• toastal@lemmy.ml
    494·
    10 months ago

    If you skip GApps & install a custom ROM, chances are banking & government apps won’t work… & you see some places removing their websites forcing users into the app duopoly… which is why web apps matter.

    • goatmeal
      161·
      10 months ago

      FWIW I’ve got grapheneOS without google play services on a financial profile, and all of my financial apps work including: -Two credit card apps -Bank app -Three investing apps -Two direct transfer apps

      One of the credit cards apps (amex) does give a “warning” on each page that it needs play services to function but if I click Ok it actually still just works.

      • toastal@lemmy.ml
        43·
        10 months ago

        You are also locked to a Pixel device so GG if you want features Pixels do not offer

    • Rose@lemmy.world
      152·
      10 months ago

      Worth trying first. In my experience, almost every app works without the Google store. You can also block the internet access for any Google service or app via its settings.

    • GenderNeutralBro@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      81·
      10 months ago

      The best middle ground is probably GrapheneOS with sandboxed Google Play Services. At that point, most things “just work” and you can at least mitigate Google’s spyware.

      • toastal@lemmy.ml
        184·
        10 months ago

        Middle ground option has a weirdo author & is limited to Google’s Pixel line only (which eliminates one of the best parts about Android vs. iOS: device variety so you can find something specific to your needs)

          • TotalSonic@lemmy.worldEnglish
            5·
            10 months ago

            Sony Xperia 10 iii has all those things, and you can run Sailfish OS on it, including VoLTE and Android app support with it.

              • TotalSonic@lemmy.worldEnglish
                2·
                10 months ago

                Whoops, yes you are correct, you would need to go to Asus for front facing speakers. Maybe the Asus Rog 2, which can run degoogled Bliss ROM

          • toastal@lemmy.ml
            4·
            10 months ago

            Crazy how these went from standard features to niche in a generation. Like a sibling comment mentioned, I picked up an Sony Xperia III 5 with microG for Lineage OS installed (tho I swap OLED + <6" screen for your front-facing speaker requirement). Stupidly, not-rooted I still can’t run banking apps since custom ROMs are dangerous (but make me safer). Ironically, the banking apps I would use have trackers in them since it’s their security/privacy that matter, not mine.

              • toastal@lemmy.ml
                2·
                10 months ago

                Feel ya. The Xperia line still has them where you have to choose between dual SIM or microSD, but if it’s that simple why aren’t more phones offering that in their SIM tray (oh wait, they want you to use e-SIM so you can’t just physically swap it to another phone with ease)

        • TotalSonic@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          10 months ago

          Yeah, which is why I use de-googled “vanilla” Bliss ROM 17.2 (Android 14 with latest security patch) on my Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro instead of going the Graphene or Calyx + Pixel route. This way I have the hardware features I wanted (headphone jack, micro SD card slot, 5000mAh battery, 108mp camera, stereo speakers, 120mHz refresh rate) all for cheaper than a Pixel, and the Bliss ROM community is pretty friendly and dedicated in my interactions with it.

          • Quastamaza@lemmy.ml
            2·
            10 months ago

            is your phone still officially supported by the oem with security patches? Because if not, no custom rom update can have the full range of security patches.

            • TotalSonic@lemmy.worldEnglish
              2·
              10 months ago

              There are “vanilla” versions (which is what I use) that are basically de-googled AOSP which work well with apps from F-droid, Izzy-on-droid, and free apps from Aurora stores, which you can also install MicroG on if you wanted to - and there are “Gapps” versions which have Google Play Services, the Google Play Store and some of the basic Google apps pre-loaded.

          • LoveSausage@lemmy.ml
            2·
            10 months ago

            He stepped down last year. A bit toxic and troubled. A lot of social media drama around it.

    • TotalSonic@lemmy.worldEnglish
      22·
      10 months ago

      In USA I’ve found it’s pretty easy to live without banking on your phone, although you can’t say the same for some other countries. Granted I have a job where I am working with my own desktop computers most of the day, so I can pay bills and transfer funds on them during those times - and lots of people might not have the same luxury. But I’ve yet to feel a need for any of them while out and about beyond a few occasions of Venmo’ing funds on the go - and at least Venmo still allows you to use their site via browser.

      • toastal@lemmy.ml
        11·
        10 months ago

        Venmo is a VC-funded social media (weirdly) + money transfer app which takes a cut for doing like nothing just because you want your cash instantly. Many other countries have built-in bank-to-bank transfers with no fees or wait time & other that there’s no money to extract from this, I don’t know why it doesn’t exist in the US.

        Where I live, cash is luckily still king (no one uses credit & if you do, you are (rightfully) paying the credit card fee yourself), but more vendors are starting to prefer QR code payments & this year one of the banks leading the trends eliminated their online banking forcing you to use an app or do cash.