Samsung phone owners are upset because they can't delete the Facebook app

[the_borderer]

@GulliverFoyle

AFAIK jailbreaking refers to unlocking a carrier-specific phone to work on any compatible network.

I’ve always called it unlocking, and have never seen it referred to as jailbreaking in the UK

[nungesser]

@AndreStmaur

I am not sure whether you are serious or sarcastic but, even if I am a iPhone user, I would not say the platform has no spyware. The iCloud functions are borderline. Applications can request permissions and refuse to work without them. There is a unique advertising i.d. The GPS sends data back to Apple. It is generally better than typical Android phones, but far from perfect.

iCloud is an optional service you can easily turn off, and is literally just cloud storage. You can easily turn off permissions for any app. The GPS only sends data to Apple if you allow it to. The health apps send no data to Apple. Essentially, it comes down to whether you believe Apple or not. If you assume they’re lying to you, then feel free to be suspicious of your phone. But no, there’s nothing remotely resembling spyware built into an iPhone.

[RickMycroft]

@doctorow

Facebook claims that if you don’t login to the app or run it, it won’t spy on you.

That’d be a change from the version in my old phone. Connect it to the debug monitor in Android Studio, capture the events from the phone, leave it overnight and then filter for Facebook events, and you can clearly see an unused app with no account contacting the mothership every night.

I never checked to see what was transferred, but in light of later leaks, I’d wager my call logs.

[AndreStmaur]

@RickMycroft

@doctorow

Facebook claims that if you don’t login to the app or run it, it won’t spy on you.

That’d be a change from the version in my old phone. Connect it to the debug monitor in Android Studio, capture the events from the phone, leave it overnight and then filter for Facebook events, and you can clearly see an unused app with no account contacting the mothership every night.

I never checked to see what was transferred, but in light of later leaks, I’d wager my call logs.

That is what was found in that other thread I posted a few days ago:

Report on Facebook and Android

The following report was published last week at the chaos computer congress in Leipzig, Germany and makes its way in the general press. https://privacyinternational.org/report/2647/how-apps-android-share-data-facebook-report The video from the congress is also worth looking at, also for the questions asked at the end: https://media.ccc.de/v/35c3-9941-how_facebook_tracks_you_on_android The short summary is that Facebook gets private data from a vast number of apps installed on Android phones,…

[Ian_Atkinson]

I didn’t notice too much noise on my s4 but when I upgraded to the s6 edge, I had issues within the first month, I went in to Verizon and had them to a diagnostic of the phone asking why I had certain apps installed. Four of the apps were pre-installed Samsung apps you couldn’t uninstall but had to disable. Unfortunately more updates would re-enable the apps for the phone to only get slow again. I did everything to get rid of that for for the next 16 months but dealt with it until i could upgrade again. I went with the Pixel and OMG the difference of having a stock OS was amazing. It was the first phone i have kept over the 2 yr mark because it still runs as good as the first day.

[Slant]

You really used a lot of words there to attempt to convince, I guess, yourself that everyone’s just gotta have this software!

[Jay_Kay]

“they’re meant to give the consumer “the best” phone experience right after opening the box.”

Does it come with lube?

[HYDRA_SUPREME]

Dont need root or anything too hard to comprehend just download package disabler for Samsung in play store it’s like 3 $ I DON’T WANT A SAMSUNG WITHOUT THE APP !!! It works and easy to install and I can disable ANY app including system apps and it works all that bloatware gone and I use S9+ 8.0 non root and a tip be careful what you disable some apps u disable may cause phone to stuck in boot loop or soft bricked not hard it can still be reset… but that’s what I do

[JimJim]

Is there a good modern device with a good camera that supports Lineage? I don’t need a lot of commercial apps (Netflix and whatever), just need a basic phone, and want to take good pictures.

[AndreStmaur]

As I already said, I have a Samsung A3, 2017 model. The camera is ok at 13 mpixels with a f1.9 lens, but support by lineage is only so-so. I think that the magic in better cameras lies in the software, optics has limitations and there is simply not enough space in a phone for a really good camera. The latest google pixel and the iphone are reported to use software enhancements for their cameras.

[74hc595]

@JimJim

Is there a good modern device with a good camera that supports Lineage? I don’t need a lot of commercial apps (Netflix and whatever), just need a basic phone, and want to take good pictures.

I’ve only tried LineageOS with Samsung Galaxy Note II, but generally what @AndreStmaur said is true - a lot of processing is done in camera app, so for some phones photo quality will be worse than with stock ROM.
Open Camera is a more advanced camera application that allows writing RAW files - the photos may then be postprocessed externally, providing better quality.

[JimJim]

Yes exactly, the magic happens in the camera software these days. Sometimes too much magic: https://www.businessinsider.com/beautygate-iphone-xs-camera-appears-to-apply-beauty-mode-to-selfies-2018-9 . I’ll look at that Open Camera package as an option, that sounds interesting

[74hc595]

@JimJim

Yes exactly, the magic happens in the camera software these days. Sometimes too much magic: Beautygate: iPhone XS Camera Appears to Apply 'Beauty Mode' to Selfies

I didn’t know that they have already gone that far

@JimJim

I’ll look at that Open Camera package as an option, that sounds interesting

With RAW image capture and external software such as RawTherapee it may give better result than the stock app.

[b00fh]

See, this is the paranoia i’m talking about.

Facebook and Samsung did not design it to be uninstallable. They designed it to be shipped by default (that, you can legitimately dislike, I dislike it too), and it happens that making it uninstallable opens an entire can of worms about safety.

Disabling it has the same effect as uninstalling it. It won’t run, ever. It If you think it can re-enable itself, you are confusing disabling and killing. This is pure FUD.

My point was that the app manager UI designers could rename the “disable” button to “uninstall”, and the people complaining would be none the wiser. They chose not to do it, we should acknowledge that instead of complaining about illusory issues.

[teknocholer]

@b00fh

Facebook and Samsung did not design it to be uninstallable.

But as you said, they placed it where it could not be uninstalled. Is there a reason the Facebook app cannot be stored where the user can delete it, unlike all the other apps that a user might install? Is the Facebook app on these phones different from the one people have on older phones?

@b00fh

If you think it can re-enable itself, you are confusing disabling and killing.

I have no idea whether it can re-enable itself. What I pointed out was that based on my experience and that of many others, privacy selections on Facebook tend to be temporary, and require the user to periodically re-establish them using a new set of rules.

@b00fh

My point was that the app manager UI designers could rename the “disable” button to “uninstall”, and the people complaining would be none the wiser. They chose not to do it, we should acknowledge that instead of complaining about illusory issues.

I will concede that Samsung and Facebook did not literally defraud the users. Yay them.

[AndreStmaur]

@teknocholer

But as you said, they placed it where it could not be ininstalled. Is there a reason the Facebook app cannot be stored where the user can delete it, unlike all the other apps that a user might install?

Money.

In the end, it boils down to that. Samsung and other manufacturers get revenue incentives to add some apps to their default install. They could make the apps deinstallable, but nobody is paying them for that effort. So they don’t.

Samsung regularly tests how far they can go and sometimes backs up when too many users complain about preinstalled apps so that they feel it hurts sales of devices. For example, I had a tab S. People complained about bloatware and indeed it was full of junk asking for a subscription all the time. It got bad reviews for it and the model S2 was largely bloatware free.

I still use that tablet under Lineage OS.