If I was swapping that often, I think I’d set up a single device with my bare minimum, every time stuff, and just keep it bare bones. I actually kinda have that, since I have an old phone that I use as a back door cam, I just don’t use it like that because I don’t switch often enough to matter.
But there’s always a few things that an individual is going to want in every phone, app wise. So it should be simple enough, if you’re going to be using Google services in the first place, to do it. Like, the camera phone has nova launcher, the app for the camera (can’t remember the name, but it’s that one from the Guardian project), my preferred music player, and a note app (I use markor). While I use more than just those on every device, that’s an example of what I’m talking about. If that’s going to be on every device, I could use that backup every time.
Also, it’s nice to see android authority doing a useful article ;)
And i thought switching ROMs every week was a crazy thing to do
Biggest thing I make sure to never forget is the export/import of any authenticator apps. That is a huge mess to fix.
Switching phones every two weeks without restoring backups? I changed phone three months ago and I didn’t finish to transfer my stuff lol
Dude at my work after switching phones complained he didn’t have old contacts yet, when I asked why he won’t use Google built-in synchronisation, he said he doesn’t really trust them, I was like “dude, they already know a bunch about you, your contact list won’t make a difference”, the weirdest thing it’s we’re both IT guys
Meanwhile I sync everything with Google since I bought my first Android in 2012
Edit I’m appalled by the amount of downvotes my comment received, anybody care on elaborating on why? I’m genuinely interested in the mindset of people who downvote such seemingly innocent comment
Someone wants to make a small step to protect their privacy and you’re basically calling them an idiot and doubting their credentials for it.
Is it really so hard to believe that he just has different priorities than you? That he doesn’t want to trust Google with everything?
Yeah I understand that, i just wanted to show the futility of such small choices while using an Android phone, using stock ROM and using all it’s online features, it’s like using Facebook but with names switched and posting those chains saying you don’t allow to use your photos, instead of just writing the platform, also he’s IT, not some 60yo aunty who just got the phone
Also it’s an Android related community, not !privacy or !grapheneos ffs
Often I find myself downvoted for comments suggesting cloud based or non-FOSS solutions, even in non privacy or FOSS related communities, while I’m a fan of open source and privacy, sometimes those are IMO still a better choice for a layman end user, I understand Lemmy people are more tech/privacy/FOSS oriented, but this it’s bordering with toxic zealotism
Also it’s an Android related community, not !privacy or !grapheneos ffs
Well firstly, this being an Android community doesn’t mean privacy is an off-limits topic.
And secondly, that’s irrelevant, seeing that he’s not the one posting here anyway.
And no, downvoting you because you mocked someone for not giving Google his address book, pretty much saying it brings his IT credentials into question, is not “toxic zealotism”.
I might have worded myself wrong because English isn’t my native language, but I’ve already said my intention wasn’t to mock his decision to guard his data by not explicitly giving them to Google but the meaninglessness of his way to do so.
Because by using an always connected Android phone with all other 3rd party spyware like Facebook etc. he’s already vulnerable, he’s using RCS for messaging, he’s being tracked on so many levels and already owned by corporations, at this point the manual contact sync has little to no sense especially it’s visibly harder for him to do it that way to the point he’s complaining about it.
By saying I use Google provided sync I’m not trying to one up him because I know it’s a trade-off between privacy and convenience, same with Google Pictures, I respect his choice to not use it’s built-in cloud pictures synchronisation but IMHO on a phone without an SD card support but I won’t be silent when he starts complaining after losing all his photos because he didn’t to back them up
Don’t get me wrong I’m all for privacy, but degoogling without an on premise private cloud or similar solution is kinda troublesome at least
It’s always better to do a little bit to protect your privacy than nothing at all. And keep in mind that by uploading your contact list you’re not only giving up your own privacy but violating the privacy of the people in your contact list as well. If people downvote your comment it is because they don’t agree with your take, that’s got nothing to do with “toxic zealotism”.
Tbh i dont think the downvote button should reduce the visibility of a comment. Downvotes should just show the general consensus. They shouldn’t mask discorse. If people have different opinions, then they should be visible. The up and downvotes will tell readers what most people in a given community think about a particular opinion, which should be enough to shape the opinions of those on the fence or less in the know. but maintaining the visibility of the comments stops a valid point from being buried by a smaller but more vocal minority.
If we shape our opinions only by what ends up on top on any given day based on who happened to be browsing at that time then we may end up censoring good points. All sides should be considered or opinions become narrow and nobody will consider anything other than what they are told to.
@ijeff One of my goals is to abstractize my data from the devices I own. This is how I plan to have a no-frill switch in the future. That means not being tied to an account or to a specific app. Just like you can open your photo in any photo viewer software, I want to have all my other stuff capable to be opened on any device, using any software. So far I managed to keep my notes in .md files and use KeePass to hold my passwords in. Google and others have the advantage of making their services ubiquitous, but what happens if you cannot access them for some reason? What if the new device you use is unable to access them, and it’s urgent for you to do so? Imo it feels way better to both have (almost) universal access to my data and own it at the same time.
Do you know any paint/sketch apps that use a portable format? Currently trying to keep most of my data on a SD card so I can put it in whatever I want
@sarmale I’m not into painting myself, but a quick search gave me Pocket Paint for Android (Google Play, F-Droid).
On the desktop, I know that Krita is quite popular. I’m sure there is some common format that you can use for both.
I’d love to eventually get a flip phone because I find the new phones way too big for my pocket. But the incredible price of these things makes me pretty sure they’ll stop being made because nobody buys them, and I’ll never get a chance to find one at a reasonable price.
Check out Unihertz.com. I have the jelly 2 and I’m never going back to regular size smart phones. Bummed I missed the sale on the jelly star (it’s showing a different sale now, but it was a bigger one), want to get one for backup.
If someone else who is not a professional reviewer can relate to that, he seriously should change his consumer habits…
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