Questions tagged [privacy]
For questions related to enforcing you privacy on Android devices
403
questions
-1
votes
0answers
27 views
Can I hide or delete the app data usage?
I don't want my app data usage to be seen by anyone else using my device. Why is it stored on the device to begin with? How can I hide or delete it? It's the bandwidth usage that I want to either ...
0
votes
1answer
17 views
How to obtain real VPN connection status (it claims to be connected in airplane mode / without internet)?
My Google Pixel 5 claims to have a VPN connection, although I enabled the airplane mode. How can I ever be sure that the VPN connection is really working then if I have an internet connection?
I would ...
0
votes
0answers
78 views
How to stop Gboard from trying to 'update your typing experience'?
Since a recent upgrade, Gboard started to show notifications saying "Updating your typing experience".
I have all network access of Gboard blocked with the NetGuard firewall, have all data-...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
Is it possible to "freeze" applications so that they do not run unless "unfrozen" - essentially make them work only when they're in the foreground?
What it says on the tin.
I'm used to a work partition, but since recent android versions don't support the required storage permissions (which means that I can't get data out of the work partition ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
Can one add a virtual background with Cisco Webex and Google Duo with a Samsung Galaxy S21?
I read on https://www.sammobile.com/news/galaxy-s21-custom-backgrounds-video-calls-duo-teams-webex-zoom/:
Galaxy S21 smartphones offer custom backgrounds during video calls via Cisco Webex, Google ...
0
votes
0answers
19 views
Is there a way to unaccept WhatsApp's new terms and privacy policy?
As you may know, WhatsApp's new terms and privacy policy are currently optional, as "we currently have no plans for these reminders to become persistent and to limit the functionality of the app&...
0
votes
0answers
29 views
What are the limits/powers of android device policy?
I work in a university and when we want to login in our university email id, we go to gmail
So we can also use our official email for creating account on android,but when i try to create account using ...
1
vote
0answers
53 views
Application Isolation and access control
I want to prevent an app from knowing whether certain files or directories exist on a device. For instance, if the application have some code like:
if (/system/lib/libJohnDoe.so){
print("yes&...
0
votes
0answers
72 views
Launch app in chroot environment
I want to setup a chroot environment on my android x86 installation in which I can perhaps run or install various apks.
Is there any way to launch an application in a custom chroot environment?
0
votes
0answers
85 views
How efficient is the Dr Fone eraser ? Is there a way for someone to recover data from an android phone after using this eraser method?
To definitively delete data on an android phone.
May you know how efficient is the Dr Fone eraser solution before or after a factory reset ?
https://drfone.wondershare.com/android-data-eraser.html
Dr ...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
Can one add a virtual background with the latest version of Microsoft Teams on Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (US version)?
I read contradictory statements.
E.g.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msteams/forum/all/background-effect-on-samsung-s21/8ecfca7a-d025-47ee-9cb7-abcea99fa68f:
Hi, I just got my new Samsung S21 ...
0
votes
0answers
38 views
How to disable camera and microphone completely from operative system?
Is there a procedure to disable camera and microphone completely from the operative system, and make these hardware features unavailable to any app or process ?
It can be useful for privacy reasons or ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
Does Android Auto permanently store any data in the vehicle?
Let's say I paired up my Android smartphone with the Android Auto system in my car.
While my phone is on and is inside the car, I can access - from my car - my maps, contacts etc. stored in my Google ...
1
vote
0answers
19 views
rooted lineageos: mount /sdcard as ext4 with support for ownership/permissions bits [duplicate]
It seems the partition corresponding to /sdcard is formatted as a FAT variant in android. As a result, it does not support ownership/permissions:
/sdcard/Signal $ ls -lrth
total 116M
-rw-rw---- 1 root ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
Connection to DoT server is not retried
I'm running my own DNS-over-TLS server under my domain (dns.example.com). On my Motorola G100, which is running Stock Android 11, I can set the private DNS to this domain and it works.
This works on ...
0
votes
0answers
44 views
Mobile Apps and Users Privacy
Is the below a true or false?
When a user download an app from Google play store, and agrees to give the app the permissions like taking pictures and videos, access to the studio and the storage, and ...
1
vote
0answers
41 views
What kind of smartphone should I be buying if my one and only use is going to be "BankID"? [closed]
In Sweden, there's a bunch of very confusing "e-id" things, but it basically boils down to this: you need something called "Mobile BankID".
In theory, there are other solutions, ...
1
vote
0answers
18 views
Can the Samsung contact app be configured not to show suggestions when entering a new contact?
Can the Samsung contact app be configured not to show suggestions when entering a new contact? The default behavior of showing suggestions is not ideal from a privacy standpoint when someone is ...
3
votes
1answer
435 views
How to access texts on rooted Android device from terminal
How do I access text messages on my rooted device using the command line?
I specifically want to extract a text transcript, without using any cloud services and thereby exposing sensitive or personal ...
0
votes
0answers
36 views
Android app can see what kind of app installed on my phone
I privacy concern about my android 9 phone, my employer ask me to install app on my personal phone.
Can this app see what apps installed on my personal phone.
If I allowed to this app camera access ...
0
votes
0answers
38 views
Can I give an app the permission to see my calls without allowing to read all my notifications?
I bought one of these cheap smartwatches (Xiaomi Mi Band 4c). To use it, I need to install the Xiaomi Wear app.
I really like the option to notify me when I get a call. This way I keep my phone in ...
2
votes
0answers
76 views
Check for the existence of files without root privileges
How do apps check for the existence of files and folders on /data and /system partitions without having root privileges?
I know some games and apps do this for anticheat and security reasons.
0
votes
0answers
151 views
Auto IMEI randomization in Android (like WiFi MAC randomization)
How do I set the IMEI number to automatically randomly change every time I connect to a cellular network?
Android 9 introduced a feature that was a huge boon to the privacy of Android users: WiFi MAC ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
My kids see my phone's location on Google Maps
Yesterday my kids showed me that they can see my Android phone's location in the Google Maps app on their phones. Their phones are managed by Google Family Link because they are under 13.
They can ...
0
votes
0answers
66 views
Play Store Verification on Oppo Realme Q
I am currently using an Oppo Realme Q (RMX1971) which I got myself last year due to its good hardware.
Not so long ago, I was able to simply download and install apps from the Google Play Store. ...
1
vote
0answers
112 views
How is Google Play services still running after disabling?
A while ago I disabled Google Play services, Google Play Store and lots of other Google apps in my phone.
Below is a screenshot.
One can see that Google Play services is still having cached ...
1
vote
0answers
92 views
Are my personal files safe after factory reset?
I am planning to sell my phone Redmi Note 7 running Android 9 which is already unlocked bootloader but no root access, is my data can still be recovered through Android software recovery? I don't want ...
0
votes
1answer
73 views
How secure are Pixel Recorder files?
I noticed that the files stored on Pixel's Recorder app (if not backed up/synced) cannot be easily imported from other apps.
They are stored in /data/data/com.google.android.apps.recorder/files/...
2
votes
0answers
33 views
Accidental Whatsapp privacy breach
I exported my chat history with my friend, JJ, to my Google drive. Somehow a chat history between JJ and someone else (Meg) was exported. I have no idea who Meg is and i have no record of her in ...
3
votes
1answer
737 views
How to prevent an app from sharing its data with Google?
The changelog of a popular SMS/MMS app, Textra, states:
Textra is now backed up automatically [emphasis added] using the built-in Google Backup service. Makes it so easy to swap devices or uninstall /...
asked May 19 '21 at 1:26
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0
votes
1answer
75 views
Can an app that has permission to access the photos copy them?
i'm really wondering and can't find answer. Google Play from the store every downloaded apps want to access photos. Permission content read the contents of your usb, modify or delete the contents of ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
Privacy effects of disabling notifications through Android settings
Assumption
My question assumes the following situation, that is what I could understand about Google's push notifications system. If I misunderstood anything, please correct me here.
When a web ...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
Does Samsung Knox keep a log of every app running on this device?
I was reading the policy of Samsung's Knox and it states that they keep the log of your personal data and apps running on your device. This is like a spyware itself by the company. Is this true?
1
vote
0answers
29 views
What's the best way to protect my rooted Android 7 from malware and hacking?
Considering I have to use cellular data and being not connected to the internet is not an option, what measures can I take or tools I can use to keep myself protected from prying eyes?
My first step ...
0
votes
0answers
45 views
Android privacy
I'm using a phone with stock Android, on which I don't have root access nor bootloader unlocked. I never logged in my Google account, and I've disabled every Google related app (Gmail, Play store, ...
2
votes
0answers
195 views
Here GPS tracking
I have been lured into the world of FOSS apps, apps using known trackers and loggers, DNS, and firewalls. My phone is rooted via Magisk. It's a Huawei P20 Lite. Running Havoc 2.9 and Android 9.
So I ...
0
votes
2answers
69 views
What are the requirements to have the change your background feature enabled in Microsoft Teams?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-your-background-for-a-teams-meeting-f77a2381-443a-499d-825e-509a140f4780 mentions:
Note: If you don't see this option in the menu, the feature might ...
0
votes
0answers
58 views
How to stop installed apps accessing the unique hardware identifiers for the device?
I understand that Unique hardware IDs such SSAID, IMEI, serial number, and Advertising ID are accessible by installed applications on Android phones and that enterprises and certain governments make ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views
What kind of data do Google and Samsung collect from the OS itself?
Not including apps and websites. I've switched to open source phone, SMS, calendar, etc. and I use the DuckDuckGo browser to try to block some of the web trackers. What kind of data can Google and ...
1
vote
0answers
69 views
How can I "Show all notification content" for one app, but "Hide sensitive content" for all others?
I'm using a timer app, Multi Timer Free, but it doesn't show the time remaining on the lock screen. Meanwhile, Google's Clock app does. I want to set it to Show all notification content, but when I ...
1
vote
1answer
174 views
With Android, does a factory reset truly reset the device to the same as it was when it left the factory (unlike an iPhone)?
When you reset an iPhone, my understanding is that the device does not truly get reset to how it was when it exited the factory.
What about with an Android device? Does performing a factory reset on ...
asked Feb 23 '21 at 18:51
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0
votes
0answers
30 views
Can an app find out if the Android phone it's running on supports Bluetooth 4.3 privacy extensions?
I need to find out if the phone my app is running on supports the BT 4.2 bluetooth privacy extensions. If so, it will tell a BT connected device to do the same, if not it will not enable it.
Is there ...
0
votes
0answers
67 views
Would using a VPN, different browser and XprivacyLua prevent a website from remembering me?
Let's say I registered at a website using Google Chrome on my phone, then later on I used a VPN and Firefox restricted through XprivacyLua to access the same website. Would it be able to know that it ...
0
votes
0answers
40 views
Does using an OpenVPN in conjunction with XprivacyLua %100 prevent an app from knowing anything about the Wi-Fi I'm connected to?
Let's say I don't want an app to know the network I'm connected to, would using an OpenVPN app and restricting everything for the app on XprivacyLua be as good as using a different Wi-Fi connection ...
1
vote
0answers
99 views
How can I install and use apps on my phone with neither of them knowing about the other?
For example I want to install app Y on my phone, but I don't want my Google account (which I'm using to use my Android) to know that I'm using the app or any information that I enter in it...and I ...
0
votes
0answers
49 views
Is there a way to download and use an app from Google play store with the creators of the app getting any information about me?
Basically without the app knowing anything about my Google account and consequently anything else other than the information I directly provide it.
Is there a way to achieve that?
Phone is rooted.
0
votes
0answers
45 views
Can applications access users information without having ( camera , microphone or etc) permissions?
I recently became very suspicious of apps. And a few questions have occupied my mind, please help me
Is there any way that an application can access the camera without having the camera permission ...
0
votes
0answers
52 views
How to determine default enabled permissions for for pre-installed applications?
Many Android apps that are pre-installed by manufacturers have extensive and intrusive requested permissions.
When looking at the permissions of each app via Settings > Apps, some of the ...
asked Feb 1 '21 at 18:47
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1
vote
0answers
75 views
An Android App for blocking trackers completely using AI
About my device:
Android version: 10
ROM: Stock ROM(Android One)
Bootloader status: Unlocked and Rooted with Magisk 21.4 Stable
Tweaks that I've done till today:
AdAway
AfWall+
Warden
Ditched ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
What are all these Google internet hosts (domains) and why is stripped-down Android connecting to all of them?
Technology users are faced with a challenge: Allowing our tech devices to work without them invading our privacy.
Obviously choosing products carefully is a critical step. Unfortunately, the two main ...
asked Jan 26 '21 at 16:07
RockPaperLz- Mask it or Casket
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