I’ve had a Galaxy S22+ for 2 years and still want to use it. When I look up how to maximize privacy on Android, many results say to install custom ROMs which I can’t since its a US model and the bootloader is locked. I just want to minimize tracking and sharing of personal information. I could use a firewall app like RethinkDNS to block trackers, but could I completely block tracking from Google and Samsung? Are there any lists of packages to uninstall to improve privacy? (I’ve used ADB to remove a bunch of bloatware. Ex: pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.samsung.android.arzone)

  • shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip
    0·
    2 months ago

    disable Google Play Services and the Google Play Store. And that will help a lot. And if you still need apps from the Google Store, you can use the Aurora Store from f-droid

    Edit: you may also want to look into controld.com since their free dns blocks known malware, ads, and trackers. They have several options including standard DNS, DNS over HTTPS, and DNS over TLS, and Android supports DNS over TLS. So you can use it directly.

  • Ilandar@aussie.zone
    0·
    2 months ago

    I limit as much as I can through a combination of privacy-respecting apps and fewer apps (if I can reliably use the web browser for something, I will) and then use custom DNS filters (NextDNS) to minimise further leakage. I also disable any pre-installed applications I don’t need (you can remove them with Universal Android Debloater but I don’t need the extra storage space). I also use a VPN at all times.

  • Autonomous User@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Just buy a new phone. Don’t waste your life micro-managing malware. Spend your time on making money to buy a new phone.

    Downvoted by broke bois but they ain’t finding privacy anytime soon

  • OhVenus_Baby@lemmy.ml
    0·
    2 months ago

    Cutoff internet access on all apps that expressly do not need it. Install Netguard or the likes if you don’t used a VPN and see what apps are calling home.

      • OhVenus_Baby@lemmy.ml
        0·
        2 months ago

        Straight from their site.

        NetGuard provides simple and advanced ways to block access to the internet - no root required. Applications and addresses can individually be allowed or denied access to your Wi-Fi and/or mobile connection.

        Blocking access to the internet can help:

        reduce your data usage save your battery increase your privacy

        Edit: Uses the same slot as VPN on a phone. Thus you have one or the other. Not both. PC is different.