I have to update a phone that currently has LOS, and degoogle it at the same time. If I just upgrade to the latest version (by flashing) and not install mind the gapps, is it basically a degoogled phone? It seems that installing /e/ over the current LOS would require me to flash stock rom first, which takes more time. The current LOS version on the phone was just 1 or 2 iterations below the latest version, 20 or 21 I don’t remember.

TIA

  • MajorHavoc@programming.dev
    5·
    2 months ago

    To answer your technical question with perfect accuracy:

    I don’t know.

    To answer your privacy question:

    Yes. You’ll get roughly the same privacy benefit.

    Standard disclaimer: to gain full privacy from Google also requires regular use of a VPN, strict 3rd party cookie blocking, regular clearing of any mystery cookies that show up, and some luck.

    • skaarl@feddit.nlOPEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      Thanks, and is there one DNS provider that is better than the others in terms of privacy and degoogling?

      • MajorHavoc@programming.dev
        1·
        2 months ago

        Google’s DNS is 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Public_DNS)

        Most of the alternate Android builds will have already replaced it with a better option.

        In theory it’s possible that any DNS provider is selling your browsing behavior, but that sold traffic would still need to be correlated back to your purchase, political or religious behaviors to be useful. And that correlation probably relies on either tracking cookies and or whatever Google app can do to track you.

        So I don’t stress about DNS provider as long as I think my tracking cookies are under control and my VPN configured.

        That said, if you want to confirm the Privacy of your configured DNS provider, this guide may help:

        https://www.privacyguides.org/en/dns/

  • w_l_l_w@lemmy.world
    4·
    2 months ago

    You might be missing some of the advance privacy features. I’m not sure… I’ve been on e/os for a few years now and haven’t checked out LOS recently. Have a read of this

  • sovietknuckles [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    3·
    2 months ago

    If I just upgrade to the latest version (by flashing) and not install mind the gapps, is it basically a degoogled phone?

    It would probably have to be a clean install that wipes userdata, not an upgrade. But yes, LineageOS is pretty much as degoogled as you can get on an OS forked from Google’s AOSIP, if you don’t explicitly add GApps.

    German privacy researcher Mike Kuketz does not agree, but it all depends on how much effort you’re willing to put into degoogling, or how much you’re willing to compromise on usability.

    • skaarl@feddit.nlOPEnglish
      3·
      2 months ago

      Wow, good points, thank you. The connectivity checks look like a PIA but in this case (not being a person of interest) it seems reasonable to just keep the phone on LOS.

  • tetris11@lemmy.ml
    2·
    2 months ago

    I thought eOS had some apps that were only specific to that distro, so they would be missing from LOS