A guide to figure out whether GrapheneOS makes sense for you and how to set up a smartphone or tablet with Android 16, using GrapheneOS, in a privacy-focused way.

First off, I loathe at&t. Never use them. Verizon was far superior. Anyway, I'm now having an issue where if I send any web links they get blocked over SMS, especially to iPhone users. Very very annoying. Not to mention group SMS/MMS being garbage now. I am not sure if it has to do with me using an esim for at&t or what. They wanted to force me into a new phone and I said no because I'll be going with a pixel and graphene after this contract is up. Anyone else have these issues? Also their WiFi calling is garbage, not that I need it anyway.

If this can happen, is it possible that once mandatory developer verification comes into effect, all 3rd party apps will be uninstalled at first and require a re-install? Concerning this specific case, [NFCGate](https://github.com/nfcgate/nfcgate) is a tool on which [malware (family) titled NGate by ESET is based](https://www.eset.com/us/about/newsroom/research/eset-research-discovers-ngate-android-malware-which-relays-nfc-traffic-to-steal-victims-cash-from-atms-1/), thus likely causing a false positive. Oh, and no bypass is available anymore (aside from disabling play protect): 

The alternative app store Aptoide filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google in the USA over alleged monopolization. Aptoide, provider of an alternative Android app store, accuses Google of excluding competing app stores from the market by monopolizing app distribution and billing, thus violating US antitrust law.

I'm using GrapheneOS, the default Vanadium browser works great but it doesnt block ads. I want to install a 2nd browser just for youtube and my specific Google account for youtube. I also tried Newpipe and similar apps, but they cant use my Google's playlist and comments. I need them, that is why I think to use a 2nd browser. Is there a way to set Youtube links (youtube.com, m.youtube.com...etc) to be opened in a non default browser, say Brave or Firefox?

I had a time-related work issue tonight and am seeking a way to guarantee it never recurs. Thanks in advance for any ideas! I have MacroDroid but I'm not sure of how to go about setting this up (namely the DND-overriding)...

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/48972893 > Please share any knowledge or experience that you have on packet inspection using smartphones. I would like to sniff at my switch, which is switching between my (two LANs)^[I put "two LANs" within parentheses to denote that the two LANs are *not* being switched between.] and my ISP. For this, I have mirrored all ports that are in use to a port that is currently not in use. Can I simply buy one of those USB-C to Ethernet dongles and use `tcpdump` in Termux? Will Android recognize the dongle as a sniffable network interface? The phone is rooted.

I'm looking for an Android app that strips EXIF from photos before I upload them somewhere. I really care mostly about removing geolocation. I searched on F-Droid, I didn't find much. Has anybody used [Scrambled Exif](https://f-droid.org/pl/packages/com.jarsilio.android.scrambledeggsif/) ?

Is there an explanation as to why exatcly update downloads are so slow from the game client in pretty much every game on Android i ever played that had such a thing. Screenshot is from magic arena but i also had this happen in fantasy war tactics and some other games ( cant really remember the games as they were more try and forget they ever existed type of thing ) By comparison the downloads from play store ale blazingly fast . Is that some Android limitation or was i just unlucky and those particular games had shitty servers. Also why are they not keeping the whole game in play store and doing this weird in game updates ( Probably it costs more but i would love confirmation ). 

Quote from Proton VPN: > Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background. > > If you're using ANY VPN on Android, you can help us by getting Google's attention to fix it. > > We first reported this bug to Google in September 2025. > > Others like Mullvad and Wireguard reported it even earlier, in August. > > Google's response? "I don't see anything unusual." > > The bug corrupts Android's network stack at the system level after a VPN update, causing users to blame their VPN provider. > > Restarting the app doesn't help, with the only fix being a full device reboot or VPN app reinstall, something which most users never figure out. > > This affects several VPN providers on Android 16, and only Google has the access to diagnose it properly. > > After 7 months of waiting, we're now asking publicly: Google, when are you fixing this? > > Issue Tracker Links: > > https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/441315112 > > https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/4474331

> Android Authority has learned of test builds of Wear OS 5.1 for the Pixel Watch 2, and they're apparently based on Android 15.

I've been wanting to Curb my Doom Scrolling Habits as of Recent as I've been wasting waaaay to much time opening the Same Apps 5 Times in 10 Minutes. One Method thats been Said to Work wonders in that Regard is to have Apps only be accessible after typing in a Password. After doing a bit of Light research it seems I'll need an App for this as I don't wanna deal with Samsungs "Safe Folder" needing a Samsung Account stuff. Do any of you have Suggestions for Trust Worthy Apps for this?

I have been steady researching this and I have stumbbled upon what lloks like an unfinshed doc for the [Developer Verification Progra](https://developer.android.com/developer-verification/guides/limited-distribution)m Key notes - still no rollout schedule - Fee can be found in FAQ. Says it will be $25 - That you will have to provide a state-issued ID even for the now free "Limited Distribution" that has a 20 device maximum - In the FAQ it shows that this is covering all devices Android 7.0 and up and admits that the Advanced Flow in Google Play Services. - still does not address how they are justifying this at all They have stolen a free product and are now activity locking out the people who built it. [ASOP does not belong to them it belongs to us](https://disintermedia.net.nz/android-time-to-stop-hunting-the-replicants-decker/). Time to get it back I think.

Criteria and absurd wishlist Affordable, might find it used in a shop in the u.s. or from a reputable source online Full Root "Secure" Quality build Removable battery/sim/storage Headphone jack Tablet or phone Runs something better than Android 7

Apparently this is to hassle Epic Games. HN discussion has more info: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46333734

I used Fox's Magisk Module Manager since its beginning, after Magisk shuttered the Module Manager function. It was a great app, perfectly serving my needs. After the app was transferred to Androidacy I felt like it got worse: more clunky, laggy, non-responsive. I also don't like how Androidacy regularly ask me to subscribe to their Premium tier. I held onto the old app for a while but recently updated to the new app and is quite dissatisfied. Is this still the best way to find and manage Magisk modules or is there an alternative? Thanks 🙏

I'm currently in a country with lots of companies straight up spamming every single number. But, I guess it's by law, all those messages have a word signifying that it's an ad. My question is whether there's an app that could auto-remove them, preferrably removing the notification as well and ideally keeping the stock messenger intact. I've tried a few from the play market's top but none seemed to work, some didnt even have such a feature. Also tried some automation tools, but couldnt find one that could delete SMS messages. Any suggestions?

Want to learn/try one of the two alternative Keyboards for Android. Which do you prefer, have had the best experience with?

Hi, I'm looking for an app in which I could set just a simple notification reminder but I need it to be reminded every day every hour since 6am to 9pm. It can have check as done function but it's not compulsory. All planners and reminders I tried so far were unable to set it up so often and repeatedly. And if yes, I'd have to set it up every day again and again.. Thx for any tips. PS: I don't want alarm. It's to annoying.

I've posted on here a long time ago about [RTranslator](https://github.com/niedev/RTranslator), which is a phenomenal, real-time translation app for conversations. It's a beautifully designed app that allows for on-device transcription and translation. RTranslator has a few different modes that make it great for bilingual conversations. It can do simple text translations very well, like a handful of other apps. I actually use [this one](https://github.com/DavidVentura/offline-translator) for that purpose because it has system context menus and OCR for image translation. Where RTranslator really shines is in translating live conversations. When it first came out a couple years ago, it felt like sci-fi. You can set it up to walkie-talkie mode, and the phone will automatically detect multiple speakers, identify the language they're speaking, and translate to the other language. If you have TTS enabled on your phone, you can even hear the other half of the conversation (more on that in a moment). The really amazing feature is if you have translator installed on two separate devices, then you can communicate with each other over Bluetooth. Even with your phone in your pocket, you can easily have a complete conversation with another person. Did I mention that it does all of this without *any* internet? When you first set up the app, you'll have to access the internet to download language models, but after that, it never goes online. The file size and processing power might be heavy on older or cheaper phones, but runs smoothly and easily on modern phones (I have a Pixel 7, which is hardly bleeding edge). I like things that happen on-device for privacy purposes, but it's also immediately practical for something like this. If you need on the spot translation, there's a good chance you're traveling and may not have access to reliable (or free) internet. Most Android devices have built-in text-to-speech (TTS). So after you've installed RTranslator and selected your languages to download, then you're good to go. If you're using an alternative OS (like graphene, which I use), then you'll have to select one yourself. Note: I think that Google's TTS also works on device without an internet connection, but I'm not 100% sure. That's where [SherpaTTS](https://github.com/woheller69/ttsEngine) comes in. Like the translator, Sherpa will need some space on your device and uses some processing power (although, the footprint is much smaller). It takes a little bit of time to set up, but most of that time is choosing your selected voice. There are literally hundreds of models to choose from.  You can set it up as your system default TTS, and then select it through the menu or during setup in RTranslator. Now you have modern, offline, live translation almost instantaneously. Both apps are easy to set up and walk you through the process pretty quickly. *All software here mentioned is open source. Some of the models used by this software might be derived from proprietary sources, but the models themselves are considered open source. Nobody asked me to do this, but I like sharing great open source software. Projects like these don't have an advertising budget, and rely on word of mouth.* [RTranslator On GitHub](https://github.com/niedev/RTranslator) [SherpaTTS on F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/de/packages/org.woheller69.ttsengine/) [SherpaTTS on OpenApk](https://www.openapk.net/ttsengine/org.woheller69.ttsengine/) [SherpaTTS on GitHub](https://github.com/woheller69/ttsEngine)

I've been having an issue with my ringtone volume randomly lowering itself. It doesn't matter if my master volume is at 100%; most calls will come in silent or extremely low volume. The only way I know how to lower the ringtone volume specifically is through the settings menu, and every time I go into those settings, it is set to low or 0%. Does anyone know of any fix for this issue? I found a few forum posts on this topic on Samsung's website, but I didn't see anyone reply with a fix. Thank you in advance!

Link to the app: <https://f-droid.org/packages/com.jksalcedo.librefind/>

so I finally got the motivation to install lineage os to my phone after thinking about it like year. and now that I finally modified this phone I started thinking about ricing this phone a bit. I'm looking for a launcher that isn't too minimalistic and with a decent amount of customization. kinda like kde bit you know... stable. any suggestions?

From the few reviews I've quickly scanned, this phone seems to be the dream device for those who want a compact phone. The major complaints I've heard mainly revolve around the camera being subpar or just a bit basic. Personally speaking, I've gotten consistently good shots from a Zenfone 9, and the video stabilization on that device was amazing. In my opinion, if this is just positively iterating on the previous year, the camera should be suitable for your average consumer. Maybe not the "pro tool" they seem to be touting it as, but I'm more personally hoping for a more robust video recording focus. What are your thoughts? Will you utilize the 16gb of RAM 👀? (on the 16/512gb model for confusion) also, it has a headphone jack 🙏❤️ (If you see this posted by another account to lemmy.link, it was me, however I'm cross posting here for engagement)

I've had the Pixel Fold for about a week now and have daily driven the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, 3, and 4 and flip 3 over the past few years. I have some pretty decent experience with American available foldables since they started really popping off. I just wanted a place for people to ask questions and I can give some quick impressions about what I like and dislike about the new Pixel Fold compared to the Samsung foldables I had. **Pixel Fold Pros**: - Much more usable front screen - Much `smoother`. Definitely have not run into as many glitches or hiccups or stutters as any of the folds that I used - Software in general is much more cohesive and better designed - Pixel exclusive software features - Better camera in almost every category - Folds flat and thinner - Less noticeable crease **Pixel fold cons**: - Charges slower even using same charger - Battery life is good but could be better. Hopefully improved with software updates - Software is less customizable. bottom gesture bar cannot be hidden or have any app be in split screen the way you want it - Screens have the same contrast I think, but the galaxies are noticeably brighter - Pretty picky with the charging support and wireless chargers that can enable quick charging - Bezels on the inside and a little bit of the outside are more noticeable, but that's really not a bother I'll update this list more when I think about it, but feel free to ask any questions you have below!

Sad to see the end of a 13 year run.

> There's a new Google Messages update page that takes up your phone's entire display every time you open the app. >Granted, keeping your apps up to date is important, and this new system will help get that across to users. But we’re not sure annoying the hell out of the user about it is the best strategy.

Using international here as a stand-in for non US or Canada models. Specifically looking for use cases of the Europe / Africa / Middle East / Oceania model.

I hope I'm posting in the right community, and that someone can help me out. For the past couple days, my Samsung Galaxy S22 phone has started playing the default [Verizon notification sound](https://youtu.be/h3QlWGGxQvo) about once per day. I haven't nailed down the exact time, but it seems to happen in the morning. The weird part(s)? My phone is on vibrate, and no notification seems to correspond to it. My phone is sitting on the desk, and I hear the sound, so I check my notifications, but nothing new shows up. I check my [Notification Log app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.hcilab.projects.nlog), and it doesn't show any new notifications. I check Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings > Notification History, and it doesn't show anything either. Today, I've changed my default notification ringtone to see if the new sound is triggered the next time. I'll update if/when that happens. I'm a little concerned that the unexpected behavior could be malware or something, but I'm hoping something is just bugged. Additional info that could be relevant: a couple months ago, I had to install the Libre Free app, and it was constantly making notification sounds, despite my phone being on vibrate. The unattributed notification sounds didn't start until after I stopped using the Libre app. I haven't uninstalled it yet, but I'm definitely considering it as part of my troubleshooting. Ideally, I'd like to get to the bottom of this without a major reset of my phone. Does anyone have any tips/ideas?

cross-posted from: https://linux.community/post/1033120 > on my last post I wrote device is a redmi 9c. Turns out it's a redmi 10c and the custom ROM I wanted to install https://xdaforums.com/t/rom-13-unofficial-lineageos-20-0-unified-for-redmi-9a-9c-10a-blossom.4609367/ won't work. > > Anyhow, to unlock the device the official way I have to identify to their services through a phone line, not internet, and purchase a sim card, which I'm not going to do to experiment with this device. > > I have no use for the stock software in the device and I'd rather have anything foss that works or kinda works. > > If you ever experimented with this particular model or know what could work, feel free to post an answer. > > debian 12.5

I connected to airport's Wi-Fi and this symbol popped up on the corner of the Wi-Fi symbol?

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21184378 >The longevity of Android updates has always been a problem, but one that’s been getting better with time. Google has, behind the scenes, introduced some big changes for Android manufacturers that will make it easier for more Android phones to offer support for up to 7 years, just like Pixel.

What IRC client do you all recommend for Android? I'm looking for a non-paid option that will allow me to connect to a passworded host. Any suggestions?

What non-game paid apps do you use that are worthwhile and still relevant in 2023? For context, I have a decent amount of Google Play credit thanks to Opinion Rewards and a gift card. I'm not looking to start a book or movie collection there, nor sign up for subscription services. But I'm happy to buy the paid/pro version of useful apps. I'm excluding games just because that's a whole topic on its own. Here are some one-time paid apps I've been happy with: - [Tasker](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.dinglisch.android.taskerm&amp;pcampaignid=web_share) - [Titanium Backup](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.keramidas.TitaniumBackupPro&amp;pcampaignid=web_share) - [SD Maid](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm.unlocker&amp;pcampaignid=web_share) - [BigBag](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.best.grocery.list.pro&amp;pcampaignid=web_share) - [Wolfram Alpha](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wolfram.android.alpha&amp;pcampaignid=web_share)

Hey, I'm just having this problem which I don't know how to solve, for some reason on my main wifi the phone just won't connect to 5ghz. In other wifis from friends and family it does, both when connecting to wifis which only have the main SSID and wifis which have 2.4ghz and 5ghz on different SSIDs. For some reason, the only thing that seems to make it work is changing region to India, resetting wifi and then connecting, but this just gets annoying I had heard that mediatek devices had network problems, but if it is happening just in some WiFis, what could the problem be? Is there an explanation on to why does this happen? Is there any way to fix this? Has anyone experienced the same issues? I have custom ROM (EvolutionX unofficial) with magisk and root. But that is not related to the issue, as it happens in every ROM I have tried, and I can't remember if it happened back when I had MIUI installed.