This post is going to be a bit personal (and maybe a little bit out of context, it’s not just Google software I want to remove) but I’m tired of not knowing what to do about it. I want and have wanted to get rid of a bunch of proprietary software in my life, including but not limited to Google’s software, for quite a while now, and I even got a Pixel 7A with hopes of installing GrapheneOS. But there are a few problems. First, my parents are understandably concerned and need me to use Google Maps’ location sharing whenever I go to school. All my classmates use Instagram and we have that as our only messaging platform. I currently use DFInstagram, but I feel that it is not free from spyware. Finally, I also own a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and the associated DJI Fly app just refuses to work under GrapheneOS (I tested). Is there anything I can do to replace or limit the access of these aforementioned proprietary apps?
This is gonna sound stupid but hear me out:
Switch to ios.
You can’t degoogle. Your post says as much. But you want to not be negatively impacted by googles software. The best option in this case is to get on a platform that allows you to limit that negative impact.
When people say degoogle, most of the times what they mean is they want to use software (preferably free and opensource) that respects their privacy. How does switching to ios help with that? You are jumping from Google’s ship to Apple’s and your hardware is going to be even more restrictive. And all the proprietary services OP has to use now (like Instagram) will remain the same in ios. So I don’t see how switching to ios solves OP’s problems.
i’m not trying to argue with you or refute points you made, but instead to respond them in the context of the OPs question:
I want and have wanted to get rid of a bunch of proprietary software in my life, including but not limited to Google’s software, for quite a while now, and I even got a Pixel 7A with hopes of installing GrapheneOS.
my parents are understandably concerned and need me to use Google Maps’ location sharing whenever I go to school. All my classmates use Instagram and we have that as our only messaging platform. I currently use DFInstagram, but I feel that it is not free from spyware. Finally, I also own a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and the associated DJI Fly app just refuses to work under GrapheneOS (I tested). Is there anything I can do to replace or limit the access of these aforementioned proprietary apps?
so graphene isn’t an option and the OP wants to get some control over google maps location sharing, instagram and be able to use their drone app.
ios has straightforward privacy controls that accommodate family sharing with a decent degree of granularity, can limit what applications like instagram can do in a very clear and easy to understand way and as far as i know the DJIFly app works on ios (its in the app store and has 4 stars. i don’t use it so i can’t speak to it).
“graphene isn’t an option” is just not true, there are ways around all the mentioned issues if you just read the rest of the thread/crossposts. And android also has a robust permissions system for apps. Going to iOS buys OP very little except a loss of control over their device to software even more proprietary than Android. And I say that as someone who doesn’t use android because I don’t trust google.
One thing is being aware of bad actors on the internet, in that case IOS could be an option, other thing is being aware of the mass surveillance and manipulation across the digital space, and that’s the thing we’re more worried about in communities like this, in such case, IOS is no better than shooting yourself.
You can’t become privacy conscious without sacrificing something, some friend will go away calling you a paranoid, somo products you own will become garbage, that’s just normal here.
Apple tracks you every bit as much as Google, with even fewer options to mitigate it.
The bottom line is, with Apple you can’t control anything, and they mask the process for limiting data collection using dark patterns.
Also, you can’t turn off Siri data collection. What you can turn off with Siri is it responding to voice commands - with the control panel being another dark pattern.
On my Pixel running Graphene, Lineage, or DivestOS, there’s no assistant to collect such data.
On my Samsung, the assistant has been disabled using ADB (since the phone can’t be rooted or flashed).
Apple is arguably worse, because you have no way to mitigate these issues.
that aalto paper is about how users are unable to correctly disable data collection, not how it’s not possible.
I agree with you and those researchers that it’s a huge problem. in a lot of ways we use the internet really abstractly now and there’s no clear process for seeing whats going on behind the scenes and plenty of software manufacturers make it harder on purpose.
but as a person who uses ios and android daily, the privacy settings on ios are lightyears ahead of android.
it’s still not as straightforward as it should be, and apple could be clearer about why some settings are important (advanced data protection in icloud protects you from having your cloud data subpoenaed but god luck knowing this!).
iOS is worse than Android in terms of privacy in most ways. Android is open-source, which means we know there is no tracking, at least in custom ROMs like LineageOS. However, iOS is closed-source so there is no possible way of knowing what Apple tracks, because it is fully possible that their marketing material (“whatever happens on iPhone stays on iPhone”) is disinformation. Closed-source software cannot be trusted for privacy, see the Anom Phone, this “closed source can not be trusted to be private” statement is also 99% of the reason deGoogling is a thing. GApps themselves are proprietary and are given near-root access to the system.