• Re: What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the

    From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Sun Jan 5 11:34:12 2025
    "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> wrote:

    (1) a test with the GPS of a tablet I had didn't give me much
    confidence in its accuracy.

    The magnometer periodically requires re-calibration (the 3-D figure 8
    roll) to get compass readings correct.

    Similarly, sometimes the A-GPS table needs to get re-downloaded. There
    are lots of GPS apps available, and some have an A-GPS reset function.
    I use:

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eclipsim.gpsstatus2

    This is one of those apps that don't have a gear icon to get at
    settings. Instead you drag from the left edge of the screen to get at
    its config panel; however, with a armor case on the phone, it is hard to
    drag from any edge of the screen. There is a help page at:

    https://mobiwia.com/gpsstatus/

    but it presumes you already know a lot about this stuff. You can swipe
    from the left to get the config panel to switch between the Status,
    Radar, and Locations panels, or swipe in from the right to move between
    them.

    This app guides you through the compass re-calibrate. In its main
    screen, there is a bubble you center to get the phone level to eliminate discrepencies. It also has a pitch/roll calibrate function.

    Its status panel shows to how many GPS satellites you are connected (the
    green dots). The dots, their colors, and shapes is described at their
    help page. If you can't reach the GPS satellites, there won't be any
    green circle dots, and a constantly spinning "Looking for GPS location"
    message is displayed.

    For GPS re-calibration, this app lets you reset the A-GPS table, and
    download new data.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GNSS

    (2) I never was able to find an authorative source to what this "diff"
    file should look like though.

    For GPS traces, I'd start here:

    https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mapping_techniques

    I saw uploaded traces, and where you upload them, at:

    https://www.openstreetmap.org/traces

    For editing the database, I'd start here:

    https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Editors

    For help from their community, I'd try here:

    https://community.openstreetmap.org/

    I didn't find (but didn't look that hard) for info on the structure of
    the database, or of exported data (which I suspect is XML). Remember
    that I quit using OSMand, so the above is what I found in online
    searches.

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Mon Jan 6 10:00:16 2025
    VanguardLH,

    (1) a test with the GPS of a tablet I had didn't give me much
    confidence in its accuracy.

    The magnometer periodically requires re-calibration (the 3-D figure
    8 roll) to get compass readings correct.

    Are you saying that the (functioning of the) GPS is dependant on the compass
    ?

    Similarly, sometimes the A-GPS table needs to get re-downloaded.

    I know that most "smarthone" GPS-es are actually A-GPS. At the time I had
    no simcard in tablet, meaning it worked in its off-line mode (and expected
    its GPS to work well, out in the open air).

    There are lots of GPS apps available

    Thats another thing I'm not prone to: running random apps.

    I have no idea what they actually do, and, on that tablet, next-to-no possibilities to check and/or disallow certain stuff. Combine that with my stance that an app being allowed on-line is a privilege, not something they
    may demand.

    For GPS traces, I'd start here:

    https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mapping_techniques

    Thanks, but I already found a working description of how to do it.

    Damn, I wanted to post the URL I found, but had to find that the page has
    gone. :-(

    Ah, it seems to have been relocated to here : https://osmand.net/docs/user/plugins/trip-recording/

    I saw uploaded traces, and where you upload them, at:

    https://www.openstreetmap.org/traces

    Uploading a nice trip isn't quite what I was trying to do. Remember, I
    didn't trust the accuracy of the tablets GPS, and thus the trip data - a difference of just a meter or two would be a footwalk going next to a
    building, or straight thru its walls. :-) :-(

    No, I extracted the nodes from map data for editing purposes (max size just
    a few KM squared), and wanted to return those, plus some "guestimated" new ones, to them.

    https://www.openstreetmap.org/traces

    For editing the database, I'd start here:

    :-) For "some reason" (i'm a hobby programmer) at that time I did not like a ready-to-use map editor (I seem to remember I also found a list of map editors), but wanted access to the raw data.

    For help from their community, I'd try here:

    https://community.openstreetmap.org/

    Thanks. But that one is for /users/ of the OSMAnd map program, not for
    people who want to five a bit deeper.

    Heck, I would be rather surprised if anyone there would even know what the
    URL is to the "diff" files OSMAnd itself generates - or what the files
    format would be.

    I didn't find (but didn't look that hard) for info on the structure
    of the database, or of exported data (which I suspect is XML).

    Same here. I did find /some/ info, but not of the current map format(s).

    Remember that I quit using OSMand, so the above is what I found
    in online searches.

    I have no problem with that. Information, even if its older, is better than having none at all.

    Though I, just like you, did do some major searching, and (effectivily) came
    up empty-handed.

    So, thanks for the info.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 08:11:07 2025
    Andrew,

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    For example, YouTube app functionality can be replaced by the open-source NewPipe app, which does NOT need a Google Account set up on the phone.
    ...

    That fully depends on when you call a non-Google app a replacement for the Google one.

    Example: On Windows there are several open-source replacements for Word and Excel. Some people reject them because they are not one-on-one
    replacements.

    Also, do realize that as long as you are using Googles Android you are still part of their ecosystem (search for "google android advertising framework"). Perhaps start with replacing the OS with one which gives you the tools to
    tame badly-behaving apps ?

    As for your question for us to deliver replacement apps for everything thats already on you phone and/or available in Googles "walled garden" : why don't you just take the name of the Google app you're interrested in, pre/append "open source" or perhaps "replacement" to it, drop it in your favorite search-engine (Google ? :-) ) and see what you get ?

    Perhaps make a list of apps in order of importance to you first ?

    Personally I would start with a sand-boxed non-google webbrowser with an adblocker (and plugin capabilities) and use that to access YouTube e.a.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to Andrew on Wed Jan 1 10:13:56 2025
    Andrew wrote:

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    For example, YouTube app functionality can be replaced by the open-source NewPipe app, which does NOT need a Google Account set up on the phone.

    Just using https://m.youtube.com/ would likely be good enough for most
    people

    Similarly, GMail app functionality can be replaced by the FairEmail app, which does NOT need a Google Account set up on the phone.

    You can use the gmail website, but you won't get far without a login ...

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  • From Theo@21:1/5 to Andy Burns on Wed Jan 1 10:50:47 2025
    Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
    Andrew wrote:

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    For example, YouTube app functionality can be replaced by the open-source NewPipe app, which does NOT need a Google Account set up on the phone.

    Just using https://m.youtube.com/ would likely be good enough for most
    people

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you need to sign in with the Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone,
    which means that account infests the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    If your phone vendor supports 'user profiles' you can make a new profile,
    add the Google account there. Then it won't interfere with other profiles
    and you can terminate the session by logging out after you're done.

    Theo

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 12:05:24 2025
    Theo,

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account

    Which is a good reason no to use it.

    I could imagine using an open-source or freeware map app in which you can locally(!) record the path you've walked (and calculate/estimate the total length of that path) ?

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Theo on Wed Jan 1 11:59:43 2025
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
    Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:
    Andrew wrote:

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    For example, YouTube app functionality can be replaced by the open-source NewPipe app, which does NOT need a Google Account set up on the phone.

    Just using https://m.youtube.com/ would likely be good enough for most people

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you need to sign in with the Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone, which means that account infests the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    Are you sure about that? Can't you just use a Google account to login
    into the *app*, instead of into the *system*/OS? Many apps have such functionality, i.e. an app-specific login, so I wouldn't know why the
    Fitbit app would be any different.

    FWIW, we still have legacy Fitbit accounts and are not going to
    convert to Google accounts until we have to.

    If your phone vendor supports 'user profiles' you can make a new profile,
    add the Google account there. Then it won't interfere with other profiles
    and you can terminate the session by logging out after you're done.

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  • From Newyana2@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 07:48:36 2025
    On 1/1/2025 6:05 AM, R.Wieser wrote:
    Theo,

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account

    Which is a good reason no to use it.

    I could imagine using an open-source or freeware map app in which you can locally(!) record the path you've walked (and calculate/estimate the total length of that path) ?


    Or people could go back to just taking a walk and stop trying
    to document "ptogress" in all things. Tracking steps is about as
    pitiful as it gets.

    I have a TracFone with no Google account, APKPure for
    apps, something (Netguard?) to give me more control, and
    all Google apps removed or disabled. But I accidentally let
    it update awhile back and now I get popups telling me the
    sky will fall if I don't enable Google this or that. It's really
    obnoxious. I'm amazed that these companies are allowed,
    legally, to exert such control over a device I paid for.

    But I think Arlen is missing the point, anyway. Cellphone
    under surveillance is a lifestyle. If people use apps, gmail,
    maps, Waze, dating, Fitbit, DoorDash, Uber, shopping apps....
    That's all spyware. Most of it is tracking location. Even just
    leaving the cellphone turned on means you're being tracked.
    If you care about that then you don't live on a cellphone... It's
    a choice. So many people want to know the best method for
    maintaining privacy while telling 6 dozen corporations their
    every move.

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 15:33:31 2025
    Newyana2,

    I could imagine using an open-source or freeware map app in which you can
    locally(!) record the path you've walked (and calculate/estimate the
    total length of that path) ?

    Or people could go back to just taking a walk and stop trying
    to document "ptogress" in all things. Tracking steps is about as
    pitiful as it gets.

    Although I agree with you, dropping all the measurement taking is probaly a step too far for FitBit users. You'll hve to wean them off of it one step
    at a time.

    Than again, all our sports (and often working lives too) are based on being
    the better/faster/etc. one than all the others, so I can understand the competitive part of it.

    I have a TracFone with no Google account,
    [snip]

    I replaced android with graphene OS. The phone is switched off unless I
    need it (when traveling). Its main app is OsmAND, a map program.

    I'm amazed that these companies are allowed, legally, to exert such
    control over a device I paid for.

    I hope you're not running Win10/11, which has become nothing more than a
    thick ethernet client and doubling as an advertising platform. :-)

    But I think Arlen is missing the point, anyway.

    That sounds like Arlen alright.

    Cellphone under surveillance is a lifestyle. If people use apps, gmail,
    maps, Waze, dating, Fitbit, DoorDash, Uber, shopping apps....
    That's all spyware. Most of it is tracking location.

    Yup. And we have next to zero control about what those apps are allowed to
    do - nor any way to even look at what they are doing. IOW, a smartphone (running googles android) is, in regard to spamming and tracking, a big companies wet dream.

    Even just leaving the cellphone turned on means you're being tracked.

    True, but thats by a local phone company, not some faceless conglomerate
    thats located outside the country, and as such almost untouchable. Being
    able to use the internet to connect to servers all over the world has its up sides, but this is one of its down sides.

    If you care about that then you don't live on a cellphone...

    Ageed.

    It's a choice. So many people want to know the best method for
    maintaining privacy while telling 6 dozen corporations their
    every move.

    I don't think that most people know about that, or, as they have not yet
    bumped into problems with it, they don't care that it happens.

    Funny though that my country has laws forbidding stalking and that people
    will blow their casket when discovering when it happens to them - including involvement of police - but have zero problems when their phone is doing it. Weird, if you think about it.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 09:24:47 2025
    "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> wrote:

    Andrew,

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    For example, YouTube app functionality can be replaced by the open-source
    NewPipe app, which does NOT need a Google Account set up on the phone.
    ...

    That fully depends on when you call a non-Google app a replacement for the Google one.

    Example: On Windows there are several open-source replacements for Word and Excel. Some people reject them because they are not one-on-one replacements.

    I tried LibreOffice for over a year. Too many functions missing, or
    having to hunt for where they were buried, or goofy and often incomplete workarounds. LibreOffice didn't even have a handle at the corner of a
    table to expand it to add a new row with the same attributes while also changing the data ranges in a linked chart. Had to go back to MS Office
    for both Word and Excel.

    I had not built any custom apps using VBA with any Office component, but
    those who do can't migrate to other office suites. I've seen entire
    corporate applications built on Office and scripts that don't look
    anything like the Office apps. Conversion away from MS Office would
    take a lot of time and money. Similarly, if someone built a custom
    program upon LibreOffice's scripting then a whole new project would be
    needed to migrate to MS Office scripting.

    I know some users want to eradicate all of Edge from Windows, except
    WebView2 is also used by other software.

    However, I suspect the OP's viewpoint is sufficient non-Google
    alternatives need not be one-on-one substitutes, just good enough for
    his consideration.

    Also, do realize that as long as you are using Googles Android you are still part of their ecosystem (search for "google android advertising framework"). Perhaps start with replacing the OS with one which gives you the tools to tame badly-behaving apps ?

    As for your question for us to deliver replacement apps for everything thats already on you phone and/or available in Googles "walled garden" : why don't you just take the name of the Google app you're interrested in, pre/append "open source" or perhaps "replacement" to it, drop it in your favorite search-engine (Google ? :-) ) and see what you get ?

    Perhaps make a list of apps in order of importance to you first ?

    Personally I would start with a sand-boxed non-google webbrowser with an adblocker (and plugin capabilities) and use that to access YouTube e.a.

    As for the OP's inquiry, I use Google Maps. I've tried Here [WeGo] and
    OSM as alternatives, but they weren't as useful. Here was good,
    especially for offline maps. It's also used in car navigation systems.
    OSM is crowd-sourced, so areas with few or no OSM users are poorly
    mapped. OSM also uses public record information, like city plats, which
    show planned roads that don't yet exist, and may never exist. I have
    not heard of any car maker touching OSM for nav data. Is there a
    non-Google replacement for Google Maps that is as robust, and updated a
    lot, and not by happenstance with erratic voluntary input?

    While there are non-Google alternatives, they don't seem equal. Being
    good enough does not mandate an alternative is a sufficient replacement.
    Few users need that warm comfy feeling of disconnecting from Google.

    I'm sure Andrew really is not interested in discovering what Google-ized
    apps have no "sufficient" non-Google alternatives. Seems more like he
    wants to start another flame thread.

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Theo on Wed Jan 1 09:29:20 2025
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you need to sign in with the Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone, which means that account infests the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    If your phone vendor supports 'user profiles' you can make a new profile,
    add the Google account there. Then it won't interfere with other profiles
    and you can terminate the session by logging out after you're done.

    I thought all accounts were globally defined. That's why when you add a
    new app with an existing account, it is found from the list in Android.
    Any app having you add another account then adds it to the Accounts list
    in Android. Not just Fitbit does this.

    Android settings -> General -> Accounts

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 15:23:26 2025
    R.Wieser <address@is.invalid> wrote:
    Theo,

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account

    Which is a good reason no to use it.

    I could imagine using an open-source or freeware map app in which you can locally(!) record the path you've walked (and calculate/estimate the total length of that path) ?

    FTR, Fitbit *can* track your position/route, but only if you enable
    that function (it can use its own GPS (if it has one) or use your
    phone's GPS (if you carry it with you)). (I don't have that function
    enabled.)

    But as its name implies, its main function is as an activity tracker;
    steps, (estimated) distance, (estimated) calories, heart rate, oxygen saturation and sleep analysis.

    As I mentioned before, 'smartwatches' are a different category of
    devices, but the functions largely overlap, i.e. 'smartwatches' have
    activity tracking and sleep analysis and 'activity trackers' are also
    watches and somewhat 'smart.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 15:36:37 2025
    R.Wieser <address@is.invalid> wrote:
    Newyana2,
    [...]
    I have a TracFone with no Google account,
    [snip]

    I replaced android with graphene OS. The phone is switched off unless I
    need it (when traveling). Its main app is OsmAND, a map program.

    You might want to post which phone (brand, model, etc.) you have and
    what you needed to do to put graphene OS on it (i.e. unlock the boot
    loader, fastboot, TWRP, etc.).

    Probably other privacy-concious will be interested in learning whether
    or not a non-Android OS is something they would be willing to try and
    how hard/easy it is to accomplish it.

    Just a thought.

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 10:08:40 2025
    "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> wrote:

    Theo,

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account

    Which is a good reason no to use it.

    And what would be the suggested alternative that does not require ANY
    account anywhere while still just as robust, or even more robust, in
    features? What is better than Fitbit, but with no account? Didn't
    those extra/premium services require a Fitbit account (now a Google
    account)? Do the better than Fitbit alternatives also have availability
    of those extra services, too?

    Google acquired Fitbit. Maybe that's why a Google account later became required. Did/does Fitbit not allow storing of historical data to an
    online account?

    https://www.fitbit.com/global/us/technology/compatible-devices

    A Google Account is required for all new users.

    A Google Account is required to activate new Fitbit devices released
    after the launch of Google Accounts for Fitbit.

    Existing users have the option to use either a Google Account or their
    existing Fitbit account until at least 2025 at which point they will
    be required to use a Google Account for login.

    So, Fitbit devices had a Fitbit account. Google acquired Fitbit, and
    wanted to leverage their authentication services instead of maintaining
    a setup in which they were never involved. There are premium services
    that cost money, so I can see Google wanted payment to be controlled by
    Google, not whatever Fitbit used before.

    I had a Fitbit 2, and now a Fitbit Luxe. Doesn't upload anything to any account. I never bought any premium services. I don't need all those
    extras for how I use it. The only "extra" I enabled was to pair the
    Fitbit to my smart phone via Bluetooth to transfer data from device to
    Android app. Don't need an online account for that.

    Fitbit is a company name that produces several models of mobile devices.
    Maybe the Fitbit 2 and Luxe are considered too limited to bother with an
    online account (whether it was with Fitbit or now with Google), or I
    never upgraded to paid features which would then require an account.

    https://support.google.com/fitbit/?visit_id=638713434358117766-3078936505&p=sp_hc_fitbit&rd=1#topic=14236398

    From what I saw there, it isn't the device itself that mandates using a Fitbit/Google account, but the app ran on the smart phone. However,
    Fitbit upped the minimum supported Android version which eliminates my
    phone (back on Android 8). I get "Not compatible" with my phone when I
    visit the Play Store page for Fitbit. So, I cannot test if the app can
    be installed, BT paired to the Fitbit Luxe, and not buy any premium
    services to see if I'm forced to have a Google account. I don't recall
    ever having a Fitbit account, because I never paid for any extra stuff
    nor wanted to.

    It looks like after Google's acquisition that new Fitbit devices via the Android app must get registered.

    https://support.google.com/product-documentation/answer/14226283?hl=en#:~:text=A%20Google%20Account%20is%20required%20to%20activate%20new%20Fitbit%20devices,a%20Google%20Account%20for%20login.

    There it mentions Android 10 is the minimum, so my old phone is out.

    When someone says "Fitbit", I think of the device on my wrist, not of
    the app on a phone. I think "Fitbit" to the OP meant the app. I'm
    still using the Fitbit device without any Fitbit app on my old phone.
    The device still works by itself. I don't need "To make full use of the
    Fitbit products and services", because I never used those extras. And
    now their app won't install on my old phone, so the Fitbit device has
    nowhere to communicate, anyway.

    What are those extra "Fitbit services" that I never needed nor wanted?
    When I did have the app, I never had to activate the device. I just
    paired the device to the app, and that was it.

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  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Wed Jan 1 15:46:19 2025
    VanguardLH wrote:

    I tried LibreOffice for over a year. Too many functions missing, or
    having to hunt for where they were buried, or goofy and often incomplete workarounds. LibreOffice didn't even have a handle at the corner of a
    table to expand it to add a new row with the same attributes while also changing the data ranges in a linked chart. Had to go back to MS Office
    for both Word and Excel.

    The last version of MS Office I installed on any of my machines was
    Office97, since then only OpenOffice or more recently LibreOffice.

    I had not built any custom apps using VBA with any Office component, but those who do can't migrate to other office suites.

    If I end-up using a desktop of a customer it will have Office365
    installed. I hadn't done much Word/VBA programming until this year when someone wanted a system to generate and maintain risk assessment
    documents based on numerous partial boilerplates.

    I tried to do it using the "modern" Word javascript API, but found it
    was far from good enough for the task, so scrapped it and started again
    using VBA and that wasn't bad.

    I've seen entire corporate applications built on Office and scripts
    that don't look anything like the Office apps. Conversion away from
    MS Office would take a lot of time and money. Similarly, if someone
    built a custom program upon LibreOffice's scripting then a whole new
    project would be needed to migrate to MS Office scripting.

    Agreed, you're making a one-off choice there.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Wed Jan 1 16:14:17 2025
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you need to sign in with the
    Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone, which means that account infests the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    If your phone vendor supports 'user profiles' you can make a new profile, add the Google account there. Then it won't interfere with other profiles and you can terminate the session by logging out after you're done.

    I thought all accounts were globally defined. That's why when you add a
    new app with an existing account, it is found from the list in Android.
    Any app having you add another account then adds it to the Accounts list
    in Android. Not just Fitbit does this.

    Android settings -> General -> Accounts

    And those accounts are only accounts on your *phone* (i.e. in
    Settings) if the app so chooses. For example I have apps for several
    airlines and for only one of them (KLM! :-)) the account shows up under 'Accounts and backup' in Settings.

    And BTW, Fitbit is *not* listed in my list of accounts (but as I said
    before, I still have a legacy (non-Google) Fitbit account).

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  • From Theo@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Wed Jan 1 16:57:30 2025
    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you need to sign in with the
    Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone, which means that account infests the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    Are you sure about that? Can't you just use a Google account to login
    into the *app*, instead of into the *system*/OS? Many apps have such functionality, i.e. an app-specific login, so I wouldn't know why the
    Fitbit app would be any different.

    It shows under Settings -> Accounts, and the Play Store uses it without
    asking. There's no way to sign out of it apart from deleting it from the phone. If I do that the Fitbit app stops working and wants a sign in again.

    Theo

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  • From Theo@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Wed Jan 1 17:07:07 2025
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> wrote:

    Theo,

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account

    Which is a good reason no to use it.

    And what would be the suggested alternative that does not require ANY
    account anywhere while still just as robust, or even more robust, in features? What is better than Fitbit, but with no account? Didn't
    those extra/premium services require a Fitbit account (now a Google
    account)? Do the better than Fitbit alternatives also have availability
    of those extra services, too?

    There are devices that are supported by Gadgetbridge, which need no account
    and just sync via Bluetooth to the open source Gadgetbridge app on the
    phone. I have no idea how they compare on features - that likely depends on what you want it for (notifications v fitness v health v communications).

    When someone says "Fitbit", I think of the device on my wrist, not of
    the app on a phone. I think "Fitbit" to the OP meant the app. I'm
    still using the Fitbit device without any Fitbit app on my old phone.
    The device still works by itself. I don't need "To make full use of the Fitbit products and services", because I never used those extras. And
    now their app won't install on my old phone, so the Fitbit device has
    nowhere to communicate, anyway.

    It depends on the device, some have no display or a very basic display, and some features are only available in the app (eg tracking trends).

    What are those extra "Fitbit services" that I never needed nor wanted?
    When I did have the app, I never had to activate the device. I just
    paired the device to the app, and that was it.

    You can't pair to the app without a Google account. 'Sign in' is the very first screen.

    Theo

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Theo on Wed Jan 1 11:55:43 2025
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

    When I did have the app, I never had to activate the device. I just
    paired the device to the app, and that was it.

    You can't pair to the app without a Google account. 'Sign in' is the
    very first screen.

    Probably because Google decided to require registration of the devices,
    and the app is of no use unless it gets paired to a device. Seems
    overreaching to require registration of the devices that the user paid
    for. This is not the situation where the devices are Google's property.
    But their app is.

    Google completed the $2.1B acquisition of Fitbit back in the start of
    2021, but haven't required switching from a Fitbit account to a Google
    account until 2025 (which is now). 2 years after acquisition Google
    decided to discontinue the Fitbit smartwatches.

    https://www.yahoo.com/tech/why-google-quietly-discontinuing-fitbit-170315663.html

    So, what of the $2.1B is left for the Fitbit product line? Just the
    health trackers?

    Despite now mandating a login to a Google account to just install the
    app, users are complaining the app doesn't stay logged in. They have to repeatedly re-login. With all the troubles reported with the
    Google-ized app, seems Google is also trying to kill off the rest of
    their $2.1B outlay by killing off the other Fitbit devices in making
    them too difficult to use with the app. Of course, fucking up the app
    only affects those that feel compelled to use the device with an app.

    I got spared the mandatory login requirement. Fitbit decided to up the
    minimum supported Android version, and I wasn't buying a new phone just
    to satisfy their moving requirements. The Fitbit device still works all
    by itself. When I buy a toaster, I don't need an app to use it. I
    never used the app other than to play with it at first. Interest waned,
    and I uninstalled it. Later when I decided to trial it again, oops,
    latest version no longer compatible with my old phone. Oh well, no loss
    to me, anyway.

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  • From Newyana2@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 13:24:35 2025
    On 1/1/2025 9:33 AM, R.Wieser wrote:

    I have a TracFone with no Google account,
    [snip]

    I replaced android with graphene OS. The phone is switched off unless I
    need it (when traveling). Its main app is OsmAND, a map program.

    I don't think I can do that with TacFone, but it's OK. I only
    use the phone on an occasional basis, and pretty much only for phone calls.

    I'm amazed that these companies are allowed, legally, to exert such
    control over a device I paid for.

    I hope you're not running Win10/11, which has become nothing more than a thick ethernet client and doubling as an advertising platform. :-)

    I have Win11 installed for testing software. I haven't allowed it
    online and haven't done much with it. About a year ago I built a new
    computer and decided to try Win10. It took about 2 weeks, but I'm
    happy. It's fast, lean, free of all the crap, with updates blocked. The
    last thing I managed to accomplish was to stop ALL notification
    popups. So now it works as well as XP, but with support for newer hardware/software/64-bit, etc.

    It was very complicated, but not impossible. Though after getting
    it mostly set up it wouldn't activate. I had to start over from scratch and activate first, before the tweaking. That worked. I tried to install a
    security update in Auguest. One problem led to another. I finally gave up.
    The upddate messed up my system big time, despite not actually
    installing! Luckily I had made a disk image just before updating.

    Moral of the story, to my mind: Win10 is mostly OK but very brittle and
    very bloated. Win10 doesn't like tweaks. Microsoft are increasingly trying
    to control everything. I've had no surprises, no ads, no Copilot showing
    up, etc. But I'm not allowing any updates and have disabled as much
    calling home as I can find.

    I don't expect to try any updates again. The August experience was
    a ridiculous fiasco that shouldn't have happened for mere security
    updates. I ended up on a wild goose chase enlarging WinRE. (Which
    shouldn't even be required.) And it still just screwed everything up.
    BUT, the same update went without a hitch on my laptop that's
    less tweaked. So that seems to be further evidence that MS are
    punishing tweaks.

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Wed Jan 1 19:52:44 2025
    On 2025-01-01 03:08, Andrew wrote:
    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    I need my bank app, which I'm sure checks for the google environment. I
    know that payment by phone is done using Google Wallet, and phone to
    phone payment via Bizum; both require the google auth. Besides that, I
    use a Fitbit watch, and that also requires a login. My car GPS depends
    on Android Auto, and runs other google apps and tools.

    So no, I'm not interested in finding out what I can do without a login
    to google.

    Good luck igniting another flame war, Arlen :-)

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Wed Jan 1 18:59:57 2025
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    [...]

    I had a Fitbit 2, and now a Fitbit Luxe. Doesn't upload anything to any account. I never bought any premium services. I don't need all those
    extras for how I use it. The only "extra" I enabled was to pair the
    Fitbit to my smart phone via Bluetooth to transfer data from device to Android app. Don't need an online account for that.

    I don't know what a "Fitbit 2" is, probably a "Fitbit <something> 2"
    where "<something>" is the relevant part.

    Anyway, I always needed a Fitbit account for our Fitbits (Alta HR,
    Charge 4, Charge 5 and Charge 6). Without an account, the Fitbit won't
    sync, also not to the Fitbit app on the phone. And to sync, it needs an Internet connection. Stupid design, but that's the way it is.

    So, on the phone, do you use the Fitbit app or another app, if so
    which one?

    I think my <insert_loved_one> has a Fitbit Luxe (on an iPhone). I've
    to ask her what she needs to sync. I know they have a Fitbit Family
    account together with her <insert_smaller_loved_one>.

    [...]

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Wed Jan 1 20:31:11 2025
    On 2025-01-01 19:59, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    [...]

    I had a Fitbit 2, and now a Fitbit Luxe. Doesn't upload anything to any
    account. I never bought any premium services. I don't need all those
    extras for how I use it. The only "extra" I enabled was to pair the
    Fitbit to my smart phone via Bluetooth to transfer data from device to
    Android app. Don't need an online account for that.

    I don't know what a "Fitbit 2" is, probably a "Fitbit <something> 2"
    where "<something>" is the relevant part.

    Anyway, I always needed a Fitbit account for our Fitbits (Alta HR,
    Charge 4, Charge 5 and Charge 6). Without an account, the Fitbit won't
    sync, also not to the Fitbit app on the phone. And to sync, it needs an Internet connection. Stupid design, but that's the way it is.

    So, on the phone, do you use the Fitbit app or another app, if so
    which one?

    Google Fit.


    I think my <insert_loved_one> has a Fitbit Luxe (on an iPhone). I've
    to ask her what she needs to sync. I know they have a Fitbit Family
    account together with her <insert_smaller_loved_one>.

    [...]


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 20:36:19 2025
    Newyana2,

    I replaced android with graphene OS. The phone is switched off unless
    I need it (when traveling). Its main app is OsmAND, a map program.

    I don't think I can do that with TacFone,

    Ah yes, I forgot to mention that my phone is a pixel 6. The replacing with graphene OS was done online, using a webbrowser. Rather painless.

    I have Win11 installed for testing software. I haven't allowed it
    online and haven't done much with it.

    :-) As long as you do not connect it to the internet than you are,
    ofcourse, shielded from most of the shennigans MS could try to pull.

    Moral of the story, to my mind: Win10 is mostly OK but very brittle
    and very bloated.

    I would have the same problem(s) with it as you: I tweak the sh*t outof what I've got running.

    So that seems to be further evidence that MS are punishing tweaks.

    Think of occams razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Jeff Layman@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 19:40:57 2025
    On 01/01/2025 14:33, R.Wieser wrote:

    I replaced android with graphene OS. The phone is switched off unless I
    need it (when traveling). Its main app is OsmAND, a map program.

    I've always understood that GrapheneOS is Android that's been
    "degoogled". You may have replaced the original Android OS in whatever
    Pixel you're using with GrapheneOS, but it's still Android.

    --
    Jeff

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 21:05:54 2025
    Carlos,

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?
    ...
    Good luck igniting another flame war, Arlen :-)

    I think you are misjudging arlen here. Its more than likely he really wants
    to know what he asked for.

    The only problem is that he's, as so often, not really thinking about the impossibility of *what* he's asking. It will take an exorbitant ammount of time to go thru *all* the available google apps and trying to find
    replacements for them, just to come up with the (short)list he actually
    wants.

    And damnit, does /everyone/ here know that Andrew is the next nym of Arlen ?
    I thought I was the only one here who knew that. :-)

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 21:16:03 2025
    Jeff,

    You may have replaced the original Android OS in whatever Pixel you're
    using with GrapheneOS, but it's still Android.

    Absolutily. Just like Googles tracking and adware-infested version of
    android is just android. :-)

    I've always understood that GrapheneOS is Android that's been "degoogled"

    What about the possibility that some nitwit has come up with that
    explanation, and instead GrapheneOS is a clean version of Android plus some privacy and security stuff added to it ?

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 20:46:39 2025
    R.Wieser <address@is.invalid> wrote:
    Newyana2,
    [...]
    I'm amazed that these companies are allowed, legally, to exert such
    control over a device I paid for.

    I hope you're not running Win10/11, which has become nothing more than a thick ethernet client and doubling as an advertising platform. :-)

    This is not a Windows group, so let's not drift too much, but you
    still can use Windows 10 and 11 without a Microsoft account and if you
    answer no to all the 'prying' questions or/and set all 'prying' settings
    to off, you get *no* ads, not from Microsoft, nor from any other
    company. *Unless* of course, you're an paranoid American, because then
    you deserve to get what you spread FUD, urban legends, etc. about! :-)

    [...]

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Wed Jan 1 20:57:23 2025
    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2025-01-01 19:59, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    [...]

    I had a Fitbit 2, and now a Fitbit Luxe. Doesn't upload anything to any >> account. I never bought any premium services. I don't need all those
    extras for how I use it. The only "extra" I enabled was to pair the
    Fitbit to my smart phone via Bluetooth to transfer data from device to
    Android app. Don't need an online account for that.

    I don't know what a "Fitbit 2" is, probably a "Fitbit <something> 2" where "<something>" is the relevant part.

    Anyway, I always needed a Fitbit account for our Fitbits (Alta HR, Charge 4, Charge 5 and Charge 6). Without an account, the Fitbit won't sync, also not to the Fitbit app on the phone. And to sync, it needs an Internet connection. Stupid design, but that's the way it is.

    So, on the phone, do you use the Fitbit app or another app, if so
    which one?

    Google Fit.

    Are you sure? The Google Fit entry on the Google Play site [1] doesn't
    even mention Fitbit in its list of devices and its website [2] doesn't
    list any devices.

    I always thought that *other* *apps* (not devices), could talk to
    Google Fit and that Google Fit then showed a consolidation of all the
    data.

    IIRC, I used Google Fit in the past, but I can't remember with which app/service/device.

    I think my <insert_loved_one> has a Fitbit Luxe (on an iPhone). I've
    to ask her what she needs to sync. I know they have a Fitbit Family
    account together with her <insert_smaller_loved_one>.

    [...]

    [1] <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.fitness>

    [2] <https://www.google.com/fit/>

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Wed Jan 1 20:49:05 2025
    R.Wieser <address@is.invalid> wrote:
    Carlos,

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS? ...
    Good luck igniting another flame war, Arlen :-)

    I think you are misjudging arlen here. Its more than likely he really wants to know what he asked for.

    And I have a 300-meter steel tower in Paris for sale, real cheap,
    honest!

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Wed Jan 1 22:55:39 2025
    On 2025-01-01 21:57, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2025-01-01 19:59, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    [...]

    I had a Fitbit 2, and now a Fitbit Luxe. Doesn't upload anything to any >>>> account. I never bought any premium services. I don't need all those >>>> extras for how I use it. The only "extra" I enabled was to pair the
    Fitbit to my smart phone via Bluetooth to transfer data from device to >>>> Android app. Don't need an online account for that.

    I don't know what a "Fitbit 2" is, probably a "Fitbit <something> 2" >>> where "<something>" is the relevant part.

    Anyway, I always needed a Fitbit account for our Fitbits (Alta HR,
    Charge 4, Charge 5 and Charge 6). Without an account, the Fitbit won't
    sync, also not to the Fitbit app on the phone. And to sync, it needs an
    Internet connection. Stupid design, but that's the way it is.

    So, on the phone, do you use the Fitbit app or another app, if so
    which one?

    Google Fit.

    Are you sure? The Google Fit entry on the Google Play site [1] doesn't even mention Fitbit in its list of devices and its website [2] doesn't
    list any devices.

    I always thought that *other* *apps* (not devices), could talk to
    Google Fit and that Google Fit then showed a consolidation of all the
    data.

    I don't know for sure where it gets its data from, but it is there.
    Maybe Google Fit talks with Fitbit app.

    I had that app installed from before, then one day I noticed that it had
    data that seemed to come from the watch. Yes, looking there is displays
    my siesta data as coming from Fitbit. It also shows the map of my walk
    this afternoon, with a label that says "Fitbit".

    In the details, it shows the elevation graph of the walk, something that
    is missing in the Fitbit app.

    I remember vaguely saying yes to share data, but I don't remember which
    of the two apps. Maybe both.


    IIRC, I used Google Fit in the past, but I can't remember with which app/service/device.

    I think my <insert_loved_one> has a Fitbit Luxe (on an iPhone). I've >>> to ask her what she needs to sync. I know they have a Fitbit Family
    account together with her <insert_smaller_loved_one>.

    [...]

    [1] <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.fitness>

    [2] <https://www.google.com/fit/>


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Theo on Wed Jan 1 21:32:18 2025
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a
    legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you
    need to sign in with the Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone, which means that account infests
    the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    Are you sure about that? Can't you just use a Google account to login into the *app*, instead of into the *system*/OS? Many apps have such functionality, i.e. an app-specific login, so I wouldn't know why the Fitbit app would be any different.

    It shows under Settings -> Accounts, and the Play Store uses it without asking. There's no way to sign out of it apart from deleting it from the phone. If I do that the Fitbit app stops working and wants a sign in again.

    So you already had a Google account on the phone and used that for the
    Fitbit app, so you can no longer remove the account from the phone
    (Settings) and use the Fitbit app with the *same* Google account.

    But the scenario I was talking about was: Phone *without* a Google
    account (after all, that's the subject of this thread). User wants to
    use Fitbit app. Fitbit app wants a Google account. My suggestion:
    Create/have a Google account, do *not* use it for the *phone* (i.e. it's
    not in Settings) and just use it to login into the *Fitbit app*. I see
    no reason why that shouldn't work.

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  • From Theo@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Wed Jan 1 22:33:55 2025
    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:
    Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a
    legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you
    need to sign in with the Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone, which means that account infests
    the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    Are you sure about that? Can't you just use a Google account to login into the *app*, instead of into the *system*/OS? Many apps have such functionality, i.e. an app-specific login, so I wouldn't know why the Fitbit app would be any different.

    It shows under Settings -> Accounts, and the Play Store uses it without asking. There's no way to sign out of it apart from deleting it from the phone. If I do that the Fitbit app stops working and wants a sign in again.

    So you already had a Google account on the phone and used that for the Fitbit app, so you can no longer remove the account from the phone
    (Settings) and use the Fitbit app with the *same* Google account.

    But the scenario I was talking about was: Phone *without* a Google
    account (after all, that's the subject of this thread). User wants to
    use Fitbit app. Fitbit app wants a Google account. My suggestion:
    Create/have a Google account, do *not* use it for the *phone* (i.e. it's
    not in Settings) and just use it to login into the *Fitbit app*. I see
    no reason why that shouldn't work.

    No, I had no Google account anywhere on the phone. The Fitbit account
    wanted me to 'Sign in with Google'. This also *signed in the whole phone
    with Google* (ie Play Store, everything). If I removed that account from
    the phone in Settings -> Accounts, the Fitbit app wasn't signed in and
    wanted to 'Sign in with Google'. Around the circle we go.

    The only way to avoid this is to create a separate user profile and install
    the Fitbit app into it (as the only app besides the system apps). That
    signs that whole profile into Google, but doesn't affect the apps installed
    in other profiles. When are done with the Fitbit app, stop that profile and
    go back to your other profile that has no Google account in it. This only works if your phone OEM has enabled user profiles.

    Theo

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  • From Arno Welzel@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 23:19:50 2025
    Andrew, 2025-01-01 03:08:

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    Everything what does not need a Google account. That was easy.



    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Theo on Thu Jan 2 01:14:01 2025
    Theo wrote on 01 Jan 2025 10:50:47 +0000 (GMT) :

    To use a Fitbit, you need a Google account (unless you have a legacy Fitbit account from years ago). To use the Fitbit app you need to sign in with the Google account, which installs the Google account centrally on the phone, which means that account infests the rest of the OS and gets used for other stuff (eg Play Services/Store).

    If your phone vendor supports 'user profiles' you can make a new profile,
    add the Google account there. Then it won't interfere with other profiles
    and you can terminate the session by logging out after you're done.

    Only Theo, so far, seems to understand that simple fact, so everything
    said, so far, is off topic except what Theo said about FitBit.

    Nobody else who posted seems to understand these are NOT the same thing:
    1. An account on the Internet (often which requires a login/password)
    2. That account as an integral part of the Android operating system

    Those are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THINGS which only Theo understood, sadly.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/x1NZwj5G/account02.jpg>

    Think of it this way if you must:
    a. A bank app might require an account (which often requires login/passwd)
    b. But that bank account is NOT an integral part of the Android OS

    Only Theo answered the question on topic.
    Nobody else even understood what was being asked (sadly).
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Bnyr9fP1/account01.jpg>

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Arno Welzel on Thu Jan 2 01:28:13 2025
    Arno Welzel wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:19:50 +0100 :

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    Everything what does not need a Google account. That was easy.

    You have no idea how Android works if you say something that absurd.

    Only Theo, so far, understood that an account on the Internet is not at all
    the same thing as an account integrally set up deeply in Android settings.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/x1NZwj5G/account02.jpg>

    Nobody else who posted but Theo knows anything about Android.
    Not Arno. Not Frank. Not Rudy. Not Carlos. Not Mayayana. None of you.

    There's a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE difference between these two things:
    a. An account on the Internet
    b. An account on the phone

    Only Theo understood the question. Nobody else did.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Bnyr9fP1/account01.jpg>

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Andy Burns on Thu Jan 2 04:36:26 2025
    Andy Burns wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 15:46:19 +0000 :

    Agreed, you're making a one-off choice there.

    Theo seems to be the only person who UNDERSTOOD the question, since most
    people have no clue how Android works - they don't know how Google works.

    They think this question is about a Google Account on the Internet.
    It's not about that at all.

    It's about how Android works with Google apps - which only Theo understood.
    And specifically, which Google apps need to have a non-Google replacement.

    One key reason for that non-Google replacement is the fact that...
    1. Most Google apps do not infest Android with an integral account
    2. But some do

    Almost nobody but Theo and I (so far) are aware of that obvious fact.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Thu Jan 2 05:04:25 2025
    R.Wieser wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 20:36:19 +0100 :

    Think of occams razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

    Rudy is correct that nobody but Theo understood the question asked here.

    The fact remains that if anyone has a Google Account set up on Android,
    then they have already forfeited their right to privacy as it's impossible
    to maintain privacy when a Google Account is integral to Android Settings.

    The only people who stand a chance of privacy, are those who don't do that.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/x1NZwj5G/account02.jpg>

    Theo is the only one, so far, who understood the question, where, Fitbit on Android requires a Google Account (because Google acquired Fitbit in 2021).

    To test out Theo's FitBit observation, without a Google Account set up on
    my Android phone, moments ago I anonymously downloaded the latest FitBit
    app from the Google Play Store repository <com.fitbit.FitbitMobile>.

    It asked me to "Sign in with Google" or "Sign in with Fitbit".

    Clicking "Sign in with Fitbit" doesn't seem to allow me to *create* a
    FitBit account, and "Sign in with Google" says, very clearly this:
    <https://i.postimg.cc/7ZRtbdHN/fitbit01.jpg>

    *The account will be added to this device*

    So that makes THREE Google apps which are known to infest Android with an unwanted integral account just by the mere act of logging into them.

    1. The Google Gmail app (easily replaced with an open-source MUA)
    2. The Google Voice app (less easily replaced with an open-source VOIP)
    3. The Google FitBit app (is it easily replaced with an alternative app?)

    To find out what that alternative app might be, I opened this thread today:
    *For privacy, what is a suitable alternative to the Google FitBit app on Android?*
    <https://www.novabbs.com/computers/article-flat.php?id=56645&group=comp.mobile.android#56645>

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Thu Jan 2 05:17:41 2025
    Frank Slootweg wrote on 1 Jan 2025 16:14:17 GMT :

    Android settings -> General -> Accounts

    And those accounts are only accounts on your *phone* (i.e. in
    Settings) if the app so chooses. For example I have apps for several
    airlines and for only one of them (KLM! :-)) the account shows up under 'Accounts and backup' in Settings.

    And BTW, Fitbit is *not* listed in my list of accounts (but as I said before, I still have a legacy (non-Google) Fitbit account).

    This thread has two separate components, to date:
    A. What Google apps cannot be replaced with private equivalents, and,
    B. Which Google apps are the most dangerous in terms of privacy loss?
    (As those are the critical Google apps to define replacements for!)

    For the latter question, and with the useful information provided by Theo,
    we now collectively know of three Google apps which infest the Android operating system with a system-wide integral account - which - wipes out
    any chance of privacy (which means we need to find a FitBit replacement).

    Google apps which automatically infest Android with a SETTINGS account:
    1. Google Gmail app (luckily which is easily replaced with a FOSS MUA)
    2. Google Voice app (probably which can be replaced by some other VOIP)
    3. Google FitBit app (maybe which may have an open source replacement)

    So that we all learn from the dialogue, do you know of any others Frank?

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Theo on Thu Jan 2 05:31:57 2025
    Theo wrote on 01 Jan 2025 22:33:55 +0000 (GMT) :

    No, I had no Google account anywhere on the phone. The Fitbit account
    wanted me to 'Sign in with Google'. This also *signed in the whole phone with Google* (ie Play Store, everything). If I removed that account from
    the phone in Settings -> Accounts, the Fitbit app wasn't signed in and
    wanted to 'Sign in with Google'. Around the circle we go.

    The only way to avoid this is to create a separate user profile and install the Fitbit app into it (as the only app besides the system apps). That
    signs that whole profile into Google, but doesn't affect the apps installed in other profiles. When are done with the Fitbit app, stop that profile and go back to your other profile that has no Google account in it. This only works if your phone OEM has enabled user profiles.

    I tested this and Theo is correct as far as my empirical tests showed.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/7ZRtbdHN/fitbit01.jpg>

    My test just now was...

    1. I never had a Google Account set up on my Android phone even as
    I have many Google Accounts which I log into on my Android phone.

    2. Anonymously, without using the Google Play Store app, I used the
    canonical FOSS Google Play Store replacement app to install FitBit.

    3. This anonymously installed the exact same FitBit app from the exact
    same Google Play Store repo that a Google Play Store app would install.

    When I tried to use that Google FitBit app from the Google Play Store repo,
    the Google FitBit app gave me the choice of logging into FitBit or Google.

    The choice of FitBit apparently requires a pre-existing FitBit account.
    Which I don't have. (I don't even know what FitBit does in fact.)

    My only choice was the Google login, which, surprise, did exactly what Theo said it would do - and it said it would do it - it *infests* the Android
    phone with a Google Account even when there is no Google Account integral
    to Android settings (in Settings > Accounts and backup > Manage accounts).
    <https://i.postimg.cc/x1NZwj5G/account02.jpg>

    This means we need to find an alternative (hopefully open-source) to FitBit
    if we wish to have any possibility of privacy when using it with Android:

    *For privacy, what is a suitable alternative to the Google FitBit app on Android?*
    <https://www.novabbs.com/computers/article-flat.php?id=56645&group=comp.mobile.android#56645>

    BTW, what does FitBit do?
    Whatever it does - that's what we want to find a FOSS replacement for.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Thu Jan 2 05:50:04 2025
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 19:52:44 +0100 :

    So no, I'm not interested in finding out what I can do without a login
    to google.

    Hi Carlos,

    The question has absolutely nothing to do with "a login to google".

    The question is about replacement functionality with inherent privacy.
    YouTube ====> replaced by ====> NewPipe
    Chrome ====> replaced by ====> Ungoogled Chromium (or Bromite)
    Google Play Store ====> replaced by ====> Aurora
    Gmail app ====> replaced by ====> FairEmail MUA (or similar)
    etc.

    I have plenty of Google logins. This question has nothing to do with Google logins per se - as it has to do with a Google Account set up as an integral component deeply ensconced in Android. That's a very important distinction.

    They're completely different things, Carlos.
    Especially in terms of their privacy implications.

    Because people forfeit their right to privacy the instant they define a
    Google Account as an integral part of the Android operating system.

    But IMHO, Android works just fine WITHOUT that parasitic Google Account.

    Luckily most Google apps do NOT create a Google Account on the phone.
    For example, Chrome doesn't. Neither does YouTube. Nor does Google Maps.

    But some Google apps do infest Android with an integral Google Account.
    1. GMail app (which is easily replaced with the FairEmail MUA)
    2. Google Voice app (which can be replaced by another VOIP app)
    3. FitBit app (which Theo informed us also infests Android settings)

    Anything else, Carlos?

    It is my premise that there is no useful Google app that doesn't have an equivalent (usually FOSS equivalent) that avoids the privacy issues.

    The purpose of this thread is to find out if that premise is correct.
    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Thu Jan 2 06:00:10 2025
    R.Wieser wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 21:05:54 +0100 :

    And damnit, does /everyone/ here know that Andrew is the next nym of Arlen ? I thought I was the only one here who knew that. :-)

    Hi Rudy,

    I'm still the same purposefully helpful kind & caring poster I always was.

    I post here for a decade with the *same* images, the same phone for years,
    the same posting style, the same quest for privacy, the same love of
    Android, the same kind and helpful attitude to those who deserve it, etc.

    I'm still in the Santa Cruz mountains. I still have the same phone.
    I still answer people's questions using my vast knowledge, etc.

    I'm the same kind-hearted humble Usenet servant I always was.

    If it takes someone more than two seconds to figure out my posts, then
    there's something wrong - because I don't hide who I am from anyone here.

    Nothing changed except the wrapping paper on the gift of the present.
    If that fools anyone, then there's something very wrong with them.

    Look at these screenshots I post for example. Nobody but me does that.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/KvTvtMS8/scrcpy31.jpg> HNS stop/start solution
    <https://i.postimg.cc/WbpYsfqg/scrcpy30.jpg> Windows Update is the problem
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Hs1ZZ5H0/scrcpy29.jpg> net stop hns & net start hns
    <https://i.postimg.cc/pdyTjwnT/scrcpy28.jpg> Android assigns random ports
    <https://i.postimg.cc/25XrGW9R/scrcpy27.jpg> Nobody can find locked ports
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Dz1rcpDX/scrcpy26.jpg> Windows Update locks ports
    <https://i.postimg.cc/tgvzsMRm/scrcpy25.jpg> Connect over Wi-Fi sans USB
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Hnw59ZHm/scrcpy24.jpg> Compare Vysor to scrcpy
    <https://i.postimg.cc/mrz6gJpC/scrcpy23.jpg> Android SMS/MMS on Windows
    <https://i.postimg.cc/c4Wq5x9j/scrcpy22.jpg> Vysor IP address option
    <https://i.postimg.cc/9FJMKYch/scrcpy21.jpg> Windows Drive: === Android
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Y9jbTtcN/scrcpy20.jpg> Start /b as a CMD works! :)
    <https://i.postimg.cc/3R6nTz7s/scrcpy19.jpg> Start /b TARGET fails :(
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Y93b1z0n/scrcpy18.jpg> Free Automation APKs
    <https://i.postimg.cc/bvRXdbxg/scrcpy17.jpg> AutoIT & IFFT & Automate
    <https://i.postimg.cc/5NrK7jtg/scrcpy16.jpg> powershell hide-console trick
    <https://i.postimg.cc/g2yNftw0/scrcpy15.jpg> Trick to pin batch shortcut
    <https://i.postimg.cc/XqZsmVFM/scrcpy14.jpg> AppPath & shortcut TARGET
    <https://i.postimg.cc/CxXH6N2r/scrcpy13.jpg> No scrcpy console window!
    <https://i.postimg.cc/yYKNnHxD/scrcpy12.jpg> REG test of showwin.lnk
    <https://i.postimg.cc/7LWJhWxq/scrcpy11.jpg> Shortcut test of showwin.lnk
    <https://i.postimg.cc/fyWw2nXh/scrcpy10.jpg> The console came up :(
    <https://i.postimg.cc/66Gn2t2g/scrcpy09.jpg> REG test of showwin.bat
    <https://i.postimg.cc/nV6K0Cfn/scrcpy08.jpg> CMD test of showwin.bat
    <https://i.postimg.cc/hjkVFyqJ/scrcpy07.jpg> Android mnt as drive letter
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Sx1hgWmY/scrcpy06.jpg> Press two hardware buttons
    <https://i.postimg.cc/wvsbcNBz/scrcpy05.jpg> Drag APK from Windows
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Y00vx4yp/scrcpy04.jpg> Extraneous cmd window (&)
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Vvrq0K0m/scrcpy03.jpg> The efficient setup explained
    <https://i.postimg.cc/tTmdgKTB/scrcpy02.jpg> An efficient program setup
    <https://i.postimg.cc/N0G1TXcZ/scrcpy01.jpg> Mirror Android on any PC

    If it takes anyone more than a second to figure out my posts, there's
    something very wrong - as the only ones who exclaim "I FOUND YOU!!!!!"
    are usually the trolls who only care about the wrapping paper and not the beauty of the vast knowledge inherent in the value imparted in the body.

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Thu Jan 2 02:02:53 2025
    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

    I always thought that *other* *apps* (not devices), could talk to
    Google Fit and that Google Fit then showed a consolidation of all the
    data.

    There is the Health Connect app, also from Google, which describes
    itself as linking health data from multiple apps. Seems to be a health
    app data aggregator, but I've never used it to be sure.

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.healthdata
    "Health Connect by Android gives you a simple way to share data between
    your health, fitness, and wellbeing apps without compromising on
    privacy."

    Of course, Andrew isn't going to believe anything regarding privacy when
    Google is involved.

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Thu Jan 2 01:56:57 2025
    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

    Anyway, I always needed a Fitbit account for our Fitbits (Alta HR,
    Charge 4, Charge 5 and Charge 6). Without an account, the Fitbit won't
    sync, also not to the Fitbit app on the phone. And to sync, it needs an Internet connection. Stupid design, but that's the way it is.

    Only if you need the Fitbit device to sync somewhere. Fitbit upped the
    minimum Android version, so I couldn't use it anymore. For many months
    now, the Fitbit device still works all by itself. The app gives you
    more, but I really didn't need more.

    So, on the phone, do you use the Fitbit app or another app, if so
    which one?

    Fitbit cut me off on compatibility with my old phone with its old
    Android 8 version. Don't remember when that happened, maybe over a year
    ago, so I've just been using the Fitbit Luxe wrist device without any
    sync to anywhere. If I wanted to manually log its data, well, Excel
    works. My BPM (Blood Pressure Meter) has Bluetooth and a phone app, but
    I don't bother, and just enter the readings into a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet shows history, and I added trend lines. However, I've never bothered recording externally the data from the Fitbit device.

    The app adds extras, and some convenience for tracking (history). I
    don't need them. Others feel they must. I only wear mine at the gym.

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Andrew on Thu Jan 2 02:08:37 2025
    Andrew <andys@nospam.com> wrote:

    Arno Welzel wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:19:50 +0100 :

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    Everything what does not need a Google account. That was easy.

    You have no idea how Android works if you say something that absurd.

    Only Theo, so far, understood that an account on the Internet is not at all the same thing as an account integrally set up deeply in Android settings.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/x1NZwj5G/account02.jpg>

    Nobody else who posted but Theo knows anything about Android.
    Not Arno. Not Frank. Not Rudy. Not Carlos. Not Mayayana. None of you.

    There's a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE difference between these two things:
    a. An account on the Internet
    b. An account on the phone

    Only Theo understood the question. Nobody else did.
    <https://i.postimg.cc/Bnyr9fP1/account01.jpg>

    Reset the phone, and next time when an app wants a login then refuse to
    prevent having the account stored on the phone. If you're just
    protesting Google, don't login to any newly loaded app that wants you to specify a Google account, so it doesn't get stored on your phone. After
    a reset, there are no accounts stored on the phone. It is after *you*
    specify a login that either the app will store it locally to itself, or
    load it into Accounts in the Android OS.

    Patient: It hurts when I do this.
    Doctor: Don't do that.

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  • From Jeff Layman@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Thu Jan 2 08:47:14 2025
    On 01/01/2025 20:16, R.Wieser wrote:
    Jeff,

    You may have replaced the original Android OS in whatever Pixel you're
    using with GrapheneOS, but it's still Android.

    Absolutily. Just like Googles tracking and adware-infested version of android is just android. :-)

    I've always understood that GrapheneOS is Android that's been "degoogled"

    What about the possibility that some nitwit has come up with that explanation, and instead GrapheneOS is a clean version of Android plus some privacy and security stuff added to it ?

    Well, you might like to bet on that possibility but I most certainly
    would not! Android is Google's baby and they spent a lot of time, money,
    and effort bringing it up. I know that GrapheneOS has been reviewed and
    the general view is that it is pretty good at what it does (interesting discussion here: <https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/i-dont-trust-pixel-graphene-where-are-the-authoritative-claims-of-its-credibility/17503/1>).
    However, Android is said to have 12 million lines of code. Is it really
    known to anyone outside Google what all of them do?

    --
    Jeff

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jan 2 08:47:06 2025
    Andrew,

    Think of occams razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is
    adequately explained by stupidity."

    Rudy is correct that nobody but Theo understood the question asked here.

    Lol. You're up to your old tricks I see, trying to warp what I said about something completely else into some wonkey "conclusion" furthering your own narrative - and than claiming that someone who didn't even come /near/ to answering your question was 'the only one' who understood what you actually wanted to know.

    Arlen, I don't like you and I never have. However, I gave you benefit of
    the doubt and provided you with a reply you could use to actually gain some kind of an answer to your stated problem. Your above reply shows me that
    that was, again, a wasted effort.

    Fitbit on Android requires a Google Account (because Google acquired
    Fitbit in 2021).

    And you're /behave/ like you rather stupid. Most everyone else would understand the implications of wanting to have replacements for Googles apps also means that hardware only working with Googles apps also need to be replaced. Heck, my initial reply already precluded that it all depends on what people, you, would call a replacement. You (make it sound like you)
    do not want to find a replacement for that bit of hardware*, and with it sabotage your own question - which you have just shown to consider to be our fault/problem. Way to go kid.

    * /assuming/ that there are no replacement apps for it, something you have
    not even tried to figure out ...

    Also, you are again trying to gaslight us into believing that this is what
    you actually asked - even though any kind reference to any kind of hardware
    is absent from your initial question.

    Did I already say that I don't like you ? Contortions like the above do
    cause that resentment. You have zero problem with warping whatever is (not) said into stuff with which you try to make it sound as if everyone else is
    just too stupid to even look at you.

    And by the way, I already mentioned that you don't *need* a FitBit to keep track of your daily(?) excersise.

    Bottom line: this nym of yours also goes in my killfile. Enjoy. :-)

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jan 2 11:35:22 2025
    Andrew,

    And damnit, does /everyone/ here know that Andrew is the next nym of
    Arlen ? I thought I was the only one here who knew that. :-)

    Hi Rudy,

    I'm still the same purposefully helpful kind & caring poster I always was.

    :-D I remember you thru the years. Heck, your previous post already
    paints a different picture.

    You are "purposely" allright, just not "helpfull" or "caring". Instead, everyone else need to be helpfull *to you* - just like with your current question - and could not care less about offending pretty-much everyone by stating that nobody but one understood what you where "actually" out for.

    Heck, I was pleasantly surprised when you, in the "Shortcut to Bluetooth Tethering?" thread, where able to comprise a tutorial (of sorts) of just 4 steps. Even though you implicitily called s|b stupid thruout that post.
    Yeah, you really sounded "caring" there. :-(

    I post here for a decade with the *same* images, the same phone for years, the same posting style, the same quest for privacy, the same love of
    Android, the same kind and helpful attitude to those who deserve it, etc.

    Yeah, I remember your "tutorials". For the ones I've seen they are
    convoluted, mixing different, unrelated subjects and sometimes even stopped short of any kind of a conclusion. I also remember when you posted a list
    of links, and I went thru them pointing out the problems with them. You
    could not have cared less. The same thing happens in this thread: you
    could not care less that I was trying to actually help you (without thumping
    my chest and letting the whole world know) to get /some/ kind of answer to
    your stated question.

    I'm still in the Santa Cruz mountains. I still have the same phone.
    I still answer people's questions using my vast knowledge, etc.

    And you still change your nym once in a while, making it impossible for
    others to find your older contributions - and refuse to "deep link" to the relevant ones in those fora you recently linked to (same thread as above).

    And wonder-upon-wonder, s|b recognised you where likely sending him on a
    wild goose chase, and told you he would not go along with that.

    Your response ? A number of posts deeper calling everybody morons, still refusing to post a direct link to what you /hinted/ should be in that
    forum - pretty-much confirming his suspicion.

    You said there that you're "frustrated trying to help people like you",
    while your behaviour tells us that you're not really trying to help others,
    but instead are spinning tales about what all you know and do to make it
    sound as if you are something special. You're not. There are lots of
    people here, and chances are that at least some of those know more about certain subjects than you do.

    I remember where you tried to tell someone who had serious job experience on some subject that you knew better - a claim you did not bother to support.

    I'm the same kind-hearted humble Usenet servant I always was.

    Don't lie to yourself like that. Just like now you have, effectivily,
    demanded that all others here do all the work providing you with
    replacements for all the Google apps. You consider yourself to be the
    Master, with us here being peons.

    If it takes someone more than two seconds to figure out my posts, then there's something wrong - because I don't hide who I am from anyone here.

    Besides you again lying to us (you change your nym ever so often), you are *again* mixing two unrelated subjects together and trying to make it sounds
    as if they are.

    As for how easy to understand your posts are ? I had no problem
    understanding what your initial question was asking for - and how impossible
    it was (funny that with all your knowledge you still are not able to realize that). And than you made it sound as if that question, asking us to come
    up with replacements for google apps, was /not at all/ what you where
    actually asking, and that it was about a FitBit all along.

    Yeah, nobody here notices that kind of shennigans. :-)

    Nothing changed except the wrapping paper on the gift of the present.
    If that fools anyone, then there's something very wrong with them.

    Only a fool will be convinced that when everyone does/believes something
    else than himself it must be those others that are at fault.

    Look at these screenshots I post for example. Nobody but me does that.

    Luckely so I would say. I remember a list of your "tutorials" of years
    ago where I made mince-meat of each-and-every-one of them. Convoluted and confusing, mixing unrelated subjects and sometimes not even coming to a conclusion.

    And posting *screenshots* ? Why ? Whats wrong with just posting links ? Yeah, posting an image of where you claim to have successfully tackeled an undescribed problem does tell us /so much/ about your prowess. No, really.
    /s

    "Nobody can find locked ports". Lol. Who posted that info (on the internet
    or perhaps even usenet) for you to find (making a mockery of your "nobody")
    ? Or did you just go thu all the "help pages" netsh gives you when you
    use the "/?" argument ? Yeah, nobody else did that ever. /s

    "Trick to pin batch shortcut" And ? What is your conclusion to why it
    works that way ? *That* would be interresting to people to know, so they
    can use the same method to pin other, unpinnable stuff.

    "No scrcpy console window!" The last time I checked (just a few seconds
    ago) I could just press alt + print screen and paste the result into Paint.

    Ofcourse, without access to your tutotial (with its problem description and
    how you solved it with that batch file) its hard to say much about how good
    (or bad) your solution is - or if the, my, screenshot method would solve anything.

    "Extraneous cmd window (&)" The actual question in the image is "how do you put this command window in the background". The answer is : You don't.
    Windows does not have support for it.

    I can't see in that image what the solution is you arrived on (if any), but
    I do see you still do not trim down the problem to what the problem states (what has "sceencopy properties" to do with anything. Or "deamon not running"), making it cumbersome for anyone to duplicate your problem (and
    help you to find a (better) solution).

    "REG test of showwin.bat" I see you still keep abusing that "app path"
    registry "solution".

    Oh well, I'm not really surprised that you do not seem to have learned
    anything more about creating helpfull material since we spoke all those
    years ago. Even this list of screenshots (that are likely part of some "tutorials") show what a mess you still make of things (and are activily
    hiding anything that could give us insight to your solutions).

    If it takes anyone more than a second to figure out my posts, there's something very wrong - as the only ones who exclaim "I FOUND YOU!!!!!"
    are usually the trolls who only care about the wrapping paper and not the beauty of the vast knowledge inherent in the value imparted in the body.

    You refuse to post links to to "the beauty of the vast knowledge" you claim
    you have posted somewhere, even when someone directly asks you for them.

    Kiddo, you keep doing you. Forgive me if I put you, again, into my
    "killfile" so that I do not need to read all your grand-standing and rubbish "tutorials".

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jan 2 11:46:59 2025
    Jeff,

    However, Android is said to have 12 million lines of code. Is it really
    known to anyone outside Google what all of them do?

    Which is exactly why a sane person would not want to go and try to de-google-ify it, and starting with a clean version would be a better idea. Yes, I applied logic there.

    Also, the parent spoke of "android" after which I tried to make him aware
    that Googles android is something different than android. Yet, you speak
    of "android" as if googles version of it is the base one. Do you have any support for that ?

    And by the way, I do not even think that the people inside Google know what
    all of it does. :-)

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Thu Jan 2 15:55:12 2025
    On 2025-01-02 11:35, R.Wieser wrote:
    Andrew,

    And damnit, does /everyone/ here know that Andrew is the next nym of
    Arlen ? I thought I was the only one here who knew that. :-)

    Hi Rudy,

    I'm still the same purposefully helpful kind & caring poster I always was.

    :-D I remember you thru the years. Heck, your previous post already
    paints a different picture.

    You are "purposely" allright, just not "helpfull" or "caring". Instead, everyone else need to be helpfull *to you* - just like with your current question - and could not care less about offending pretty-much everyone by stating that nobody but one understood what you where "actually" out for.

    Caring? When he doesn't like what we say, he turns to insulting us.


    Heck, I was pleasantly surprised when you, in the "Shortcut to Bluetooth Tethering?" thread, where able to comprise a tutorial (of sorts) of just 4 steps. Even though you implicitily called s|b stupid thruout that post. Yeah, you really sounded "caring" there. :-(

    I don't accept said tutorials unless they are posted on a fixed web
    site, not a forum with a collection of posts. Properly indexed.



    I post here for a decade with the *same* images, the same phone for years, >> the same posting style, the same quest for privacy, the same love of
    Android, the same kind and helpful attitude to those who deserve it, etc.

    Yeah, I remember your "tutorials". For the ones I've seen they are convoluted, mixing different, unrelated subjects and sometimes even stopped short of any kind of a conclusion. I also remember when you posted a list of links, and I went thru them pointing out the problems with them. You could not have cared less. The same thing happens in this thread: you
    could not care less that I was trying to actually help you (without thumping my chest and letting the whole world know) to get /some/ kind of answer to your stated question.

    I'm still in the Santa Cruz mountains. I still have the same phone.
    I still answer people's questions using my vast knowledge, etc.

    And you still change your nym once in a while, making it impossible for others to find your older contributions - and refuse to "deep link" to the relevant ones in those fora you recently linked to (same thread as above).

    Right.

    ...

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Thu Jan 2 15:26:04 2025
    On 2025-01-02 09:02, VanguardLH wrote:
    Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

    I always thought that *other* *apps* (not devices), could talk to
    Google Fit and that Google Fit then showed a consolidation of all the
    data.

    There is the Health Connect app, also from Google, which describes
    itself as linking health data from multiple apps. Seems to be a health
    app data aggregator, but I've never used it to be sure.

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.healthdata
    "Health Connect by Android gives you a simple way to share data between
    your health, fitness, and wellbeing apps without compromising on
    privacy."

    I don't think it is actually an app. I think I have it installed, but it
    does not show in the list of apps. Ah, wait, it is called "Salud
    connect" here. Yet the list of apps doesn't list it, but google play
    says it is installed and offers to open it. It may be a configuration
    applet showing inside of the setup wheel - no, it is not there. I can
    only start it from google play.


    Of course, Andrew isn't going to believe anything regarding privacy when Google is involved.

    :-)

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Thu Jan 2 16:34:35 2025
    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2025-01-01 21:57, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2025-01-01 19:59, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    [...]

    I had a Fitbit 2, and now a Fitbit Luxe. Doesn't upload anything to any >>>> account. I never bought any premium services. I don't need all those >>>> extras for how I use it. The only "extra" I enabled was to pair the >>>> Fitbit to my smart phone via Bluetooth to transfer data from device to >>>> Android app. Don't need an online account for that.

    I don't know what a "Fitbit 2" is, probably a "Fitbit <something> 2" >>> where "<something>" is the relevant part.

    Anyway, I always needed a Fitbit account for our Fitbits (Alta HR, >>> Charge 4, Charge 5 and Charge 6). Without an account, the Fitbit won't >>> sync, also not to the Fitbit app on the phone. And to sync, it needs an >>> Internet connection. Stupid design, but that's the way it is.

    So, on the phone, do you use the Fitbit app or another app, if so
    which one?

    Google Fit.

    Are you sure? The Google Fit entry on the Google Play site [1] doesn't even mention Fitbit in its list of devices and its website [2] doesn't
    list any devices.

    I always thought that *other* *apps* (not devices), could talk to
    Google Fit and that Google Fit then showed a consolidation of all the
    data.

    I don't know for sure where it gets its data from, but it is there.
    Maybe Google Fit talks with Fitbit app.

    I had that app installed from before, then one day I noticed that it had
    data that seemed to come from the watch. Yes, looking there is displays
    my siesta data as coming from Fitbit. It also shows the map of my walk
    this afternoon, with a label that says "Fitbit".

    In the details, it shows the elevation graph of the walk, something that
    is missing in the Fitbit app.

    I remember vaguely saying yes to share data, but I don't remember which
    of the two apps. Maybe both.

    Thanks.

    IIRC, I used Google Fit in the past, but I can't remember with which app/service/device.

    I looked for my notes ("grep 'Google Fit' *" :-)) and it turns out I
    tried Google Fit with Fitbit and Sleep as Android.

    With Fitbit, Google Fit only showed distance, calories and steps.

    With Sleep as Android, Google Fit only showed time-slept.

    So for both Fitbit and Sleep as Android, the 'integration' with Google
    Fit wasn't useful and I uninstalled Googlle Fit.

    I think my <insert_loved_one> has a Fitbit Luxe (on an iPhone). I've >>> to ask her what she needs to sync. I know they have a Fitbit Family
    account together with her <insert_smaller_loved_one>.

    [...]

    [1] <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.fitness>

    [2] <https://www.google.com/fit/>

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Thu Jan 2 17:26:02 2025
    Carlos,

    Caring? When he doesn't like what we say, he turns to insulting us.

    Yep. In all those years I've known him he hasn't changed a bit in that
    regard. That, and his expectation that we do all his work for him.

    I don't accept said tutorials unless they are posted on a fixed web site,
    not a forum with a collection of posts. Properly indexed.

    Although its ofcourse nice to have permalinks, even the ones that are ment
    as such can break given enough time (nothing is forever). As such I, when
    its looks worthwhile or even just interresting, have the habit of copying
    the offered information to my local machine.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Thu Jan 2 18:31:34 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    Carlos E.R. wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 22:55:39 +0100 :

    In the details, it shows the elevation graph of the walk, something that
    is missing in the Fitbit app.

    Luckily, we've solved the problem of replacing Google FitBit with
    equivalent privacy-aware functionality in this new companion thread.

    *For privacy, what is a suitable alternative to the Google FitBit app on Android?*
    <https://www.novabbs.com/computers/article-flat.php?id=56645&group=comp.mobile.android#56645>

    All it takes is a modicum of intelligence to replace FitBit features with privacy-aware equivalent functionality (which doesn't involve the forfeit
    of privacy by setting up a Google Account integral to the Android system).

    For example, <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.secuso.privacyfriendlyactivitytracker>

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Jeff Layman on Thu Jan 2 18:25:31 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    Jeff Layman wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 08:47:14 +0000 :

    Android is said to have 12 million lines of code. Is it really
    known to anyone outside Google what all of them do?

    Hi Jeff,

    Happy New Year!

    We've worked together on plenty of things in the past, so it's good to see
    you back, where you must know that Rudy has an IQ no higher than about 50.

    Anyway, regarding Graphene OS, it's my understanding, as it is yours, that
    it's a de-googled Android, which, much like ungoogled chromium, starts with
    the base code and, one by one, removes the data collection, blocks
    tracking, and focuses on user control - all of which are good things.

    As for me, I can't install GrapheneOS because my bootloader is not known to
    be rootable - so the simplest alternative to Graphene OS is what I do now.

    1. I never set up Android to have a Google account integral in Settings.
    2. I delete every Google app and package that doesn't break the system.
    3. I replace each Google functionality I like, with its private equivalent.

    This works for me, but I'm more intelligent than most people on this ng
    are, so it won't work for the vast majority of posters to this newsgroup.

    But for those who own a modicum of knowledge, it's EASY to gain a huge leap
    in privacy simply by performing a few extremely logical very simple acts.

    A. Never allow the Google Account to become part of the Android settings.
    B. Log into Google GMail using any privacy-aware MUA (plenty exist).
    C. Log into the Google Play Store repo using a privacy-aware app finder.
    D. Log into the Google YouTube database using a privacy-aware replacement.
    E. Replace the Chrome browser with a privacy-aware replacement.
    etc.

    In my humblest of opinions, this is so logical and simple that anyone who "complains" that they can't have privacy is simply stating that their IQ is
    too low for them to understand the most basic simple components of privacy.

    Specifically, people like Rudy complain that they can't have privacy but
    what they're really telling us is their IQ is too low for them to
    understand it.

    So these low-IQ ignorant defeatists like Rudy claim, sans any evidence whatsoever, that GrapheneOS is riddled with privacy holes, when it's not.

    VanguardLH does the same thing. Their IQ is too low for them to understand. Yours is not, thank God.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Thu Jan 2 18:42:03 2025
    VanguardLH wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 02:02:53 -0600 :

    Of course, Andrew isn't going to believe anything regarding privacy when Google is involved.

    Hi VanguardLH,

    You're wrong. Again.

    Rest assured I've read everything you've posted to this newsgroup for
    years, where I'm well aware your IQ is below normal, so be aware please
    that you can't possibly comprehend *any* approach to privacy on Android.

    Most people are too stupid to understand the implications of privacy.
    That's why people like Rudy & Chris & Carlos simply give up on privacy.

    It's too complicated for them.
    And for you.

    All of you hate that you're stupid; so you blame me for your ignorance.
    So be it.

    Suffice to say you always guess - and you always guess wrong, VanguardLH.
    I've told you that before - but your mind can't handle basic facts.

    Rest assured I have *plenty* of Google Accounts, VanguardLH. Tons of them.

    So you *can* have privacy even when a Google Account is involved.
    I realize your IQ is so low you can't comprehend that statement.

    But it's true.

    The *biggest* step toward privacy when Google is involved is to never use
    the three Google apps which automatically infest Android with an account.

    Again, I realize that simple statement, obvious as it is, is still too
    advanced for your low-IQ brain to fathom - but rest assured, it's true.

    As long as you avoid those (easily avoided) 3 Google apps, you're off to a
    good start on obtaining privacy on Android without Google tracking you.

    To the original topic, which takes at least an average IQ to comprehend, so
    far nobody yet has found even a single Google app that can't be replaced by
    a privacy-aware app - and which doesn't infest Android with an account.

    Can you?

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Thu Jan 2 18:51:39 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    R.Wieser wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 17:26:02 +0100 :

    Although its ofcourse nice to have permalinks, even the ones that are ment
    as such can break given enough time (nothing is forever). As such I, when its looks worthwhile or even just interresting, have the habit of copying
    the offered information to my local machine.

    Hi Rudy & Carlos,

    Rest assured I'm well aware your entire lives you've been told you were
    stupid, which has never happened to me - so we're entirely different types.

    I'm intelligent. You're not.
    That's a BIG difference.

    I've added more value to the Android newsgroup tribal knowledge in just one
    of (oh, I can't count how many - hundreds for sure - thousands over my
    life) tutorials that I've posted to Usenet all found by search engines.

    In fact, you, Rudy & Carlos have *never* written even one tutorial.
    Not a single one.

    Which is to say I've added more value to people's knowledge in a single day than you both combined have added in your entire lives. Think about that.

    I'm caring.
    I'm helpful.
    I'm extremely intelligent.
    And rather detailed.

    My tutorials cover every single step.
    Such that I can do what only one out of a million people can do.

    You hate that you can't do *any* of that.
    So you judge knowledge by the number of words.

    For you, the fewer the better.
    Fancy that.

    Your IQ is so low that in a single day I've kind-heartedly purposefully helpfully contributed more to our overall knowledge than the both of you
    could possibly contribute in your entire sordid sorry lives.

    That's just a fact.
    You hate that fact.

    You spend all your time denying facts.
    I spend my time disseminating them.

    So you hate me.
    But your hatred of me stems solely from your own hatred of your low IQ.

    So be it.
    You can deny every fact you hate (which is pretty much every fact).

    But the fact is your IQ pales in comparison to that of mine.
    So you disparage my hundreds (if not thousands) of helpful tutorials.

    So be it.
    I'm not here to massage your ego.

    I'm here to teach people who have enough intelligence to learn.
    (i.e., not you)

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Thu Jan 2 18:58:31 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    VanguardLH wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 02:08:37 -0600 :

    Reset the phone, and next time when an app wants a login then refuse to prevent having the account stored on the phone. If you're just
    protesting Google, don't login to any newly loaded app that wants you to specify a Google account, so it doesn't get stored on your phone. After
    a reset, there are no accounts stored on the phone. It is after *you* specify a login that either the app will store it locally to itself, or
    load it into Accounts in the Android OS.

    There are only 3 known Google apps which infest Android with a login.
    And each of those 3 Google apps has a privacy-aware replacement.

    Bear in mind that *plenty* of Google apps have a login that does *not*
    infest the Android device with an integral account, VanguardLH.

    I realize your IQ is so low you can't comprehend that basic fact.
    But Theo understood.

    Nobody else understood.
    Just Theo.

    And, rest assured, for those 3 apps which do infect Android with a
    system-wide Google Account, there are free privacy-aware equivalents.

    That's what we've learned this week.
    Not you. You can't learn anything.

    But we learned that.

    There is no Google functionality on Android that you can't get without a
    Google Account integrally set up inside the Android operating system.

    If there were, someone would have mentioned it by now.

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Thu Jan 2 21:25:24 2025
    On 2025-01-02 19:42, Andrew wrote:
    VanguardLH wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 02:02:53 -0600 :

    Of course, Andrew isn't going to believe anything regarding privacy when
    Google is involved.

    Hi VanguardLH,

    You're wrong. Again.

    Rest assured I've read everything you've posted to this newsgroup for
    years, where I'm well aware your IQ is below normal,

    Insulting again. Not reading the rest of the post.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Thu Jan 2 21:24:31 2025
    On 2025-01-02 19:31, Andrew wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 22:55:39 +0100 :

    In the details, it shows the elevation graph of the walk, something
    that is missing in the Fitbit app.

    Luckily, we've solved the problem of replacing Google FitBit with
    equivalent privacy-aware functionality in this new companion thread.

    *For privacy, what is a suitable alternative to the Google FitBit app on Android?*
    <https://www.novabbs.com/computers/article-flat.php? id=56645&group=comp.mobile.android#56645>

    All it takes is a modicum of intelligence to replace FitBit features with privacy-aware equivalent functionality (which doesn't involve the forfeit
    of privacy by setting up a Google Account integral to the Android system).

    For example,
    <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details? id=org.secuso.privacyfriendlyactivitytracker>

    Have you verified that it talks with the fitbit smart watches and gets
    ALL the data? AFAIK, that Pedometer only does that, pedometry.

    Removing the privacy group, which you added silently.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Thu Jan 2 21:17:46 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    On 2025-01-02 19:51, Andrew wrote:
    R.Wieser wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 17:26:02 +0100 :

    Although its ofcourse nice to have permalinks, even the ones that are
    ment as such can break given enough time (nothing is forever).   As
    such I, when its looks worthwhile or even just interresting, have the
    habit of copying the offered information to my local machine.

    Hi Rudy & Carlos,

    Rest assured I'm well aware your entire lives you've been told you were stupid, which has never happened to me - so we're entirely different types.

    Bingo! There you are with your insults. Not reading the rest, whatever
    it says.

    Oh, I see you added the privacy group, to spread the insults more.

    I forgot to mention that sometimes you participate in the same thread
    with more than one alias, which is a very trollish behaviour.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Jeff Layman@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Thu Jan 2 21:04:37 2025
    On 02/01/2025 10:46, R.Wieser wrote:
    Jeff,

    However, Android is said to have 12 million lines of code. Is it really
    known to anyone outside Google what all of them do?

    Which is exactly why a sane person would not want to go and try to de-google-ify it, and starting with a clean version would be a better idea. Yes, I applied logic there.

    Also, the parent spoke of "android" after which I tried to make him aware that Googles android is something different than android. Yet, you speak
    of "android" as if googles version of it is the base one. Do you have any support for that ?

    Well, Google didn't invent Android, but if you look at <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)#History>
    you'll see that Android Inc started in 2000 and was going in the wrong direction for 4 years (being developed as an OS for digital cameras).
    They changed for a year to try to develop it as a mobile OS, but had
    almost gone bust at one time. Google bought them out in 2005. The rest
    is history.
    (There is a slightly different account for the earliest years at <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history#Overview>, but it
    is not significantly different).

    Effectively, unless you're going to suggest that the 20-years old
    pre-Google Android is what Graphene and others developed their OS from,
    it can /only/ have come from stripping down Google's Android.

    And by the way, I do not even think that the people inside Google know what all of it does. :-)

    I don't disagree, but that's what happens over a long development time. However, nobody else is better placed than those inside Google to know
    what Android does. And that's what concerns me - who knows what
    "innocent" code they've included that nobody else knows about? Have
    Graphene and others /really/ looked through all the code and know what
    it does?

    On an unrelated point, I was surprised to see that GrapheneOS uses
    automatic updates only. There's no choice - their OS is updated whether
    you want it or not. That's not what I would have expected.

    --
    Jeff

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Jeff Layman on Thu Jan 2 18:40:10 2025
    Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    I don't disagree, but that's what happens over a long development time. However, nobody else is better placed than those inside Google to know
    what Android does. And that's what concerns me - who knows what
    "innocent" code they've included that nobody else knows about? Have
    Graphene and others /really/ looked through all the code and know what
    it does?

    As a software QA tester, I would visit the programmer responsible for
    the part of the software they were working on to ask about testing
    procedure, and about what-if scenarios. Too often they didn't know, it
    was someone else's coding job, but that guy only knew that code, and not
    the entire product, and often the response to many what-if scenarios is
    they wouldn't happen (but I can reproduce them then so can customers).

    Too often the programmers would add "innocent" code they thought was
    helpful, but didn't like when I required a new check-in code branch
    which exposed their little changes, and their little fixups as a result.
    When they made even a little change, we in QA had to come up with
    testing for it, but the devs didn't document the changes in the
    Functional or Engineering Spec docs, and we'd find it by accident. We
    had weekly review meetings during development, and sometimes I'd ask a
    question that had all the devs turning their heads, and no one offering
    a response. Too many cooks making a meal.

    I haven't heard that the Android OS or Graphene OS have had independent
    audits despite they may be free open source. FOSS doesn't guarantee
    anyone outside the dev team has inspected the code.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Fri Jan 3 04:42:07 2025
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 21:25:24 +0100 :

    Not reading the rest of the post.

    The fact remains VanguardLH does NOT know the difference between a Google
    login on the Internet versus a Google account integral with the phone.

    Who on earth, is *that* stupid, Carlos?
    Given that obvious fact, I ascribed an IQ of about 50 to VanguardLH.

    What IQ do you calculate for people on this ng *that* stupid, Carlos?
    And do YOU know the difference yourself, Carlos?

    I suspect not.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Fri Jan 3 04:51:45 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    Carlos E.R. wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 21:17:46 +0100 :

    There you are with your insults.

    How many detailed tutorials have you posted to this newsgroup Carlos?

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 07:32:27 2025
    Jeff,

    Well, Google didn't invent Android, but if you look at
    [Link #1]
    [Link #2]

    Thanks for that.

    Effectively, unless you're going to suggest that the 20-years old
    pre-Google Android is what Graphene and others developed their OS
    from, it can /only/ have come from stripping down Google's Android.
    ...
    And that's what concerns me - who knows what "innocent" code they've included that nobody else knows about?

    Thats where my "I applied logic there" came from.

    But, if all is as you described it looks like the creators of GrapheneOS had little choice than to strip Googles android. I always thought that a
    basic Android was out there too.

    I can only hope that Google didn't put its stuff into Androids Linux kernel
    ...

    On an unrelated point, I was surprised to see that GrapheneOS uses
    automatic updates only. There's no choice - their OS is updated whether
    you want it or not. That's not what I would have expected.

    I was thinking of turning off automatic updating*, and would also be
    negativily surprised not being able to find it.

    * didn't yet look for it, as I consider that phone to be a tool, not a
    computer on which I do, to me, important stuff (read: hobby programming).

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Jeff Layman@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Fri Jan 3 09:10:19 2025
    On 03/01/2025 00:40, VanguardLH wrote:
    Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    I don't disagree, but that's what happens over a long development time.
    However, nobody else is better placed than those inside Google to know
    what Android does. And that's what concerns me - who knows what
    "innocent" code they've included that nobody else knows about? Have
    Graphene and others /really/ looked through all the code and know what
    it does?

    As a software QA tester, I would visit the programmer responsible for
    the part of the software they were working on to ask about testing
    procedure, and about what-if scenarios. Too often they didn't know, it
    was someone else's coding job, but that guy only knew that code, and not
    the entire product, and often the response to many what-if scenarios is
    they wouldn't happen (but I can reproduce them then so can customers).

    Too often the programmers would add "innocent" code they thought was
    helpful, but didn't like when I required a new check-in code branch
    which exposed their little changes, and their little fixups as a result.
    When they made even a little change, we in QA had to come up with
    testing for it, but the devs didn't document the changes in the
    Functional or Engineering Spec docs, and we'd find it by accident. We
    had weekly review meetings during development, and sometimes I'd ask a question that had all the devs turning their heads, and no one offering
    a response. Too many cooks making a meal.

    Thanks for that; it rather confirms my suspicions. I guess there could
    be code in their own AndroidOS that even "Google" doesn't know about.

    I haven't heard that the Android OS or Graphene OS have had independent audits despite they may be free open source. FOSS doesn't guarantee
    anyone outside the dev team has inspected the code.

    You might find these of interest:
    <https://grapheneos.org/faq#audit> <https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/i-dont-trust-pixel-graphene-where-are-the-authoritative-claims-of-its-credibility/17503>
    <https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3448609>

    --
    Jeff

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  • From Jeff Layman@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Fri Jan 3 09:28:00 2025
    On 03/01/2025 06:32, R.Wieser wrote:

    I can only hope that Google didn't put its stuff into Androids Linux kernel

    All phone manufacturers, including Google (for its Pixel), would
    probably have to modify the kernel in order for it to work with whatever hardware they've included in the phone. As the kernel would have to
    interact with the OS, it's probable that Google (and Chinese suppliers
    who were not allowed to use Google's AndroidOS, and so had to write
    their own), had to rewrite parts of the kernel so it could do that.

    The very first sentence of <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)> starts
    "Android is a mobile operating system based on a *modified* version of
    the Linux kernel..." (my emphasis!).

    On an unrelated point, I was surprised to see that GrapheneOS uses
    automatic updates only. There's no choice - their OS is updated whether
    you want it or not. That's not what I would have expected.

    I was thinking of turning off automatic updating*, and would also be negativily surprised not being able to find it.

    <https://grapheneos.org/faq#updates>

    * didn't yet look for it, as I consider that phone to be a tool, not a computer on which I do, to me, important stuff (read: hobby programming).

    Most of the general public use a cellphone as their only "computer".
    Even if they once owned a desktop or laptop, changes to the telephone
    system mean that they no longer bother with a router and broadband
    connection.

    --
    Jeff

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Fri Jan 3 11:49:40 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    On 2025-01-03 05:51, Andrew wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 21:17:46 +0100 :

    There you are with your insults.

    How many detailed tutorials have you posted to this newsgroup Carlos?

    Why would I?

    You haven't actually published any one, either.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Fri Jan 3 11:48:17 2025
    On 2025-01-03 05:42, Andrew wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 21:25:24 +0100 :

    Not reading the rest of the post.

    The fact remains VanguardLH does NOT know the difference between a Google login on the Internet versus a Google account integral with the phone.

    Who on earth, is *that* stupid, Carlos?

    Insulting again.

    No read.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Fri Jan 3 16:23:00 2025
    Carlos E.R. <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:
    On 2025-01-03 05:42, Andrew wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 21:25:24 +0100 :

    Not reading the rest of the post.

    The fact remains VanguardLH does NOT know the difference between a Google login on the Internet versus a Google account integral with the phone.

    Who on earth, is *that* stupid, Carlos?

    Insulting again.

    Not only insulting, but insulting, as usual, based on his
    *mis*representation of someone's *actual* position/comments/non-
    comments/etc..

    Misrepresenation due to malice or stupidity? What about *both*?

    No read.

    I *cannot* read what my news server rejects! :-)

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Jeff Layman on Fri Jan 3 11:40:02 2025
    Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    Most of the general public use a cellphone as their only "computer".
    Even if they once owned a desktop or laptop, changes to the telephone
    system mean that they no longer bother with a router and broadband connection.

    Yep, us desktop PC users are feeling like an endangered species: 40%
    global web traffic compared to 58% for mobile devices (78% of which is
    by Android users). Considering the toy computer it is, small display,
    and lack of good input devices (unless you Bluetooth a keyboard and
    mouse), I dislike web surfing on a phone. Still, it beats lugging a
    laptop or notebook on a vacation. A big smartphone in a belt holster
    beats toting around a bag with a laptop.

    There must be some age break for those that do and don't suffer
    nomophobia. Some folks have withdrawl symptoms if they don't have their
    phone on them all the time.

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Jeff Layman on Fri Jan 3 11:24:45 2025
    Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    VanguardLH wrote:

    I haven't heard that the Android OS or Graphene OS have had
    independent audits despite they may be free open source. FOSS
    doesn't guarantee anyone outside the dev team has inspected the
    code.

    You might find these of interest:
    <https://grapheneos.org/faq#audit> <https://discuss.privacyguides.net/t/i-dont-trust-pixel-graphene-where-are-the-authoritative-claims-of-its-credibility/17503>
    <https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3448609>

    Rather than claim the code has been audited, prove the claim by
    referencing the audits. Anyone can say their code is audited. Again,
    being open source doesn't mean *independent* audit. Nice to know,
    though, their code is well documented.

    AOSP projects are peered reviewed. Well, we had weekly code reviews,
    but guess who was reviewing the code. They really didn't want QA
    attending those meetings, and even we weren't outside auditors.
    Independent audit means non-peer review.

    A published paper describing how security (and only that facet) should
    work in an OS is not an independent audit of the code. Just a
    description of how it should work. Still, it's interesting reading.

    While I've found no independent audits of GrapheneOS, I suspect any such
    code reviews would be on Android (haven't found audits for that, either)
    while any variations thereof would get passed over. Android has lots of
    users. GrapheneOS not so much. I've seen guesses there are 175K
    GrapheneOS users. Android is estimated at 3 billion.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to VanguardLH on Fri Jan 3 18:36:17 2025
    VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:
    Jeff Layman <Jeff@invalid.invalid> wrote:

    Most of the general public use a cellphone as their only "computer".
    Even if they once owned a desktop or laptop, changes to the telephone system mean that they no longer bother with a router and broadband connection.

    Yep, us desktop PC users are feeling like an endangered species: 40%
    global web traffic compared to 58% for mobile devices (78% of which is
    by Android users). Considering the toy computer it is, small display,
    and lack of good input devices (unless you Bluetooth a keyboard and
    mouse), I dislike web surfing on a phone. Still, it beats lugging a
    laptop or notebook on a vacation. A big smartphone in a belt holster
    beats toting around a bag with a laptop.

    The "mobile devices" category probably includes tablets. IME, most
    households which have mobile phones, also have tablets or/and laptops.

    There must be some age break for those that do and don't suffer
    nomophobia. Some folks have withdrawl symptoms if they don't have their phone on them all the time.

    "Some"!? :-)

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 19:58:35 2025
    Carlos,

    The fact remains VanguardLH does NOT know the difference between a Google
    login on the Internet versus a Google account integral with the phone.

    Who on earth, is *that* stupid, Carlos?

    Insulting again.

    Besides goading you with the *suggestion* /he/ does know - but somehow
    forgot to tell.

    Funny that: No tutorials of his we can look at, nothing to(dis)agree with
    here. Its almost as if he's trying to hide something ...

    Obvious games are obvious.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Arno Welzel@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 23:29:30 2025
    XPost: alt.privacy

    Andrew, 2025-01-02 19:58:

    VanguardLH wrote on Thu, 2 Jan 2025 02:08:37 -0600 :

    Reset the phone, and next time when an app wants a login then refuse to
    prevent having the account stored on the phone. If you're just
    protesting Google, don't login to any newly loaded app that wants you to
    specify a Google account, so it doesn't get stored on your phone. After
    a reset, there are no accounts stored on the phone. It is after *you*
    specify a login that either the app will store it locally to itself, or
    load it into Accounts in the Android OS.

    There are only 3 known Google apps which infest Android with a login.
    And each of those 3 Google apps has a privacy-aware replacement.

    What replacement is there for Google Wallet?


    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

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  • From Arno Welzel@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 23:28:36 2025
    Andrew, 2025-01-02 02:28:

    Arno Welzel wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:19:50 +0100 :

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS?

    Everything what does not need a Google account. That was easy.

    You have no idea how Android works if you say something that absurd.

    Why? When you don't have a Google account you can still use Android
    itself. Is that not correct?


    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

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  • From VanguardLH@21:1/5 to Arno Welzel on Sat Jan 4 00:30:45 2025
    Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> wrote:

    Andrew, 2025-01-02 02:28:

    Arno Welzel wrote on Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:19:50 +0100 :

    What can't you do on Android WITHOUT a Google Account set up in the OS? >>>
    Everything what does not need a Google account. That was easy.

    You have no idea how Android works if you say something that absurd.

    Why? When you don't have a Google account you can still use Android
    itself. Is that not correct?

    An Android phone will work without a Google account. Don't create one
    when you first turn on the phone. Or delete any Google account you
    already created under the Android global Accounts list. Drastically you
    could reset the phone, and make sure to click Skip when asked for a
    Google account.

    There have already been prior dicussions here on how to remove bundled
    apps, like Gmail, where uninstall is disabled.

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