Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472, and today I am exploring my options when it comes to making good on Degoogling my LG Stylo 5 smartphone. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tried. I really tried. The plight of someone awakened to Big Tech\u2019s abuses of power is near-hopeless in the face of Android and iOS. Google and Apple\u2019s duopoly is thanks to their extensive walled gardens. Google\u2019s open gates admit smartphone manufacturers the world over who all but worship the search giant for money. Users who wish for an existence free from the oppressive \u201cquality control\u201d rules of these gardens are left to brave a harsh, digital wilderness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike the more traditional desktop platform, the smartphone wilderness is still in its pioneer days. Special preparation must be undertaken before embarkation. Like the wagon trains of old, safe passage is limited to groups. There simply aren\u2019t enough people interested in a free (as in freedom) smartphone experience for groups with technical experience to blaze trails for every model. Few people are talking about the Stylo 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I may have enough experience to produce a working custom ROM, but it\u2019s been an exhausting topic to research. Even if I did produce a working ROM, keeping it updated would monopolize the rest of my time. This project direction is not for me. For the experience I really want, I need to pick a ROM and buy hardware based on that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just because I\u2019ve abandoned hopes of ROM flashing the Stylo 5 doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t re-evaluate my short and medium term plans. Whatever I do, I will need a tool called Android Debug Bridge (ADB) for administrative access to the unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I teased an update issue last week on my Manjaro workstation. It looks like there were some significant changes to package names. I had to uninstall a conflicting package to proceed [1], but I lost Prusa Slic3r in the process and had to reinstall it from another source. Afterwords, I found the packages for ADB had already been installed. I played with them a little, but nothing conclusive has come of it yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took my project to Reddit\u2019s r\/degoogle and got a reality check [2]. User Bubba1601 confirmed my researched suspicion that the Stylo 5 cannot be flashed. Between users Lisse2000 and cd109876, I learned that updates are secure against custom ROM\u2019s for security reasons. Others recommended a Google Pixel as a way to get away from Google because it\u2019s the only line GrapheneOS supports \u2013 again for a good reason: the Pixel is one of the few phones that lets you re-lock your boot loader, reducing the possible attack surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was additionally cautioned against thinking too much of the Librem 5, an open-hardware\/software Linux phone with an American-made option. Follow-up research showed that while it\u2019s well on the way to being a viable alternative, it\u2019s only enthusiast grade at best so far as I can tell. The premium $2,000 price tag is a bit above what I can afford with pocket change, so this is one project for the long-term dream board once I finalize monetization without compromising my values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given that I have to work with the Stylo 5, what CAN I do? User qUxUp was the only one to actually stay on the original topic \u2013 and I quote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Use as many as possible FOSS apps instead of google play apps (you can get most from fdroid).\n2. Disable what you don't need with adb.\n3. Use nextdns to block the services that you don't want to interact with your phone.<\/pre>\n\n\n\nI have heard of all of these in one shape or another. ADB is a bit more invasive than I want to wield on a system I care about, but the DuckDuckGo Privacy App (not sponsored) has a VPN to stop unwanted trackers from leaving the device. I\u2019ve been fairly careful since growing sour towards Google, but DuckDuckGo\u2019s app has helped me identify and remove an innocent-looking app or two when they phoned home despite me not interacting with them anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
r\/degoogle moderator BlueJayMordecai gave the following advice in a pinned post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt's okay to change [how you want to DeGoogle] at a later time if you feel you want to go further into repalcements [sic] or go lighter if you realize there's that one tool that can't yet be replaced. [3]\u201d<\/pre>\n\n\n\nMy threat model is shaped by my understanding of how Biblical end-time prophecy is playing out. I see large companies developing schemes to mistreat their positions for profit. Left unchecked, I can see these being used to more efficiently persecute Christians who disobey future civil laws requiring worship contrary to what the Bible plainly teaches. That and the 2020 political ads on YouTube were aggressive enough to move me to action. In short: I am wary Big Tech intrusion in the short term, but I expect government abuse of the same or similar technologies to slowly grow in the coming decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also know that technology shifts can be disruptive. If I focus primarily on new hardware and software before relying on it, my preexisting technology becomes an already deployed backup when the new stuff breaks. If I do not understand something and it\u2019s my only copy, I leave it as status quo. This has led to the awkward situation of using a tablet I know has junk left deep in its OS, while being downright paranoid of a phone over the same exact junk with maybe only minor differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My main focus has been on restricting Google from my desktop experience because that is what I have had the resources to experiment with enough to understand. I am rapidly approaching the point where I will need to accept those bitter terms of service before further study will be of benefit to me. It\u2019s just a matter of time before I\u2019m out of excuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Takeaway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While researching big or important topics, I sometimes find myself with topics that stall, take sharp turns, or any one of an array of surprises that result in an unsatisfactory state when it comes time for my writeup. I took my phone to the carrier\u2019s store, and while they are more than willing to unlock a phone so it can go to a different carrier, they either don\u2019t have the tools or aren\u2019t allowed to unlock the boot loader or assist in enabling Developer Mode (needed for ADB) without consenting to Google Services\u2019 terms. At least the store was mostly empty, because I had to try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is much to be said about having hardware sitting on your desk, staring you in the face every day. The Stylo 5 has driven me to at least think about custom Android every couple months or so. Perhaps one of these times, I will finally allow this project to rest in deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Final Question<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are your choices when it comes to reducing Big Tech\u2019s influence on your life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I look forward hearing your answers on in the comments below or on my Discord server<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Works Cited<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
[1] A. Rojas, \u201cwxWidgets 3.2 update may need manual intervention,\u201darchlinux.org<\/em>, July 14, 2022. [Online]. Available:https:\/\/archlinux.org\/news\/wxwidgets-32-update-may-need-manual-intervention\/<\/a> [Accessed: July 25, 2022].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[2] u\/Shadow_8472 and others, \u201cNo known degoogled ROM for my phone and I’m not ready to maintain one. What CAN I do? (LG Stylo 5),\u201d reddit.com<\/em>, July 22, 2022. [Online]. Available:https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/degoogle\/comments\/w5hmq2\/no_known_degoogled_rom_for_my_phone_and_im_not\/<\/a> [Accessed: July 25, 2022].<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[3] u\/BlueJayMordecai, \u201cWhy You Should DeGoolge & Intro DeGoogleing Techniques,\u201d reddit.com<\/em>, July 20, 2020. [Online]. Available:https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/degoogle\/comments\/huk4rp\/why_you_should_degoogle_intro_degoogling\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472, and today I am exploring my options when it comes to making good on Degoogling my LG Stylo 5 smartphone. Let\u2019s get started! Not a Feasible Project? I tried. I really tried. The plight of someone awakened to Big Tech\u2019s abuses of power is near-hopeless in … <\/p>\n