I am a Tasker enthusiast and when I can automate something simple on my phone I like to. I set a simple task to turn off WiFi when my home network is not detected so my phone doesn’t scan and report my location to businesses. However, this functionality is now nonexistent and the developer has to ask people not to one-star their app because it doesn’t work. My phone is my phone and killing my ability to use it as such for whatever security theater Google is playing at is why I root my device. Anyone else still rooting for similar reasons?
Tasker is the reason Android is so much better than iOS
It requires Google play
Tasker? It’s provided an alternative for several years, it is literally the only paid app I know which does this.
I know of FairEmail, Niagara Launcher, FolderSync and Symfonium (if you DM the dev) which offer alternate payment methods.
Oh wow
This feature comes without Root on CalyxOS :p
People still use Tasker? That makes me smile. I remember using it way back in the day and it was just incredible seeing the things other people came up with. Tasker allowed for so many features that took iOS and Android years to implement.
Yeah Google can play a little game of hide-and-go-fuck-themselves.
I set a simple task to turn off WiFi when my home network is not detected so my phone doesn’t scan and report my location to businesses.
I was under the impression that BSSID scanning was entirely passive, and that a phone that scans for beacons doesn’t actually reveal itself to anyone.
It was in response to the Naomi Brockwell post she did on Twitter about businesses using WiFi, Bluetooth and Location Services to track you in public locations. You can Google it directly “NBTV Advice from Defcon” or this link: https://nbtv.substack.com/p/advice-from-defcon-turn-off-bluetooth
I get how it works with wifi connections, and Bluetooth scanning (since that’s a peer to peer protocol that needs to broadcast its availability), and obviously the OS-level location services, but I’m still not seeing how seeing wifi beacons would reveal anything. For one, pretty much every mobile device OS now uses MAC randomization so that your wifi activity on one network can’t be correlated with another. And for another, I think the BSSID scanning protocol is listen only for client devices.
Happy to be proven wrong, and to learn more, but the article linked doesn’t seem to explain anything on this particular supposed threat.
This is my understanding as well, but also not an expert.
My computer has root. My phone must too.
The better question is “Why shouldn’t we?” If the answer to this question always boils down to ‘somebody else doesn’ t want us to’ then maybe they should buy the devices for us.
ELI5 how can i root my device?
Depends on your device
Rooting a device is a process that depends on the phone and manufacturer. On some devices it is flat out impossible, on other it is trivial (those tend to be increasingly rare). The steps usually go something like this
- Put your phone in developer mode
- Unlock the bootloader (that’s the part that is manufacturer/phone dependent)
- Use fastboot to install a replacement bootloader (I used TWRP in the past, now I use Orangefox)
- Once you have a good bootloader, youll be able to install apps from outside Android. This will enable you to give those specific app root access.
- Install Magisk or superSu or whatever app that gives you root access once booted back in android.
Keep in mind that you can 100% brick your phone doing this and that it’ll most likely void your warranty. Do not root your device following this post alone. I tried to answer an ELI5, not a Teach Me How To Do It Like I’m 5.
More information:
- bootloader : that’s like the BIOS of your phone. It’s software that is used right before your OS (android) launches
- fastboot : that’s a mode you can set your phone in that will enable you to run commands via a computer to which your phone is plugged by usb. You can upload custom code to it this way (such as a replacement bootloader)
- https://orangefox.download/
Does this disable any OEM updates?
It will disable incremental updates but as long as there is a flashable zip file of the full image you can update using that
You can also quickly unroot then do an incremental update and then use magisk to create a flashable boot image afterwards to re-root
Steps 2-3 are sadly impossible on most devices. If you have one of the bag ones, I’d recommend making some searches before you choose your next one.
You could just not use Google Android. Lineage OS all the way with no Google apps
Google has a disproportionate and overwhelming say in AOSP. What do you think Lineage OS is based on?
When Google makes API changes to Android, it hurts AOSP too. Can the devs try to maintain the legacy API on their own? Sure, but it’s extra effort, so it’s usually not something you can count on.
True, but there isn’t a lot of options. At least with Lineage OS the apps are all separate and not abandonware
Both are based on AOSP, same issue there.
Security and Privacy are not the same thing.
Stock Google is absolutely a hit to ones privacy, but LineageOS is a often big hit to device security.
If you don’t have a Pixel, and therefore can’t use GrapheneOS, check and see if your device is compatible with DivestOS.
However, neither will offer root support for reasons that both devs have decent write-ups explaining within each project’s documentation.
I do realize that not everyone places security above all other factors when deciding on their smartphone OS, but I think they should be aware of the trade-offs so they can make an informed decision.
Lineage OS is in fact not terrible for security. Other than a unlocked boot loader I have not seen anything wrong with it.
As for Divest OS is has all the same issues as Graphene OS.
Why do you keep stating blatantly false info as facts when it is obvious that you’re knowledge of the topic at hand is superficial at best?
In this comment thread alone you’ve stated that:
- to avoid “Google Android”, one should use Lineage OS (?)
- Apps on Lineage are some kind of separated on Lineage OS and not abandonware (??)
- Lineage OS is not terrible for security, because you haven’t found anything wrong with it besides that small little, insignificant detail of an unlocked bootloader (???)
- DivestOS has “all the same issues” as GrapheneOS(???)
Genuinely not trying to stir up shit, I’m curious. Why?
Dunning-Kruger effect
The inability to relock the bootloader is gigantic security vulnerability. It negates, or entirely voids, a significant amount of a devices physical security, including FDE.
There are other security issues with LineageOS, but that’s part of the trade-off. There’s nothing inherently sinister or incompetent about that, it’s just the nature of the beast.
Regardless, I’m not here to chastise anyone’s choice of OS, or to even imply that there is a right, and wrong ROM, there isn’t.
I was just pointing out that there are pros and cons, and users should be aware of them when making those decisions.
I’ve considered it for similar reasons to your own. I like using Tasker for Bluetooth and it seems most of that compatibility is removed now as well.
Part of me wishes my Samsung note 20 would die already so I could replace it with something cheaper, less powerful, but that I actually can do what I want with, I’m never getting a phone I can’t root ever again
The issue is I only want it if it also has expandable storage, so many modern phones suck
Same. Here. I have a s21, but it is frustrating how little control I have over the device. Garbage apps like chrome are taking up a huge chunk of my storage space, but my phone won’t let me uninstall them.
As the other coment said, there are ways: https://github.com/Universal-Debloater-Alliance/universal-android-debloater-next-generation Or https://github.com/samolego/Canta
You can try to uninstall those apps with adb shell.
you can root Samsung really easily tho?
you lose some features if you decide ti go back thoDepends on the device and the country, in the case of mine no
i mean unless your phone is locked to a carrier (which is pretty rare???) there’s nothing stopping you?
On my phones model number there is no method that is publicly available at least, trust me I have researched it at least once a year sense I bought it
If it’s a modern US Samsung model originally provided by a carrier, you can’t. A long time ago, people used to find/use security exploits for Samsung phones, but I think they just don’t care much anymore since you can buy international versions or other bootloader unlockable phones.
How does it detect your home wifi if it has turned off wifi? I don’t know Android, but the logic there seems odd. Are you using location services to drive it?
You’ve misread that. When he leaves his home network, he has it switch off wifi to prevent it being picked up by other networks. Probably has it being switched back on by cell tower / similar location option
I don’t think I did. I just assumed it would be impossible to detect the home network automatically once WiFi was automatically switched off. Unless off isn’t actually off. Or the “auto on” part was location based.
You are right, that is impossible, but it isn’t what they are doing.
They are turning it back on either manually or by some other method (cell tower for instance). This automation seems to be to just turn it off.
You’ve now misread twice. Go back and try again.
You could have been helpful and chose to be an asshole instead. Go back and think about what you did.
There’s no helping some people.
Just have your WiFi turn back on when you get back to your home, you can do location based stuff with tasker, I used to have it on my old phone and made it turn my phone on silent and turn off the WiFi when I got to work, but as soon as I got home it put my phne back to normal.
Yeah thars what I said :P
No you don’t understand. See you can set it to turn on once his GPS shows he’s home again.
Yes, which i literally said “cell tower / similar location option”
Cell tower is the lowest power cost for getting location, GPS is the most power hungry.
https://tasker.joaoapps.com/userguide/en/loctears.html
I’ve used tasker for 13 years, im quite aware it can do GPS :P
Ew Location based stuff is even less privacy. That is a feature I never turn on unless I really need directions …
Tasker is anti-libre software. We do not control it. It fails to include a libre software license text file, like AGPL.
Serious question, what would be a recommended alternative?
Not as powerful as Tasker, but for some basic automation tasks PhoneProfilesPlus is a good alternative.
Appreciate the response / information. I’ll check it out!!
Wow that’s actually a great app. Thanks.
So, PinePhone is gonna be a mature project… when? Can’t be soon enough.
Never… Pine kinda throws you the thing completely half assed for the people to build the whole stack. It’s a really slow process.
I am a root user, yes but I only use it for migrate, a custom rom backup & restore tool.
Coming to Tasker, I tried so hard to figure it out but couldn’t do it for my use case of having custom gestures. I like to have profiles depending on whether I am home or outside, will give it one more shot for this.
