this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025
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7 simple things I always do on Android to protect my privacy [and reduce being monetized by Google et al.] (www.zdnet.com)
submitted 4 days ago by klu9 to c/[email protected]
22 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Until you get a chance to leave behind Google's Android operating system completely, here's an article I saw with a few fairly simple things you can do that will reduce (although not eliminate) the ability of Google and others to scrape your data and monetize you.

I already do step 1 (Firefox etc). But looking at step 5, for example, my phone had all those ad options set to "on".

top 22 comments
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[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

this was a surprisingly good article

[โ€“] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Can recommend GrapheneOS. Very nice experience. You would think it is more work, but I feel it was less due to not having Google suggest some nasty stuff constantly during install and ever after. Everything works for me. Check your own banking app works from the list they keep and if it does, go for it!

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago (2 children)

But sadly it's not available for Fairphones which really frustrates me. And other OS variants just lack the main features which make Graphene so great.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago

Yes. I got a spotless used pixel. But it is a huge paradox to have to get a Google phone.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

there's CalyxOS and /e/ available on Fairphones, so at least there's that

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

But they lack sandboxing options which only exist with GrapheneOS. Sure, Calyx is usable but only with huge downsides when it comes to usability.

[โ€“] Showroom7561 11 points 4 days ago (2 children)

The first thing(s) do:

  • Install adguard with system-wide ad & tracker filters enabled; change my DNS to a private service that also features DNS-based ad and tracker blocking.
  • Disable any google features: syncing, backup, uninstall/disable all google apps, etc.; replace with FOSS or privacy-friendly alternatives.
  • after that, it's the process of replacing the browser, keyboard, etc.
[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I've done a lot of these steps, but when I tried FOSS keyboard app my bank's app refused to work because the keyboard was"insecure", accepted Google keyboard only ๐Ÿคก

[โ€“] Showroom7561 4 points 3 days ago

That's crazy! I bet the same bank used a "secure" method for 2FA.... like SMS. LOL

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I've had that happen with Credit Agricole's app in the past. it would close immediately and load a website that suggested using Google's Gboard or Microsoft's Swiftkey :|

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Which adguard? Needs root?

[โ€“] Showroom7561 1 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Adguard for android (paid). It runs as a local VPN and cleans up everything, including most ads in apps.

You can find cheap lifetime licenses for sale. I've been using it for many, many years.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

or instead of using a Russian service, you can try Swedish Mullvad's DNS servers. it's free to use and doesn't require installing an app https://mullvad.net/en/help/dns-over-https-and-dns-over-tls#android

[โ€“] Showroom7561 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Just an FYI:

"AdGuard servers are located in Frankfurt, Germany, and the apps do not communicate to any servers in Russia. This was a deliberate decision to keep our servers (as well as the company itself) in a different jurisdiction. Even among AdGuard DNS servers, which are supposed to be located all over the world, we don't have any in Russia. With how things are developing, we may soon have no office there either, or have a considerably smaller one. To reiterate:

  • AdGuard apps do not connect to any servers in Russia.
  • AdGuard DNS has no servers in Russia.
  • AdGuard VPN also has no servers in Russia. The one that's said to be in Moscow actually uses some IP address magic to present itself so, but is actually located in the Netherlands.

Secondly, we do not condone what's going on in Ukraine and we have expressed our opinion on this earlier. Filters maintainers, support team members, QA, developers โ€” the war has changed lives of many people that are very important to AdGuard as a company and to me personally. Our only desire is for it to stop as soon as possible." SOURCE

The Adguard team has been among the most trustworthy in the privacy space, and their self-hosted, and local-first services shouldn't be casually cast aside so quickly.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Can you do ad and tracking blocking using their VPN thing? And can you turn off the VPN part leaving just the blocking going?

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago

yes and yes. you don't the VPN app to use their DNS servers.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Alternative is TrackerControl - again a local VPN, but aimed at blocking trackers (which could then include ads)

Find it on FDroid: https://trackercontrol.org/

[โ€“] Showroom7561 2 points 4 days ago

Yes, that's a great FOSS alternative.

The only reason why I don't use trackercontrol is that I can't use it at the same time as an actual VPN. And since I already paid for AdGuard, it's on all my devices. ๐Ÿคญ

[โ€“] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It seems a bit like a fool's errand to buy a phone running an advertiserโ€™s OS and then try to stop it from tracking you.

[โ€“] [email protected] 1 points 4 days ago

Fair point, but IMO it's more than just the technical act of blocking, it's highlighting to everyone that this is going on...

Some are happy to be tracked, cool, but, I'm fairly confident that millions of people aren't even aware of it.

These articles barely scratch the surface of what can be done - for example, I presume you're referring to loading a different OS, which would blow the minds of many users out there

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago

A possible alternative to step 6:

https://gitlab.com/Nulide/findmydevice

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

But no mention of just disabling some of Google's services running on the phone?