Lol, called it.
Incompetence and false bravado is all but guaranteed with development teams. Especially when it’s closed source, not audited, and has minimal room for feedback loops.
Comment on ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after officials slam it
dataprolet@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
The devs don’t really seem to have a clue about smartphone.
bsky.app/profile/grapheneos.org/…/3lt2prfb2vk2r
douglasg14b@lemmy.world 2 months ago
NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 2 months ago
You don’t even need to audit a closed source app to know that Apple knows which devices its sending pushes to.
Enkimaru@lemmy.world 2 months ago
And how would they know that? That would mean push notifications would go via an Apple Server. Wich a) makes no sense b) can be masquerade so that the server does not know who talks to whom c) the meta information and the notification can be deleted timely
On the other hand, I guess most Android “low level” peer to peer apps go via FireBase?
NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 2 months ago
All push notifications go through APNS on apple. That’s Apple Push Notifications Service.
APNS requires the device to authenticate with it and can uniquely identify the device by an id. Its how it sends messages to devices.
Firebase cloud messaging acts the same way for true push notifications.
DahGangalang@infosec.pub 2 months ago
Thanks for the heads up.
Saw it wasn’t on F-Droid and was going to ask for source page (to get through Obtanium), but looks like they’re allergic to android and derivates. Appreciate you pointing to references.
brucethemoose@lemmy.world 2 months ago
…iOS forces uses Apple services including getting apps through Apple…
Can’t speak to the rest of the claims, but Android practically does too. If one has to sideload an app, you’ve lost 99% of users, if not more.
It makes me think they’re not talking about the stock systems OEMs ship.
Relevant XKCD: xkcd.com/2501/
Zak@lemmy.world 2 months ago
It makes me suspect they’re not talking about the stock systems OEMs ship.
The developers of GrapheneOS, an independent, security-oriented Android distribution are probably not only talking about stock OEM Android.
That’s a separate issue from whether users are forced to get all their software from a specific source, which is also separate from whether users will actually use other sources when given the option.
On Android, developers can offer users a way to install an app that isn’t easily traced to their identity and on iOS they can’t. Furthermore, an Android app can be both on the Play store and available from other sources; there’s no exclusivity.
Enkimaru@lemmy.world 2 months ago
You got that “tracked to their identity” opposite around. The reason why there is no Android App is, if the phone gets “found” the data about the user/owner is an open book.
Zak@lemmy.world 2 months ago
This is not one of the claims made by the ICEBlock developers; their claims are only to do with notifications.
If you want to claim that a locked Android device is substantially easier for law enforcement to break in to than a locked iPhone, please cite up-to-date (from 2025) sources.
Empricorn@feddit.nl 2 months ago
Glad others have pointed this out. Their “reasons” for not supporting 70% of worldwide smartphones via Android seemed very suspect.
gray@pawb.social 2 months ago
InFerNo@lemmy.ml 2 months ago
Because visitors to the US don’t tend to be from the US, that’s only logical
Empricorn@feddit.nl 2 months ago
Think about that for a second. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by definition involves at least one border and 2 countries. Even if they only went after American citizens (which they’re trying to do), they’d be deporting you somewhere else.
As it is, I suspect a significant number of at-risk people in the US and their advocates use Android.
NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I think he thinks HE had to store the information, and if he isn’t the one storing it, it’s anonymous.
Except, on Android, you can also do it where only google stores the information and he doesn’t have to store any. And there are no user name or passwords or accounts involved to listen to specific channels like he claims.
You can collection this information, and you’d be able to write a more custom push service, but it isn’t needed at all, but Google and Apple will always know who is getting the messages.