You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning
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Google’s Gemini team is apparently sending out emails about an upcoming change to how Gemini interacts with apps on Android devices. The email informs users that, come July 7, 2025, Gemini will be able to “help you use Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities on your phone, whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” Naturally, this has raised some privacy concerns among those who’ve received the email and those using the AI assistant on their Android devices.
It's conforting that I wasn't the only one who found this concerning. But anyways I don't have Google (the app; I do have some other Google services installed) or Gemini installed.
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All I need is a good enough emulation of android apps to fool them (eg for banking).
"Hello there." - Play Integrity API
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Dammit don't make me switch to apple phones, I hate apple. I hate Google too but FFS all you need to do is stay out of my way and the one thing you continuously do is stand in my way...
GTFO of my way! Piss off with that AI crap that nobody asked for
The apple who recently put AI as the core element of their os?
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Google’s Gemini team is apparently sending out emails about an upcoming change to how Gemini interacts with apps on Android devices. The email informs users that, come July 7, 2025, Gemini will be able to “help you use Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities on your phone, whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” Naturally, this has raised some privacy concerns among those who’ve received the email and those using the AI assistant on their Android devices.
Apple has been seriously underperforming on their AI strategy.
Really makes it easy to keep using their devices.
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An ungoogled android variant has to be a lot lesser of an evil, no?
Problem is that if you have a critical application (like banking) that relies on Google services you're SOL.
It's Apple or Google at that point.
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Sailfish OS has it.
Unfortunately the project has some closed source bits which, imho, aren't an issue when you look closer (some parts of the UI). Maybe I'm naive but I trust this EU company.
I use it as my daily driver. It certainly is frugal compared to recent Android versions, but fully functional.
It's an actual Linux OS (as opposed to any Android version). Things work the same way they do on my laptop & server.
Sadly, SailfishOS is region locked. Being from North America, I can't purchase their phones, or use the trial/emulation option, which really sucks because I like a lot of what I'm seeing there.
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Problem is that if you have a critical application (like banking) that relies on Google services you're SOL.
It's Apple or Google at that point.
Just use the websites instead of the apps.
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I use Linux since debian 3.0 and I don't think Linux is ready to replace desktop os yet. The universe has come up with bigger and more powerful idiots.
Linux had reached idiot parity with windows at least. Idiot proof OS is a fable that cannot be reached.
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Problem is that if you have a critical application (like banking) that relies on Google services you're SOL.
It's Apple or Google at that point.
"Do you guys not have laptops?"
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Is it really the people or just a subset of people that use Lemmy, the vast majority of people seemingly don’t care as is evidenced by the sheer number of people using things like social media.
What might be important to use in this echo chamber isn’t reflective of society on the whole.
The majority of people eat at McDonalds. It doesn't make it a good idea on your finances or health. Sheep gonna baa.
If you for some reason think that megacorporations and big tech aren't monetizing the literal majority to the fullest extent of every single law they can break while getting away with it, you need to wake the fuck up. Big time. I don't know if this is some psyop from leddit or what but my doors stay closed, my android plays tablet mode with no sim. Thanks tho.
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Can you get by with web access? That's what I do and it's fine.
Not for depositing checks
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Can you get by with web access? That's what I do and it's fine.
Depends who you bank with. Some desktop websites suck on mobile and some don't even allow certain actions on desktop. For some ungodly reason Wealthsimple requires me to do almost everything via app. It's one of the reasons I barely utilise their services.
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Google’s Gemini team is apparently sending out emails about an upcoming change to how Gemini interacts with apps on Android devices. The email informs users that, come July 7, 2025, Gemini will be able to “help you use Phone, Messages, WhatsApp, and Utilities on your phone, whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” Naturally, this has raised some privacy concerns among those who’ve received the email and those using the AI assistant on their Android devices.
In the absence of being able to switch to Graphene (Don't own a pixel), I've done everything I can to replace Google Apps with FOSS alternatives, and disabled Google Assistant on my device entirely.
I know none of that will stop a determined Google eventually fucking with me, but at least I'm trying.
I'm so damned tired of the modern corporate world.
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The majority of people eat at McDonalds. It doesn't make it a good idea on your finances or health. Sheep gonna baa.
If you for some reason think that megacorporations and big tech aren't monetizing the literal majority to the fullest extent of every single law they can break while getting away with it, you need to wake the fuck up. Big time. I don't know if this is some psyop from leddit or what but my doors stay closed, my android plays tablet mode with no sim. Thanks tho.
Nauseating.
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Nauseating.
Very. I get sick just smelling it.
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Remember when Google+ was the future?
I remember. But don't quote me on that. Actually, I guess no one can quote me on it, it was in a discussion on Google Wave, anyway.
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Dammit don't make me switch to apple phones, I hate apple. I hate Google too but FFS all you need to do is stay out of my way and the one thing you continuously do is stand in my way...
GTFO of my way! Piss off with that AI crap that nobody asked for
You dont have to switch phones entirely, and you're better off if you dont. iCrap is still far worse than anything Google is coming out with.
Just switch to a different dialer/phone app to replace "Phone" and a different SMS/MMS app to replace 'Messages". I've used "Should I Answer" in the past for my default phone app, and I currently use QKSMS for texting.
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Remember when Google+ was the future?
I wish it had been. Circles were so much better than FB groups etc
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In the absence of being able to switch to Graphene (Don't own a pixel), I've done everything I can to replace Google Apps with FOSS alternatives, and disabled Google Assistant on my device entirely.
I know none of that will stop a determined Google eventually fucking with me, but at least I'm trying.
I'm so damned tired of the modern corporate world.
Yet we keep empowering them with every purchase we make and half of the consumer base will never see an issue doing so. Some purchases we have no choice but to make, and that's where they really have control of our lives. They seized the means of production, distribution and access of things necessary for life and leverage access to those necessities for access to more parts of our private lives. The majority appear to be naive morons who will happily sell all of us down the river for more camera filters and some pretty shoes. Basically, toys. We are losing our rights, our privacy, and control of our lives in exchange for toys...
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so this has got me looking at alternative OSs, but it's all a bit confusing. which one is most mature and would still let me run android apps (I want my bank apps and stuff like that) but is also somewhat de-googled? I appreciate any advice
You would have to test how strict your bank app is.
GrapheneOS, /e/ os, and LineageOS
Would be the first ones I'd reach for.
