On July 7, Gemini AI will access your WhatsApp and more. Learn how to disable it on Android.
On July 7, Gemini AI will access your WhatsApp and more. Learn how to disable it on Android.
93 comments
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What I hate most about this is the lack of control over this it implies. Sure, maybe you don’t install this on your device, but all that’s needed for Google to access your messages now is for someone you message to have it installed and enabled, then anything you send to them will be gobbled up by Google.
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If the Gemini app is not installed, it can't do this right
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This is my assumption too. It's disabled for me. I have no plans to change that.
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I don't even have a Gemini app installed in the first place.
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I'm rather confused. I don't have any app called Gemini installed, but despite this "Hey Google" brings up Gemini. So I have no app to disable, and no way to turn off interaction with other apps. This is on a Samsung A55 in Europe, happily taking advice on how to proceed.
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I found settings for it in my phone's settings menu, so yeah, no standalone app you can disable or remove. They baked it into the OS.
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laughs in LineageOS
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Me on my de-googled phone:
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Yeah, and it's presumptious of them to access the WhatsApp account I don't have...
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And to want to access my calendars to book appointments for flights I can't afford
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For those on Pixel devices, check out GrapheneOS. If not CalyxOS or LineageOS
Its important that we have devices that we control. If your phone doesn't allow bootloader unlock so you can install a different operating system, that's a problem. Claims that security is compromised if bootloaders can be unlocked are just companies using a convenient excuse to maintain control over a device you paid for.
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The whole reason GrapheneOS develops only for Pixels is that you can relock the bootloader though, right? (Along with other security features)
Anyway yeah companies still suck for not letting you relock them.
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I don't believe that's a pixel specific benefit but yes relocking the bootloader is best for security. The unlocking process is needed to install an alternative OS though.
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It's actually a whole list of requirements. https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices
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Verizon branded pixels are unable to unlock the bootloader, I.e, mine. No amount of phone support will change this.
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The reason they don't want you to unlock your bootloader is because of security....
...security of their revenue stream, that is.
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Pixel has a built in feature that screens my calls and sends spammers to a bot. Graphene has no equivalent to this.
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In order for that feature to work, you need to give google permission to see who's calling you and when activated (and possibly even when not activated) listen to the phone conversation. That data is going back to google servers for processing. Gemini is also feeding off of that data. If you're concerned with the original post regarding WhatsApp data being fed to Gemini, why would you be okay with allowing google to listen in on your phone conversations, all for the small convenience of avoiding spam bots?
If you have voicemail and caller ID, just don't pickup the call if it isn't from a known contact.
If you're also thinking that google isn't collecting data without your consent, they literally just got fined 300+ million for doing exactly that.
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They'd have to install it first.
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Google play services says bonjour
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Yes, but the phones of all your peers will have that shit on them.
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My gf got one of those emails, but she doesnt have the Gemini app installed on her phone. All of the instruction articles I can find only explain how to turn it off if you have the app.
Does not having the app mean that she's safe from this, or does it mean that she needs to download the app to disable the "feature"?
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I also don't have a Gemini app but if you search for Gemini in the Settings main menu, it shows up.
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Thank you. We had actually already checked this but had not found Gemini in the settings.
Turns out typing "gem" in the settings search is not enough. Only typing "Gemini" returned a result.
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I don't have the app, and searching for "gemini" only gives "gemini settings" which when clicked opens the promt of "do you accept changing Google assistant to gemini", clicking "not now" just sends me back to setting search.
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Not that I support this, but hasn't Google Assistant been able to do that for years? Sending texts via the voice assistant has been, like, one of the main selling points.
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Kinda, but the thing this time is that they will change it f unilaterally rom their side, even if you specifically disabled this connectivity on your phone. So they want that data reallyyyyy badly. So even more important to not give it to them.
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Is this a US only thing? I have no email and no Gemini app (although there are settings in system)
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I hope so considering I talk to others who will have Android phones with Google on it.
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Good thing I don't have that shit on my phone (at least until Google forces it)
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The people you're messaging might, though.
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Signal is also a great alternative to WhatsApp. Molly for the extra privacy focused.
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Oh hell nah
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Don't go and manually install it.
The misinformation about this has been wild.
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Nope
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I can't find Gemini on my phone.
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It's absolutely there,it relaced assistant...
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Kinda seems fucking stupid
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I have Android 16 on a Pixel 8 but no Gemini. Is it not installed if I chose "No thanks" when I got the info screens about it?
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Open settings, and search for"Gemini" from the search bar. That's the only way I was able to get to anything Gemini related. I turned off it's access to everything from there, then the last setting was to switch back to assistant which appears to have turned Gemini off, but who knows (hence disabling it's access to everything anyway).
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With search there's only a single "Gemini Settings" that is found. That opens a wizard for me. On the second page, after scrolling all the way down, I can select "No thanks". That's what I was referring to. I was wondering if that's enough.
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I got a privacy update for Gmail tools too. It used to be to enable smart tools you needed to allow google to read your email. That does stuff like automatically add calendar events for flights and such.
Now you must also allow the email to be read by their AI services too. I can’t recall precisely how it was worded, but it was an easy decision to keep the “smart” features off.
I mean, I really just use Gmail as the email address I give to sign up for sites and such, but would be good just not to have it one day.
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I haven't turned it on. Am I safe?
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Nop. Disable it in the settings/apps
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I cannot find it as an app in the app listing.
I find it only through search in settings, and it opens a screen - asking to activate it.
It seems weird.
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Hopefully unintalling and disabling is actually doing something. I feel like they are just tricking us and you can't really disable it.
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Privacy-conscious Indians are gonna have a nightmare. Indians excessively use whatsapp.
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These instructions are awful. There's no Gemini listed in my apps, and Settings > Apps doesn't show it either. But if I search for "Gemini" in settings, THEN it shows up, but doesn't have access to anything the article says to do.
However, from that screen, I was able to apparently turn off its access to everything, and switch back to assistant, which appears to have turned it off completely, but who knows if it's still lurking in the background.
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Cool, the app that doesn't exist on my phone will access an account I don't have. I've never used WhatsApp and I don't plan to start now.
93 comments
I'm pretty sure I disabled/removed it when I got this phone. I don't specifically remember doing it but when I get a new phone, I watch some YouTube videos on how to purge all the crap I don't want.
I read an article that mentioned using command line stuff to eliminate it and it kind looked familiar. I think I did this. I really should write stuff down.