Android

I currently have a complaint at kifid (instititute for complaints against financial service providers in the Netherlands) against Revolut because it doesn't work on degoogled phones. They claim it makes it more secure. Can anybody point me to a study or expert opinion on the security benefits of safetynet and how it protects android phones?

My inkling about googled OEM phones is this:

• many are old
• many aren't receiving patches anymore
• many receive security patches late (weeks or months)

And regarding degoogled phones:

• they are more likely to get security patches more quickly
• they are often maintained longer than OEM phones
• certain ROMs like calyxos and grapheneos (to a certain degree eos) are actually more secure than stock OEMs due to either
  • security focus
  • faster security patches
  • being limited to relockable bootloaders

Revolut claims that allowing these ROMs (or similar ROMs) to run their application would reduce the security of the application. I'm not a security expert so it would be nice to find out if that really is true for android.

This was posted on mastodon and reddit for reach.

We recently announced new developer verification requirements, which serve as an additional layer of defense in our ongoing effort to keep Android users safe. We know that security works best when it accounts for the diverse ways people use our tools. This is why we announced this change early: to gather input and ensure our solutions are balanced. We appreciate the community's engagement and have heard the early feedback – specifically from students and hobbyists who need an accessible path to learn, and from power users who are more comfortable with security risks. We are making changes to address the needs of both groups.

Supporting students and hobbyists

We heard from developers who were concerned about the barrier to entry when building apps intended only for a small group, like family or friends. We are using your input to shape a dedicated account type for students and hobbyists. This will allow you to distribute your creations to a limited number of devices without going through the full verification requirements.

Empowering experienced users

While security is crucial, we’ve also heard from developers and power users who have a higher risk tolerance and want the ability to download unverified apps. Based on this feedback and our ongoing conversations with the community, we are building a new advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn't verified.

Hi everyone. I have a Samsung S20 FE running LineageOS 23 (Android 16). I’d like to disable the Wireless Emergency Alerts service. The plan is to run:

adb shell
pm disable com.android.cellbroadcastreceiver.module

Questions:

Is it safe to disable this module this way?

Will the phone go into a bootloop after the next reboot?

Does anyone have verified information or real experience with this on the S20 FE / LineageOS 23 (a-16)?

@android are you part of the Google team?

A federal judge today announced what remedies Google faces after the company was found to have a monopoly in online search.

The district judge overseeing the case ruled today that Google does not have to sell the browser, or Android: “Plaintiffs overreached in seeking forced [divestiture] of these key assets, which Google did not use to effect any illegal restraints.” The case was filed in 2020 and the illegal monopoly ruling was made in August of 2024.

However, Google is barred from exclusive Search contracts that prohibit other providers from also being installed on devices.

The big change today is that Google must share “certain search index and user-interaction data, though not ads data” with “Qualified Competitors.” The aim is to “enable those firms to deliver high-quality search results and ads to compete with Google while they develop their own search technologies and capacity.”

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/36703523

It does not require root, user namespaces support or disabling SELinux, but it relies on proot and other hacks instead. It uses a fork of Termux-the-terminal-emulator app, but has no relation to Termux-the-distro.

Hi guys,

Unfortunately I have a bloody Pixel 6a (my first and last Google phone) with problematic battery and I wonder where to get a replacement battery from. There is plenty of those on AliExpress but I'd really like to avoid having a battery with same issues or worse. There is no battery available from my country's importer. I'm from EU. Any recommendation?

TIA

• Google will soon verify the identities of developers who distribute Android apps outside the Play Store.
• Developers must submit their information to a new Android Developer Console, increasing their accountability for their apps.
• Rolling out in phases from September 2026, these new verification requirements are aimed at protecting users from malware by making it harder for malicious developers to remain anonymous.

• Pixel 10 devices will support WhatsApp voice and video calls over satellite starting August 28.
• Google shared a demo showing the satellite icon visible during an incoming WhatsApp call.
• Google is the first manufacturer to introduce this functionality.

“OnePlus has announced a new system that limits who can unlock the bootloader on their phones. Stating reasons such as “data security” and an enhanced “system stability” […]. OnePlus has introduced a new procedure where anyone wanting to unlock the bootloader on their devices must first fill out an online request form for “Deep Testing””.

Even if it is for one region, it is still enshitification preventing phones to have custom ROM 🤦‍♂️

The sites I know on the Internet are often bad in some regards. For example, they typically don't have the feature to reply to several items at once or, if it's a video site, watch the video on reverse to see where something is coming from. But perhaps the biggest issue is that I often find that there isn't any place to post something I need to post. This is one of the cases where I faced it

I'm trying to report an issue with AOSP, but I can't select the needed component on their tracker. The issue is as follows:

Title (also in the post title): Some of the “developer options” are too useful to be in that menu

Some of the items in the “Developer options” menu are useful in other contexts, so putting them in it is bad. These are:

• Show taps: Useful for screen recording. I don't know what could be the right place for it, but it's definitely not Developer options, since one may want to screen-record playing games on profiles other than Owner. It also allows for quicker diagnosis of some problems
• Wi-Fi scan throttling: Allows for more precise location and probably should be in Battery

There also used to be a useful feature called Floating clock, but I think it's better to re-implement it as an option to show seconds in the usual clock in the Date & time menu. This way, the typical use cases would be possible in a more convenient way (although others wouldn't at all)

I suggest that these options be added to more appropriate places. The Developer options menu should still have these options, but with a note saying where they can be found elsewhere

With some notes about privacy, security and Google services

Any good, reliable ones out there?

• A Google executive has reportedly confirmed that the company will combine Chrome OS and Android into a single platform.
• This news comes after we reported in November that Chrome OS will be merged into Android.
• This also follows Android 16’s release, which brings several desktop-themed features to the platform.

The main goal of the Android workgroup is to add and maintain Android as an officially supported platform for the Swift language.

The Android workgroup will:

• Improve and maintain Android support for the official Swift distribution, eliminating the need for out-of-tree or downstream patches
• Recommend enhancements to core Swift packages such as Foundation and Dispatch to work better with Android idioms
• Work with the Platform Steering Group to officially define platform support levels generally, and then work towards achieving official support of a particular level for Android
• Determine the range of supported Android API levels and architectures for Swift integration
• Develop continuous integration for the Swift project that includes Android testing in pull request checks.
• Identify and recommend best practices for bridging between Swift and Android’s Java SDK and packaging Swift libraries with Android apps
• Develop support for debugging Swift applications on Android
• Advise and assist with adding support for Android to various community Swift packages

I just learned there's something called a 'wallet' I need to download to use public transportation where I live because I'm supposed to download the qr code there. I screenshot the qr code found in my profile but the company insisted per email I need to use a wallet, either google or apple (and this is android).

Several questions:

why doesn't it work to screenshot the qr code?

I won't use anything google related. What f-droid or droid-ify wallet should I use?

any other workarounds i should be aware of?

The desktop mode experience requires a Pixel 8 or newer, the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, and an external display.

The desktop mode experience requires a Pixel 8 or newer, the latest Android 16 QPR1 beta, and an external display.

Every month l download my income expense statement from my wallet app, which l read using my Google Drive PDF Viewer. However, this time no matter which PDF Viewer l use, the result is the same : the file is corrupted or in an unsuitable format.

Can anyone please help me fix this problem ?

Google released a new version of its design system, a kind of extension kit, in alpha version: Material 3 Expressive, more energetic, positive and expressive.

#Android #androiddev #designsystem #material3

Google demoed the new Project Astra capabilities on a Pixel 9 Pro. In this example, a person is having a live conversation while repairing their bicycle. It starts with the user requesting and Astra finding a PDF manual online. Upon opening, Astra exists as a floating bubble while you see its touch input and a screen glow as it scrolls the file to the desired page.
We next see it opening the YouTube app to search results, scrolling for a video, and then playing. The app then searches the user’s Gmail for information from a conversation. Shown a scene with multiple buckets filled with parts, Astra highlights the correct one on the screen (which something Google teased for Lens years ago at I/O.)

While discussing adaptive Android apps during its Developer Keynote, Google confirmed that it has been working with Samsung to upgrade Android’s desktop windowing capabilities. The company explains:

…we’ve been collaborating with Samsung, building on the foundation of Samsung DeX, to bring enhanced desktop windowing capabilities in Android 16 for more powerful productivity workflows.