De-googling and privacy on Sony xperia (lemmy.ml)

submitted 3 months ago by Logh@lemmy.ml to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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I have been considering replacing my nearly 7 year old iPhone (although very reluctant) and I was checking for options. Really the only phone that caught my eye was the Sony xperia 1 V, but I found no information about how to degoogle and lock down the device. I really like the features and the built in camera apps, etc. Is there a way to degoogle the phone without loosing the funcionality/ease of use?

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[-] Ilandar@aussie.zone 15 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The 1 V is officially supported by LineageOS. Installation instructions can be found here.

EDIT: I will add that support for this device is quite recent, and it is still very expensive even second-hand. You are relying on a volunteer maintainer who makes no commitments about how long they will support the device for, so I think it's financially risky to buy the device purely based on it having LineageOS support now. You might want to consider the Xperia 1 III, which is two years older and significantly cheaper on the seocnd-hand market, but is otherwise quite similar to the 1 V. It has also received official LineageOS support for a longer period.

[-] xep@fedia.io 15 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

De-googling inherently causes functionality loss on Android because Google provides a lot of basic services via things like the Google Services Framework. It might be best for you to buy something cheap (secondhand Pixel?), install LineageOS, and then see how you like that before committing to something costly like an Xperia, especially since you're coming from iOS.

[-] AstralPath@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 months ago

The only functionality I've lost after migrating to a Pixel with GrapheneOS is the Android Device Policy (aka Work Profiles, the spyware your employer requires to use certain work apps)

Good riddance if you ask me lol

[-] thayer@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Quite a lot of apps cease to provide real-time notifications/messages, if they work at all, when Google Play components are not installed under GOS. At the very least, Google Services Framework is required for many mainstream apps.

[-] AstralPath@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 months ago

That's what the Google Play Sandbox is for.

[-] lemmyvore@feddit.nl 1 points 3 months ago

Other ROMs don't have Sandbox.

[-] Logh@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 months ago

Isn’t there maybe a way to keep the factory os and selectively disable google services. Sort of no-script style? Not too familiar with the android ecosystem tbh, other than google is on top of the food chain, haha.

[-] Ilandar@aussie.zone 7 points 3 months ago

You can use Universal Android Debloater (updated fork here) to remove some applications, but it's nothing on the level of a custom ROM. If you are really set on the hardware of the Xperia 1 V then I would recommend taking a look at this guide, written by @TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml. It has some advice for how you can achieve greater privacy on a non-Pixel Android device.

[-] mox 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

In principle, one could probably do this to a rooted phone by removing all the Google apps, and all the Google services, and giving up the other apps and services that depend on them. It would be a nontrivial task, and the steps would likely be different for each phone model (and possibly each OS version). I don't know of a project that does this successfully. You might try searching xdaforums.com for someone who has done it.

However, I wouldn't depend on Google services staying disabled when Google still controls the OS.

IMHO, it's safer and easier to replace the entire OS.

[-] toastal@lemmy.ml 13 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I have an Xperia 5 III.

All the Sony Xperia phones consistently & eventually make it to LineageOS mainline (so LineageOS for microG support too), but these ROMs don’t tend to come until near then end of a device’s 2 year warranty. I would assume that this is when they get cheap/used enough that developers can get their hands on them. Sony provides all the tools to unlock so it isn’t difficult or locked behind some centralized server for unlock keys. However, the nice cameras the come with… well you need their proprietary app unfortunately or the camera becomes a plenty bad device with the default LineageOS software.

On the plus side you get to support the only brand still shipping flagships with microSD, a headphone jack, and the ability to unlock bootloader (bonus the the 5s are <6" screens which is rough to find smaller phones now). Google Pixels won’t get you a headphone jack or microSD & Asus Zenfones don’t have unlockable bootloaders.

[-] fiercekitten@lemm.ee 2 points 2 months ago

I have an xperia 1 iii running LineageOS w/microG and I was able to get and install the sony stock Photography Pro, Cinema Pro, and Videography Pro apps, however several features of these apps are missing, such as the ability to do panorama shots and other stuff.

[-] toastal@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Yup. That is the tradoff. I’m willing to accept that one.

[-] technomad@slrpnk.net 8 points 3 months ago

You might check xda forums and see if it's capable of flashing a custom ROM. Not sure how much functionality you might forfeit though

[-] simonmicro@programming.dev 5 points 3 months ago

Google for Sony Open Devices. AOSP, but running on Sony devices. While I prefer LOS, SODP is always the beginning to port it from.

[-] Melody@lemmy.one 5 points 3 months ago

[removed by mod]

[-] mox 12 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

The Xperia phones are often horrendously locked down

Not really, at least when compared to most other brands. I've had three or four different Xperia models, and unlocked the bootloader on every one of them using official Sony tools. They even have official open-source software archives, which are very helpful to people who build de-googled "ROMs".

The one thing that has been especially locked down is the TA partition, which contains DRM keys used for Sony's proprietary apps. It's not needed for an open-source OS like LineageOS.

For this phone specifically, it looks like official LineageOS support is already underway, despite it being a fairly new model:

https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/pdx234/

I would definitely recommend a Pixel device if you’re going to go De-Googling.

Pixels do have unusually good support for user-installed OS, but the irony here is that you can't truly de-google them, because no OS will change the fact that Google controls the hardware and firmware.

[-] Ilandar@aussie.zone 3 points 3 months ago

That has been my experience with Sony phones, too. And as you (and I) pointed out, that device already has official LineageOS support so clearly it can be unlocked. I can only assume this is a regional problem or something. I know Japanese and American variants can have permanently locked bootloaders, which sometimes catches out second-hand purchasers who haven't done their research.

[-] jjlinux@lemmy.ml 6 points 3 months ago

This is the best suggestion for this purpose. Check out degoogled ROMs like e/os/, Divest, Graphene, Calyx, etc. Find which one better fits what you want, and then get a device that is 100% supported by that ROM.

[-] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 3 points 3 months ago

To add to this I'd also pay attention to the Android version that the OS is based on. Last I checked e/OS is a few versions outdated. GrapheneOS works very very well, you (OP) just have to understand how to set it up for your use case.

[-] jjlinux@lemmy.ml 3 points 3 months ago

Gotta love this community. So many people, most trying to smooth the road for newcomers.

[-] ElectroLisa@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 3 months ago

"Don't provide bootloader unlocks" https://developer.sony.com/open-source/aosp-on-xperia-open-devices/get-started/unlock-bootloader/

OP's phone, Xperia 1 V, is on this website and requires an IMEI number only to generate an unlock code

[-] Lemongrab@lemmy.one 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

DivestOS is the most degoogled (removes the most proprietary blobs) android ROM. See if your device is on this list: https://divestos.org/pages/devices

[-] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 months ago

Seems nice, but no root as far as I've seen, which kills it for ne

[-] Lemongrab@lemmy.one 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah, any security focused android ROM won't include root because it breaks the android security model. Breaks the ability to have secureboot and system safety checks by apps.

[-] dysprosium@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 3 months ago

Glue and ductape

[+] ultratiem@lemmy.ca -6 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Isn’t Sony far worse than Google in locking you into their platform and basically stealing your data? They gutted Helldivers and thru all their players under the bus by adding a PSN account requirement retroactively, even in countries that didn’t have the service. They only backpedaled because of the massive negative backlash. They have a history of installing root kits and treating their customers like absolute trash. And you want to go with them?? Yikes.

You are way better off getting a Pixel and then liberating it with Graphene.

[-] piracysails@lemm.ee 9 points 3 months ago

I think you are confusing phones, PCs, consoles and music.

Sony phones are by no means worse than stock google phones. They offer very close to stock experience.

*Send from my pixel with Graphene

[-] ultratiem@lemmy.ca -5 points 3 months ago

LOL. Yes because Sony somehow would t employ the same douchery with phones as they do with their other platforms and services.

Sorry Sony, not buying your snake oil lol.

[-] Ilandar@aussie.zone 7 points 3 months ago

Sony Corporation (which includes Sony Mobile) is not the same subsidiary as Sony Interactive Entertainment (which owns PlayStation). There is no reason to just blindly assume that the two companies have the exact same business structure. You talk about snake oil but the only one making baseless claims here is you.

this post was submitted on 10 Jun 2024

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