Database Develop

[Q] Android Themes Creator

With symbian on the verge of extinction after the alliance announcement, most of the themers who are pro at graphic software's like photoshop, illustrator are looking towards android for customization and skinning.
I being a Sony Ericsson and Nokia themer from the past 6 years, to be honest, find it to complicated to make themes for Android.
Firstly, i would like to understand if someone can explain why no theme creator application has been developed yet to make and apply themes to an un rooted versions of the phone, with a simple apk installation.
Currently from what i have seen on the forum, I cannot apply a theme unless i have a custom rom on a rooted device.
Believe me most of the users, don't go ahead an root their device, plus follow complicated procedures to install a theme.
Can anyone please shed some light on this, as i am really confused regarding Android and making themes for Android.

No root means no rw access to /system, only ro
/system is where the apk's lie which need to be modified (themed)
The closest thing i can think of is the following two :
a) a launcher that supports theming....for eg adw,go launcher.....etc (Root is not needed)
b) a rom that supports theming. For eg cyanogemod...etc (Root is needed ofcourse)

I agree that the typical Android user, just like the user of any phone, is not going to be happy with the idea of having to "crack" their phone in order to "theme" it (not only does this require a moderately steep learning curve, but it voids your warranty, including most aftermarket extended warranty contacts). What normal consumer would willingly paint their car a different color if the Owner's Manual warned that this would void their 50,000 mile warranty? But, keep in mind that the focus of "control" rests primarily with the carrier (Sprint, T-Mobile, Rogers, etc), so most development of customizable "things" on a phone are mostly meant to be customized by the carrier -- not the end customer.
The fact that the "Android ROM development" community has been able to find chinks in the security armor of various carriers' phones, in order to open the door to "rooting" that particular device, is an advantage to those of is that ARE willing to invest the time and effort to figure out how to "root" our device (to be fair, the vast majority of us are actually just following the instructions that some earlier pioneering soul discovered for us), then we derive the benefit of being able to, to a greater or lesser degree, customize our phones.
The carriers, understandably from their point of view, want the smallest possible matrix of product variation for their Tech Support to have to cope with. By their reckoning, the less the user can alter, the less can get screwed up. Additionally, some carriers generate additional revenue streams from their customers' ignorance. The classic example being to impose a monthly surcharge for "GPS usage", considering that the Google Navigation app is free, as is the usage of Google's servers that cough up the map image tiles, and perform the routing algorithm on-demand 24/7/365 (not to mention the estimated $1 billion/year/satellite (with 26+ birds up there) in operational costs, paid out of your taxes). None of the money assessed by the carrier for "GPS service" winds up in Google's pocket, even though the only burden the carrier experiences from the end customer's usage is flow through the data pipe.
It is precisely this kind of consumer-unfriendly carrier attitude that has made the Android platform so popular among those that wish to retain control over their own device, because we disagree with the carrier's fundamental vision of what we "ought to" be able to do with our devices. Nobody would tolerate their ISP decreeing what software they could (or not) install on their computer, so why should their smartphone be any different -- it's just a physically smaller computer with a radio modem squashed into the tiny case.
It's precisely why I waited for Android, while refusing to have anything to do with Windows Mobile, Windows CE, or iPhone.
It's why I prefer Linux over any closed system.
(Sorry, I guess I wandered a bit off-topic and into rant-land. My apologies.)

Sorry to open up this slightly old topic but i feel this thread needs some attention.
if launcher can modify the and provide a theme without having to root then there will be solutions. Nokia has a wonderful theming option of carbide which allows theming. its wonderful software and it resulted in millions of theme which could be used without hacking the phone.
those themes didn't void the warranty and gave users a way to customize their phones and developers a way to gain recognition for their work and also a way to use their designing skills to monetize through themes.
I am a new android user and a Ex-Nokia Themer. I feel theming still can be done but its very difficult to popularize it as users wont use a theme that can't be removed quickly and never use a theme which can be installed only after voiding their warranty
If someone could work on it, it would be gr8....
Thanks

With launchers and other softwares that allows theming, they allow theming only that particular application. If we want to theme the entire system then rooting is the only option as of now. Cyanogenmod comes with a themer application that can be used to theme the entire system.

I know this thread is really old....
But I've been using the "go launcher theme factory" It's okay, for now. I'm planning on getting into this theme-ing thing pretty hardcore, my phone is just so boring to look at with out my own personal touches and I haven't found any free downloadable theme that really fit my taste as far as something I can look at for more than a day.
The theme factory is okay if you're cool with a confusing download (maybe it was just me being an idiot though). You take a real hit on serious customization you're limited to the preset sizes for the icons. Say you have some sweet icons in your library, you can't have them stay at their original sizes they've got to be made smaller if you don't want to chop of a good majority of it, I'm trying to work my way around that, or at least keeping them at a bigger size without it looking super horrible.
Also I wasn't sure if it was just me or my device. There's an option to export it to your phone, well that didn't work, (maybe I'm just to new to this, its my first smartphone and I've had it for less than a month. And it isn't even a real popular smartphone) I had to take the file upload it too a .apk file convertor so i could scan the qr code...it was pretty ridiculous.
Its still pretty decent for some unimaginative customizing.

With CyanogenMod and many other ROMs supporting theming, and most of them having built apps to apply themes, theming is quite easy these days.
I have found a theme editor tool supporting CyanogenMod and Avatar rom here

[Q] Best privacy rom/kernel

Hi everybody!
Among so many stock and custom roms and kernels, which would you recommend as the best one from the point of view of securing privacy, i.e giving best protection against rootkits like Carrier IQ, Google rootkits or any unauthorised intrusion?
Any good hint will be highly appreciated, thank you!

All roms/ kernel are vulnerable to such attacks. If you're afraid it's probably better not to root your phone. But then, without root access you cannot use LBE to control the rights your apps are granted. Maybe best tipp is to use common sense, don't use cracked software, do not click on anything only because it's shiny, don't download from dubious sources... And in the end I would also say that the threat malicious software poses to smartphones isn't that big. Use common sense and a good anti virus software and you should be fine.
Sent from my Galaxy Note running ICS

altae said:
All roms/ kernel are vulnerable to such attacks. If you're afraid it's probably better not to root your phone. But then, without root access you cannot use LBE to control the rights your apps are granted. Maybe best tipp is to use common sense, don't use cracked software, do not click on anything only because it's shiny, don't download from dubious sources... And in the end I would also say that the threat malicious software poses to smartphones isn't that big. Use common sense and a good anti virus software and you should be fine.
Sent from my Galaxy Note running ICS
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Click to collapse
Thank you altae! I was mainly refering to rootkits installed on purpose by the manufacturer on the (phone) carrier's request (CIQ) or on Google request that installing illegit software recording every move on the phone and sending the information back home via internet. There were a lot of discussions on this topic in the press between December 2011 and March 2012, I'm sure that you've read about that. But I have no idea on how serious this threat is or if it is still going on. Therefore I am looking for a safe rom from the privacy point of view. Other threats can be solved with an antivirus probably.

No more root after 4.3......????

Just curious who saw these posts on Google+ the other day. Lets discuss.
Steve Kondik - 22 hours ago
The Death of Root
Android 4.3 introduces some new and much needed security features which not only restrict setuid binaries on the system partition (su), but also limit the capabilities of processes. In the current architecture, even if you could get elevated privileges, you can't do anything out of the ordinary. Root in the shell via ADB is all I use, and it still works just fine.
This isn't a problem for me, since I use CM. When there is a situation that I'd need root, I just modify the system to accomodate what I'm trying to accomplish in a secure way. I can understand the desire to have full root on stock ROMs, since you're severely limited in what you can do and there is no provision for making any sort of real changes or improving the architecture.
+Koushik Dutta and +Chainfire are working hard to permit root in some way on 4.3, but I feel that anything done at this point might severely compromise the security of the system and we should start considering better options. Going forward, I'm interested in building framework extensions and APIs into CM to continue to abolish the root requirement.
A few good use cases for root are:
* Firewalls and network software, potentially requiring raw sockets.
* Managing the DNS resolver
* Tweaking various sysfs nodes to control the kernel
All of these can be done without exposing root, and they can be done in a very secure way.
If you're using CM or another custom ROM, what do you actually use root for?
Brought to you by Sprint and the letters GS and the number 4
Steve Kondik - 21 hours ago
An example to go with my previous post on root..
Let's say that I wanted to write an application that would let me block or rate limit network access for other applications. Seems easy, just run "iptables" as root and add some firewall rules. Calling "su iptables ...." and managing the list is easy. The harder, but much better way would be to extend the framework. This also has the side effect of opening this up for other developers to use.
To do this, you need two things:
1. A way to add the rules (which requires root)
2. An API to add the rules
3. Access control to this API
All Android systems run a daemon, "netd", which runs as root and manages various aspects of the network such as tethering and traffic shaping. The framework has a service, appropriately named "NetworkManagementService" which communicates with netd using a simple protocol over a socket. Applications with the right permissions can get a handle to this service using Binder, and control the network without actually needing root.
So to build a firewall API, it's really easy. You put the pieces that require elevated privileges into netd, then add a few methods to the NMS such as "addRule", "deleteRule", and "listRules". You can create and enforce a new permission, "android.permission.MODIFY_FIREWALL_STATE" that applications would require. You can even pop up a "scary" dialog similar to the newish VPNService when something needs it.
Then of course you upload your patches to the CM Gerrit, we iterate a bit, and ship it. If it turns out to be insanely useful, maybe it will go to Android proper.
Now you can write your app and a whole new class of applications that you couldn't do without using the root sledgehammer before. Yeah, it's harder, and you need to learn the system architecture a bit, but the result is much better and more importantly it's not a gaping security hole.
Of course it's possible to write malware that mirrors all of your packets to a remote site without your knowledge using this API, but Android's VPNService is actually more suited to this and it's already part of the framework
I might be exploiting this as an opportunity to sell the ideas behind CM, but I think it's a powerful concept. If your app needs to do something that normally can't be done, you can easily bend the system to your will and do it right.

If it not more root on 4,3 we keep what we got and add
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2376881
I have a nexus 7 and the 4.3 update has already been rooted
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Did you guys read the article or just the title.
Brought to you by Sprint and the letters GS and the number 4

Why? Are the two not related? Or is the title misleading?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Probably because the title says AFTER 4.3

I'm no dev, but I have very little attachment to root. I am required to have it if I want to be able to flash ROM's or custom recoveries or mods or what-have-you, but if all of those things could be accomplished without root, I would do it. The reason its so exploited in the dev community is that there is no other framework to do the things they want to do.
If however they were to work with major devs (like Kondik mentions CM) on expanding frameworks to make ROM's and whatnot take without needing root, I would have no problem with it. Hell, I'd welcome losing the step on every new phone of having to master a new rooting technique. It would also make me contemplate trying an HTC phone, as rooting the EVO 3D put an inordinately bad taste in my mouth.

mattkane21 said:
would also make me contemplate trying an HTC phone, as rooting the EVO 3D put an inordinately bad taste in my mouth.
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Click to collapse
+1. That phone was such an unbelievable pain in the a$$. The whole process took forever, with the HTC dev unlock and ridiculous "wire trick" to achieve s-off in order to flash custom kernels. Then, once that crap was all done, always having to think about what hboot you're using with what rom. Especially for someone like me who's constantly switching between stock and AOSP, having to flash another hboot all the time is such a freaking hassle. The ironic part is that there are tons of great roms for that phone.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium

So jn essence what this is saying is after 4.3 there will be no need for root yet we will still have all the benefits of root?
Am I reading this correctly?

shawn1224 said:
So jn essence what this is saying is after 4.3 there will be no need for root yet we will still have all the benefits of root?
Am I reading this correctly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes in a way. It is kind of looking at a different integration of what is possible without needing root, or why would we really need root when running something like CM. And with the new security features rooting might make your device unsecured.
Brought to you by Sprint and the letters GS and the number 4

Ok cool but would this also pertain to standalone mods/extension or are you talkin code baked into CM only
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

shawn1224 said:
Ok cool but would this also pertain to standalone mods/extension or are you talkin code baked into CM only
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
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Well, it would work for pretty much any ROM,or could. He is the founder of CM so he talks about it. Many ROMs use CM as a base and build off it though, almost all AOSP ROMs do.
Brought to you by Sprint and the letters GS and the number 4

Hoping to help get root at least

Here are some files I found if there is a specific directory you need to see I'll try to get access to it all you need to do is post the dir here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-k10MX8t9TXN0lsSGpteFRBQnc/view?usp=docslist_api

Best of luck! We T-Mobile S7 owners are crossing our fingers.

Adaway will make this phone perfect.

I've rooted every phone I've had, there's always been a reason I needed it. I got to say though, I can't find an everyday reason to really need it on my edge.
Kris

FatKris said:
I've rooted every phone I've had, there's always been a reason I needed it. I got to say though, I can't find an everyday reason to really need it on my edge.
Kris
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So you don't want freedom so you don't want Xposed via flashfire so you don't want Titanium Backup those are just some things I need root for idk about you but even if I didn't need those things I would still do it just because I can.....

Ghost Dragon said:
So you don't want freedom so you don't want Xposed via flashfire so you don't want Titanium Backup those are just some things I need root for idk about you but even if I didn't need those things I would still do it just because I can.....
Click to expand...
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I think there's pros and cons to everything...
I love rooting, always have but this is the first time in a long time that I can't root and it's actually not so bad.
Granted I'd love to be able to installing ROMs, remove ads and bloat and have all these tweaks and tricks but it's sort of like... been there, done that.
If you root your phone now, you can NEVER use Samsung Pay... EVER on your device. Even if you restore stock firmware. That's actually a big issue now with mobile payments being a common thing.
I kind of like having my phone much more secure and safe to do important financial transactions and access important accounts (just like I do on my iPhone) without fear of lax security while using rooted/custom software.
I think moving into the future, flagship phones like Samsung's Galaxy line(s) won't risk bad press or the potential for bad press by allowing the modding community to easily gain root access and customize their software.
They have more to lose than gain by doing that, especially with their rivalry with Apple being so neck and neck now.
I think people like us on XDA who love rooting will have to purchase devices from up and coming OEMs if we still want to root, either that or Nexus devices.

HNIC215 said:
I think there's pros and cons to everything...
I love rooting, always have but this is the first time in a long time that I can't root and it's actually not so bad.
Granted I'd love to be able to installing ROMs, remove ads and bloat and have all these tweaks and tricks but it's sort of like... been there, done that.
If you root your phone now, you can NEVER use Samsung Pay... EVER on your device. Even if you restore stock firmware. That's actually a big issue now with mobile payments being a common thing.
I kind of like having my phone much more secure and safe to do important financial transactions and access important accounts (just like I do on my iPhone) without fear of lax security while using rooted/custom software.
I think moving into the future, flagship phones like Samsung's Galaxy line(s) won't risk bad press or the potential for bad press by allowing the modding community to easily gain root access and customize their software.
They have more to lose than gain by doing that, especially with their rivalry with Apple being so neck and neck now.
I think people like us on XDA who love rooting will have to purchase devices from up and coming OEMs if we still want to root, either that or Nexus devices.
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Click to collapse
1. So you would sacrifice freedom for convenience
2. Geohots court session with Apple made it legal to jailbreak aka root phones so why exactly would they get "bad press"
3. Android is open source so what Samsung is doing is kind of breaking the law of Android destroying the very foundation and purpose of it's creation

Ghost Dragon said:
1. So you would sacrifice freedom for convenience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean that's the thing with security in this day and age. No?
In order to have it, you must sacrifice the freedom (to an extent) to mod and install 3rd party software. While I personally love what XDA stands for, does and has to offer - I mean I love rooting and customizing my phones but I certainly can understand the other perspective in regards to security. XDA might be full of great individuals who are trying to improve the software experience for users, however, there are plenty of other 3rd parties who have ill intent.
It's the same reason why Apple is so strict with system access on iOS.
Samsung is trying to be their equal - in terms of quality, security and everything else.
In order to maintain that level of security in the midst of a global, albeit slow, roll out of Samsung Pay, they have to limit access to their system as well.
Which is why, like I said in my previous comment, if you EVER root a Samsung phone then you can NEVER use Samsung Pay on it.
To a lot of folks, especially those coming from the iPhone, Mobile Payments, Mobile Banking and security in general is a very important feature for them to have.
If not, it furthers the stereotype that Android is less secure than Apple. Which doesn't sit well with the plethora of users who don't care about rooting - we at XDA after all are really a niche group of users when looking at the grand scheme of consumers.
Ghost Dragon said:
2. Geohots court session with Apple made it legal to jailbreak aka root phones so why exactly would they get "bad press"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They would get "bad press" if something were to compromise the security of their devices - anywhere in the world. Especially if that compromise impacted the potential safety and security of their Mobile Payment system.
Which rooting or allowing access to certain parts of the system may or may not do. Which is a big deal to them, their investors and most of their consumers (who aren't aware or concerned about rooting).
Android already has an unfair stereotype/label that it is less secure compared to iPhone.
Ghost Dragon said:
3. Android is open source so what Samsung is doing is kind of breaking the law of Android destroying the very foundation and purpose of it's creation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung doesn't care about what people like us on XDA think. People like us, who love to root and have the freedom to do whatever it is they want to their phones or to the software on their phones. As much as I hate to say it, we are a niche group.
I would love a developer edition of the S7/S7 Edge, that enables us to do all the wonderful things that the amazing and talented developers at XDA create for us. I would also love to be able to continue to use Samsung Pay and access and carry out important financial transactions through my mobile device.
Alas, that's not the case. So we have to choose between a bootloader locked version of the S7/S7 Edge or no S7/S7 Edge at all.
I think this phone is amazing and after years of nonstop rooting and customizing ROMs I don't mind sacrificing that aspect of customization in order to have a secure phone that I can do all the same things I can do on my iPhone 6s Plus.
Do I miss it sometimes? Sure
However, it's not the end of the world for me and the S7 Edge is still the best Android phone I've ever owned or used (I've owned alot too).
It is the "iPhone" of the Android world in terms of premium look/feel and quality and I think that is exactly the correlation that Samsung wants more consumers to have and think.

I was using Samsung Pay on my S6 Edge, and I decided to root it, unlock the bootloader, and flash a new ROM on it. 2 days later, someone had all of my personal info, all the info for a credit card I had on file and was using on my phone, and ran up $6000. I got a text from the bank to verify a purchase which I didn't make, and I responded that I did not make the transaction, but someone had enough information about me to call the bank, verify all of my information along with the purchase. I'm not saying the unlocking and flashing allowed someone to access this information, but it's a fairly large coincidence. Moving forward, any device that I use for financial transactions and such will remain stock, and if I root a device and flash it, it will be a separate device that doesn't contain any confidential information.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using XDA-Developers mobile app

Rolldog said:
I was using Samsung Pay on my S6 Edge, and I decided to root it, unlock the bootloader, and flash a new ROM on it. 2 days later, someone had all of my personal info, all the info for a credit card I had on file and was using on my phone, and ran up $6000. I got a text from the bank to verify a purchase which I didn't make, and I responded that I did not make the transaction, but someone had enough information about me to call the bank, verify all of my information along with the purchase. I'm not saying the unlocking and flashing allowed someone to access this information, but it's a fairly large coincidence. Moving forward, any device that I use for financial transactions and such will remain stock, and if I root a device and flash it, it will be a separate device that doesn't contain any confidential information.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly my point...
This is what makes so many consumers out there trust Apple because, whether true or not, they feel safe with Apple.
Samsung - being Apple's equivalent in the Android world - wants that same recognition and consumer trust.
I can't blame them either.
In this day and age, it is simply the world we live in, security is paramount for businesses and consumers alike.

I been rooting all my phones and my wife's phones for about 5-6 years and can say this phone is perfect jus the way it is. Since launch I had the gs7 edge and not once have I got the urge to root this beautiful device. And I'm sure I speak for most of us here that we can't go 2 days with a new phone without gaining root, flashing roms or xpose etc. For me it's more than jus keeping security. Samsung jus made a phone worth keeping stock, finally.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using XDA-Developers mobile app

I've rooted every single android phone I've owned. I was one of the first people to run CyanogenMod on my Droid when some crazy no-named guy named Koush appeared out of nowhere and said SPRecovery that we had ALL had wasn't "real" recovery and created his own recovery in order to flash the real CyanogenMod ROM. Later this recovery would be called Clockwork Mod. I remember flashing .sbf files that replaced everything on the phone just for a silly custom boot logo. I used to kang features and themes from N1 threads on here, back when that was really the only phone on XDA. I used to build ROMs and custom themes and all that craziness. I remember when changing the clock color was unbelievably complicated. Google integrated many features first pioneered by devs into their main product that these phones all run on now. Taking away our ability to do that may very well slow the development of Android. It defeats the purpose of open-source. If you wish to forgo the freedom of root for the security of KNOX, or Samsung Pay, or whatever feature that conflicts with root, you're free to do so, even if rooting is possible. And manufacturers have always warned against rooting because it takes away from the security features they worked hard to include, and none have ever been held accountable for someone rooting a device before. It wouldn't be any different now. I guess, in summary, they really have nothing to lose by allowing root. Even if I have no real reason to root, I still would like the option to do on a device that I shelled out $700+ for. Rooting never was for everybody. But because some developers were nice enough to simplify the process to the point a chimp could do it. Literally. People that probably shouldn't root, did it anyways, but then felt that they shouldn't be responsible for their own actions. But for those of us that don't need our hand held throughout the entire process of owning a device, having the freedom to treat our property as we like doesn't seem like it's asking all that much. Especially for a device that runs on open-source software...
(Good God, I rambled a lot longer than intended. Sorry about the novel)

52brandon said:
I've rooted every single android phone I've owned. I was one of the first people to run CyanogenMod on my Droid when some crazy no-named guy named Koush appeared out of nowhere and said SPRecovery that we had ALL had wasn't "real" recovery and created his own recovery in order to flash the real CyanogenMod ROM. Later this recovery would be called Clockwork Mod. I remember flashing .sbf files that replaced everything on the phone just for a silly custom boot logo. I used to kang features and themes from N1 threads on here, back when that was really the only phone on XDA. I used to build ROMs and custom themes and all that craziness. I remember when changing the clock color was unbelievably complicated. Google integrated many features first pioneered by devs into their main product that these phones all run on now. Taking away our ability to do that may very well slow the development of Android. It defeats the purpose of open-source. If you wish to forgo the freedom of root for the security of KNOX, or Samsung Pay, or whatever feature that conflicts with root, you're free to do so, even if rooting is possible. And manufacturers have always warned against rooting because it takes away from the security features they worked hard to include, and none have ever been held accountable for someone rooting a device before. It wouldn't be any different now. I guess, in summary, they really have nothing to lose by allowing root. Even if I have no real reason to root, I still would like the option to do on a device that I shelled out $700+ for. Rooting never was for everybody. But because some developers were nice enough to simplify the process to the point a chimp could do it. Literally. People that probably shouldn't root, did it anyways, but then felt that they shouldn't be responsible for their own actions. But for those of us that don't need our hand held throughout the entire process of owning a device, having the freedom to treat our property as we like doesn't seem like it's asking all that much. Especially for a device that runs on open-source software...
(Good God, I rambled a lot longer than intended. Sorry about the novel)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Preach on brotha!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

Loving this phone so far. Great battery life! Don't really care about root atm.

Question Pixel as a phone for privacy-concerned users?

Hello
A bit of a beginner question.
I am looking for an option to avoid personal data leaks to corporations (paranoid version ). It makes me uncomfortable that every single word I say or text I write is being sent to the servers, being analysed by the online algorithms, etc. I believe that a phone is a personal device, and this is not acceptable.
Which is why I am looking for a phone that would allow to clean up the bloatware and telemetry modules, by either removing them from the stock firmware, setting up restrictive firewall rules, or by installing something like LineageOS or similar.
My question is whether it is reasonable to get the new Pixel 7 (in my area it costs around $600) or would you recommend looking into other models, some chinese models, for a similar price?
I am considering Pixel, as it is known to be one of the best phones in its price range (but as I understand mostly because of the software part, which I would like to meddle with).
Thanks for your opinions!

Yes, the pixel is a great phone. Paranoid Android (privacy ROM) supports it. The pixel is very easy to work with.

thetraveller1 said:
Hello
A bit of a beginner question.
I am looking for an option to avoid personal data leaks to corporations (paranoid version ). It makes me uncomfortable that every single word I say or text I write is being sent to the servers, being analysed by the online algorithms, etc. I believe that a phone is a personal device, and this is not acceptable.
Which is why I am looking for a phone that would allow to clean up the bloatware and telemetry modules, by either removing them from the stock firmware, setting up restrictive firewall rules, or by installing something like LineageOS or similar.
My question is whether it is reasonable to get the new Pixel 7 (in my area it costs around $600) or would you recommend looking into other models, some chinese models, for a similar price?
I am considering Pixel, as it is known to be one of the best phones in its price range (but as I understand mostly because of the software part, which I would like to meddle with).
Thanks for your opinions!
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The Pixel is, at it's core, developed by Google (which is primarily an advertising company, which is why they have so many great "free" apps, which you pay for with your data), as is Android itself. When you buy a new Android phone, it will come preloaded with multiple proprietary Google apps, which you can not easily uninstall. If you really want a privacy oriented phone, the Pixel with a custom ROM might work. Personally, I use Lineage OS, also for the extra privacy, as it is open-source. Lineage OS does not have any Google apps installed by default, although you can install them if you wish. If you look at Lineage OS's website and click on "GET LINEAGEOS" you can see devices that are supported. Since creating a custom ROM takes time, most of the supported devices are over three years old (yes, the Pixel 7 is not officialy supported). However, certain newer devices are supported, as is my Samsung Galaxy A52 4G (2021), which I run Lineage OS on. You could get the Pixel 7 and run this unofficial build of Lineage OS on it, but if your only getting it because the camera software is good, don't, because your going to remove that software and replace it. Another thing to keep in mind is sometimes the camera support isn't really great with custom ROMs, so do you research to make sure the phone you get has good camera support with whatever ROM you choose. Lineage OS did just develop a much better camera app for it's 20th release, though. Hope this helps, and if you have any questions let me know!

Hi, =)
if privacy is a concern for you, using a Google Pixel device may not be the best option as Google is known to collect user data for targeted advertising and other purposes. You may want to consider other options that prioritize privacy such as phones running on the Android-based LineageOS, or the privacy-focused /e/OS, or a device from a vendor known to prioritize privacy, such as Fairphone or Purism. You may also want to consider alternative operating systems such as iOS or Ubuntu Touch. Ultimately, the best option for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences, so consider your budget and requirements before making a decision.

If you want a device that protects your privacy out of the box with no modification, the Pixel series is not for you. In fact I'm not aware of any OEM Android device that is privacy oriented - Google services by nature depend largely on telemetry and user data for targeted advertising.
That being said, if you want a platform that can easily support a privacy oriented OS, the Pixel is honestly one of the best choices, due to the ease of which you can unlock the bootloader and flash a new OS such as LineageOS, CalyxOS, or others. This means you'll need to familiarize yourself with the concepts of ADB, flashing, bootloaders, etc.

ChristianMorris said:
Hi, =)
if privacy is a concern for you, using a Google Pixel device may not be the best option as Google is known to collect user data for targeted advertising and other purposes. You may want to consider other options that prioritize privacy such as phones running on the Android-based LineageOS, or the privacy-focused /e/OS, or a device from a vendor known to prioritize privacy, such as Fairphone or Purism. You may also want to consider alternative operating systems such as iOS or Ubuntu Touch. Ultimately, the best option for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences, so consider your budget and requirements before making a decision.
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I happen to have the Librem 5 phone, developed by Purism. Frankly, although it is extremely security and privacy oriented, it currently has many downfalls: high price (starts at $1,999), not many apps (Linux smartphones are pretty new), and the battery lasts less than 24 hours on a full charge (due to not having a good suspend mode, I assume)

V0latyle said:
If you want a device that protects your privacy out of the box with no modification, the Pixel series is not for you. In fact I'm not aware of any OEM Android device that is privacy oriented - Google services by nature depend largely on telemetry and user data for targeted advertising.
That being said, if you want a platform that can easily support a privacy oriented OS, the Pixel is honestly one of the best choices, due to the ease of which you can unlock the bootloader and flash a new OS such as LineageOS, CalyxOS, or others. This means you'll need to familiarize yourself with the concepts of ADB, flashing, bootloaders, etc.
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Lmao remember “freedom phone” what a joke.

I wonder if even a rooted android phone will not give away all kinds of info. Some roms I presume will mitigate that somewhat, but I feel you are tracked everywhere you go in this world. How about a decent burner or 3? Use it for a week or so then destroy it. And then buy a pixel 7 for the features when you don't care who's looking. And don't forget your paid (forget free) VPN.

@thetraveller1 flash Graphene, relock the bootloader, and you'll basically have state of the art privacy and security on your Pixel 7.
GrapheneOS: the private and secure mobile OS
GrapheneOS is a security and privacy focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.
grapheneos.org

Thanks everybody for the replies!
As I understand, Pixel remains the most widely supported device by various Custom ROMs, and getting a Chinese smartphone or Samsung would mean I would be limiting the choice of the available/pre-built ROMs as well as future support with security patches?
ethical_haquer said:
You could get the Pixel 7 and run this unofficial build of Lineage OS on it, but if your only getting it because the camera software is good, don't, because your going to remove that software and replace it
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I understand that unofficial means it wasn't built by the LineageOS team, rather by a 3rd party. And it probably means that some functionality may be missing/not working and it's not promised to be getting regular updates as new versions of Android come out (including applying official google security updates) unless I learn to make firmware builds myself?

thetraveller1 said:
Thanks everybody for the replies!
As I understand, Pixel remains the most widely supported device by various Custom ROMs, and getting a Chinese smartphone or Samsung would mean I would be limiting the choice of the available/pre-built ROMs as well as future support with security patches?
I understand that unofficial means it wasn't built by the LineageOS team, rather by a 3rd party. And it probably means that some functionality may be missing/not working and it's not promised to be getting regular updates as new versions of Android come out (including applying official google security updates) unless I learn to make firmware builds myself?
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One of the reasons people use custom ROMs is because they often support devices longer then the stock ROM. For example, a device that was only supported by the manufacture till Android 11 could be running a custom ROM on Android 13. Lineage OS official builds get weekly updates; unofficial builds typically still get updates, but not as often. In either case, it is up to the individual that developed the build to provide support, and the more popular a build is, the more likely it is that it will be supported for many years. To answer your questions: no, getting a non-google phone will not necessarily limit custom ROM options, or updates; and getting an unofficial build doesn't mean it wont get updates, but installing updates on unofficial builds requires flashing the new builds manually, which can be a hassle.

thetraveller1 said:
Thanks everybody for the replies!
As I understand, Pixel remains the most widely supported device by various Custom ROMs, and getting a Chinese smartphone or Samsung would mean I would be limiting the choice of the available/pre-built ROMs as well as future support with security patches?
I understand that unofficial means it wasn't built by the LineageOS team, rather by a 3rd party. And it probably means that some functionality may be missing/not working and it's not promised to be getting regular updates as new versions of Android come out (including applying official google security updates) unless I learn to make firmware builds myself?
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Click to collapse
Take a look at Shizuku and the apps that use it like FreezeYou!. MySudo and Insular are another couple to check. You may find a solution without having to switch ROMs.