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submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

since yesterday.. oop: https://mathstodon.xyz/@johncarlosbaez/114816283089805862

article: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/07/unless-users-take-action-android-will-let-gemini-access-third-party-apps/

haven't found a public google announcement, the screenshot seems to be from emails

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[-] [email protected] 95 points 2 days ago

ok what phone should I get next

[-] [email protected] 14 points 2 days ago

If your current device supports LineageOS, you can install that. I've got no traces of Gemini on my Pixel 7, even with "gapps" installed.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 2 days ago
[-] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago

refurbished pixel > version 8, and graphene and pray android stays open source, otherwise idk brickphone for emergency only tbh

[-] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago

I’m considering a pine phone, but honestly idk.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Ideally none at all. A linux phone if you have to have one.

[-] [email protected] 25 points 2 days ago

We can't all be Jack White. I've tried. You cannot live in this society with no phone. Unless you have no friends and no job.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Can't even get on the bus or easily apply for government programs/loans, or review your medical anything online without an app now in my province. There's workarounds but they are not accessible.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

what's a linux phone? I thought android was written on Linux

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

android is heavily modified unix afaik. Linux is not, it uses gnu. the only linux based os i am aware off is postmarketOS

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Unless it's changed Android is built on a modified Linux kernel.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

one that supports calyx os

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

A pixel. It comes without Gemini pre-installed. That or any phone on the planet without Gemini installed on Android. So the vast majority of them.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

What about Gemini Space (aka Ambient Data) that's tied to Android System Intelligence - which is a system app enabled by default that can be disabled (if you know how to disable system apps) but of course cannot be uninstalled.

Also google is planning to replace Assistant with Gemini in the near future so all phones that have assistant (which is again enabled by default on most if not all android phones) will get Gemini sooner or later.

[-] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago

None of that has to do with what is being presented and posted here. They are not just sucking up your data without telling you or anything you didn't ask for when you manually installed Gemini.

Not wanting bullshit in my feed is a far cry from my views on privacy.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Check again. If you've got a pixel, you might have to go into your apps and use the search function to find it. It installs and hides itself as of some recent update.

[-] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago
[-] [email protected] 0 points 1 day ago

Ok, then what are these screens on my pixel 6 pro?

I do not have the Gemini app itself installed, but there's some functionality of it right there.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

One is invoking Gemini results via search API and has limited access and the other is the full app you install with the additional functionality and permissions.

This email applies to the latter.

[-] [email protected] -2 points 2 days ago

It depends on whether you're using apps that require Play Integrity attestation, like some banking apps do.

If that's the case, consider the humble iPhone!

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Apple likes to pretend they aren't evil since they're just evil in a different way than google.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. No ethical consumption under capitalism, amirite?

People wanna buy phones though.

[-] [email protected] -1 points 2 days ago

At least with Google they don't make the cornerstone of their branding lies (we are super focused on YOUR privacy), and you actually have some choice in how you use your phone.

[-] [email protected] 56 points 2 days ago

Anything compatible with Graphene OS (https://grapheneos.org/); a second-hand Pixel will work best, if you can find one cheap. I use it as my daily driver on a Pixel 7a and it's great; it's the most stable and easiest-to-install custom ROM I've ever used, and I've been rooting my Android devices for over a decade now.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

So my Fairphone is not supported because the security updates aren't good enough. Serves me right trying to find an ethical approach to mobile computing.

I understand GrapheneOS' philosophy but buying a google product to get away from google software is certainly... a choice. Refurbished or not buying a Pixel would serve Google's interests, nevermind the fact that I bought my current phone a couple years ago hoping to get close to a decade of use out of it.

Realistically software freedom on mobile phones is doomed until the industry improves the firmware situation. Every project suffers from severe drawbacks because of it.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Fairphone should be clean, because it is degoogled

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

It doesn't have the worst of google apps, but it still runs Play Services with all its opaqueness and potential spyware. So Gemini should hopefully not be an issue but GrapheneOS would still be nice to have.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

If you want to keep your Fairphone and ditch android, Fairphone 4 and 5 both appear to be well supported by Ubuntu Touch. The downside is that Ubuntu Touch is currently still based on the 2020 LTS release of Ubuntu (which does still get updates, at least). Fairphone 4 is also somewhat supported by postmarketOS, but call support there is listed as "partial".

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I hear you! Hardware fragmentation is a serious issue, very difficult to deal with as a small team, so I can't hold it against them, but I really wish I had been able to put it on my old Note 9 instead of buying a Pixel 😑 (doesn't have to be a Pixel, there are other supported devices, but it's easiest and works best)

Have you tried CalyxOS (https://calyxos.org/)? Review from a year ago seems pretty good (fair warning: Reddit link). I'm keeping Calyx in my back pocket in case Graphene goes tits up.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Does it support banking apps yet? Last time I tried it anything to do with financials, Bitwarden, or 2FA just didn't work at all.

Edit: and I've heard you can get Google play store on it now right? Cause I'll need all of my apps back

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

Yes, I've used all my apps pretty seamlessly. I had to turn on "exploit protection compatibility mode" for some of them like banking, but they work fine. You can get Google Play, and it runs in a sandbox, but I use Obtainium and Aurora Store (Aurora in particular would be of interest to you, it's just a frontend for the Google Play store which allows anonymous connections: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.aurora.store/). I moved to Aegis for my 2FA because I was looking for a way out of the Twilio/Authy ecosystem. I don't play games on my phone, so I can't report back on how those work.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

I use multiple banking apps on my Graphene phone, the only thing it doesn't support is contactless payments.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Yes it does? At least for me the "Sicher Bezahlen" app many German banks use for NFC payments works flawlessly.

Or are you referring to the proprietary Google Pay software? This isn't supported I believe.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Oh that's unfortunate, but I guess it wouldn't have Google wallet on it huh

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

You can get a watch that you run Google wallet on instead but to be honest I don't really miss contactless and just use my physical card instead.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Some phone cases let you put your card on the back of the phone and you can use the NFC chip like that, if you are still missing that feature.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Every single banking app works fine, just have to give it full permissions.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Okay good, last time I tried it (around 2020) none of my banking apps worked because of a cert issue or something like that I believe. And I don't use small banks just PNC, Capital One, and and JP Morgan.

I douse Google pay though. I know graphene doesn't come with the Google apps but can I install them anyways?

Edit: and 2FA apps had issues too. Microsoft Authenticator and Cisco Duo just refused to run.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

All Google apps work, Especially if they're installed from the play store, which I try to avoid at all costs. Duo mobile works no problem, haven't tried ms or Google authenticator. ChatGPT app still doesn't work, but Claude does.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Is there an easy way to migrate everything into graphene or do I have to start fresh?

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

You can't convert it if thats what you mean. I would hookup your phone to a computer and take any files off it for backup though. Maybe downloads and pictures/videos, stuff like that. The apps and logging into them will have to be redone as far as I know. You can still use the google store though through Aurora, and there is fdroid as well for Foss apps.

this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2025
383 points (94.6% liked)

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