I cannot use a custom ROM as I need apps that sadly enforce the Google Play Integrity API, and no GrapheneOS with Google Play Services dose not passes this check.

I am stuck between an iPhone and a Google Pixel.

I have government apps and a work app on my phone that I do not want to route through a VPN or any other type of proxy(All apps are in the Android privet spaces). The only thing I need to go through a VPN/proxy is my browser (I know brave have a VPN in their browser but I don’t want to use or pay for it and the DuckDuckGo vpn is system wide and the Firefox vpn does not have a Firefox exstention on iOS or android). I need to be able to change countries myself (I don’t think you can do that with Apple’s Private Relay), as I live in the EU and ID checks for social media, other things, and maybe even Wikipedia are coming soon. Android support split tunneling but iOS don’t.

I need to have Facebook Messenger installed on my phone and active all the time (I cannot put it into the private space feature on Android).

I use another service for mail and backup, so iCloud end-to-end encryption is not a plus for me.

I don’t communicate much over SMS, but I would be able to chat over iMessage instead of Facebook Messenger with some contacts.

  • sun@slrpnk.netOP
    3·
    2 days ago

    Sorry for the long response.

    I will think about switching to GrapheneOS anyway and just have tow devices it would be possible and mabye not as annoying as i first thougt.

    I don’t have the money to switch to an iPhone if the apps I need for my day-to-day life on the go begin requiring the Google Play Integrity API (I think some of the apps may do so in the future, like the app used to send money in my country).

    Btw, thanks for pointing out the work app. I might actually be able to use it in a browser (didn’t think about it because I hade it in Android private spaces).

    Yes it’s proton. It sounds like you have an iOS device. What’s your experience with Proton on that, if you have the apps installed?

    Facebook Messenger is also cross-platform, but not great for privacy. Unfortunately, I need it at the moment - not so much for close friends. Less close friends I still want to stay in contact with and groups for activity’s if you join a socker team the communications is gonna be on Facebook messenger.

    And also, I heard that GrapheneOS (and other ROMs) will only receive non-critical security fixes every 3 months, which sounds like a long time. And looks like Google will do more and more to kill custom Roms. The thing I fear is google will require google play integty api to use Google play services.

    • Lfrith@lemmy.ca
      2·
      1 day ago

      Is buying two used phones not an option? Older models whether it is Pixel or iPhone should continue to function for their intended purpose. Iphones get long updates and Pixel has moved in that direction too. Its not a good idea to use a work device for personal use and not one of the areas to save on.

      I’d focus on just trying to get two cheap phones within your budget before even diving into selecting based on privacy to keep work hardware separate.

    • Mugita Sokio@discuss.onlineEnglish
      41·
      2 days ago

      I’ll go ahead and break this down for you, so you can hopefully see where I’m coming from:

      In terms of things requiring the Play Integrity API, it’s a digital lock Google introduced in order to shun any AOSP OS’s like Graphene, and have only DRM’d bullspit in terms of the apps you can install on it. Graphene isn’t easily affected, as many apps right now don’t have the DRM.

      In the case of using your work app in a browser, I’d recommend making a profile on a Firefox-based browser (I’m using LibreWolf for my stuff), hardening it to the nines, adding a few good quality extensions on it (uBlock Origin, LibRedirect, and SimpleLogin for now). That way, you’ll be able to, at the very least, ensure you won’t be easily watched with bossware.

      For my experience with Proton, I tend to use it on the browser. My producer, Neigsendoig, has had a good experience with Proton, with a couple quirks on iOS that he’s since seen fixed. It’s the best email provider we’ve used, as we had no intentions on using Tutanota, despite Germany’s privacy laws being decent.

      For Messenger, I have a sneaking suspicion you’ll just want a device that has just Facebook stuff on it. Otherwise, maybe it’s possible to do a Facebook profile so that way your other ones don’t get touched, and Facebook only sees this particular profile for your Facebook stuff. As long as you firewall it, you should be fine for some cases.

      As for custom ROMs, Google won’t be killing them that easily if I’m not mistaken. I think it’ll be rare to find an app with this DRM you speak of, but they are out there. GrapheneOS will be making an OEM soon, and I wouldn’t mind trying that if Pixels are impossible in the future (which they look to be a little harder, but maybe not that much to begin with).

      Hopefully, you can see my thought process on this.

        • Mugita Sokio@discuss.onlineEnglish
          3·
          2 days ago

          In terms of Facebook Messenger notifications, probably have Google Play Services installed on that particular profile I mentioned… as that could be the safest bet.

          For the Google Play Services, I don’t have those installed, and I don’t use apps that require the Google Play notifications in my setup. If an app has notifications, it’s their own push notification services within the apps themselves.

          And for when I talked about my producer, this is him on his main channel and his personal channel. I’m his former editor, and the current narrator for a channel that’s currently inactive, being this one since the third video on the channel. I sound very similar to Neigsendoig in some circumstances.