I was excited to dive into my new smartphone only to once again waste precious time uninstalling bloatware before I could enjoy it.
  • DrDystopia@lemy.lolEnglish
    1·
    3 hours ago

    I haven’t considered Google android as usable for like a decade, went down the custom ROM route and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done when it comes to mobile use.

    Being able to install what ever operating system I want is a hard make or break for me when it comes to purchases ever since.

  • Bezier@suppo.fiEnglish
    24·
    3 days ago

    I moved from samsung’s trash-filled bloat os to lineageos, and my only regret is not doing it sooner.

      • PeroBasta@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        I buy my device only based on if I can load a differenti os

        This is the mandatory prerequisite for me.

        So i bought a refurbished s20u (same spec of s24u except for camera and CPU basically)

      • psud@aussie.zoneEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        Search for lineage os your phone model if you’re lucky someone will have ported the project to your device, the more popular it was the more likely

        There are reasonable instructions

        Your phone will need an unlocked bootloader, and it will not be able to be locked again while running lineage. This will prevent the use of any secure software which includes most bank apps, login authenticators. Local security is entirely bypassed by the unlocked bootloader

        • iturnedintoanewt@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          The problem with Samsungs is thar once unlocked, you permanently burn the knox security fuse. So, even if you re-lock it, it’s not going to play nice with banking apps. It’s a one-way install only. Also I’m not so sure how LOS plays with banking apps… The only one that allows full re-lock AFAIK is the Pixel (which is what I have now, after nearly a decade on Samsung).

      • Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        3 days ago

        The frustrating thing is all the information and materials to support Samsung devices is out there, but the custom ROM development community is so ridiculously toxic and unhelpful to newcomers that few people are willing and able to mainline new devices (and supporting a new device is complicated enough that you pretty much can’t get started without someone more experienced to point out the decades of cruft, pitfalls, and vendor-specific workarounds that the build processes have accumulated). More of the old guard leaves every year without enough new blood to replace them.

    • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zipEnglish
      5·
      3 days ago

      Welcome to the club. I’ve been a member since 2019 and am definitely not giving up my membership anytime in the near future.

  • Luna@lemdro.idEnglish
    132·
    3 days ago

    I just install LineageOS. It doesn’t have any bloatware or Android modifications that the manufacturer added

      • Luna@lemdro.idEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        I like what GrapheneOS is doing, but it’s focused on having the absolute best security rather than supporting a lot of phones. If you aren’t wanted by three letter agencies then LineageOS is good enough

      • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        And I can immediately say goodbye to important apps I need.

        I’m so fracking tired of not being able to just use the OS 😞 want on my phone because apparently my phone isn’t mine.

          • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
            2·
            1 day ago

            This is from some post where authy, revolut, and a bunch of other apps no longer permit Graphene OS

          • psud@aussie.zoneEnglish
            1·
            2 days ago

            It seems to apply to all third party operating systems. I pretty much have to use stock or I can’t use my bank apps, can’t use my phone to prove I’m me when remote logging in to work

            I used to use cyanogen then lineage until security stuff made the phone too useless.

    • skribe@aussie.zoneEnglish
      161·
      3 days ago

      That’s great if you have one of the handful of phones supported, but for the rest of us, not so much.

      • Luna@lemdro.idEnglish
        11·
        3 days ago

        I bought my current phone specifically because it was supported by LineageOS. Before that I used an unsupported Samsung phone, which was such a shitty experience that I made a promise to myself that my next phone has to have custom ROMs available

    • 🇰 🌀 🇱 🇦 🇳 🇦 🇰 ℹ️@yiffit.netEnglish
      4·
      3 days ago

      Not only is there bloatware, a fuckton of things prevent you from installing a custom OS on many phones ranging from DRM built into the phone, to the carrier your service is provided by. My phone is compatible with Graphene and I want Graphene; but TMO won’t let me unlock my phone to install Graphene (even though it’s fully paid off). 😠

  • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zipEnglish
    9·
    3 days ago

    I don’t even pay any attention. I boot the phone for the very first time, go through the setup thing, and click no to as many things as possible, get into the home screen, open settings, open developer settings, turn on USB debugging, and turn the phone off and install lineage OS with no Google apps.

  • GHiLA@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    21·
    2 days ago

    They bought it…

    Not my problem if someone doesn’t read the tiniest bit about a $600+ product before purchase.