this post was submitted on 12 May 2024
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Privacy

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Please write the 3 phone brands (in order please) which you think they bring the least number of third-party apps.

Notes:

  • 1- PrivacyGuides recommends Google Pixel. But it is not selling on my country. I can not bring it from other countries because it will not have warrant.

  • 2- We also don't have fair-phone and nothing-phone (i can not bring it from another country).

  • 3- we only have: general-mobile, huawei, samsung, asus, tcl, htc, xiaomi, vivo, infinix, oneplus.

  • 4- please dont recomend custom ROM. Its technically difficult for me. Also I will recommend the device to my friend (they don't have even an idead what is custom-rom)

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

Motorola it's a good one.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Keep it with smartphones like you would with every other computer: reinstall the preinstalled OS. Meaning in Android: a model that supports custom rom.

Btw, Samsung has probably the most, hum, custom vendor rom on their phones.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

You might want to take a look at Universal Android Debloater it may help, but not necessarily meet all your requirements.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

What difficulties do you encounter with the custom ROM stuff?

If you get a oneplus, they are very forgiving of things you could do to brick a phone.

A recent oneplus and installing a custom ROM (LineageOS + MicroG) would be fairly doable for a larger audience than just the "nerd" or "hacker".

If people know what you struggle with particularly, they can help better.

To get rid of google completely, a custom ROM or other technical things are necessary, but debloating using a standard tool is a good first step and is better than what you will have from the off.

https://github.com/0x192/universal-android-debloater

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That depends on the model. Plenty of newer OnePlus phones use mediatech processors with little to no custom ROM support.

A fact I found after buying a new OnePlus phone without doing any research because I was in a desperate situation.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Ah I see, is bootloader unlocking etc still available? (A more techy person could still go hard on privacy implementations)

I'm using nothing myself but the op said its unavailable in their country. I also noted that now lots of ROMs come preloaded with GAPPS whereas you had to load separately in the past.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

It's common but phones like the 10R don't have any support for unlocking bootloaders

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (4 children)

This is a bit of a pickle. Apart from Google, I think only Motorola and Nokia have stock-ish android. But they don't have stellar software upgrade promises. Oh and Sony makes some very good phones with clean android

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (2 children)

OnePlus offers mostly stock android too

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

It used to but oxygen OS is pretty far from stock now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You mean other than forced Facebook and shit?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Amazon and Facebook app managers come preinstalled as System apps on so many android phones.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's a real pain in the ass, for sure.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

In some cases adb can't uninstall them, so even worse

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I had a Galaxy Note 10 die on me after just a little over 2 years (such a shitty fucking phone) and then, swearing I would never pay so much for a phone again, switched to a Motorola Edge 30. It cost less than a third of the Samsung, and it even came without the bloating bullshit. Highly recommend it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

There is a German manufacturer called GigaSet which does stock. I am rather happy with their GS5 phone and they even have a senior option if you want a not as smart smartphone for a parent.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I had no idea Gigaset manufactured cell phones. I have a set of their DECT home phones, and they are amazing. Have had them for over 6 years now.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

My Sony xz2c does have bloats installed, namely amazon and facebook. Don't know what the state they're in now tho.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I've read on several websites that Nokia comes with pretty much stock Android.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Motorola as well. Either way, stock android is very intertwined with Google bullshittery, making a degoogled ROM like DivestOS or GrapheneOS necessary for proper privacy from google. A privacy respecting ROM won't fix relience on google apps though.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Asus zen phone had received great reviews. You can use it as stock Android or with Asus' slight customizations. It's on the smaller side but it's a good price.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Isn't Asus disable the bootloader unlook and lost a case? I think I read this somewhere in Lemmy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

It was disabled on the 10, yes. ASUS promised to enable unlocking but last I checked (a few months ago) they still hadn't done it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Google Android comes with tons of bloat so custom roms are the simplest these days.

You can buy devices running /e/os last time I checked

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If you can get a Blu phone shipped in, that would be exactly what you're looking for. All Blu phones come unlocked by default, they're about a third the price of name brands with the same specs, and while they have minimal bloatware to begin with, their apps are all unprotected so you can uninstall everything that isn't a core system.

Bonus perks that aren't relevant to your question, every phone they make is made with gorilla glass, so they're ridiculously hard to crack or scratch. They come with a case, screen protector, charger block, cable, headphones, Sim key, and sticker in every box. Lastly, to put into perspective how bafflingly reliable these things are, I've bought 3 of them in 10 years. I'm replying to you from one I bought two years ago that has been a 6% decay in battery life and still has no issues running anything I use it for.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Never heard of them, I'm gonna check them.

For you fellow lemmies, here are the links:

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

It doesn't look good with the hidden spyware listed on Wiki. I know Google is doing similar things but I would rather pick a less rotted apple.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

If nothing works out; look into Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and use these package names to remove all the google bloat. Perhaps it's a bit too involved, but AFAIK this is the easiest way to gain a semblance of privacy on your phone. I don't screw about with custom roms either.

LMK if you do try to use it, I can provide some guidance if you need.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Pixel phones from Google are the cleanest.

Edit: the cleanest you can get out of the box

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (13 children)

Pixel phones ship the entire Google garbase.

Anyway, OP said can't get a Pixel phone.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

On Xiaomi it's very easy to remove whatever you want without rooting. Here's a 3:30 min video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_rqhoMpr_Y

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

you can't have both privacy and total convenience

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

General-mobile only makes phones with 10 years old hardware afaik. Asus is probably what you're looking for. Huawei has fake ad icons on home screen by default which are not installed apps but still I don't recommend them because they don't have Play Store. Everything else will give you a lot of preinstalled 3rd party bloatware apps I think. Google Pixel or custom ROMs are the ways to go for lowest amount of pre-installed apps

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Warranties are practically useless, or I should say I find better value buying a 2 year old phone for a fraction of new. I can own three or four Pixel 5/6 for the cost of a new Pixel.

I prefer having a spare around. One dies, just swap Sim and move on.

Custom roms are significantly easier today, and you can buy phones with them pre-installed, e.g. Graphene, /e/, and Lineage. I'd look at those 3, noting that /e/ also provides some google-like convenience.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'm going against every one of your requirements by suggesting a pixel 6 or onwards used on eBay and install graphene os, it has the least amount of bullshit and is stupidly easy to install even for someone who's never heard of a custom ROM

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (3 children)

If you didn't read the post, the OP doesn't have Pixels available in their country and they want warranty so used phones are not an option either

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

They clearly read and understood the post. That's why they said I'm going to go against every one of your requirements.

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