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2 yr. ago

  • It depends on the apps. I'm Australian, so it may differ depending on the country, but I'm able to use the Commonwealth Bank app, alongside Square Payments (but cannot use the card reader.)

  • Fantastic, exactly the kind of thing I've been after. Thank you! :)

  • Ah yeah, I gotcha. Now Playing isn't something I've looked into, but I can confirm it doesn't come packaged in. Same with translation.

  • As much or as little as you like, as Graphene uses a sandbox for Google Play Services. It's up to the user, some have more or less degoogled completely (like myself), and others use the same apps they did on stock Android, but with harsher permissions.

    I've not found any real difficulty getting away from the apps I used to use, as there are FOSS alternatives for almost all of them that imo, work much better and require far less personal data (two I use on a daily basis are a NewPipe fork with Sponsorblock functionality, and InnerTune, which has completely replaced Spotify for me.) I do still use Google Maps, albeit with all permissions other than network restricted (as I don't use real time navigation, and have yet to find an alternative that matches it for business detail accuracy, street view and ease of use.) I also still use Google Camera, albeit without any network or other nonessential permissions.

    So basically, Graphene can be used the same way as stock Android. It just gives you options and control over your device and digital privacy. GrapheneOS is first and foremost about device security, and is the best custom OS out there in its field.

  • Exactly lmao. I don't trust Google with shit, so I'm still going to install GrapheneOS and Mullvad as soon as I get the 8.

  • I'd still prefer a Pixel running GrapheneOS with aggressively-restrictive permissions.

  • Hell, I finished school over a decade ago now, but even as an adult, I feel like I'm being constantly watched. This kind of overreaching, omnipresent surveillance is genuinely not good for individuals and by extension, society at large. Human beings do not act naturally when they feel their every move is being watched. Anxiety, distrust, paranoia, depression, etc. can all manifest, and it scares me to know that this kind of "for your safety" surveillance has become so normalized.

    It isn't normal. It is affecting the average person's mental health, even if they don't know it. It is affecting society at a very base level as a result. What a world...

  • InnerTune is what finally got me to ditch Spotify. It's free, no account required, uses YouTube Music (so imo, a wider range of content) AND shuffle is genuinely random.

  • Owned my current Pixel 4 since new, but I think it's time I actually upgrade. Been waiting for the 8 for a while, and as long as I can throw GrapheneOS onto it, I'll be happy to retire the 4. It's been an awesome phone.

  • Yeah same. A cheap little thing from Woolies does the trick. I just find it fucking disgusting that we have to go to such lengths to begin with.

  • Come to Australia if you want some dystopian surveillance state bullshit. The border force in the country have the legal right to force you to unlock your devices, or throw you in prison until you do. We have no rights in this country when it comes to privacy (just look into the recent legislation that was pushed through parliament during COVID - they can edit, delete, etc. any data on your device. It's absolutely fucked, and Australians being the apathetic bunch of cunts they are just couldn't give a shit.)

    This country is just becoming more and more authoritarian, and I'm not sure how many Americans know just how many protections they have and take for granted. Australia is fucking suffocating to live in today if you value privacy and autonomy. There are almost no barriers at all between the individual and the government, and it's only getting worse. I wish I had moved stateside when I was young enough for it to be a possibility. I'm stuck here now.

  • DKC2 has one of the most beautifully-melancholic soundtracks of all time imo. I was enamored by it as a child, and as a young adult, realized how influential it was for me during the time in my life I made music myself. David Wise really is something else.

  • I never had any real issues with speed using Surfshark, the reason I made the switch was largely about trust. As another user said, as soon as I saw Surfshark start their YouTube advertising spree, and start to bloat their client with unnecessary features, I started looking for alternatives.

    I'm iffy about any VPN company that uses YouTuber marketing as it is, and while my threat model isn't overly paranoid, I believe the VPN company someone chooses to use should have paranoid business practices. After I saw the news on Mullvad's raid, the authorities subsequently finding nothing, and the fact that a user's account is merely a string of numbers, I decided it was the VPN for me.

  • It's a good day to be a Mullvad user. Switched over from Surfshark a while ago, and I love it.

  • I'll stick to InnerTune. Got rid of Spotify over a month ago, don't miss it at all.

  • Coles isn't small. They're part of what is essentially a duopoly in Australia.

  • This is happening in Australia, a country almost universally controlled by the 'left wing' Labor party on both federal and state levels. The sooner you realize that literally no politician gives a shit about their people, the sooner we can move on from this bullshit left vs. right shitshow and start directing our anger at those responsible for the state of the world (hint; it's every politician with any amount of power and any large enough corporation. The cunts are all best mates, left wing or right wing.)

    Never forget who the real enemy is. We're playing so fucking effectively into their little game, and they know it. If only we did.