, apps installed via Aurora store (google play store front end), for example ProtonMail typically rely on google play services to correctly send push notifications unfortunately.

You can remedy this with a seperate profile that can run in the background with google play services and apps that you want notifications for if you take issue with running google software running on your main profile.

Other than that, I've actually found GrapheneOS on my pixel 8 to be a much better software experience than my previous S22 without any tampering at all, both privacy (obviously) and functionally.

Congrats and enjoy your new freedome phone, you won't ever look back!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago (7 children)

Check out FUTO.org's keyboard, best gboard alternative I've ever used.

The Aurora store is also a nice front end replacement for Play Store if you go the sandboxed Google services route.

Also, F-Droid Basic is out, which is just a newer F-Droid.

For an excellent Pixel launcher alternative, check out Lawnchair 14's Beta 2, or nightly from their github.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Check out FUTO.org's keyboard, best gboard alternative I've ever used.

The license is not great and idk how it's better than HeliBoard for example. Wouldn't recommend in the FOSS world tbh.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Just checked, it seems fine to me. Can use it for any purpose, and can modify for non commercial.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (2 children)

This is true for Foss purist... I don't think any privacy enjoyer cares though

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

A privacy enjoyer isn't going to be concerned about licenses!? What? That's like... The entire thing?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

The privacy concern is whether the source code is viewable, which it is in this case, not whether the application is free.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I mean, if it has a worse license and no advantages then why choose it? It's worse overall

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Advantage is that it allows on device voice processing and it is good at it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Oh ok that's a valid advantage.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I can recommend HeliBoard or Florisboard. Florisboard has some auto correct issues on my device right now so in the meantime I use HeliBoard.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My ability to type accurately, and with good auto correction on FUTO's is immensely better than using HeliBoard.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I found the opposite. What settings do u have in FUTO, I remember seeing a lot of options.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

It's all default except for the theme. I have key borders on. Transformer LM on for prediction.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (3 children)

What is special about FUTO's keyboard. I would argue HeliBoard (also on f-droid) with the swipelib is the closest to gboard.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

For me, it's the first time I've had a keyboard capable of doing dictation since I stopped using Google keyboard in 2019 when I started using lineage OS. Personally, I am very happy to have that feature back.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

My ability to type accurately on FUTO's was immediately way better than on HeliBoard.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I really can't explain but I type WAY worse on HelBoard. I'm usually quite accurate typing on phones, but on HeliBoard it's almost as if my finger is always shifted to the side, and that every tap has twice the delay

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

I saw a video of Rossman doing a presentation on FUTO's keyboard, originally. Eventually he made a statement that he was pissed off that every single keyboard that wasn't Gboard made him feel like he was drunk typing. I immediately said "holy hell, me too!" and went and downloaded it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah Heliboard with the swipelib is closest to gboard for me, better than Futo, however, Futo has a voice typing app also that is incredibly accurate, and punctuates near perfectly. So I use Heliboard with Futo Voice Typing.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I haven't tried their keyboard but FUTO Voice Input with the largest model is absolutely incredible!

This does speech to text 100% locally and is more accurate than Google's shit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

FUTOs stuff isn't under a free (freedom) license so I would avoid it. Use stock apps and anything off of F-droid

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I really love FUTO's keyboard, the auto-completion is really good. I paid to support them. I whish they'll add French model soon.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Not a fan of FUTO keyboard atm, Simple Keyboard is better

[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago (2 children)

(Please don't use simple keyboard. Use its fork, Fossify Keyboard)

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yes and the reason is that simple mobile tools sold everything to a very bad ad company that will milk the apps to dead.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Thank you for the context. I was gonna add it when I got home from work

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

good to know, thank you

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The suggestions people are making are good but I want to point out that GrapheneOS has good defaults so you don't need to do much except use your phone. If you don't have a particularly high threat model you shouldn't need to make any other considerations (beyond just what software you use on your phone, like if you use something like discord or whatever)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

For discord, aliucord works ok. For some reason I can't see emojis though. Maybe I gotta update?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (3 children)

I will add on top of all the other recommendations, in F-Droid settings, turn off all anti-features. If after doing that, an app you are looking for is not available, check what anti-feature it has for why it's not listed.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago

This seems really inconvinient, especially because the app page already shows the anti-features.

Anti features are also often not comparable, but they are presented that way. Relying on some random proprietary API owned by some random company is not the same as using Wikipedia or OSM.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

I don't really see a point

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

Can do this or they natively list apps that have anti features on the app page as well as the search page under the app title. Whatever strikes your liking.