Imagine routing all your traffic through a google server.
well the most used custom dns is 8.8.8.8
I mean this only routes a small amount to their servers, the actual data to use a website isn’t sent to 8.8.8.8.
still name resolutions is a big amount of data
a persistent notification is no longer required. A key icon in the status bar is the only indication you get that the VPN is enabled
You still get the key icon. Is the fuss that it now takes more screen taps to reach the on/off, rather than just using the persistent notification?
The fuss is that 3rd party apps need a persistent notification to stay alive. But, because Google owns pixels, it can skip that step and be less intrusive/visible, which others can not.
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Persistent notification was added in response to android 8+ background restrictions. You didn’t need it before.
Apps that need to be constantly alive do that to avoid being killed by the system on android devices that are not stock or pixel. Apps like tasker, accubattery, Internet speed meter, adguard all target the latest android version 12 or higher.
We are on android 14. You can not install apps targeting android 5 from the playstore today.
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Cite your sources because that’s not how persistent notification works. PIA doesn’t need it. It sounds like a poorly written app.
Edit: DNS66 as well.
I don’t understand the article. They either aren’t clearly explaining the issue or just heavily misinformed.
I have Google One and PIA. Both do the same thing, which is add a key to the top right of the screen. To me, that’s like a persistent notification.
PIA has never needed to use the actual persistent notification API. There’s no reason to. Persistent notification is for application that don’t want their UI Window to terminate when Android gets memory pressured, or when wanting to use a local service (eg: Location or Orientation) when not the main foreground application. I can kill the PIA Window (swipe up from recent apps) and the VPN is still running.
If Google One were able to activate VPN without changing my status bar, that’s a different story, and that’s not the case.
Edit: DNS66 as well
From what I understand, Google One had its own persistent notification (left side) when using the VPN as well as the normal key icon (right side). So now it just has the latter.
Nope. I have my Pixel 7 on Android 13 and my Pixel 8 on Android 14.
The only difference is when you activate on Android 13, you get notification it’s connecting and it’s connected. Neither are permanent, and I can dismiss them.
Android 14 has no notification and just shows you on the app it’s connected now (different UI).
It never had a persistent notification, so I’d reason the author was misinformed or misunderstood the change when somebody told them.
Lol that’s like saying worlds biggest virus creator which makes him billions of dollars now also providing anti virus for free.
Exactly lmao. I don’t trust Google with shit, so I’m still going to install GrapheneOS and Mullvad as soon as I get the 8.
I second Graphene and Mullvad.
As a Pixel owner, how much do you lose in terms of the pixel-exclusive software when using graphene?
Critically you lose financial apps and gpay nfc
Also, some apps and sites do not work from mullvad vpn. I know that Redcard and some parts of Ally are restricted.
It depends on the apps. I’m Australian, so it may differ depending on the country, but I’m able to use the Commonwealth Bank app, alongside Square Payments (but cannot use the card reader.)
That’s wild to give that up. I never carry my actual cards anymore for convenience and security. Plus Google Pay gives the retailer a virtual card number, keeping your real one safe.
Not to mention it’s safer to bank on a phone vs computer, as you’re less likely to have a virus or Keylogger since everything is containerized.
As much or as little as you like, as Graphene uses a sandbox for Google Play Services. It’s up to the user, some have more or less degoogled completely (like myself), and others use the same apps they did on stock Android, but with harsher permissions.
I’ve not found any real difficulty getting away from the apps I used to use, as there are FOSS alternatives for almost all of them that imo, work much better and require far less personal data (two I use on a daily basis are a NewPipe fork with Sponsorblock functionality, and InnerTune, which has completely replaced Spotify for me.) I do still use Google Maps, albeit with all permissions other than network restricted (as I don’t use real time navigation, and have yet to find an alternative that matches it for business detail accuracy, street view and ease of use.) I also still use Google Camera, albeit without any network or other nonessential permissions.
So basically, Graphene can be used the same way as stock Android. It just gives you options and control over your device and digital privacy. GrapheneOS is first and foremost about device security, and is the best custom OS out there in its field.
I was moreso focused on things like “Now Playing” or on-device translation
Ah yeah, I gotcha. Now Playing isn’t something I’ve looked into, but I can confirm it doesn’t come packaged in. Same with translation.
I do still use Google Maps, albeit with all permissions other than network restricted (as I don’t use real time navigation, and have yet to find an alternative that matches it for business detail accuracy, street view and ease of use.)
Check out GMaps WV from F-droid, it’s the web version of Maps wrapped in a webview. It can’t do realtime navigation (because Google won’t let it) but you said you don’t need that. It can plot courses and give you all the details for them, just can’t do the actual live navigation.
It doesn’t need any Google-specific support on the phone, just a working webview.
Please note that, just like on the Maps website, you’ll get a nag screen to accept their cookies and they’ll show it each time you open the app if you reject cookies or close the screen, until you either accept or live with it. But the cookies will be restricted to that webview so the most they can do is track how you use the Maps website.
Fantastic, exactly the kind of thing I’ve been after. Thank you! :)
I mainly want to know what the included apps are like. Mainly if they use material three or not and if they actually look decent unlike the ones with lineageos
Weird, my Pixel 6a currently doesn’t have a persistent notification when I use Proton. Is this a GrapheneOS thing? Just curious.
Have you enabled notifications for it? I use Proton with GrapheneOS. I keep the ProtonChannel notifications disabled normally as I don’t need to see it. Enabling it, I see the persistent notification as expected.
Can confirm. I was able to replicate the behavior. Cheers
What reason would there be to enable notifications?
for zero tier or tailscale it’s nice when you forget that you are connected and it’s causing problems for whatever reason
You guys don’t get the key icon in the status bar?
I am on pixel 6a and using third party vpn. there is no persistent notification. only key icon. I don’t see the issue here.
