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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 19th, 2025

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  • I believe most of those red apps dont require play services to operate, mainly just for push notifications.

    If I were you, I’d just use Aurora store in anonymous mode to keep those updated and use a firewall like rethinkDNS to block any potential trackers. I do this for my few apps that arent FOSS and banking etc.

    Use web apps installed via vanadium for anything you can to delete the actual apps off your phone alternatively.

    Theres a few websites easily searchable for replacing proprietary apps with FOSS you could explore also.



  • Its generally only corpo backed / play store apps that use play services for push notifs.

    Signal > Molly in websocket mode solves the messenger issue.

    Proton mail you may be able to set up with a third party service - from memory you cant use any other app.

    Proton calendar should be local notifications? Test a reminder out like you did with the timer.

    Emergency alerts are done through cell service and are unaffected.

    Weather alerts will be dependant on what app you choose but if its FOSS you should be able to use ntfy and unifiedpush or local notifications.

    Microsoft authenticator can live in the seperate work profile and realistically doesnt need push notifs - you will open it yourself to log in to shit when needed.

    Call and SMS are unaffected - not push notifs.

    Timers, Alarms etc are unaffected - local notifs.

    Home assistant is designed to consolidate all the seperate parts of your smart home through integrations etc. Local notifications can be set up through the companion app for whatever your requirements.


  • Ive had to come to terms with that.

    One of the conditions was to make sure google photos etc. auto backup options were off so nothing ends up in AI training data but at a certain point I cant personally inspect everyones phones to see if theyve opted out of apples auto opt in photo scanning and shit like that.

    It gets tiring to say “hang on wait, have you got XYZ disabled” every time before someone wants to take their own photos, which I would love if people just used their brains in the first place.

    The most reasonable thing I can do is set ground rules like secure communication channels and no social media posts etc. and especially no AI but I suspect these rules have been broken at some point.




  • One response I got was “Im not installing one of your dodgy apps”

    This came from someone who knows I self host and am big on security / privacy.

    Only logic I can pull from that is they are corpo pilled into thinking good/secure things cant exist without a megacorp and a cost attached to them? I dont know it took me by surprise and genuinely pissed me off for a good few minutes.


  • Although frustrating, it is incredibly liberating to drop a contact line and delete fb.

    My thoughts are if you can use facebook to message people, you can use signal, a simpler app by every standard. My 80yo grandma was one of the first across.

    Bonus point of filtering out people that never reached out to you initially. They have all the details to reach you, put the ball in their court.

    Good luck!


  • It is a painful road to get people to use even signal.

    I basically gave ultimatums that:

    A) I will only be contactable via signal / sms / call / email (signal obviously being the easiest option)

    B) I would only send pics of my kid over signal

    Family changed straight away because they wanted to see pics of kid.

    A couple friends changed to signal but never really used it. Then after trying to organise an event over email they conceded that it would be easier on signal, while giving me shit for it, then admitting after using it that its good, while still giving me shit for it.

    Blows my mind that these people will download a random spyware riddled fast food app for a chance at a free chips but then when its one of the most useful, reputable and secure communication apps you can get its “I dont want to have so many random apps on my phone”

    Make it make sense please.

    Curious as to your situation?