This post is going to be a bit personal (and maybe a little bit out of context, it's not just Google software I want to remove) but I'm tired of not knowing what to do about it. I want and have wanted to get rid of a bunch of proprietary software in my life, including but not limited to Google's software, for quite a while now, and I even got a Pixel 7A with hopes of installing GrapheneOS. But there are a few problems. First, my parents are understandably concerned and need me to use Google Maps' location sharing whenever I go to school. All my classmates use Instagram and we have that as our only messaging platform. I currently use DFInstagram, but I feel that it is not free from spyware. Finally, I also own a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and the associated DJI Fly app just refuses to work under GrapheneOS (I tested). Is there anything I can do to replace or limit the access of these aforementioned proprietary apps?
If your using GrapheneOS you don't need 2 devices, you can setup diferent profiles/users in the settings that are containerized and don't interact with each other. Your main profile will be completely foss and degoogled and in the second one you can install the play services from the GrapheneOS app updater (if you already have them in main i recommended you to backup and factory reset to make a clean install). There you can have Google Maps and all the spyware you need, you can even set it up so you recive notification from the second profile in the main one.
One idea is perhaps to have more than one device? A tablet at home could be used in some scenarios, the rooted phone for some others. Maybe you have an old device laying around?
Looking at this from my own personal perspective. I like to DeGoogle as much as possible because I strongly dislike the idea of others tracking me and creating profiles and making money from that, but at the same time many years ago people already could be tracked when carrying "dumb phones" on you so I figure some compromises will likely have to be made (Some people I know got rid of using phones altogether but not everyone is able to do so).At least at home for your desktop computer or laptop you can look into https://pi-hole.net and VPN and Tor. Use LibreWolf instead of Firefox (Firefox is quite full of Google by default).
But LibreWolf is not as restrictive as GNU IceCat. The latter blocks most of the website aggressively.
Have you looked at these threads for the DJI app issue?
https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/904-grapheneos-pixel-6-dji-fly-app-compatibility
https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/2527
As for Instagram...ugh. Absolutely insane to use Instagram for private communications, but I get it, you can't change your whole social circle. What you can do is isolate Instagram and similarly untrustworthy apps into a second user profile in Android, so at least it won't have access to your real photos, contacts, etc. I use Shelter for this purpose, but there are other options as well.
This is gonna sound stupid but hear me out:
Switch to ios.
You can’t degoogle. Your post says as much. But you want to not be negatively impacted by googles software. The best option in this case is to get on a platform that allows you to limit that negative impact.
When people say degoogle, most of the times what they mean is they want to use software (preferably free and opensource) that respects their privacy. How does switching to ios help with that? You are jumping from Google's ship to Apple's and your hardware is going to be even more restrictive. And all the proprietary services OP has to use now (like Instagram) will remain the same in ios. So I don't see how switching to ios solves OP's problems.
i'm not trying to argue with you or refute points you made, but instead to respond them in the context of the OPs question:
I want and have wanted to get rid of a bunch of proprietary software in my life, including but not limited to Google’s software, for quite a while now, and I even got a Pixel 7A with hopes of installing GrapheneOS.
my parents are understandably concerned and need me to use Google Maps’ location sharing whenever I go to school. All my classmates use Instagram and we have that as our only messaging platform. I currently use DFInstagram, but I feel that it is not free from spyware. Finally, I also own a DJI Mini 3 Pro, and the associated DJI Fly app just refuses to work under GrapheneOS (I tested). Is there anything I can do to replace or limit the access of these aforementioned proprietary apps?
so graphene isn't an option and the OP wants to get some control over google maps location sharing, instagram and be able to use their drone app.
ios has straightforward privacy controls that accommodate family sharing with a decent degree of granularity, can limit what applications like instagram can do in a very clear and easy to understand way and as far as i know the DJIFly app works on ios (its in the app store and has 4 stars. i don't use it so i can't speak to it).
"graphene isn't an option" is just not true, there are ways around all the mentioned issues if you just read the rest of the thread/crossposts. And android also has a robust permissions system for apps. Going to iOS buys OP very little except a loss of control over their device to software even more proprietary than Android. And I say that as someone who doesn't use android because I don't trust google.
One thing is being aware of bad actors on the internet, in that case IOS could be an option, other thing is being aware of the mass surveillance and manipulation across the digital space, and that's the thing we're more worried about in communities like this, in such case, IOS is no better than shooting yourself.
You can't become privacy conscious without sacrificing something, some friend will go away calling you a paranoid, somo products you own will become garbage, that's just normal here.
okay i reread your comment like five times. how, in the context of mass surveillance and manipulation, is ios no better than shooting yourself?
Do you actually trust Apple? Do you really not see it as a honeypot? Are you sure Apple don't track you and respect your privacy as a human being insted of seeing you as a profitable product? Are you out of your mind?
i asked how you could say that in the context of mass surveillance and manipulation ios is no better than shooting yourself.
I get hyperbole, but i don't understand that one.
in answer to all your questions: no, no*, no, no.
- i don't know what you specifically mean by a honeypot, but i don't see how apple is one.
iOS is worse than Android in terms of privacy in most ways. Android is open-source, which means we know there is no tracking, at least in custom ROMs like LineageOS. However, iOS is closed-source so there is no possible way of knowing what Apple tracks, because it is fully possible that their marketing material ("whatever happens on iPhone stays on iPhone") is disinformation. Closed-source software cannot be trusted for privacy, see the Anom Phone, this "closed source can not be trusted to be private" statement is also 99% of the reason deGoogling is a thing. GApps themselves are proprietary and are given near-root access to the system.
Ah, I didn’t see that you were looking for open source!
As a longtime Linux and open source software user, don’t rely on its open nature to belie privacy or security.
Good luck!
Of course you can DeGoogle, but that depends on your situation, the people you need to communicate with. As far as I am concerned Apple is not as innocent as they pretend to be.
https://invizible.net/en/
Learn to use this, disable all the apps you don't want but cannot uninstall, download apps from Aurora and Droid.
This allows you to return to the stock OS (too much stuff is missing on Graphene), and still maintain some level of control of your privacy and the security of your device
I like Graphene, I use Graphene, but it does strip too much of the cool stuff you get on stock android for pixels
The trick is to find what you need, what you want and what you're ok without, then decide how to proceed.
If you have more questions along the way, feel free to ask.
Now, let's see how many people blast me for suggesting this 🤣🤣
Good luck.
Instagram - I don’t know of any FOSS instagram clients that are actively maintained. Can you use it on the web with uBlock Origin enabled to minimize trackers, and try to get the contacts you care most about onto a less invasive platform?
Location tracking: there are other options that you could use, though they generally requires you to set up your own server in addition to installing the app.
- OwnTracks
- Hauk
- https://github.com/azomDev/PrivacyPin
- NextCloud + PhoneTrack
You could also use an OsmAnd integration to avoid the need for a server, e.g., using their Telegram location tracker or regularly sending lat/long via SMS (though I couldn’t find an existing solution for this).
setting up my own server isnt an issue, I already have a makeshift server with a laptop.
At least as of October the DJI Fly app was reported working under GrapheneOS, see https://github.com/GrapheneOS/os-issue-tracker/issues/2527
My understanding from https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/904-grapheneos-pixel-6-dji-fly-app-compatibility was that it requires broad storage access to work. Did you try adjusting the Storage Scopes configuration to get it to run?
thanks! dji fly was my primary concern with grapheneos so that's out of the way now
