You're not alone: This email from Google's Gemini team is concerning
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How, its baked in? Gemini isnt installed on my phone but its there. Like the circle to search.
You can remove most apps using ADB. Universal Android Debloater is helpful for this, just make sure you read the comments for each app so you dont remove something you need.
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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.
Just... Disable it. You can switch to the old assistant.
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Long enough for GOS to port Android 16 or get their own OEM, I hope
i hope so too
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Just... Disable it. You can switch to the old assistant.
until google decides thats not allowed either
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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.
It's mostly lemmy. In real life people go from amused to indifferent. I have never met anyone as hostile as the lemmy consensus seems to be. If a feature is useful people will use it, be it AI or not AI. Some AI features are gimmicks and they largely get ignored, unless very intrusive (in which case the intrusivity, not the AI, is the problem).
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Seize the means of production
Yes take over the Google factory!
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Linux has become good enough to replace desktop operating systems.
Now, we are back at square one. I’ll be the first to inaccurately declare, “This will be the year of the Linux phone.”
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.
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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.
Few years ago I got a Nest Secure to go with my other Google Nest gear. One day Google emailed me to tell me Assistant was now enabled on my security system. Oh, by the way, it has an undocumented microphone!
That’s when I realized what a privacy nightmare Google really is. I know Apple isn’t great but come on.
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All I need is a good enough emulation of android apps to fool them (eg for banking).
Unfortunately banking apps are only going to get harder to run on software uncertified by Google.
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Why is this a Google Pixel only ROM? Anything special with the Google Pixel?
I even consider Chinese phones a better hardware dela than what Google does, and I know Google software (I mainly use AOSP ROMs, Pixel OS in this case) but if we are swapping right away the ROM of the Pixel and the hardware is subpar what's the deal with it?
Pixel phones have an extra security chip in them called the Titan. Other manufacturers lack this.
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until google decides thats not allowed either
That'll be the day I switch phones.
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until google decides thats not allowed either
Yup, but for now it's a solution
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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.
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
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I can also recommend CalyxOS. Locked bootloaders, open source emulation of all Google's play services (meaning an open source binary running on your phone, filtering requests to Google's servers with absolutely minimal/random info).
Basically I have anonymized access to the play store, and any apps I install other than Google pay work, no issue. ~~I believe even Google's secure features work. There's a reddit post about MitID: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalyxOS/comments/w2ordg/a_proven_way_to_use_calyxos_and_banking_apps_etc/~~
E: having read through the technical comments on graphene's forums, looks like play integrity prevents MitID from running. The service offers free code generators which hang on your keys though.
Do you happen to use android auto? Does that work OK? I could go without, but that's one integration that's just got it's hooks on me hard.
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Why is this a Google Pixel only ROM? Anything special with the Google Pixel?
I even consider Chinese phones a better hardware dela than what Google does, and I know Google software (I mainly use AOSP ROMs, Pixel OS in this case) but if we are swapping right away the ROM of the Pixel and the hardware is subpar what's the deal with it?
Check out this thread. They go into detail about it.
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That'll be the day I switch phones.
If I have to use a walled garden, then I'll go the OG Apple daddy.
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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
An ungoogled android variant has to be a lot lesser of an evil, no?
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Just... Disable it. You can switch to the old assistant.
I wish I knew how. Did this several times already, it always magically turns back on after a couple of weeks.
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Can you get by with web access? That's what I do and it's fine.
Yup. I use my bank's website on my phone. Works plenty fine for me.
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It's mostly lemmy. In real life people go from amused to indifferent. I have never met anyone as hostile as the lemmy consensus seems to be. If a feature is useful people will use it, be it AI or not AI. Some AI features are gimmicks and they largely get ignored, unless very intrusive (in which case the intrusivity, not the AI, is the problem).
It’s one of the reasons I use Lemmy a little less these days as it’s evident to me that it’s an echo chamber for a tiny subset of humanity and at times it just feels like a circle jerk where real change isn’t an option.
