I am surprised that Google spends so much time tackling custom ROMs via it’s Play Integrity API. If only they paid that much attention to say, curating the Play Store more, it had be much better for everyone
I think the main reason third-party ROMs aren’t more popular is that Google and certain app developers fuck with people who use them. The article addresses the difficulties later on, but comes up short in my view on just how much of a hassle it is for someone who isn’t a tech enthusiast who wants, for example to keep an older phone up to date for security reasons.
I think the main motivation for Google is limiting user control over the experience. More user control leads to unprofitable behaviors like blocking ads and tracking, which is also the motivation for recent changes to the Chrome web browser that make content blocking extensions less effective. In all cases, companies that try to take away user control claim the motivation is security, usually for the benefit of the user.
Got so tired of google pay breaking on crdroid that I got a credit card just to use my watch instead.
Still rocking a op7 pro on android 14.
There should be some safety net bypass hacks for magisk
There are different types of workaround but every single one of them is playing same cat and mouse game with Google. It works for a while, then it doesn’t, workaround is updated, it works, then it doesn’t, rinse and repeat.
I’m using a custom ROM but it’s so fucking tiring if I want to keep Google Wallet working. Fucking Google.
I just keep my credit card with me at all times. It doesn’t occupy much space, and google pay can go pound sand.
Custom ROM gang :)
This is a very complex topic that is very hard to draw the line on.
As a technical person who follows hacking and security news i can understand google introduced the api and warnings, as phones are getting hacked and unlocked bootloader or root can be abused to keep your malware going, and has been abused in the past.But as a user of fairphone/lineageOS, who tells google, apple, meta, … all of them to fuck off when i can, this scares me. The lockdown of devices can and is going too far. Hell, i even consider samsung’s android ui changes to be going too far, as it changes a shit ton of stuff and really is not a stock android experience. It locks users in their environment…
I find it funny that Google and some banks are so worried about security on Android that I have to have up to date system, app and can’t be custom ROM, can’t be rooted and whatnot. And then they’ll allow you to login to their bank from Internet Explorer on XP or some shit.
This. This, this, this, this!
My linux computers are rooted. I can get root any time i need it and nobody is refusing to offer their sevices on linux because it is vulnerable.
Nobody ever points out that when any app wants root, you get a dialog to ask if it can have it. If you don’t know why it’s asking, say no. It ain’t rocket science.
Now, if you are going through customs and you don’t want them to copy your phone and read all your personal documents, that is a different situation. Lock your bootloader unrooted and encryped to the nines. Preferably use a phone with almost nothing on it.
nobody is refusing to offer their sevices on linux because it is vulnerable
That’s not quite true, though in that case it’s about the service provider being unable to verify that the user isn’t running a operating system configured or modified to work against the interests of the service provider.
Written with a slightly more precise wording, they know Linux users have full control of their devices, so cannot keep them from using it in ways the company does not like. In this case, fine. Go away and take someone else’s money.
Stated from another angle, they won’t support it because they can’t hijack it for their own purposes.
