So my problem is that I don’t have money for a new phone and I also need my banking app. Rooting is not possible.

Steps I’ve taken:
-removed and deleted my Google account
-disabled all default Android apps and all Google apps except for Play Services (needed for location service and the banking app) -denied all permissions for Play Services except location and movement sensors (can’t be denied), phone and sms (needed for the banking app)

I figure Google can still track my phone and use its location for traffic analysis, etc. but has no way of targeting me with ads (their main business) or connect my phone to my identity (no access to my contacts, call logs, keyboard, calendar, mail, etc.). I hope it turns me into a nameless device ID.

Does this help at all? Is there anything else I can do?

  • chrizbie@lemmy.nz
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    1 year ago

    followed this guide (not mine) and it’s pretty great

    Just a note: when downloading a host file do not use the one mentioned as it is discontinued, instead look up “1hosts” on github

    https://lemmy.ml/post/128667

    Also check out libretube (f-droid) for YouTube, it’s better than the actual YouTube app by miles!

  • Water_Melon_boy@lemmy.zip
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    1 year ago

    I think this is good enough. You’ve already pushed far and hit limitations due to life. But yeah. The next step is probably custom rom.

  • Ogygus@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Disabling Google services does nothing.

    You have to flash a custom rom to the phone. I recommend lineageos, grapheneOS and calyx.

    This will also solve the GPS problem, as you can then flash microg, a replacement of Google services.

    • superkret@feddit.deOP
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      1 year ago

      I don’t have money for a new phone, and there are no custom ROMs for a Gigaset GX290.
      Correct me if I’m wrong.

      • MasterBuilder@lemmy.one
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        1 year ago

        Never heard of this device. If it came from manufacturer with Android 10, it likely can take a GSI, which is a ROM build based on the standard interfaces manufacturers should be using for their devices. Andy Yan’s Lineage 20 is an example, which I use on my 5 year old mid tier Samsung tablet.

        If you can get one of these ROMs, and use MicroG, you will get a few years of life out of your phone. The performance boost is almost like getting a new phone.

        Edit: found this article that suggests GSI might work on the phone. If so, you might get Android 13.

        • superkret@feddit.deOP
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          1 year ago

          Another AI-written article that is the same for every phone and just drops “GX290” in a placeholder for “phone model”.
          There is no relevant info for my phone here.

      • Ogygus@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        If you can get to TWRP, or flash a custom recovery, you can absolutely remove Google services, and then flash microg!

        Now that I think about it, there are various ways to get microg, but the easiest is to flash a custom rom with it integrated

    • superkret@feddit.deOP
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      1 year ago

      no, they require an app as 2nd factor. Or I’d have to buy a TAN generator but I often have to do transactions while I’m not at home so I’d have to carry it with me.

  • MotherFlocker@jlai.lu
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    1 year ago

    You can’t do much about google tracking you, but you can still block ads by using some adblocker and be on vpn.

    Try to do browser isolation (do google stuff on chrome and anything else on another browser), better than none.

    Do as many thing as possible on a computer.