this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024
121 points (89.0% liked)

Android

28042 readers
335 users here now

DROID DOES

Welcome to the droidymcdroidface-iest, Lemmyest (Lemmiest), test, bestest, phoniest, pluckiest, snarkiest, and spiciest Android community on Lemmy (Do not respond)! Here you can participate in amazing discussions and events relating to all things Android.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules


1. All posts must be relevant to Android devices/operating system.


2. Posts cannot be illegal or NSFW material.


3. No spam, self promotion, or upvote farming. Sources engaging in these behavior will be added to the Blacklist.


4. Non-whitelisted bots will be banned.


5. Engage respectfully: Harassment, flamebaiting, bad faith engagement, or agenda posting will result in your posts being removed. Excessive violations will result in temporary or permanent ban, depending on severity.


6. Memes are not allowed to be posts, but are allowed in the comments.


7. Posts from clickbait sources are heavily discouraged. Please de-clickbait titles if it needs to be submitted.


8. Submission statements of any length composed of your own thoughts inside the post text field are mandatory for any microblog posts, and are optional but recommended for article/image/video posts.


Community Resources:


We are Android girls*,

In our Lemmy.world.

The back is plastic,

It's fantastic.

*Well, not just girls: people of all gender identities are welcomed here.


Our Partner Communities:

[email protected]


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Do you root or do you go straight to ROMs?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 46 points 9 months ago (2 children)

This is more or less how I feel. I haven't rooted in years, though I have installed non-root ROMs to extend support.

Google's SafetyNet stuff is simply unreasonable, and a shameless power-grab. I'm so tired of software and websites trying to control what I do with my own goddamn hardware and software "for my safety".

It's gotten to the point where the "security" features actively hamper my security, because they leave me unable to improve it. e.g. my banking app would rather I be on an unsecured wireless network than have me use a reputable VPN. Their web site would rather have me expose myself to malvertising than run an ad blocker. They'd rather have me running an outdated OS with heaps of known security vulnerabilities than run a fully patched LineageOS. They'd rather I use my carrier's unsecured DNS than DOH. And heaven forbid I block trackers!

Nevertheless, I stick with Android because there are still lots of things I value that I still can't do on an iPhone. No, I don't download torrents on my phone very often, but I've needed to in the past and will likely need to again at some point, so I'm not going to buy a phone that doesn't let me install benign apps just because I might use them to download things they don't want me to download.

The whole industry is user-hostile, but Android is still less hostile than iOS.

[–] APassenger 18 points 9 months ago (4 children)

I wish Microsoft had stayed in the mobile space. That competition might have changed things for the better.

Now we have a duopoly.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

@APassenger @GenderNeutralBro I was interested in the mobile Windows 8 back in the day. So I found and bought a used cheap Nokia phone to check it out. I ended up using it as my primary for a few months. The Nokia and Windows were both fantastic! I didn't stay with it because there were no apps. The Windows store was a stinking infested cesspool of awful and/or malicious apps so I resold it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

To be fair, Microsoft is one of the most aggressive at checking for root on Android devices. They're not the good guys here.

[–] Mango 1 points 9 months ago

Something something centrists something.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 months ago

Microsoft was not an open platform at all, they seemed to be taking more inspiration from Apple when it came to customization and openness.

Losing Palm makes me much more sad.

[–] TechNerdWizard42 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Perfectly well said.

It's infuriating to have to split a banking app off the VPN tunnel because they deem that secure. Or that 2FA over SMS which is inherently insecure and spoofable is acceptable and REQUIRED versus an RSA key or authenticator app.

It's pushing me into grumpy old man territory quickly. My bank swapped to some of these requirements for their app last year so now I phone in on an international VOIP number over VPN and can do all my banking. It's absolutely insane that's its an acceptable form of communication over my secure device in my hand, but it's easier to call the line like an octagenerian, give them digits off of a debit card, and be able to wire money in and out and around all my accounts. I see why scammers have such an easy time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago