"Google confirms: Unlocking your phone's bootloader breaks local Gemini features."

Top tip, thanks Big G!

@nivrig Guide on breaking Gemini as much as possible when โ€‹โ€‹
@celestiallavendar @nivrig Step 1: Install GrapheneOS or CalyxOS, or LineageOS on your Pixel phone.
@mast0d0nphan @nivrig Well I think there's a few steps before that, like:

1.) Backup my phone.
2.) Get a second phone for Google stuff and anything blocked on Graphene.
3.) Verify all of my important apps are available on Graphene / have alternative distribution channels.
4.) Wipe, unlock, and then rebuild my phone on Graphene.

As much as I would love to join the Graphene gang, the time investment alone isn't worth it to me. We'll see tho, Google is working very hard to make me change my mind...

@celestiallavendar @nivrig @mast0d0nphan or just ask folk before switching?

I switched, I think it took 15 mins to get grapheneos installed. Sure it took me hours to set up apps again, to restore various backups. And yes I had that "oh shit I didn't backup <blah> properly" moment. But you get that anytime you change phone.

There *are* apps that don't work, but I had seen reports that my bank app did (would have been blocker).

I have some google stuff (play store). It works. But I'm largely off google anyway.

@swift @nivrig @mast0d0nphan Ask someone about....?

Based on your post, it sounds like my description of the process and time involved is fairly accurate. I have done a pretty significant amount of research into Graphene, and the migration process, believe it or not. I considered it for several of my phones before I decided against it.

I'm not as fortunate as you to be completely off Google. I rely on many Google services, as well as other apps that are known to be blocked on Graphene, which I cannot compromise on. I also use my phone for development, and switching away from main-line Android would mean changing that app testing to another device.

As much as I would love to be the person to de-corpo 100% of my digital infrastructure and run everything as secure as possible, sometimes you have to call good enough. Esp for my phone that I use every day and rely on, I'm not interested in making it into another OSS project I have to fiddle with in my free time.

@celestiallavendar @nivrig @mast0d0nphan

Sounds like you've done the time consuming bit already then! Shame it doesn't work out for you.
But yeah definitely, Google have made themself so much a part of peoples lives, not by accident, and 1 person is hardly going to bring down the empire! I was just sharing that my experience was simpler for my needs than you set out for yours.

i'm already doing that, you don't need to sell it to me

@nivrig "Don't threaten me with a good time.."

hey google:

@nivrig Good luck doing it on most Samsung phones for example. Samsung started locking them a while ago. What a brick!

@nivrig unlocked bootloaders are currently at 37% but fluctuating wildly

(37%) โ– โ– โ– โ–กโ–กโ–กโ–กโ–กโ–กโ–ก

@nivrig Just like disabling all the Samsung 'AI' shit was surprisingly easy: Just don't log into a fucking Samsung account.

@thechris @nivrig and because of GPDR they want you to sign into the account OTHERWISE IT GETS DELETED.

Now don't threaten me with a good time

@nivrig
may i translate this for you.

alphabet inc confirms: our world domination plan continues, we are going to disable bootloader unlocking. we use gemini ai as a excuse, and we will force gemini on every android. our monopoly shall become pure.

@nivrig I know. That's why I did it.
@nivrig Yet another example of hostile design. There is absolutely no technical reason for this to happen, it was designed that way to punish users who try to limit or at least be aware the amount of information theft that the corporations is doing.
The time is severely overdue for the customers to demand from the phone manufacturers to install a clean-slate Linux system on their phones. With native API and native containerization support.
@nivrig Wait til they hear about GrapheneOS.
@nivrig Finally some good news in this broken world.

@nivrig

instructions please

@nivrig Quick, easy way to get AI slop off your phone. Does anyone know if this blocks it from scraping your data?

I know fully de-googling a phone stops this, especially when done by a full OS replacment with Lineage or Graphene

@nivrig Truth being they want to spy on you as much as possible. If they can't do it through operating system backdoors, they'll get you through the apps. Unlock your phone and AI requirements go to their cloud.

@nivrig LOLWHAT

THAT'S GOOD